My lovely guest this week, Paula Gray has inspired me!

Paula is here in town with an educational program that King Arthur Flour Company provides to public schools.  She has been teaching the disappearing art of bread making to kids in grade schools in Westerville and Worthington.  The kids watch and help Paula make the bread dough and then receive ingredients to go home and make a batch with their family.  Then each child will return to school with one loaf of bread that will then be donated to a local food pantry!  Wonderful program in so many ways!

So each morning at the crack of dawn- actually it’s about 7AM but just feels so much earlier with the time change-we meet in the kitchen for coffee as I watch her ready her dough for the demonstration.  During today’s chatty banter, we discussed her idea of opening her own bed and breakfast in Vermont.  Her idea is to cater to the cycling crowd- being a much travelled cyclist herself!  She brought up the fact that my inn sits two minutes from the wonderful bike trail here in Westerville that will become part of the Ohio to Erie trail spanning the state from the Ohio River to Lake Erie.  Now why had I not considered bike riders on my list of potential guests????

Wow!  The ideas have been flowing ever since!  With her suggestions, I can come up with a wide assortment of amenities that would provide cyclists with the comforts they need after hours of heavy pedaling!  Not being a long distance bike rider myself (except in my mind where I travel all over Europe with a backpack and my two wheeler), I definitely need to ask for help on this one.  Here is the beginners list of things I think would make me the perfect spot to stop and rest on a bike tour.  Of course this is in addition to the already wonderful things the inn provides all of its guests! See if you can think of any others?

Laundry use- including suds, plus a clothesline in the backyard
Hot Coffee and plenty of it-coffee makers available for every room!
Fabulous and Early breakfasts- loaded with healthy carbs! And homemade energy bars to take along
Hot spotlessly clean showers and comfortable guestrooms
Bike shop one block away
Two blocks to restaurants, wine shop, coffee cafes and pharmacy
Small quiet university town beautiful and safe-voted in 100 Best Places to Live
Secured bike parking with covering
Walking distance to several parks, library and post office.
As a lifelong resident in the ‘ville, I can offer a long list of things to do and see or places to go if you need a particular item.  I now must familiarize myself with the needs of the long distance cycler!  For those of you reading who have some knowledge of this fantastic sport- please by all means let me know!

All this prompted me to go out and uncover the fabulous bike I have out back just begging to be ridden! Hmmm, perhaps I can try that out tomorrow?