Warmshowers is a global network of individuals building a community to connect touring cyclist. Tammy Bergman of Chinook has joined the ranks and recently began hosting cyclists as they criss cross the country.

What is Warmshowers? Their mission statement reads: "Our Mission is to facilitate and promote safe, free reciprocal hospitality for the world-wide touring bicycling community." Their vision, "We envision a future where everyone, everywhere views Warmshowers as THE community for connecting touring cyclists, and those who host them, making millions of connections possible.

Tammy is good friends with Genevieve Cochran, who has hosted riders for Warmshowers since 2013, "Her and I are good friends and she had mentioned that she wasn't going to be able to host as much this year and that I should consider becoming a host," said Bergman.

To be a host, and individual would certainly require a suitable location, "Since I moved to the farm (Outside of Chinook a few years back) I have the room and I have the lawn and I have beds, so it seemed like something I could definitely take on," said Bergman.

Tammy finally decided to go all in, logged onto the website, paid her lifetime $30 membership fee and is officially now a host.

Worldwide Warmshowers claims 163,649 members speaking 17 languages across 161 countries with 104,540 registered hosts.

North central Montana however has very few hosts registered for cyclist to find shelter. Bergman and Cochran are just two of a handful between Whitefish and North Dakota.

How does Warmshowers work? Cyclist who are looking to make long treks across the country generally are adept in working out a solid itinerary and using a site like warmshowers helps them save on expenses and locate safe, secure shelter during their trip. The cyclist simply logs onto the site and all available hosts along the way are listed and what each host can provide or offer.

How long did it take Tammy to receive notice of her first guests, "Once I signed up they pinned me on the map and I had contacts in less than 48 hours of sign up."

Welcoming complete strangers from across the country may sound a little daring to some, but Tammy was comfortable with the situation from the get go, "Genevieve had in the past brought some of her cyclists up to Chinook to visit, hangout and such, and I got to meet some of them that way," stated Bergman "Some of the riders get to town pretty early in the afternoon, maybe 1:00 p.m. because of heat or scheduling. We would hang out and I really enjoyed it. Her experiences eliminated any apprehension."

Her first guest arrived about three weeks ago and things couldn't have went better, "An older couple in their late sixties without much cycling experience named Ron and Linda were my first guests. They are from Kansas and decided to fly to Seattle, assemble their bikes in the airport and head out for Maine."

The couple cycled all the way to Chinook, stopping at Bergman's for that warm shower. Hosts aren't required to let cyclists stay in the house or even feed them but Tammy goes above and beyond, "T-Bone Steak, twice baked potatoes and a green salad is my go to plate for dinner. I make them breakfast, clean their linens and send them on their way!" Bergman's guest to date have also all elected to stay in the house and sleep in a nice comfortable bed as well.

Ron and Linda however ended their trek after arriving in Malta and called to inform her that they were boarding the Amtrak heading to Minnesota and catching a ride with friends back to Kansas as the trip was becoming much too difficult for them.

"I like to get to know them, ask a lot of questions," stated Bergman. Her second guests, three girls in their 20's left this Monday, "These three girls had never met prior to their trip. They connected on the site and met for the first time when they started their trip in Port Harbor Maine 61 days ago. Erica, Mia and Nadia are their names and they are headed to Port Angeles, Washington." Tammy added that Mia is married and left her husband at home to travel by bike with two girls she never met across country, if that doesn't beat all.

Clearly every group will be different and Bergman is quick at adapting, "By the time the girls got to my house you would swear they were life long friends. They were all very gracious, very willing to help out and very fun to visit with," said Bergman. Like her first guest this group may not make the whole trip on bike, but for a very different reason, "They are concerned about the wildfire smoke and road construction heading further west. They looked online and Amtrak can load their bikes at manned ticket locations, so they may catch the train in Whitefish."

After just two visits Tammy is sure she made the right decision, "So far this is the best experience ever, I have two more visitors arriving this afternoon!" Some highlights from her first two guests, "They have been so fun, they all like to drink beer and are great socializers so that's been really fun. I had my first vegetarian, and one had a gluten free/no dairy diet so I had to get creative with cooking and break away from my mainstays. These next two riders I'm hosting actually met the three girls in Malta and they left them a nice note about my hosting. They are Alex and her partner Scott and are traveling to all the National Parks," concluded Bergman.

If you are interested in becoming a host, simply log onto warmshowers.org, pay the $30 lifetime membership and start your journey!