other friends were not angry at his recovery . " i wasn ' t surprised , " said george stranahan , a former owner of the woody hill motel , a regular favourite of thompson . " i almost expected hunter to die in a hospital bed with tubes coming out of him . " neighbours have quoted how his bent spine had prevented him from leaving his place as often as he had liked to . one colleague and high - standing acquaintance , mike cleverly , said thompson was clearly hobbled by the broken leg . " medically only , he ' s had a rotten year . "
The Woody Creek Tavern is owned by George Stranahan.