Today didn't feel like much of a day off for me. We started out leisurely. We woke up as we pleased. I eventually made us breakfast. We ate crumbled sausage, with zucchini, onions, red pepper, and eggs, all scrambled together. Oren said thank you and it was delicious about a dozen times - imagine if I had made something more elegant than scrambled eggs!

We were all cold in the morning. Oren went through every room and turned on the provided space heaters. It was 39 degrees outside. We won't be enjoying these temperatures much longer!

My bike's poor shifting was on my mind. I had asked if there were still a bike shop in town. Melissa, from the cabins, said no. Jacinto looked on his phone, and there was Lake City Bicycles. Whew! The next bike shop on route was days away. I spent three hours at the shop my first round. John runs it out of his garage, when they are in town in the summer. He is 74 years old and also owns a bike shop in Lancaster, TX. It's a long story, but I will  try to condense it. We spent considerable time trying to do a basic derailleur  adjustment. I did the pedaling on my long recumbent, while John worked the shifter and looked at the derailleur. It wasn't working. Then John had the thought to check if the cassette was firmly in place. No. A spacer did end up working, after much effort. I took the bike for a test ride on his dirt street. It seemed ok. $120. labor - he would charge me for just one hour. As I rode back to the cabin, the bike didn't shift well at all. I didn't know if I should laugh or curse.  I called John, we agreed I would go back after lunch. I was so discouraged. I spent so long at the shop in the morning. John sells recumbents and was happy to have a recumbent to work on and talk recumbents. That's a good thing. But, I was expecting a quick adjustment, and  I'm still having trouble.

I went back after lunch. I suggested John do a test ride himself. He did, but dumped the bike, tearing his shirt and skinning his arm significantly. I had given him my sandals to wear, he wasn't familiar with Bebop pedals, wasn't able to clip in, and dumped the bike on the climb. The bike seems ok, even though John wasn't.

He ended up taking a couple of links out of the chain. I was doubtful about this, as I hadn't been having any shifting issues at all with the chain as it was. He checked for wear with a chain checker. That was good.

More adjusting on the stand, it seems fine. I was still feeling discouraged as I rode away. Having bike trouble is no fun, especially on tour. At least I know the cassette is firmly in place and not wobbling. The play in it was obvious, even to my untrained eyes. 

We've had major conversations about what food is available at Blue Mesa Outpost, and also our next day in tiny Crawford. Jacinto has already fixed up a batch of fried hot dogs and scrambled eggs. Oren was gracious in turning down a share. Jacinto cooked those in advance, so he will have breakfast as we leave Sapinero. 

It has rained several times today, sometimes heavily. At this moment we have loud thunder to go with the rain. The forecast looks good for us, as long as we leave early. It will be cold. 

I spent most of my day riding back and forth to the shop, and at the shop. My favorite kind of rest day is lounging around getting really bored, so I am happy to get out and ride the following day. Our next day off is in Moab. We won't be cold there!