It turns out our confrontation with the snake on Day 11 coming out of Baker City did more damage to my bike than we first envisaged. We were lucky to avoid a three bike pile up when Katie stopped suddenly to avoid a snake on the road. I managed to avoid the back of Katie's bike but Steve plowed into my back rack and hit my rear derailleur, unable to stop in time, making me hit the road while he stayed upright but scraped a hole in his pannier as his bike slid along the road. Anyone who rides with me at TXAR knows a ride is not a ride until I go down. However, this time I managed to avoid drawing blood, and avoid the snake that was writhing underneath my fallen bike.
I noticed my gears weren't changing properly after the crash but we just pushed the rear derailleur back into place and kept on rolling.
Yesterday, I had trouble getting my gears to stick and I couldn't get them to change properly past 6th gear and up.
Hellsgate Cyclery in Missoula took a look at my bike today and saw that Steve had sheared off a part of the derailleur that held it in place. So $88 later, my bike is now back in working order, ready to get me through the rest of the ride into Montana and on into Wyoming.
This was supposed to be a rest day but we ended up walking all over Missoula about 3 times over, trying to find some new, lightweight clothes for Steve, some better padded cycling Knicks for his delicate tush and some groceries. Good news is, we have posted more stuff back to Houston but in return I have stocked up on snacks for the next week or so, so the nett result is negligible!
To see Katie off, we headed to Draught Works Brewery for our last beer together. Katie, we'll miss you on the ride. You have provided balance and sanity for our first 2.5 weeks of this odyssey. Who knows what will happen next .....
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| Draught Works Brewery |
CRANKING ODYSSEY STATS
Total Odyssey miles: 1,004 (we made our first milestone)
Overall Fastest Speed: Steve (39.9 miles per hour) Mandy (35.3 miles per hour)
Bludge Days: 1
Bonks: nil
Dog chases: 3
Dummy Spits: Steve (2 - Day 10 because it rained; Day 16 - because the rocks in the river were slippery)
Mandy (0.5 - Day 14 those freakin' wreckless Idaho drivers!)
Flats: Katie (4)
Wrong turns: 6
Beer of the day: Draught Works Clothing Optional Pale Lager
Lesson of the day: denim jeans are really heavy
No. of our luxury items that Katie has used: 5 (duct tape + rope + pliers + a confused cup/bowl + can opener)
No. of days with no shower: 7
Starting weight: Steve (90kg) Mandy (51.5kg)
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