Isaac Wilde Bikes

 Nothing much to report today.  Both the bike store and the welder were busy, although I secured appointments with both for tomorrow.  This is how craigslist is going for the most part: I called a few bike stores but they don't carry anything my size either (or if they do, it's ludicrously expensive). I'll call a couple more tomorrow, just to see. This welder is probably where I'll draw the line. If he says it can't be fixed, then I'll go backpacking in the Rockies for a little then head home. At the very least, I can rest easy knowing I exhausted every option. The waiting is killing me the most, at this point, I just want a  resolution, any resolution. Fingers crossed though! If all goes well, I'll hit the road on Thursday. If I don't take any more breaks, I should finish the trip in exactly the 70 days I alloted myself.

 Hi everyone! Not much happened today, just keeping you posted on what my plan is and what my options are. I called the manufacturer and they directed me to a local bike store. The store took one look and said that the manufacturer would never agree to the warranty; the damage from my crash on the second day was too obvious. Moreover, they said the manufacturer was out of stock of my specific frame. The store offered to look around for frames my size from different companies, and they will call me back tomorrow morning. My other two options are Craigslist and a welder. I'm going to investigate both tomorrow. The store in Estes Park reccomended me a welder, and I called ahead and they seemed open to looking at the bike and seeing what could be done. I got to play catch with a frisbee with Janet, Todd, and their eleven month old Sarah, which was a much needed salve for the soul. I'm still hopeful but today was a bit discouraging.  Thanks for cheering me on!

 So! Bit of excitement today. I had felt my bike wobbling all day yesterday, and chalked it up to an unbalanced pannier. Still wobbling today, I did some investigating and found an enormous crack in the frame. I don't know how it got there, guesses include a faulty welding job or a hairline fracture from my crash on day 2 that just got exacerbated after two thousand miles of riding. In any case, I knew I couldn't go further today. I'm just thankful I caught it before either 1) I got stuck in the middle of knowhwere without a bike store for a hundred miles or 2) the front wheel snapped off while I was going 30mph downhill.  I wobbled my way to a bike shop in Estes Park, and they immediately came to the conclusion that it was totally unsafe to ride on, and probably unfixable. I realized I was stranded in Estes Park, until a very kind bike shop employee offered to give me a ride down to Boulder. Her name was Ritzy, and it turned out she was an ultramarathoner, which was pretty...

 

  The tail end of afternoon thunderstorms

  Pearl street; a main street closed off to traffic and lined with shops. Like a perpetual town day. Mmmmmm chocholate.... There's snow on the slopes 😬

  Don't worry, I'll bring back elevation graphs when I start up the mountains.  The morning seemed to threaten a storm, but it cleared up well. Straight 10 mile road with the mountains growing ever closer on the horizon. Enjoyed the juxtaposition of the oil pump against the shadow of the mountains. Salt stains on my clothes after the sweat evaporated. There was a strange white powder coating my arms that I didn't realize was salt until I licked it. I was exhausted today, and didn't manage my salt well enough. Not counting days I spent sick (which were not very restful), I haven't rested since Chicago. Looking forward to a well deserved break!

  Irrigation ditch I road alongside for several miles. An enormous corn silo -- the scent was palpable

  I forgot to record the first 11 miles. The town I stopped in was at elevation 4100, higher than a lot of mountains in New Hampshire!  The tail end of a storm that pelted me in the night. Cool irrigation thingie Rescued him from the highway. So cute! Cool rock formation The photo doesn't do it justice, but this is a huge feedlot of what must have been 100,000 cows, no exaggeration. The cloud of flies was so thick it reached out onto the road, and I spent a mile splattering flies out of my mouth.

  The elevation gain is starting to pile up -- I'm at 3k feet at the moment. It's so gradual that I only barely notice it while riding though. Passed through a time zone today, also.  I would find Kansas beautiful... in moderation. Ugh imagine looking at this exact view for 400 miles, couldn't be me. Dad says I should entertain myself by taking pictures of more interesting things like, say, buildings, and not just my invariable breakfast.  

  Look at that duration! That's including a 45 minute stop for breakfast. It's all thanks to a tailwind, but I still felt proud. Made it to my destination before noon. All my hard work studying to be a nutritionist is really paying off for dinner this evening. And yes, I ate all 12.