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I rented the same room at Chateau Westport which offers a spectacular view of the water and jetty. This year I was treated to observing a bat that had taken residence in the fireplace (which had glass doors so there was no danger of escape). Westport doesn't have much in the way of glitzy tourist attractions, and is certainly lacking in nightlife. But to me, that's the charm of this town. It's a retreat from the city and besides, it's located at the edge of the most fascinating body of water in the world.
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Westport also has some great biking. What's not to like about a flat ride along the coast (although there is much to be said for demanding hills)? I brought my road bike and planned for a hearty jaunt to Raymond. The out and back would have been about sixty miles but I wasn't quite able to finish due to the most elementary of problems - a flat tire. Mind you, I did bring a pump and two spare tubes, but the unreliability of presta valves was my downfall. I had already experienced a flat on my back tire and I only had schreader valve tubes as replacement. Since I really wanted to a ride, I decided not to wait until the following day to acquire presta valve tubes. Instead, I drilled out my back rim. So on the Raymond ride, I brought both a schreader tube and presta tube. I felt this should be sufficient since flats aren't a regular occurrence. Well, I ended up flatting my front tire about fifteen miles into the ride and as I was replacing it, I bent the valve and blew the tube. The other tube had a schreader valve and was too wide to use a replacement. And since I don't normally carry a drill when I ride, I was stuck. Fortunately, a wonderful couple stopped to help. As it turns out, he was an avid biker in his youth so he was more than glad to give me a ride back to Westport and a ride back into his past. Interestingly enough, I had noticed him checking me out several miles prior to my flat (bikers have a way of recognizing each other). I really appreciated his kindness and I was fortunate he stopped.
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