.....lets see where was I? Oh yes, Monument Valley...

It was so hot I didn't do much for most of the day. Well, aside from lunch, and the post office, where I jettisoned a few more things home, like the jacket and arm warmers I have not worn once, and a few other bits of gear.

Around 6:00pm I headed over to the Monument Valley Visitors center, which is a very small museum-like place, with beautiful overlooks of the valley (see pics Day 1). It also has a hotel and restaurant and gift shop that sells silver jewelry, t-shirts, refrigerator magnets and sheriff badges complete with the most common first names in America.

To get there I rode 4 miles, and on the way home a funny thing happened--I got another flat tire! Except this time I didn't have any way to change it as I had left my flat changing paraphernalia at the campsite. GRRRR

But it wasn't completely flat, I rode it most of the way, as the tire got softer and softer. A mile from the campground there was no more going forward, and I did something I have not done since I was in England in the '80s, I stuck out my thumb. It was a small road that led only to the campground so I figured I was okay, and it was. The first truck stopped and a cyclist picked me up and dropped me off at my campsite.

So now, I had one good tube, on the tire, and 3-tubes with holes, because I always carry 3 when I tour alone, plus a patch kit. So I set about patching, pulled out the kit, dug out the never opened glue, opened the glue, punctured a hole in the top of the glue.....can you see where this is going?.......and squeezed the glue, only to find the glue was dry!

CRAP! Now I had a problem. I went around the campground searching for someone with bikes, and spare tubes, only to find one guy who had a 26" tube that listed 1.75 as the smallest size tire it is good for, and I ride a 1.5. Plus, he wanted $20 for it! I bought it anyway. I had to have something.

But after some thought I came to the conclusion that I would not be even close to comfortable riding around The Rez with no way to change a flat tire, so I decided to ride to Kayenta in the morning (with my spare tube that was too big) and hitch a ride to Page, where there would be a bike shop, or someplace to get tubes or a patch kit. I could have taken a bus to Tuba cIty, but I didn't know if they had a bike shop, plus I wanted to see Antelope Canyon, which is supposed to be a really cool place.

I have hitched rides for short distances in the past, but this one was a long one. It promised to be interesting, and, hopefully, not TOO much of an adventure...