Day 37-39 - Pueblo or Bust!

Comments about comments:
Hey Bobby,
Tell Chris to ship some stuff you guys got back there that don't make your feet smell bad to Al and I'll go pick it up. Tell Chris to not use so much popcorn though.

Christine,
Not only do my feet smell but my beard is smelly too. I know how you like that. I could sleep out in the coop with the chickens. Also, Ryan is planning on flying out of Portland. You guys should put him up. His feet are alright.

I love the comments. I'm always excited to see new ones. Keep them coming.



The church was nice in Sheridan Lake. The pastor and his wife were very accommodating. After the eventful day, I had to blog about it before I forgot all the details. Ryan got online to figure out how to replace a broken spoke with limited resources.

We got to use the kitchen to cook dinner and we slept in the nursery with double padded carpet floors.

Bike stuff everywhere.

No bugs in here.

Ryan figured out that if he was able to bend the end of one of his spare spokes, he might be able to weave it into place without removing the rear cluster. However, we did not have the tools to bend the metal spokes. In the morning, Ryan and I went over to the local auto repair shop and asked if they would bend one of the spokes. Lindley, the old man running the place, got out his torch and with steady hands of experience put a nice S-shaped bend in the spoke. 

It was a little short. We asked him to fix it and do another and he did. Then, he had to go harvest some wheat and so those spokes would have to do. 

Look at that concentration...and that beard!

We left Sheridan Lake at around 10:30 even though we had been awake since 7AM. I think those temporary spokes helped Ryan's brain more than that helped his wheel. What we really needed was the tool to remove the rear cluster so we can thread the spare spokes in properly. But, you ride the bike...fix it when you can.

Along the way, we ran into other cyclists and Ryan was quick to ask if they had the proper tool. About 8 miles past Eads, we crossed paths with a cyclist named Tom. He was a retired electrician from Iowa and he had the tool! So, we pulled over and got to work. Instead of helping, I took pictures.

We couldn't get it to work. While we were stopped, two Englishman with matching monogrammed jerseys pulled over. They also had the tool and they also could not get it to work. It was just too tight. One of the Englishman recommended we ride the 8 miles back to Eads. However, Tom did have two Fiber-Fixes which are essentially pieces of string that you can put in the place of your spoke. Ryan bought them off Tom and again, I think they helped calm Ryan down rather than help his wheel. We were on the side of the road with Tom for around an hour and a half. 

Strings for spokes.

Maybe having strings for spokes does help. We made it 50 miles to Haswell as the sun was going down. It was a long day. From our campsite, we caught our first sight of the Rocky Mountains.

Can't really see them here so just take my word for it.

The short day to Haswell left us 93 miles to Pueblo. We were going to get there on our bikes, pushing our bikes, or with our bikes in the back of someone's car. I had duct tape on my front wheel, a bent chainring which limited me to one gear, and was riding on clip-in pedals with Teva sandles. Ryan had strings for spokes, a snapped front derailleur cable, and diminishing brake pads. Terry had a worn front tire, no spare tubes, and a rear wheel that was making a funny noise. 

We had made it halfway with no issues and stopped in Ordway for some food. As we were shopping around, I turned and saw Rod standing right behind us! What are the chances?! He had driven up to Denver the previous day and was driving back to Sheridan Lake to do some work for a week or so. Rod had seen our bikes, recognized them, and decided to stop in.

While in Denver, Rod bought new tires for his bike and still had the other one that he did not give me from his previous set. I told him my other tire had gotten a bulge and he gave me the tire. No more duct tape!

He also mentioned how, after speaking with us, he was considering riding his bike from Sheridan Lake back home to South Carolina. He was going to have a friend take his car to Oklahoma City where he would pick it up later. I could tell he was still unsure if he wanted to make the trip. So, I told him he needs to get rid of his car and so the only way home would be by bike. Only option is to ride. I hope he does.

Anyways, we all made it in to Pueblo rolling on our own two wheels. Well, I guess mine were Rod's wheels but, nevertheless, we are in Pueblo!

There they are.

Painting the town red. 

We are taking the day off while our bikes are in the shop. I just received a call from the shop that said our bikes were finished. I nervously asked about my bent chainring. They told me they had tried to bend it back. In the process of doing so, part of the bent tooth broke off. However, the mechanic said the bike is still rideable. I asked how rideable because I have some serious riding left. He said I'll be fine. He's right, I will be fine.

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life=good