July 14th 2007

Day 15 – July 15, 2007

The bike gods frowned on us today! (which we think we found in a gas station along the way, see picture...)

After two and a half days of rest, relaxation, time with friends(and spouses), the dream had to come to an end and we HAD to get back on the bikes. Not too comforting knowing that we really don’t know a soul until we hit Colorado. We stumbled around the house and put together all of our belongings back into the yellow anvils called our trailers and did not actually leave from Lexington until 10 AM. Not a good start to a day that we ambitiously routed 86 miles of biking in.

Anyway, after two hours of biking and coming to a point where we need a break for the day, Lee conveniently has a flat. Once we access the damage, we also realize Lee has a broken spoke on the rear wheel as well. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem unless you had the proper tools(chain whip tool) which we had told ourselves we would buy at the next bike shop, but never did. An hour later, we bend a spoke in and fix the spoke the best we can and replace the tube. On a bright note, we a guy introduced himself while we were fixing the tire and spoke with him for a bit. After turning down his offer to camp at his house, he wanted to support us somehow and gave us some cash.

So by 1:30 PM, we had not eaten lunch yet, had about 55 more miles to go, AND had a stiff headwind the whole morning, which didn’t seem to want to go away. Several hours, 55 more miles, and many exhausting climbs later, we pull into the campsite at 7:45 PM with 15 minutes to spare before he closed up. We set up camp, got back on the bikes in search of food. Arby’s found us and I think we ordered one of everything off the menu.

Once returning to the campsite, we met our neighbors in their permanent trailer next door who wanted to chat. I think I am little glad that it was dark by this point. After a minute or two of talking with the two women who stay with the one guy in their trailer, one of them confesses or mumbles that she was "meaner than darnit right now", which we had quickly distinguished ourselves after she said one word, but understand that to be a Kentucky phrase for, "I’ve been drinking heavily for six hours and don’t know where I am". I also believe that this same one may have had a thing for both of us. I sensed this when with my keen awareness when she offered me her "gravity boots" to hang upside down on the swing set next door to their trailer. Plus she said “uuurrrrrr preeettttyyyy”…

All in all it was a very long day, got to sleep on the ground again after several days of a bed, and the Kansas flatlands are really starting to look appealing now…

-Brent

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