Dear Erick -

Please allow me to outline the parameters again.

They called Sunday afternoon to ask about staying Monday evening.
I said, "Yes."

They called Monday midday to say that they were not able to get to a bike shop in the previous town on Sunday and could I make it Tuesday evening, instead. They said the bike shop was closed on Sundays which doesn't exactly comport with the facts - but I let it pass.

I said, "Yes" again. But I said that I had an engagement and that I would like them to arrive before 7:00p.
They said that it would be no problem.
I also asked them to call from the rest area / c-store when they were halfway.
(There is nothing else to delay a person other than the rest area - no towns, no stopping points.)
It is 68 miles between the town where they were and my community.

Tuesday was cool - 72 degrees - and breezy with a tailwind for them.
The terrain is moderately rolling.
They had indicated that they were on a cross-country ride.
So, 68 rolling miles after you have already done 2000 is a cakewalk.

They called at 3:00p and said that they were at the rest stop but that they had started out later than expected. (When I mentioned some features - mileage and terrain leading up to the rest stop - they seemed oddly unfamiliar.) Since the rest stop is 28 miles away with weather conditions ideal, I said that they should still have little problem getting here by 6:00p or 7:00p at the latest. They agreed. They had not arrived by 7:25p. They did not call. They had not arrived by 9:00p - no messages. The final 10 miles into town are on a ridge with excellent cell phone reception.

<<<>>>

The pieces did not add up.
The bike shop may have just been a little fib.
But they made no effort to leave even reasonably early on Tuesday morning.
Even like 10:00a.

It's clear that they had a cell phone.
I am aware of the coverage in the area - generally not good.
And am especially aware where it IS good.

Two women with mechanical problems would receive assistance in Wyoming.
From local drivers offering help, water, phone calls if their phone was dead.
(I am certain that women would stop for two women on the side of the road, too.)
Not to mention the highway patrol - if the issue was one of safety with strangers.

As I said earlier, the pieces did not add up.
There was always some sort of excuse.
And I did not buy them.

Perhaps I should have used the term "Partying" rather than drugging.
Yes, people who are biking across the country have different schedules -
But my experience is that they rarely leave after noon consistently -
Unless they are in the party mode.

As a further note - When the women did call at 9:30,
the comment about the flat tire and the accident was tacked on at the end.
It seems odd that you would say, "By the way I had a flat and fell off my bike, too."
AFTER you had spoken for a while.

Don't you think that the usual conversation would start - -
"I'm so sorry that we're getting in so late but it has been a horrendous day." Hmm?
Instead, it sounded to me like some pretty lame excuses called up from the files.

<<<>>>

I'm not sure what the reasons were - but I feel no obligation to ferret everything out.
It is practically impossible that they left the other town in the morning, called from the midway point at 3:00p, and had a flat/spill - and still could not arrive before 9:30p with no phone call or message. I'm not sure which parts were untrue - but as is so often the case for those who spin tales - it requires more and more spinning.

<<<>>>

I have hosted many people in my home - via Warmchowers, Couchsurfing, and just folks I see coming thru town. I usually offer them their own room and bath, laundry facilities, dinner and breakfast, local sightseeing if they wish, computer time etc., etc., etc. I have also received incredible hospitality over the years from people I have met touring - including one person who posts on BikeForums.

I would love to be able to live in a world where everyone is filled with peace and love and generosity. Sadly, such is not the case. I was nearly killed by a homicidal ex-con on a bike trip a dozen years ago - so you will excuse my reluctance to let anyone and everyone into my home. Even though I am a guy. Even though these were two young women. (One should not forget Aileen Wuornos.)

After all was said and done - there were too many factors that simply did not add up. At best these young women were simply discourteous - at worst, who knows? They had available to them other lodging - motels and camping - within blocks of my house.