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Day 18 - August 6

I greeted the day with a flat tire. Picked up a wire from a steel belted tire that exploded somewhere along the road. It is the most common road hazard according to experienced bikers. Anyway, it must have leaked all night and presented itself in the morning. I have a spare tube but decided to retain that redundancy and patched this one. The repair wasn't as fast as Ralphi's old man in A Christmas Story but I was on the road about an hour late and never once said "oh fudge".  End of the day and pressure is holding.

A road bike passed me this morning like I was standing still. I don't resent his speed - he wasn't carrying 50 pounds of gear. I don't envy the expensive bike either.  My intent is to see the sights at 10 mph and an "oh wow" bike is not required for that. What really honks me off, though, is that at 65 I can't wear that cute little spandex suit. Nobody my age looks good in that . So instead, my uniform is cargo shorts and a tee shirt.

My favorite thing about the day was the shower at Twin Lakes State Park. Most campgrounds have lukewarm temps and water pressure like a ketchup bottle.  I think they are just discouraging campers from lingering. This one was hot hot and pinned you against the wall.  My second favorite thing was the pasty at a little country market near the State Park where I'm staying.

Today's ride waa 55 miles for a total of 984.


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