TWIN BRIDGES, Jun 28, 2009 (The Montana Standard - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Melanie Rieback pedaled into this quaint town from Jackson this week like so many other cyclists every summer hoping for a decent camp spot.

She found that and much more.

Rieback, a professor of computer science in Amsterdam, Netherlands, found herself at a Senior Pro Rodeo event at the Madison County Fairgrounds in the evening. Several people there recommended she spend the night at the new Twin Bridges Bike Camp just across the highway so she did and found there was a lot more than she expected.

"They told me about this bike thing, and I just assumed it was a piece of grass," the 30-year-old said the next morning. "I didn't expect this." "This" is the new structure, a small building that was recently completed by Bill White in Jessen Park along the bank of the Beaverhead River. The camp opened this week, and it didn't take long for the cyclists to show up -- it's already been used nearly every day.

White, a building contractor, came up with the idea and spearheaded construction of the camp after constantly meeting cyclists in town at a local coffee shop. Twin Bridges sits on a couple of major routes across the Northwest and the United States as identified by the Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit group based in Missoula that promotes cycling and publishes bike maps.

White said he found the people who passed through were interesting. They include people of all walks of life and span the globe from throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. And they always had a great story to tell.

But White added he also saw in the steady stream of cyclists, with people riding through town every day in the summer, a chance to help Twin Bridges' economy.

"All these cyclists were like watching gold nuggets float down the river," White said this week, sitting in the camp building. "Nobody would stop and pick them up." ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT The idea is to get people to drop a little money on groceries, restaurant meals and other things they might need, White said. Cyclists take advantage of everything from hotel rooms to Laundromats, coffee shops and restaurants, rental shops and hardware stores.

White posted menus from restaurants in town. The camp is also stocked with state maps and tourist fliers, as well as information about the local library. Cyclists are asked for donations in a box, as well as comments and suggestions on the camp.

And he said they're more likely to patronize a town that shows some support, which will benefit every business. He knows that from comments he's received on the Internet about the camp, as well as from bikers who've already stayed there.

BASIC NECCESSITIES White put his money into the project and collected some donations to build the structure. He said the materials came to $8,500 and he donated his labor to build the structure.

It's a simple design, but one that has everything a traveling cyclist needs for the night.

The camp has a basic room that is screened in to keep mosquitoes out. The Twin Bridges Rotary club pitched in and put in picnic tables.

An outside sink is built into the building. Two separate entrances from the outside access a shower and a flush toilet.

Rieback said when she checked out the camp, she decided to sleep in the picnic room.

"I saw that this was enclosed so I didn't even pitch my tent, I just rolled out my Thermarest," she said. "The sleeping bag keeps you warm; the tent just keeps you dry." She was especially appreciative of the electricity in the camp. Rieback, a native of Florida who has lived in the Netherlands for a decade, used the outlets to charge a cell phone and camera.

She needs those for her cross-country journey. Rieback said with a few towns close together in the Ruby Valley, towns like Twin Bridges that offer amenities for cyclists will draw them to stay.

STORIES ABOUND In just a week, the stories from cyclists crashing at the camp have grown. Just last week a couple people from New Zealand passed through.

White said they hung out during a heavy rainstorm to get a break on the cross-country journey. Later that evening White found a camera close to the banks of the river and took it home to dry it out. When he realized it was the cyclists, he returned it to them to learn it contained all of their photos from the trip.

"Talk about grateful people," he said.

Another group limped into town, with one of their bikes having a couple broken spokes. Someone in Twin Bridges loaned a vehicle so the riders could get to Butte to have the wheel repaired.

PLANNING AHEAD The majority of cyclists passing through town don't know ahead of time that the camp is there. But others know through the Internet or Adventure Cycling's maps and plan their trip around the camp.

Among those was Andrew Aranyosi, a 50-year-old accountant from Steamboat Springs, Colo., who rode in Wednesday afternoon from Ennis. He's on a journey from his home to Glacier National Park and continuing west to Seattle before turning south to head into California.

"Just think if every town did this," he said as he saw the camp.

But not every town does. And White said by putting Twin Bridges on cyclists' maps, he's helping them, helping the town and just making summer a bit more interesting.

"These have been absolutely delightful people," he said of the cyclists he's met thus far. "And apparently they're used to being flipped off, swerved at and almost run off the road.

"Here's a community that's actually doing something for them." Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com.

To see more of The Montana Standard, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mtstandard.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Montana Standard, Butte Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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