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Published: October 10th 2006
Some dude on a billboard
This guy is playing copy-cat.Shawne says...
Day 10
Mileage Today: 48.4
Total Mileage: 441.2
Flats Today: 2
Total Flats: 8
Fixing last night's flat was first priority this morning. We packed up camp and got on the road. For some reason, my derailleur started malfunctioning all of a sudden. My rear sprockets were cracking and popping as the chain jumped and and skipped between the teeth. It was a downhill back into town, so we coasted about a mile to the "McScarf 'N Barf" (My name for McDonald's) and stopped for breakfast. After a meal of processed crap and sugar, we went outside to address the shifting problem on my bike. I understand the basics of the shift mechanism on our bicycles, but I am not well-trained in the procedures for adjusting the many limit screws and cable adjusters involved. I took a guess and adjusted one screw on the rear derailleur. It pulled away from the wheel enough to get it to stop hitting the spokes on my rear wheel. We packed up and hit the road. Less than a mile later, my chain started jumping and popping again. We pulled off the highway and I played with the limit screw again. It
quieted down, but I lost my lowest and highest gears. I had no idea what was going on, but we were mobile. I just hoped we could get to town where I knew of a bicycle shop near our stop for the night.
My friend and former co-worker, Dave Hale, had given us a great gift for our journey. He reserved us a hotel room in Peoria, AZ for tonight...all on his dime! We are so grateful to Dave and his family for this. THANK YOU!
It was only 40 miles to the hotel and we figured we would be there by noon. We stopped at a rest area just outside Wickenburg to stretch and fill up on water. The site was filled with informative displays about the local wildlife and ecosystem. We walked from display to display and stretched. We talked about the facts presented on the displays. A woman approached us with a copy of "The Watchtower" and started talking to us about the "design that God put into nature". Then she asked if we were "the people that camped up Constellation". We weren't sure what to say...we DID camp at the area off of Constellation Street, but
Shawne and Phil
Shawne showing Phil his pinkies of steel we didn't pay the $5.00 fee at the self-pay station. We felt we were misled to think there would be water and restrooms at the site! We hesitantly said 'yes' to the woman. She said that she saw us ride by her house last night and wondered if we were the same people. So, I grabbed the reading material and off she went. We climbed back on our biked and headed East.
We stopped at a small market in Whittman about 17 miles later. We purchased a Gatorade, a Green Monster (energy drink), and some chocolate chip cookies. We had been fighting a horrible headwind since we left the rest area. Our top speed was 12 mph and I was still struggling with my shifter problems. We sat outside on a bench in front of the store and enjoyed our munchies. A man in his late 30's with long blond hair approached us and asked how far we were going. We told him Florida, and he replied, "That's cool, I'm from Georgia. You ever heard of the band Warrant?" We kind of shrugged and said, "Yeah...". He said, "Oh, well I used to play with them, but I'm here now
Shawne and Willy
Shawne's ol' friend propector Willy taking care of my sick Mom. You guys watch out around here, I've already had my gas stolen out of my truck. Keep an eye on your gear!", he blurted. He climbed into his pickup and took off.
Reluctantly, we got back on our bikes and headed into the wind. In the distance I could see the bridge we had to pass under that would mark the beginning of the next town of Surprise, AZ. Huge power line towers gave the illusion that the bridge was an enormous suspension bridge, much like the Golden Gate. We pushed on with this harsh wind pushing on our bodies and trailers. Suddenly, the shoulder of the road was covered with what looked like broken glass reflecting in the mid-day sun. As we got closer, we saw that it was hundreds of large (1+inch tall) industrial tacks of some sort, all laying upright with hollow barbs pointing straight to the sky! It was too late to stop, and even if we had, there was no safe place to set a foot down! It was a minefield! The only thing to do was to pull evasive maneuvers and try to dodge the shiny metal obstacles
Texas Hold 'em!
Jo was HOT on the tables tonight! (Jo interrupts...we pronouce that 'ob-stackles') After about 20 feet, we made it through with no punctures! That was CRAZY! I was sure it was a tactic employed by the local tire store to increase sales.
We rode into the city of Surprise, and Jo got her first flat of the trip. We stopped at a strip mall to make repairs. While there, a woman drove by in her SUV (at about 5 mph) with the windows rolled down SCREAMING at the top of her lungs into her cell phone. "I don't really give a @$#%! I hate the @#% town! I can't wait to #$%$#^ leave! I can go anywhere I #$% want! All I want to #$%#% do is sell that #$^%% condo!", she exclaimed. People were coming out of the stores to see what the racket was all about. It was so FUNNY! Earlier I had told Jo about this area. It is full of retired folk who drive golf carts all around town on the city streets! Jo was amazed to see it for herself! Old men and women zipping along in golf carts...cris-crossing parking lots and zooming through intersections, picking up their freshly groomed poodles from the groomer, and purchasing wheelchairs and scooter parts from the medical supply store where we were sitting. (Jo interrupts...if I had one, I'd get a custom paint job, chrome rims, and all leather cow interior!)
Once again we were on our way. Passing through one intersection, we ran over 30 rounds of .45 caliber live ammunition that were scattered on the shoulder. Cars had already run over most of them; the brass was flattened and misshapen. We entered Peoria and passed by the hotel where we're staying tonight. We were on our way to my former employer's shop (Boart Longyear) to say hi to the guys. The roads became harsh once again with huge cracks in the asphault and no shoulders. We rode in the concrete gutter to get as far away from traffic as possible. Jo was leading and hollered that a sewer grate was coming up. She turned slightly to get back onto the asphalt when her tire fell into the 2 inch gap between the concrete and the asphalt!
I watched in horror as her front wheel kicked and swung from side to side and her trailer bucked and twisted in and out of the crack. I was sure she was going down...her feet still locked into the pedals, unable to assist her in regaining balance. Traffic was whizzing by at 45 mph just one foot away from her. Thanks to Jo's cat-like reflexes, she regained control of her rig and pulled onto the asphalt. The event had flattened her front tire once again and we pulled into the Denny's parking lot to fix it.
Jo was visibly shaking as adrenaline surged through her body. We both agreed that this could have been VERY BAD. Jo inspected her front tire and found a bunch of metal slivers that resembled small fish hooks embedded in the rubber skin. I went into the neighboring taco shop and filled up our bottles with free ice. Jo fixed her flat and we headed to the bike shop.
We pulled up to 'Bikers Edge Cycle and Fitness' and parked against the wall. Instantly we had people asking us all about our trip and our gear. Two older women were there to purchase bicycles and pounded us for information about our lives. We entered to find two young men, Mormons, asking about different bicycles. I almost went outside to get my copy of "The Watchtower" so I could have it on hand if they offered us any literature. "No thanks! I've got this month's issue already!", I imagined saying to them. A few minutes later, we met Rob, and he obviously knew his stuff. We purchased an extra tire, new riding gloves (for me), and asked him about my shifting problems. He went outside with us and started diagnosing the problem. Rob asked me to disconnect my trailer and bring my bike inside. He threw it on the rack and proceeded to lube and clean the chain, then made adjustments to the derailleur and shift cables. He was sure to show me what he was doing and took the time to explain everything. After tuning up my bike, he answered another barrage of cycling-related questions that we had. He answered questions about everything from pedals to seat adjustment. Rob rang us up, but did not charge us for the repairs or the professional instruction on the proper adjustment of our shift mechanisms. This was the coolest and most knowledgeable bicycle shop we have been to yet. Thank you so much Rob, and thanks to 'Bikers Edge Cycle and Fitness'!!!
The weather began to turn as a huge thunderstorm rollen in. We pushed toward the Boart Longyear shop as the wind kicked dust and dirt hundreds of feet into the air. Once there, we said our hellos and told our story. My ex-supervisor, Phil, joined in and was amazed that we are doing this. We asked Phil to join us for a beer at the hotel later, and then we said our goodbyes.
We checked into our room and struggled to get our bicycles through the electronically locked doors so we could get INTO our room. We showered and headed to the bar to meet Phil. We shared pictures and stories with him. He only had a few minutes to visit as he was on his way to a season opener hockey game. Phil is a great guy and a real family man. He made arrangements for us to stay another night at the hotel at no charge to us! We gave our thanks to him as he left for his sporting event. It's really nice to know good people! Thank you to Rob at Longyear also; I'm sure he had a hand in this.
At the bar, it was free Texas Hold-'Em poker night. Jo and I signed up, not really knowing how to play at all. I didn't do too badly, but I didn't last past 10 or so hands before I lost all my chips. Jo, on the other hand, was kicking butt! Guys were actually getting upset because she had "disrespected (their) bet"! These guys take this stuff seriously! Some were wearing sunglasses while inside, at night, to hide their poker faces! (Jo interrupts...Many of the players say they find a game every night of the week, and playing free poker is all they do in their spare time! They weren't even drinking, so it wouldn't affect their ability to play! The gift for the winner is usually something as simple as a $5 gift certificate to Best Buy!) It was fun. Jo made it so far, she placed 8th overall!! She had a great time! We retired to bed...a REAL BED!!!
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jerry
non-member comment
hold on!!!!!!!!
Hold on to thae copy of watchtower cause the weathers a changin........