Sure enough, not 7 miles down the road I had another flat on my back tire. That was my third flat in just two days of riding. Exasperated, I pulled off to the side of the road and got to work changing my flat again. Afraid my tire might be worn through, I took off the whole tire and checked it thoroughly, looking for any holes or debris. I found nothing which made me nervous. There had to be something causing the flats. "We'll, if I get another flat down the road, I'll check more thoroughly I guess," I told Austin warily as I put the wheel back on my bike. I spun it slowly one last time and luckily discovered the culprit! There was a metal staple buried in the tread of my tire. I pulled it out and my tire was as good as new! Feeling more confident, Austin and I continued down the road without any more issues.
A little while later, we met up with Nyx, Brian, Amanda, and Lacy and Austin took off while I stayed with the new group. We played some word games to pass the time. I was going to be a fast day, we only had 42 miles. Lunch was at mile 30ish but I chose to keep going since the host was only 12 miles away and my legs still felt fresh. I chugged ahead alone and crossed the Oregon state line. There was no border sign because apparently it had been stolen but we found an abandoned Oregon license plate and took pictures with that.
It was our second-to-last state sign. The next one will be California! It is crazy to think that if we weren't headed south to
Santa Cruz, we could probably get across the state of Oregon and to the Pacific Coast in just a few days.
I got to the host really early and met up with Rae, Dan, Kevin, Marcus, Mike and Laini. We decided to get lunch at a local cafe. I had chocolate milk and a burger and it definitely hit the spot.
After lunch, we headed over to a nearby car show to check it out. The guys were pretty impressed but Rae and know nothing about cars so we just picked out our favorite colors. The. We headed over to the showers and back to the host.
I took a long nap on the couch while others also napped or relaxed. This 13 day stretch is eventually going to take a toll on us so everyone has been making sure to get as much rest as they can in order to stay healthy and strong as the weeks wind down. No one wants any extra van time when we only have 14 days left.
Tonight we had a delicious chili dinner with cornbread, hot dogs, salad, and of course dessert. Later we cleaned our bikes, watched a movie, and fell asleep. Just another day in the life!
Only two more weeks!!! WE am excited to see you!! Almost there, guys!!
ReplyDeleteDon't be too sad - there is still TONS of life left for you after the trip. Now other doors have been opened. Enjoy and stay strong! xxxooo mom