“Every day we are faced with a different challenge.” -Steve Kerr. We’ve cycled in bitter cold, freezing rain, darkness, and yesterday we were faced with a new hinderance: the dreaded flat tire.
The forecast for January 12 promised sunny skies with temperatures reaching 61 degrees. Steve and I awoke that morning in high spirits. Not only was it a beautiful day, but it was even more glorious, because it contrasted the treacherous cold and rainy cycling we had survived the day before. Beautiful Virginia pastures covered the landscape around us. Geese flew to the ponds, cows bummed around, and dogs chased their tails.
We whipped up a couple bowls of cereal, tuned our bikes, prepared lunch for the road, and took our sweet time getting ready. We also attempted to dry our shoes in the dryer, which created a thunderous rumble throughout the house.
At about 12:45, we hit the road. (Our latest departure.) It was a spectacular day, what could go wrong? The moment my rear tire hit the pavement, it deflated. Turns out, a staple had pierced it’s way into my inner tube. This shouldn’t be more than a ten minute delay. All we had to do was switch out the damaged tube with a fresh one. I was prepared this time. (As apposed to the Cape trip) I unbuckled my front right pannier and shuffled around for my plastic bag of spares. When I took out the tube, Steve said, “I think we have the wrong size”. Because our tires are built for touring, they require a much larger tube than the average road bike. Yet again, a rookie mistake. To make a long story short, I had a brutal time trying to ride with such a small tube. After 3 flats, some minor profanity, and a really obnoxious barking dog, we found a Wal Mart. Thankfully,a single tube of the proper size was in stock. I road that baby all the way to Fredericksburg.
When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by Katherine and her sister. Katherine is a 21 year old vegan and animal rights activist.
Highlights of the evening:
1) Seeing Jurassic Park in Katherine’s movie collection.
2) Eating delicious home made soup with black beans, pinto beans, carrots, potatoes, tofu, roasted red peppers, and tons of tomatoes.
2) Making gigantoid Crunchy Peanut Butter Cookies
3) Discussing culture and lifestyle with Katherine.
4) Sleeping on an exceptionally comfortable bed.
Pictures of the day:
Trailing The Sun 
Man, I read the flat tire headline and (after I find out that you guys made it out alright) I almost couldn’t stop laughing because I immediately remembered your cape trip and the five-in-the-morning phone call I recieved that day hahaha. Anyways man, leaving a comment so you know I drop by here! I miss you bros! Hope you’re doing well! Now…get back to Sutton!
Wow, sorry to here your trial and errors for the day…But you know they say the early bird gets the worm maybe a early start next time will make for a better day! LOL!