Robots

On our bike tours, we sleep in churches.

Each night, generous congregations allow us to invade their space with coolers, sleeping bags, and cycling equipment. When we leave each morning we do our best to leave the spaces just as we found them, clean and ready for use.

In Breckenridge, Becky and I slept in the main gathering space on the main floor. At exactly 2:14 am (according to my phone) I jerked awake to an alarm, followed by a high-pitched motor and an occasional thump. Eventually I heard Becky scurrying around.

“It’s a Robo-Vac.”

You heard right. The machine was programmed to clean the floor when no one was around. Now Becky was chasing it in the dark, trying to find the OFF switch. At one point it got stuck under my wheelchair and she had to lift the wheels to free it. Then she closed one set of kitchen doors, attempting to trap it in the kitchen.

Eventually she managed to corner the little pest and turn it off.

As we left in the morning a flip of the switch produced the alarm again – much less annoying in daylight – and off it went to complete its mission.

Bike tours produce some great memories. Some of them even involve actually riding bikes.

On Monday, our Colorado Mountain Tour concluded with an epic trip over 12,200 foot Independence Pass. After a wonderful (and difficult) climb, our cyclists enjoyed a thrilling descent into Twin Lakes.

During that descent, Jeff Moore gave us a chance to sit on his handlebars and lean through the hairpin turns. Here’s your chance to experience this ride for yourself. Grab the brakes and hang on!

Can’t see the video? Click here.

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