I had been watching the weather and knew there would be a good chance of some rain. I had ridden 37 miles when the first showers came ... just as I was pulling under a convenience store awning. The timing was absolutely perfect; I didn't get hit by a single drop.
Further up the road, a pavilion appeared just as another shower was starting. Unfortunately, this good luck wouldn't last.
I was climbing one of four, steep 1-to-2--mile hills when it started raining again. I had nowhere to go and put on my poncho and thought of just kind of standing under a tree. But then I just decided to ride, knowing the town of Lookout was not far ahead. I got to the top of the hill and began descending very, very slowly.
Then, it started going rough, and lo and behold I discovered that I had a flat tire in the back. Now, I've never actually changed a flat tire in my life, and I wasn't too concerned about this lack of experience since dad had changed scores of them in his life.
The conditions were not ideal for my first attempt. I was on a really steep downhill slope and it was raining and there was no shoulder on the road. Initially, I kind of leaned my bike against the side of the slope and took off my packs. After much struggle, I found that the leak was right at the valve stem, so I just decided to put in a new tube.
After struggling to get the tube in correctly and the tire back together, I pumped it up. But in no time, it was flat again. So I took it all apart again, and found there was a small hole in the tube. Maybe I pinched it. I briefly tried to patch the tube, but then abandoned that idea and just used the other spare tube I had. It was hard to wedge everything back together and once I had pumped it up, I didn't feel too confident. (How can you be sure you're not pinching the tube when you pry the tire back in place with those little pry bars?!)
At least an hour had passed during this process, and a couple people stopped to ask if I needed help. Both times I was on the verge of apparent success and declined. I finally got everything back together -- it had stopped raining by now -- and headed on. At the store and at several points along the way, I stopped to see I it was still holding air, and it was.
I stopped in Elkhorn City at about 2:30 for a huge meal of chicken and dumplings, waiting inside while it started to rain again outside. Since the forecast was for more rain in the evening, I wanted to get to my destination as soon as I could.
After Elkhorn City, I crossed into Virginia and took some pictures at a point when the sun had actually come out and I was sweating like crazy. I made it up some annoying hills to Breaks Interstate Park and got a site just as it was about to start raining again. I hustled to set up the tent and threw my stuff in as it started to pour.
It has been raining off and on for the last little bit as I've been sitting in my tent. My stuff is mostly dry, so that is good. The weather report is calling for more rain overnight, but clearing off somewhat in the morning. That's good, since I have an ambitious goal of making it to Damascus, which is about 80 miles away, over some good-size hills.
Today's terrain wasn't actually that bad. There were those four hills, but then there were nice, long downhills and them narrow valleys where it is possible to really motor.
I was glad to hear that dad's surgery went well today. I missed him in more ways than one, wishing that I had watched more closely when he was changing his flat tire in Pueblo, at the Subway, where there were nice tables and shade.
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