June 28, 2023
Day 45 - still at Tucumcari, NM
I slept very well last night in this motel room bed. Roel and Tiffany run this place. Last night Roel asked me what time I would like breakfast and what would I like to have. I was surprised to hear I have choices for a motel breakfast. I got back to him later last night that 8:00am would work, and whatever they wanted to fix would be fine with me. So 5 minutes before 8:00am this morning I walked over to the breakfast room. They had special flavored coffee waiting for me. Tiffany asked me details about what I wanted. She made two different types of Mexican fare for me. The spiciness was just right.
Two girls who stayed at the motel last night came in for breakfast. They're from Germany and are touring Route 66, heading west. It was fun listening to their perspective of the US. One of the girls favorite city over here is Chicago.
Of course, on a day off there are chores to do, and I got started on those after breakfast. Actually, one of my chores I started before breakfast - finishing the report for two days ago.
Last night Roel had recommended that I not drink the water here in town, due to its high mineral content. He'd offered me bottled water from big containers he has. So I filled up my two 1-gallon jugs first thing after breakfast.
At 10:10am I rode to the laundromat. On my way there I stopped at Circle-K for a soda with ice to drink while I washed and dried. Afterwards I wanted some ice cream. The closest place for that appeared to be Sonic a mile south. I had a large vanilla shake there, then made my way back to the motel, stopping to get a picture of a 1963 Ford pickup at a place across the street. I noticed a bunch of motorcycles parked at the restaurant next to the motel. There was a van also, pulling a motorcycle on a trailer. It looks like it's an organized motorcycle touring group. I've heard of organized bicycle touring groups. I didn't know they had them for motorcyclists also.
I flipped the empty bike upside down outside to give the tires a thorough inspection. I did find a few thorns. But most troubling was finding a crack near a spoke hole on the rear hub. I'm not sure how much of a concern that is. I loosened the spoke some. I think that's all I can do for now.
After finishing yesterday's report, I patched two tubes. One had a wire hole and the other a hole from a thorn. Later in the afternoon I enjoyed a phone call with my wife. She said they completed the installation of our new roof Saturday morning and it looks really nice.
At 6:30pm I rode west to La Cita, a recommended Mexican restaurant. I've noticed most Mexican restaurants have a colorful decor. This place certainly does on the outside. I had their combination plate and sweet tea. It even included the dessert that you put honey on. One more task to do while I was in the area was to stop at the nearby Dollar General Store for a few more food supplies. Also bought tomorrow's supply of Gatorade, which I put in the motel room freezer when I got back.
I worked some on today's report next, but was falling asleep, so finally called it quits at 10:55pm. Back on the road tomorrow.
Jeff
Spent: $67.19 plus $5 (motel room) + $2.42 (orange soda) + $3.25 (laundry) + $6.16 plus $2 (shake) + $20.57 plus $5 (supper) + $17.25 (Gatorade, lunch bag items) = $128.84
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1 year ago
I didn't know that cracks are more likely to be on the drive side.
I'm learning so much from you - thanks!
Jeff
1 year ago
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That crack near your spokes does not look good. I hope you get near a bike shop soon and can have that checked out. You check your bike over often and thoroughly enough to spot issues before they become catastrophic.
1 year ago
Thanks.
So far, so good with the hub crack. Of course, the fix is a wheel rebuild with a new hub, or a complete new wheel. I'm more likely to keep going minus one spoke, if that would work.
Jeff
1 year ago