* * Hosting still more guests

We had houseguests overnight last night.

As I mentioned a couple of posts earlier, a year or two ago, I joined an Internet-based host service called Warm Showers http://www.warmshowers.org/. It is primarily for traveling bicyclists to link up with people who are willing to share a bedroom and perhaps a meal or two or them on their way down the road. Our home in Blacksburg is a couple of miles from the original 1976 Bikecentennial route, now called the Transamerica Bicycle Route.

On Saturday, I got an e-mail from a man in California who was traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast, looking for a place to stay. He had recently linked up with another man from Korea. With some confusion, these two arrived at our house late yesterday afternoon after bicycling from Wytheville.

Alex is in his mid-20s. He is a short, slight guy with a mop of dirty blond hair. He is from a suburb of Los Angeles and he looked like he would be comfortable riding the edge of a surf board.

“Oh” is from a suburb of Seoul, South Korea. He flew into Seattle and rode his bicycle to Astoria, Oregon, from where he began his transcontinental ride. He is 30 years old and has the black hair and dark brown eyes of most Asians. This trip to America was, astoundingly, the first time he had ever been in an airplane and his first time ever outside of his native peninsula.

With their late arrival, we did not have time to fix dinner for them last night, so instead we took them to our nearest Mexican restaurant, where they ate hungrily. Afterwards, we drove them into Blacksburg and showed them around the Virginia Tech campus. By this time, it was dark, so they couldn't really see much. But they were particularly interested in the Memorial set up on the edge of the Drill Field commemorating the shooting in 2007. Oh was particularly shaken by it because he recalled that the shooter was the son of Korean parents. He indicated that it was big news in Korea when it happened and that his country was deeply regretful.

This morning, Alex told me about his many experiences crossing our enormous country. At one point, in Kansas, he was befriended by a middle-aged man who was so generous with his time and money that it actually made Alex uncomfortable. Alex described the feeling of vulnerability that a person has while bicycling. He told me that particularly in eastern Kentucky, many people left their dogs free to chase bicyclists as they rode by. At one point, four dogs literally were biting at Alex's panniers.

Oh told me that his cellular telephone and a couple of other items were stolen from him in Missouri, but somehow miraculously he was able to have them recovered. Otherwise, he said that everyone was kind and cordial to him.

Only a few days ago, these guys were riding in a remote area not far from Marion, Virginia. It was raining and cold. They became dangerously wet, and were forced to seek refuge under a carport. Neeting a warm and dry place to stay, they were so desperate they called 911. A state trooper came to investigate their predicament. He was unable to help them personally but he put them in touch with someone who had a pickup truck and who took them and their bicycles into Marion where they were able to find a motel. Life on the road has enormous challenges, but they were in good spirits and optimistic about the trip.

It is always fun and interesting for us to have strangers visiting with us in the house. This group of two riders is the fourth separate group we have had stay with us this year. Every one of them has been a pleasant and worthwhile experience.