June 26, 2023
Seals & Crofts
DAY ONE
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The road unrolls before me. On my left and right are knee high soybean crops, verdant with life, yet still unable to resist bowing to the western wind. Gusts of this same wind push against me as I struggle on the bike, pedaling. There is no way around. No circling back or alternate route to take. I think in hammer pounding strikes and move like the anvil they land upon. I don’t have to fight. Stop mashing the pedals. Slow down, it’s okay. Spin.
I don’t know it yet because the sky is grey and cloudy mostly but, in those moments when the late June sun bursts through like brilliant diamonds, I am getting fried. The only places to stop are intersections, private driveways, and those tractor entrances to never ending fields. I stop at one of the fields and drink water. I feel like drinking the water cuts down on the weight I’m carrying. The mental wrestling of a tired first day.
Richmond. Suburbs and detours. The sky has finally decided to break loose and just as the first rains spit down, I realize my front tire is flat. Oooomph. Panic enters like it lived here once and still has the key. Standing outside of the McDonalds in a downpour I tear at my gear for tools, sticking bags in the vestibule and hoping no one stops me. I get the brake released, I flip the bike in the mulched bushes between the shrubs and the glass window of the building, I pull the wheel and make multiple trips to station myself inside the joint. I order. I calm down. I’m planning to camp only 2.5 miles from here and I have 3 hours before dark.
The only part of my flat routine I don’t like is the entire routine, but if I had to change an actual tool, I think I’d like a better way to inflate. The pump I carry is super reliable, but it is so hard work. I can only get the tire to about 50psi and it’s everything I’ve got right. That’ll do. I’m on the road first and then the Cardinal Greenway. The path is drenched and camouflaged with branches, leaves, and green ball shaped tree droppings. It isn’t raining. There are trailheads nearly every 3 to 5 miles and every single one has bike tools, a gauged pump, and a portolet. I have both my tires up to 85psi using their really easy and well crafted (Presta and Schreader valve compatible) pump. Awesome.
The spot I google earthed to camp turned out to be a hill though so I put on about 6 more miles post Mickey D’s. In the end I just pushed a picnic table around and made room for my tent under the shelter at a trailhead. I had the place to myself. An outdoor condominium complete with a restroom, a bedroom, and a dining room that included two roads, one parking lot, and fields of Canadian forest fire air as far as your limited visibility could stretch. The rain poured all evening. I had my tent flaps open and a cool breeze under that roof. I slept.
Today's ride: 59 miles (95 km)
Total: 59 miles (95 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 4 |
These pumps kick ass and are claimed to be able to inflate up to 120 psi.
You should only need about 70 for your touring tyres which it will do easily!
1 year ago
1 year ago
https://www.cycleblaze.com/journals/lowbridge/equipment/
And this is their website:
https://www.fumpapumps.com
I have a larger, less expensive battery pump but I haven't taken it on a trip yet. An Amish couple I met on my 2021 trip had one and I tried it out. It worked well. They (and I) have the cheapest of the three:
https://www.cycplus.com/collections/electric-air-pumps
1 year ago
1 year ago