Rest Day - June 7th, 2019
It’s almost 10:00 a.m. on Friday the 7th. The rain has been steady the last four hours, more than a drizzle but less than a downpour. I’m glad there’s no wind because I didn’t use the three extra lines and stakes to stabilize my tent. I haven’t been out since I returned from the comfort station (that’s what the sign says) just before 6:00. I was hungry two hours ago but three raw cacao beans and my green powder drink, Morning Complete, have satisfied my hunger. Pretty soon I will have to pee, but I don’t want to get soaked. Can you guess how I’m going to do that?
I will spend three nights here and have the chainwheel bolt and tool shipped to arrive here on Saturday. Sunday I will ride as planned to Peaks of Otter Campground. Monday I will ride to somewhere closer than Tuggles Gap Motel because I don’t think I could ride the 80 miles with 95 feet of climbing per mile from Peaks of Otter to Tuggles Gap. I expect to find lodging near Roanoke, either a motel, camping, or a home stay through warmshowers.org.
The outside edge of my left heel pad is completely worn down, probably due to all the panic stops when my chain would jam in the chainrings. I’ve swapped the heel pads and expect them to last longer now that the chain jams are over. The forward part of my left cleat is in bad enough condition that I will have new cleats delivered here tomorrow, either from amazon or home.
The chain jams remain a mystery. The mechanic in Georgetown said my chain was too narrow for the rest of my drive train, but the replacement chain that put an end to the jams was the exact same width. So I suspected that something was wrong with the first chain. But now I suspect the broken chainring bolt to be the primary culprit, whatever contribution to the jamming the first chain might have made. While shifting to the small ring with perhaps too much tension on the chain, I did have one jam yesterday, the first in a few days. The chain got caught on the tooth closest to the broken bolt.
An hour has passed since I started writing and the rain continues. How strange it is to be off the grid, unable to check a weather forecast, unable to order cleats from amazon, unable to communicate with the outside world in any way at all. Fortunately at the camp store there is a phone I can use, but while they have an internet connection for their own use I was told there is no wifi for campers. I hope I was misinformed about the wifi.
Note to self: Always bring both water bottles (filled) into the tent.
It’s now 11:00 and the rain is slowing down. I’ve peed (have you guessed how?) and am about to go to the camp store to register, to order deliveries of parts, and to buy food. Surprisingly I’m not hungry. It must have something to do with my keto diet and intermittent fasting.
There’s plenty of nutritious food available in the store, so I’ll eat well enough during my extended stay. Maddie (Larry’s wife) and Christy whom I met in the store were both more than helpful with information about the Fedex delivery and about the lack of restaurants near here.
After having scheduled my delivery and paid for the additional nights here, I tossed a few horseshoes, the first time ever. Is it actually possible to get a horseshoe around the stake? Then I had a refreshing swim in the pond followed by a hot shower. Back at my campsite, as I was about to open a can of cold beef stew, Larry drove up with a container of hot chili. Larry and Maddie Brewster are super hosts.
I had planned one rest day here, not three (or four!), but this is a wonderful place to have an extended stay.
It’s 9:15 and still raining. I’m ready to start preparing to go to sleep.
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| The pond where I swam |
I will spend three nights here and have the chainwheel bolt and tool shipped to arrive here on Saturday. Sunday I will ride as planned to Peaks of Otter Campground. Monday I will ride to somewhere closer than Tuggles Gap Motel because I don’t think I could ride the 80 miles with 95 feet of climbing per mile from Peaks of Otter to Tuggles Gap. I expect to find lodging near Roanoke, either a motel, camping, or a home stay through warmshowers.org.
The outside edge of my left heel pad is completely worn down, probably due to all the panic stops when my chain would jam in the chainrings. I’ve swapped the heel pads and expect them to last longer now that the chain jams are over. The forward part of my left cleat is in bad enough condition that I will have new cleats delivered here tomorrow, either from amazon or home.
The chain jams remain a mystery. The mechanic in Georgetown said my chain was too narrow for the rest of my drive train, but the replacement chain that put an end to the jams was the exact same width. So I suspected that something was wrong with the first chain. But now I suspect the broken chainring bolt to be the primary culprit, whatever contribution to the jamming the first chain might have made. While shifting to the small ring with perhaps too much tension on the chain, I did have one jam yesterday, the first in a few days. The chain got caught on the tooth closest to the broken bolt.
An hour has passed since I started writing and the rain continues. How strange it is to be off the grid, unable to check a weather forecast, unable to order cleats from amazon, unable to communicate with the outside world in any way at all. Fortunately at the camp store there is a phone I can use, but while they have an internet connection for their own use I was told there is no wifi for campers. I hope I was misinformed about the wifi.
Note to self: Always bring both water bottles (filled) into the tent.
It’s now 11:00 and the rain is slowing down. I’ve peed (have you guessed how?) and am about to go to the camp store to register, to order deliveries of parts, and to buy food. Surprisingly I’m not hungry. It must have something to do with my keto diet and intermittent fasting.
* * *
It’s 8:40 in the evening and it’s been raining for about the last hour. From the camp store this morning I called Matt at Bicycle Habitat in Manhattan (Chelsea) and asked him to send the chainring bolt, receptacle, and tool to me by Fedex overnight. Unfortunately there is no Saturday delivery available, so the parts and tool will arrive Monday. I paid for delivery guaranteed by 4:30, but at the store I was told the delivery happens only between 8:00 and 10:00 in the morning. I will therefore have three rest days here (the repair is quick so I could leave on Monday) unless the parts don’t arrive until Tuesday in which case I will have four rest days. I also called my wife, Lori Belilove, and asked her to give Matt a pair of cleats I have in my stock for inclusion in the package.There’s plenty of nutritious food available in the store, so I’ll eat well enough during my extended stay. Maddie (Larry’s wife) and Christy whom I met in the store were both more than helpful with information about the Fedex delivery and about the lack of restaurants near here.
After having scheduled my delivery and paid for the additional nights here, I tossed a few horseshoes, the first time ever. Is it actually possible to get a horseshoe around the stake? Then I had a refreshing swim in the pond followed by a hot shower. Back at my campsite, as I was about to open a can of cold beef stew, Larry drove up with a container of hot chili. Larry and Maddie Brewster are super hosts.
I had planned one rest day here, not three (or four!), but this is a wonderful place to have an extended stay.
It’s 9:15 and still raining. I’m ready to start preparing to go to sleep.
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