I don’t even know where to start. Beautiful, sunny day, and it went downhill (and not the terrain) in the first 7 miles. There was a shoulder for a change but full of gravel and debris. I kept hoping that wouldn’t be an issue, but, alas, it was. Got my first flat tire. YUK! I figured I’d flag someone down, but before I even got my panniers off, three cyclists came from the other direction and insisted on helping me change my tire. Who was I to argue? They got it done in 10 minutes, and we were all on our way. They were from Europe. Yesterday. I met two guys on the road, and they were from Switzerland and the UK. Met a guy from France last week. Very few Americans so far.

A mile down the road, my rear tire went flat again. Great. I was only a half mile from town, so I just started walking. Changing a tire alongside the road is awkward and no fun. Just before I got to town, a car stopped on the opposite side of the road and asked if I needed help. Well, yeah. We talked about options, and I decided to let him take me back to Granby since that was the closest bike shop. He was so nice and a cyclist himself, so he understood my frustration. Turned out he was an off duty deputy with the sheriff dept. So glad I went to the bike shop cause my rear tire was showing wear. Even had a small tear in it. I got a new tube and tire, so hopefully, I’m good to go for a while. Just rode the first 10 miles twice.

I always spend my first half hour in town looking for a place to stay, sometimes visiting places more than once until I decide. Then I walk the streets, finding breakfast, the library, and lunch. I usually walk up to two miles, and it helps to get the kinks out. Today, I stumbled on a Mexican restaurant. Yummy! Ordered a Margarita. Figured I deserved it after my traumatic morning. The guy made too much and gave me the extra, and lunch was fantastic.

One black rubber bungy. Total now 49.

Today, Eby didn’t use an assist bar til 40 miles. I’m wondering if the rain has some effect cause both days that I ran out of power were rainy days. I can’t think of any other reason.

Forgot to add my pass photo from yesterday.