Day 16, Off the bike, complications, miracles!!

Saturday June 13, 2020

Physically and mentally I have been driving myself. I guess it's fear. Afraid if I take time off that I've wasted a good day of riding. That tomorrow will be harder. That the mojo keeping me going will go away. But today could not be helped.

When covering and locking up my bike last night I discovered a broken spoke. I taped it. Then thought: this is crazy. A total reset is necessary. A couple problems though: I am in the middle of stinking nowhere in the middle of Covid. I am surrounded by reservations that do not want visitors. I cannot get going and have a breakdown. I cannot risk going downhill on a bad rear wheel. The sensible thing is to stay put and figure something out.

I contacted a Warmshowers host in Pierre who was away fishing and whose wife was dealing with an ailing pet. Scott reassured me he'd try to help. So I went to bed. This a.m. He sent me his wife's phone number. We talked; the dog was better. She'd come to get me. Wow! But, not for long. What about the bike? I thought, one problem at a time. She drove me to the only bike shop in town that was about to close for the weekend. The owner was using a cane, could not lift a bike, and his spoke cutting machine was broken. We talked, and I ended up buying a new rear wheel with double bonded spokes. A friend named Dusty will install it. All this by 4 pm.

Waiting now to go to a neighbor's to eat. Dusty will do the work at 8 pm. If all goes well I could be running tomorrow.