Old jail reopened as bike hostel in Farmington, Missouri

Cross-country bike travelers who are tired enough to sleep in a hollow log at night probably won't mind the fact that the new bike hostel in Farmington, Missouri, is a refurbished county jail.

The Transamerican Trail Cyclers Inn opened its doors Tuesday night, just in time for the start of Stage 3 of the Tour of Missouri on Wednesday.

The hostel is also known as “Al's Place,” named in recognition of  local bicycling enthusiast Al Dziewa who died of cancer.

Hostel needed

Quoted in the DailyJournal, Farmington Mayor Stuart Landrum said:

“The hostel is something that was needed. It’s the only one of its kind from coast to coast. It was natural naming it after Al, it is a testimony to him with all the people who showed up. Al was a guy that anytime you talked to him he always made you feel good about yourself.”

The Farmington Downtown Development Association gave a $6,000 check for furnishings in the hostel at a Tuesday evening ceremony. City employees and state prisoners helped refurbish the property into a hostel.

The hostel is located at 11 N. Franklin St., Farmington, Missouri. The hostel sports 14 bunk beds in three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and laundry room.

There's a phone number for the police department posted at the entrance that bicycle travelers need to call when they arrive. They'll be given a code that unlocks the door.

TransAmerica

Farmington is on Section 9 of the TransAmerica Trail created and mapped by the Adventure Cycling Association. The town is located about 45 miles west east of the Mississippi River crossing at Chester, Illinois. As I recall, the rolling terrain of the Ozarks starts a bit west of the town.

About 1,000 to 1,200 TransAmerica bicyclists pass through town every year, according to local officials.

A write-up about the old jail at Waymarking.com says the building was erected from 1870 to 1871 at a cost of $11,000. It was closed in 1995.

More hostels

Of course there are lots of hostels in the US for bike travelers. You can find them on the Adventure Cycling Association maps. Also BikeHostel.com lists bike hostels and bike friendly accommodations from around the world.