Trail House

My friend Fran and I walked around Spring Lake this morning and had much more to talk about, so we adjourned to the Trail House for a coffee. There seemed to be a problem with the espresso machine so the barista said she would bring me my coffee when the machine finally spit it out. 

Situated close to Annadel State Park and Spring Lake, popular with cyclists and hikers, Trail House combines beer, coffee, food, bicycle repair and gear. They have a van which organizes bicycle tours and  two guys working industriously on bicycles. I explained why I was taking this picture and one of them said he couldn't believe that he actually got paid for doing such a fun job. You can sit with your breakfast sandwich and coffee, or your brats on a bun and beer and watch them, or you can take it into the living room styled space with bicycles in the front window. They are also dog friendly, unlike the State Park, with a patio sporting water bowls and dog treats. Their website is entertaining too if you care to look at an interesting business concept.My friend Beth and I had a somewhat related concept of coffee, sandwiches beer and a laundromat many years ago, but we missed our chance....

I have spent a considerable amount of time in various coffee houses where cycling groups are wont to gather, and what always strikes me about their conversations is that they are, to the exclusion of all else, about their gear and/or their route. Providing them with a space where they can do this seems inspired.


Cycling in wine country is a very popular activity with serious lycra clad bike races, wine tourists in shorts and dresses on upright bikes, and dirty mountain bikers on fat tired bikes with serious shock absorbers. There is a law here that drivers must leave at least three feet between vehicle and cyclist when passing, which on our narrow, shoulderless roads often means driving very slowly along behind a bike until there is space and visibility to pass.

Feeling reasonably mellow, I went to our local Walgreens (Boots-type pharmacy) for a flu shot. I don't see any difference between someone who is there to pick up a prescription,  and someone who is there to have a syringe full of medication jabbed into their arm, but they let me wait, avoiding my gaze, for almost an hour while they helped everyone else. I finally got my shot when I threatened to make a scene and march out. The pharmacist peered inscrutably at his computer, typed in something other than what three other people had already typed in, searched around through untidy piles of paper and finally, waving one triumphantly aloft said, "I'll do it now..."