Leaving New Orleans/Atlanta

5/11/12

So yeah, Sarah and I cheated a little bit. We found a rideshare on Craigslist that was leaving New Orleans and headed toward Atlanta and we decided to share the ride. We're on a bit of a schedule for our trip to Rhode Island, as we're trying to be there to start work the first week of June. Getting a ride to Atlanta also put the pressure on us to ship our bags and get us away from the comfort of home.

In Atlanta we were able to stay the night with one of the girls from the rideshare. It was a great place to stay in a town called Dunwoody just north of Atlanta, and we even had our own room to sleep in. It was like couch surfing only they gave us a comfy bed to sleep in rather than a lumpy couch. The next morning we were up by 9 and hit the road by 10. We ate breakfast on our way out of town and then continued on our way. We eventually got caught up with taking care of a few errands like getting the paperwork turned in for pedicabbing in Newport, but I wasn't worried much. I was more interested in just enjoying the ride.

Later that day we came to Stone Mountain, which is a big rock that looks like a half of giant dinosaur egg sticking out of the ground, or maybe like a bug meteor that had planted itself there. I'd say it is more like a hill than a mountain, but it was still impressive. We took the 5-mile loop around the mountain as a detour and found a shady place to eat our lunch. After our detour we hit the road again. We had barely made it 20 miles, and on our way from stone mountain I was distracted by the little bike shop, Aztec Cycles. I needed a few things for my bike so I stopped and purchased some new brake pads, a chain, a water bottle holder and some new lights. That took another hour of our daylight time and by now it was nearing 6pm.

We would need to find camping soon so we headed further down our route to Savannah. At one point, maybe another 10 miles down the road I got something in my eye. It hurt to close my eye or to move my eye and I kept rubbing it hoping that it would flush itself out. Eventually I couldn't take it any more and Sarah and I stopped at a little Jamaican restaurant/bar just off our route. The waitress was very pushy an preferred to tell us what was on the menu rather than give us a menu to look at. I still had something in my eye and I put my trust in Sarah to order while I went to the bathroom to try to dislodge the foreign debris. When I came out of the bathroom, Sarah had ordered the curried fish and I still had something in my eye so I headed over to the gas station next door to get some eye drops. I returned to the table after failing with the eye drops to a plate full of yummy fish. After a bite of food I had to return to the bathroom to try again to remove whatever foreign matter was causing me so much pain. I seriously couldn't think straight it hurt so bad. I still don't know what came out of my eye. I think it might have been an eyelash that worked its way far up under my upper eyelid, but after stretching the skin to its max and flipping my lid inside out like I'd never done before, the painful object fell from my eye. I knew that it was gone the second that it fell out. I felt so light and free and happy and could now go enjoy the curried fish...which was amazing.

We could see that the sun was getting low through the cloud covered sky, so we checked our map for a place to camp. On our way to Arabia Mountain we stopped or some ice cream, and then followed a bike path into the park. It was a beautiful ride into the park. I love designated bike paths. Sometimes I wish every road was made just for bikes and pedestrians.

We pitched our tent off to the side of a trail that was headed toward Arabia Lake. It was a good spot, but we did find a few ticks on us before turning in for the night. It started to rain almost as soon as we got settled in our tent. It was perfect timing, and the rain would continue on into the night. I was a little restless before falling asleep, but the rain drops on the rainfly soothed me. It feels good to be back on the road.

Miles: 40
RRD: A blue bouncy ball

-D

PS - Also, follow me on the trackmytour map: www.trackmytour.com/0lsB1

PPS - Don't forget to check out Sarah's blog too: www.NomadicCycling.com

3-day Trip to the North Shore

The three trip to the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain couldn't have come at a better time. I have even feeling a little burned out by the whole pedicab thing and have finally taken a much needed break. It was the exact thing I needed to do to recharge and get ready for the upcoming weeks before I get to leave on a big trip to Newport, RI.

Sarah and I got a late start on Monday April 23. I don't think we left until around 2pm. We weren't sure how far we would make it, especially since I couldn't ride at night since I still didn't have any functioning lights (they have either been broken or stolen). Our first planned stop was at the abandoned Six Flags theme park just outside of New Orleans. It was about 12 miles from Sarah's place and it took us just around an hour to get there. Thanks to Sarah's GPS we found some apparently abandoned roads that were traffic free which led us directly to Six Flags Parkway and the entrance sign of Six Flags which bares the simple yet stark reminder of how long the park has been abandoned with the simple words "Closed For Storm" on the marquee.

Despite the signs posted out front warning prosecution to trespassers we found a hole in the chain link fence, made it a little bigger, and rolled our bikes through. We have heard about the abandoned theme park from friends who have visited and were excited to see what it was all about.

As we rolled up to the park you get a sense of the amount of time that has passed as you can see giant bright colored structures shooting up from the overgrown vegetation. When we got to the entrance the broken glass strewn about the ground caused us to get off of our bikes and walk. The eerie entrance was only the beginning of the fun as we entered the spooky park. As we walked through what seemed to be a scene straight out of the movie Zombieland, we couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched from the shadows of the dilapidated buildings. It was an odd sensation. Sarah and I both took our time making our way through the park, reading much of the random graffiti that covered every inch of the walls of the empty buildings. Sarah wanted to climb to the top of a roller coaster so we set out for the tallest and bluest one we could find, which we had previously seen shooting up from the foliage like some modern day ancient ruin. As we made our way to the top I couldn't shake the idea that the ride was just going to start up out of nowhere and knock us off the side. From the top we had an incredible view of the entire park, as well as the surrounding area including a view of the distant New Orleans downtown area. After taking a few pictures we headed back down and returned to our bikes which remained unstolen. Before turning a corner to head through the rest of the park we saw some people which startled us and we kind of rushed to the other end to avoid them. I assume that they were just some people interested in checking out what was left of the place, just like us, but thanks to the eerie feeling of the park and warning signs out front we didn't want to interact with anybody there.

I think we both could've spent all day at the park, but after an hour we decided to continue on our way around Lake Pontchartrain. After all, it was still another 48 miles to Fontainbleau State Park, our destination. We found an alternate way out of park which was completely ungated and also lacked a single 'no trespassing' sign, so we didn't feel so bad about being there.

We only made it another 20 or so miles to the town of Slidell before the sun crept down. It was still another 25 miles to Fontainbleau so we set up camp, using our new tent for the first time, and made the best of the night. It was a pretty secluded spot, but we could still hear the roar of a crowd from some stadium in the distance.

The next day we woke up fairly early and hit the road. Before long we reached the St Tammany Trace Trail, which is a rail-to-trail bike path which would lead us right up to the park entrance. It was a much desired way to travel and I can't say enough good things about the St Tammany Trace. We reached Fontainbleau around 2pm which was the perfect time to take a dip in the lake. The water was warm, and it seems like you could walk out into the lake hundreds of yards before getting waist deep. Lake Pontchartrain isn't necessarily known for being the cleanest body of water, and in all honesty it was a little murky. By the time you were up to you waist in water, your feet weren't very visible. After wading around in the lake and getting some sun we headed over to the little water park that they have for kids at Fontainbleau. I had so much fun running, jumping and splashing around like a child through the fountains and the hoops they had spraying water everywhere. It's kind of hard to remember what it was like running around as a 5 year old but I feel like I did a great job trying. Every once and a while I'd catch myself stopping and questioning what I was doing, but then I remembered that ration and logic don't need to be present to have fun. It was really refreshing to be able to crawl into that head space again. It was probably my favorite part of the three day trip.

After drying off in the sun, eating some lunch, and doing some exercises we decided to head off toward the nearby town of Mandeville to get some dinner. Before leaving the park we were distracted by a sign that pointed the way to an Alligator Marsh. The prospect of seeing alligators outweighed the prospect of food so we took a small detour to the marsh. At the marsh we walked along the boardwalk and spied 2 fair sized alligators. One was maybe 4-5ft long and the other was probably 5-6ft. They are so still and blend in so well with their surroundings that it's hard for the untrained eye to spot them at first. I'm glad we stopped and that I finally got to see some authentic Louisiana gators.

In Mandeville we got some tacos for 'Taco Tuesday' and listened to some local music. I also called my friend and fellow pedicabber Mark O (crescentcitypedicabbie.blogspot.com) and set up a time to meet him for breakfast the next morning. It was the first time I've found myself on "his side" of the lake, and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say hi.

Sarah and I headed back down the bike trail just after dark. We had previously scouted out a site to camp, so now we just had to find it in the dark. While we set up our tent, the mosquitoes weren't shy about taking our blood samples, and we retreated quickly into the safety of the tent. We soon fell asleep, excited about breakfast plans.

When I woke up and left the tent, I realized we were a lot closer to the trail than I imagined from the night before. Luckily it was early and I only saw a few joggers pass by as we took down camp. After packing up we headed back into town to meet up with Mark for breakfast at a place called Liz's. Mark had been out in Fontainbleau that morning taking pictures and was waiting for us at the restaurant. It was great to see him for once outside of his pedicab uniform and in his normal everyday Mark uniform. He insisted on treating us to breakfast, which was an incredibly generous act, and we shared stories of our recent trip and talked to him about our upcoming adventure. He was excited to see the gear we were traveling with and also to show us the completely shedded snake skin he had found that morning. It was probably 4 ft long and completely intact. It was really great to see Mark, but soon we were off to make our way back home the 60 miles around the lake.

The wind coming off of the lake made the rest of the day a little difficult. We stopped at a few places to eat but eventually made it home around 5pm. I'm glad to have found such a good riding partner. Sarah is strong and can keep up a good pace, as well as pushing me at times when I start to get lazy. The taxing wind was a good reminder of life on the road, but the trip as a whole made me very excited for the upcoming bike tour to Newport, RI. I can't wait to embark on that adventure, and hope to keep everybody up to date through my blogs on all the fun I'll be having.

Getting ready for another bike trip

After some deliberation I've decided to not spend the summer here in New Orleans, LA. I think it will be too hot and humid for me, not to mention that my nomadic nature is ready for a scenery change. I will be heading north to Newport, RI next month, and plan on spending the summer up there continuing to work as a pedicab driver. What that means for the blog is that I'll be taking another bike tour and will also be updating my blog because of it!

In order to prepare for my upcoming trip to the North East, I'm taking a short camping trip with my new travel partner, Sarah, up to the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It's about a 60 mile ride up to Fountainbleau State Park. It should be good fun, so get ready for more stories to come!

Happy Valentines Day

Hey Janel and fellow blog followers!

Life in New Orleans is awesome! Sorry I haven't finished updating my bike tour or filled you in on my crazy pedicab lifestyle here in Nawlins, but it's become too much of a burden trying to update from my phone. I'm still waiting on getting a computer and hopefully I can catch up then. You can check out my co-workers blog: http://crescentcitypedicabbie.blogspot.com/ to get a taste of the pedicab lifestyle. He's got his own unique and funny stories, which are different than mine, but I enjoy his blog a lot.

In addition, I just wanted to wish y'all a happy Valentine's Day (particularly you Janel) and show you the awesome cake I baked with my friend in honor of the holiday. Cheers!

This day could not be better

11/19/11
It was totally dark in the hotel room at 7am when I woke up. I have to say it was quite the luxury to wake up in a comfy bed in a warm room for the second night in a row (I hope I'm not getting soft). The sun wasn't out yet due to the time zone change, but it didn't matter much because I was on a closer schedule with the sun than any clock. I had slept well, and was looking forward to at least making it 75 miles today. The ride looked pretty baron but we were planning to meet up with another rider somewhere along the way, so it should be interesting. We put ourselves together quick and were on the road by 8.

On the way out of Van Horn we stopped at the convenient store to stock up on supplies. Due to the long stretch without any services, extra water was a must. It was pretty cold that morning and there was a lot of cloud cover. I expected that it would heat up later, but the key to warming up now was to keep pedaling. I could see up the straight road for miles, and the next few hours the ride proved to be smooth. It also helped having my two new friends to talk to to help the time pass and keep me motivated.

This was the Texas that I think of when I think of Texas. Just vast, huge open space with mountains in the distance and not much else for miles. It's beautiful around here, and feels much like a different country. Texas is that way. There's always that feeling of independence here that just a couple other states have. I don't know if it's something in the air, the water, the dirt or a little of all three but I feel like people from here will tell you that they're Texan before they tell you they're American. It's the kind of place that breeds genuine, unique and inspirational individuals. Individuals like Dex Tooke.

We saw Dex when he was about half a mile ahead of us, on the opposite side of the road heading our way. He swooped around and we all stopped and met this sensational human being. He's a thin man, of average height, with powerful legs. An obvious cyclist. Dex is about 60, but seems younger, and had just finished the Race Across America (RAAM). It's a 3000 mile race from coast to coast in the US, goes through 12 states, and has 170,000ft of climbing. It's 30% longer than the Tour de France, and done in about half the time. Dex finished it in about 12 days. He had also been an accomplished marathon and ultra-marathon runner before he got into cycling. Truly an inspirational person, and here he was riding with us.

Ryan had organized the whole thing. He had worked with RAAM for the past three years, and had known Dex for two. When Dex received word that he would be riding through his area of Texas they set it up so that we would all be meeting up along the way. I now had even more reason to be grateful for riding with Ryan and Nick...and now Dex. It felt great to be out on such a great day, in this beautiful country, with these truly amazing people. I was feeling inspired.

At about noon we came to an odd sight in the middle of nowhere...a Prada store. We were literally at least 40 miles from anything and here was a Prada store outside of Valentine, TX. Well, it wasn't actually a Prada store, it was really an art installation which I think makes it pretty awesome. It really puts things in perspective, the fact that they built this replica Prada store out in open country Texas, miles from water, food, or civilization. I wonder what the cowboys have to say about it.

Another hour up the road I was dying to eat, and we all decided to stop and snack. I think these guys travel a little different than I do. Whereas I might ride in two hour bursts and then stop for an hour, I have a feeling all three of these guys can ride all day without taking much of a break. I'm happy to be riding with them though, they keep me motivated and on my bike. After a quick meal I was feeling better and we were back on the road.

Another few miles up the road we came upon a large piece of property with a beautiful black stallion horse that seemed quite curious about us. We kind of slowed down to say hi, and he would follow us slowly and then kind of stop when we did. Dex was hollerin' at him, with his Texas accent, to get the horse to run with us. It looked as if the horse would burst into a sprint at any moment, but remained cautious and just trotted behind us. I haven't spent much time around horses, but can definitely see different personalities in them, and the whole interaction we were having was pretty cool to me.

He probably followed us for a good mile, and then suddenly just went for it. The horse looked so strong and graceful in the midst of his full on sprint. At the same time that he started running I gunned it too. I think the others fell back, and for maybe half a mile it was me and this gorgeous creature neck and neck. It was a totally surreal experience for me; one of the best of the trip. I felt bad as we approached another fence, which prevented him from running any further. I would have liked to ride with the horse as long as I could keep up, which maybe would've been just another minute or two. Either way, that made my day. The horse had plenty of land though, and that made me happy. This guy obviously just wants to run.

Not long after that, maybe another 30 minutes up the road, I almost ran over a tarantula crossing the road. I had wanted to see a tarantula the whole trip, so I turned around to check him out. The hairy little insect was medium sized, but medium sized is still a lot bigger than any house spider you'll ever see. It was on a mission to cross the road, and was moving fast to get there. I stopped for a minute to try and get some pictures, as well as play with it a little. I had my riding gloves on so I fooled with it briefly, but never actually picked it up. That was just another cool experience to make my day.

We got to Marfa at about 3:30. Marfa is a cool little art community town of about 2000 people. It's a mixture of cowboys and artists, and definitely a unique place. Riding through town we saw a bunch of art cars and old stores that had been turned into art installations. I had heard about this place, but never would have imagined it existed here unless I had seen it with my own eyes. Marfa was also famous for the Paisano Hotel, which was used to film 'Giant' the 1950's film with James Dean and Rock Hudson.

As we rolled into town, Dex told us that he'd be providing us with a hotel room. Not only was he an phenomenal athlete, but he's also a extremely generous person. Dex and his wife, Joni, had treated Ryan, Nick, and I to a big room at the Riata Inn on the east side of town. Well, mainly it was all because of Ryan and his influence...but I was super stoked to be a part of it.

We stopped in to clean ourselves up, and then the five of us all went out to a fancy Texas dinner at the Paisano Hotel. It was probably a little more expensive than I wanted to spend on a meal, but it was worth it for the great company and to eat at a place in the National Historic Registry. after dinner we all went out for Blizzards at the Dairy Queen (the real reason I love cycling) and then took a drive out to Alpine to get a glimpse of the art festival going on there. After all that, we retired to our rooms and called it an early night. Our plan was to get up early and try to make a century the next day...which seemed like a pretty lofty goal.

Miles: 75 miles

RRD: A dead badger

-D

A quick 5-days

11/14/11
Silver City-Caballo State Park
I left Silver City late, around 11am. I said farewell to Ben, whom I was very happy to meet and wished we had more time to hang out. The weather was hot that day. I had a big climb, Emory Pass, but was looking forward to climbing to over 8200ft in elevation and hopefully cooling off up there. The ride to the top was beautiful, and in particular I passed through a rocky canyon where I found my self shouting just to hear the echo and the reverb. I reached the top right around sundown, and the temperature dropped quick. I ended up riding until about 8:30pm because there wasn't too much going on until Caballo State Park. The ride was dark, smooth, and free from traffic. The moon was below the horizon all night and I saw many reflective eyes staring out at me from the darkness.

Miles: 75 miles

RRD: Baby pajamas (Why are there so many things for babies along the roadside?!?!)

11/15/11
Caballo Lake - Las Cruces
I woke just before sunrise and headed out. There was frost on my tent and it was cold that morning. I made it over 20 miles before I found a warm restaurant to go and eat. At the restaurant another touring cyclist named Andy showed up after I was done eating, and I decided to stick around until he finished so we could ride together. He was the same cyclist I met on my day off in Silver City. We arrived in Las Cruces around 1:30pm. We got some lunch and then parted ways, but took down each others contact info first. I was happy to have made it so far so early, and decided to stick around Las Cruces for the rest of the day. I hung out at Spirt Winds Coffee Bar near the New Mexico State University as I tried to decide where to stay that evening. I found a WarmShowers host who bought me dinner and gave me some patch kits for the road. I went to bed early after doing laundry and getting a warm shower.

Miles: 62 miles

RRD: A metal spoon

11/16/11
Las Cruces - El Paso
I headed out early but stopped at a coffee shop and ended up staying there until about 11am. I headed out of town, and had a wonderful ride through pecan orchards. Somewhere along the way I ran into Judy, a 72 year old touring cyclist traveling alone. She's so inspiring to me. I hope to be riding my bike still at 72. Just outside of town I stopped at a local favorite, Chope's, for some amazing Mexican food. I had planned to ride around El Paso, in an effort to avoid it, and headed north of it. I went a lot of miles out of my way but ended up getting mixed up and heading straight trough the center of town. I met a couple with a baby who had run out of gas on the side of the road. I offered to take their gas can, fill it and return, and that's exactly what I did. They offered to refund me for the gallon f gas, but it seemed to me like they needed the money so I refused to take anything. I felt like it was at least one little way I was 'paying it forward' for all the generosity I had received on the trip. I had a hard time finding a place to camp, but eventually found a secluded spot just east of El Paso.

Miles: 73 miles

RRD: A baby rattle (not to be confused with a baby rattler)

11/17/11
El Paso - Ft Hancock
The day was super windy, and I was fighting it all day. In Ft Hancock I stopped to eat at a Subway where I met the eccentric owner who was very excited about my travels. He was very nice and gave me a bright yellow subway shirt, which he noted would be a good thing to wear while riding to be noticed. Before I could leave town I ran into another touring cyclist named Francis. Francis was a bit quirky, but because of the wind I was happy to split the cost of a motel room with him. The motel was way overpriced, but splitting it 2 ways wasn't so bad.

Miles: 45 miles

RRD: A car door

11/18/11
Fort Hancock-Van Horn
Francis and I left town at a decent hour. He rode a bit slower than I was used too, but we was pulling a lot more weight than I was too. His bike was more loaded than mine, plus he was pulling a fully loaded trailer. At one point I stopped to snack and he kept riding ahead. I caught up with him outside of Sierra Blanca, TX and we rolled into the small town together looking for a place get some lunch. Our best bet for food was a local gas station, and there we met two other cyclists, Ryan and Nick. Ryan and Nick were my age and were riding more at my speed, so I decided to keep up with them the rest of the day. The wind was mostly a our backs, and we made it to Van Horn before dark. Nick offered to pick up the motel bill, which was super generous of him, and we all went out to eat at Chuy's, another local favorite for Mexican food.

Miles: 69 miles

RRD: A dead javelina

-D

It may be hard to leave

11/13/11
I slept in a little again. I think I woke up around 7:45am. Before rolling out of bed I texted Cat to see if she was awake, and to see what the plan for the day was. The night before we had made tentative plans to take a bike ride, and I just wanted to check to see if it was still on. She invited me over for coffee and breakfast, and I told her I'd leave the bike house in about 20mins. The forecast called for rain, so I wore appropriate attire, but the morning was blue skied and sunny. After getting ready, I rode the half mile over to her place and could see the clouds in the distance.

We chatted over coffee and toast, and we also discussed options. The plan was to ride up to Pinos Altos, about 10 miles north and around 1100ft higher in elevation. Seeing as how I love the air up in the pines it sounded good to me, but ultimately I just wanted to get my legs moving since I was planning on sticking around town for the day. We had both remember that Cat left her van out on highway 180 the day before, so we changed plans to ride out about 16 miles to where her can was, then drive up to PA and ride bikes up there if the weather held up.

The ride to the van was easy. The first 2.5 miles were up hill, but the rest of the way was mostly down. The conversation made it go by quick and I was happy to get a morning ride in. At the van we loaded the bikes in and head up to Pinos Altos. Along the way it had started to sprinkle, but the ride up was still beautiful. Cat had grown up in the area and was a great tour guide giving me fun little facts along the way, like showing me the intersection where another local cyclist had hit a deer while riding his bike. Although we skipped the riding because of the rain, I was happy to make it up that way and see the area. That little trip pretty much ensured that I would make plans to return to the area and check out more of the Gila Wilderness.

Back in town we were both starved so Cat treated me to lunch at Don Fidencio's, a local burrito spot where you can get a lot of bang for your buck. We also had a great conversation, and I was super grateful for meeting her. After lunch she went home to finish a report she was working on, and I headed to the bike shop. We exchanged contact info and agreed to stay in touch.

At the local bike shop, Gila Hike & Bike, I met another really awesome person named Dave. He was working at the shop but we ended up talking for a couple of hours in between the occasional phone call and customer visit. Everybody seems to know each other in the Silver City bike community, and Dave introduced me to everybody that came into the shop. At some point Dave closed the shop for a few minutes and we went back to Don Fidencio's where I got another burrito. I just feel like a bottomless pit, even on my days off. Dave told me about the community bike shop, Bikeworks, which would open around 5pm. Having seen similar community shops in Portland, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara, I was curious to check out what Silver City had to offer. It wouldn't open for another couple hours so I went to a local coffee shop, Javalina, and worked on the blog.

It had been raining most of the day in Silver City so I was kind of pleased that I decided to stick around, as opposed to riding all day in the rain. While I was able to make a little progress on the travel journal blog (it feels like two steps forward, two steps back with this thing) the sun went down, and around 6pm I headed over to Bikeworks.

Bikeworks is located on top of a fairly steep hill. I thought it was a kind of weird location, but honestly nothing seems out of the way in Silver City. When I walked into the giant warehouse I could tell right away that this was one of the best community bike shops I had been to. It was bigger and better than the Bike Kitchen in San Luis Obispo and even better than Bici Centro in Santa Barbara. There were 8 different stations each with their own set of tools, a section that was still being built for welding, shelves full of well organized parts, and even an upper section full of tires, wheels and tubes. The space was provided by the city so there was no overhead for rent, and other funding was provided through grants and donations. As a result, Bikeworks tried to give back to the community trough an earn-a-bike program as well as offering free help with bike repair.

Dave gave me the full tour of the space and although there was still a lot still coming into fruition with the place, it was still a really great space. At some point we got to talking about my bike, and I mentioned a problem with my rear derailleur. Dave seemed all too curious about the problem and we set my bike up on the stand to check it out. He showed me how to lube my cables and then we took the rear derailleur off to find out if the arm was bent at all. Before we could do that I needed to true the rear wheel. I had tried (and failed) to do it while in the bike, but now with the proper tools it was making much more sense. I feel like I could've drove myself crazy trying to perfectly true the wheel, and after getting it plenty good Dave just made a few adjustments and it was great. After that we used a tool that checks to see if the derailleur arm is bent at all, and it seemed like it may have been a little off but not much, so we bent it back into place. We put the derailleur back on and Dave showed me how to adjust the settings. We still couldn't get it working perfect, and he noticed the chain seemed a little loose. Finally we checked the chain and it was very stretched.

You run a risk simply replacing a chain as stretched as mine was. With a chain stretched a lot it's possible that the gears on the rear cassette may have become spaced as well, so replacing the chain sometimes means also replacing the cassette. If you don't replace the chain you run the risk of the chain breaking, especially on an uphill...and that could leave you stranded. I decided to take the risk with replacing the chain, and that cost me $16. I tested the bike out, as did Dave, and everything seemed alright. Luckily the gears weren't slipping, so it appeared that I would be alright with the cassette that was on there for now. With that said, I may have to replace it sometime down the line.

In the end, I had learned a lot about my bike. It was great having Dave, who is such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to bikes, to help me work on my bike. Wherever I end up living I really want to find a community shop like this one, and spend some time down there volunteering and learning as much as I can about bicycles. I'm super grateful to Dave for showing me a few things and helping me with my bike. He ended up staying later than usual just to help me out, and even more than that he just seems like a genuinely cool guy. I'm pleased to have met him and I was super happy to have my bike running smoother. Having fixed the problem in the rear derailleur, I was now curious to check out the front one as well as see how true the front wheel is. I guess I'll save that for another day.

On the way back to the bike house I picked up some salad and ice cream. Ben had made some pasta, so for dinner we had pasta and salad. Everybody was out in the living room of the bike house, and they all seemed super happy that I had brought ice cream to share. As we ate and chatted, I could see how living in that house would be interesting, because it just seemed like such a tight circle of friends. From the art and puppetry projects (the whole upstairs was designated to projects), to the rants by city council member Jamie, to having random touring cyclists like myself always passing through, I could definitely see the appeal. Not too mention how completely comfortable I felt there, and how welcomed everybody made me feel.

After going back for seconds of both dinner and ice cream I headed to bed. I was planning on getting a late start out of town because I wanted to stop by the local co-op grocery store to get a few things. Once again I retired to the guest room and laid in bed. I thought back on my day and felt very accomplished. Silver City is a cool little town, and I never expected to meet so many awesome people there. It was cold again in the unheated room, but I fell asleep easily and looked forward to getting back on the road the next day.

Miles: 23 miles outside and around town

RRD: A camouflaged left hand glove

-D