I slept in as long as I could, put my bike together, ate a good breakfast, and then it was off in a taxi to the official tour hotel. Moved into the Hampton Inn and started meeting the group. I was able to check in early and met my roommate for the evening, Kathy Jo from Minnesota. She threatened to have me talkin’ like a Minnesotan again before the trip is over.
Got settled in and wandered around the neighborhood. Decided to drop in this Italian place for a ceasar salad and some chianti. They served “family style” so the salad was enough to feed 3 or 4 and the wine was in a 12 oz. tumbler! I had the time and my book, so I settled in and ordered a second glass.
We got together for the group dinner – introductions and last minute instructions were our entertainment for the evening.
It seems like a good group, maybe a few odd ducks – I’m sure they’ll all come out in time. I’m wondering about the training and skill level of some, but I guess we’ll see on that one too.
This was also our introduction to what would be a common method of feeding us – I called it ”trough” – food served in big warming trays, where we could scoop out our own proportions. It wasn’t high cuisine, but you generally could get enough – important when your riding a bike all day.