"Love You Neil": Part 1
I arrive in Seaside, Oregon at about 6:00pm after about 110 km of riding. It has been raining for the last three hours, and I am not looking forward to camping in the rain. Where on earth am I going to camp tonight? There seem to be no good campgrounds in the area! I stop in town, and call Neil, a warmshowers host (check out www.warmshowers.com) located in Seaside with over 100 reviews! Perhaps he can host me for the night! No answer. Shucks.
Still undecided, I meet Justin at a small ice cream shop in town. He suggests I camp out in his backyard about 3 miles down the road. Justin seemed trustworthy, but I figured I would leave my phone on loud while biking over, just in case Neil called me back.
I get to the address and find this huge smiley face staring back at me. “Love you Neil”. Well this is definitely it. I open it. I felt like I was breaking and entering. Is this really happening? Once I open the garage, I see the keys to the house, and I feel a HUGE sense of relief. I am about to escape the rain, and be able to sleep inside! I am still standing in the rain, outside the garage, awe struck at everything that was happening. Then, the door to the house opens and a lady peers through the door.
The rain is now pouring down. Man does it suck biking in the rain! I am about 2 miles away from Justin’s place, and I hear a ring. It’s Neil! “Hey Mariam? Sorry for not getting back to you earlier. I am actually out of town - I have been out of town for the last couple of months. This is what you need to know. When you arrive to my house, open the garage, the keys to the car are on the right, and the keys to house are on the left. You might need to move the car to fit your bike. When you get in, be sure to read through the binder on the table and fill in the guestbook! Enjoy your stay!” So much information in such a short period of time. So, wait am I going to just stay in this guy’s house when he isn’t there?! He doesn’t even know me! But, I trust the reviews so I decide to turn around and go to Neil’s house.