Last night I was attending to my bicycle maintenance;
cleaning and adjusting as needed, requiring me to spend some time truing my
rear wheel. Going downhill from Rabbit Ears Pass into Steamboat, on that
incredible 7 mile downhill run, I noticed some thumping from my rear wheel and
some slight brake rubbing. In Steamboat Springs I stopped at a bike shop to buy
new cleats for my shoes and simply released my rear brake cam to accommodate my
slightly bent rim and continued the day. Alex noticed my rear wheel out of true
and I took note, but still didn’t inspect it for I was planning my maintenance
for Monday evening. Though riding only takes up 6 or so hours a day, there are
two hours before we start packing gear and getting breakfast, and then
attending to site cleanup. In the evenings I write this blog, edit video and
pictures, attend to whatever chore assignment our team has, and get to bed too
late. An eight hour sleep is rare.
It was 8:30 pm Monday when I discovered my wheel was damaged
beyond repair. A spoke nipple had pulled through the rim. In Craig the only
shop is J&R’s Cyclery, closed Sunday and Monday but we had an agreement to
have them on call for any needs. We arranged the shop to be opened for a
replacement wheel, but my hopes weren’t high for this shop is rather small and
deals mostly in off-road bikes. Furthermore I was expecting that if there was a
suitable replacement it would cost $150 or more. I got very lucky; in the overhead
of the shop amidst a wide variety was hanging just what I needed. It was a “take-off”
from a new bike previously sold, and they offered it for $85. It had a tire and
tube on it I needed so all totaled I got out of there for $95. It rides great!
I couldn’t have done better anywhere else, and this part of the country towns
are far-between, small, and rarely have bicycle shops.
The ride from Craig to Dinosaur was brisk, being our first
day back on the rode after rest, and with Susan, a strong rider who just joined
us recently. The route included long rolling hills through high prairie and
eventually what I’d call desert. Dinosaur is a very small village consisting of
a gas station and an ice cream shop, and we didn’t have internet access at
Dinosaur School.
Tom Weber, our senior rider (age 71) left the ride just over
a week ago to go on a fishing expedition in Alaska with his son. He brought
back a bunch of Halibut for us, which we broiled for dinner with plenty of
leftovers. It was a great change and we need high quality protein like that.
Fish for breakfast!
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