Charlie's Angels Come to the Rescue!

Some people call it God’s will, others call it Karma, others fate and others call it luck. Whatever you call it though, it was working for me yesterday and I am thankful. Let me explain that not everything about the day went perfect; as a matter of fact my second worst bicycle breakdown occurred. (The broken derailer in Port Charlotte, FL qualifies as my worst.) But in the most basic sense, it was almost as if every piece fit in its place perfectly, just like it was “meant to be”. The Bono Motto was at work: Something bad, something good.

First, I am thankful to report the beginning of a new phase in my trip: re-entry. It will include meeting family and friends, seeing familiar sights and traveling familiar roads. And it started out with the best experience of all: a visit from Christa and Terry Murphy in Albany, IN. After leaving Castle Rock, I took the Muncie bypass and started moving my way towards our meeting spot in Portland, IN. Since I was making pretty good time I stopped for a Hawaiian Ice at the Dairy Dip in Albany. There was a message 10 minutes ago from Christa, stating they were five miles down the road. They were rolling into the parking lot before I had a chance to finish my Hawaiian Ice.

They had to be angels; they brought me the only two items I wished for: my favorite Frank Sinatra CD and a Michigan Map from the Clare rest area. We had lunch at the pub next door, and even though I wasn’t hungry I ate a full rib dinner. And Christa paid! Yee Ha! I love you, baby! She looked great, and so did Terry. I think all of us couldn’t believe our eyes. Here’s a picture of us having a celebration beer. Afterward Christa and Terry almost made a video of me riding down the street, as they made their way to Portland to secure us a room at the Super 8. But not quite. Ask them to show it to you.

The ride to Portland was a bit rough, both heading into a strong wind and pretty rough road conditions. Some old timers in a little gas station/ diner told me that wind farms are being developed in this region because of the strong winds enhanced by expansive open fields. Good lesson for World Geography class. Bad lesson for me as a cyclist. Maybe I’d feel differently if it was at my back. I was having difficulty with more than the wind; two spokes in my rear wheel broke causing a wobbly wheel that rubbed against my rear brakes. I figured this out 5 miles before I reached Portland, so I disconnected my rear brakes and limped to the hotel. Something Bad.

With the help of Christa’s trusty toolbox, always ready in the “Gerta Mobile,” we began to conduct repairs, performing a tricky surgery and removing a useless (or so I’ve been told) plastic guard from the rear gears. Unfortunately we were unable to restore the bike to health. But what do you know. After checking the phone book, what should appear but a bicycle shop, 2 miles down the road, that was open at 9:00am on Saturday mornings! And you know the difficulty I’ve had locating bicycle shops. Something Good!

No longer worried about bicycle repairs late into the evening, we happily went to dinner at Banditos, voted Fort Wayne area’s best Mexican restaurant. Now I’ve told you how much I have been eating, but this time I have witnesses. Christa and Terry ordered, then I ordered Banditos’ biggest burrito, called the “Big Juan.” Then I asked the waitress if she would give me a free tee shirt if I ate two of them. She got the manager, and in the attached picture you can see that I enjoyed both of them. Afterward we went to Dairy Queen for desert. Something Good.

Then, commiserating that we did not get a chance to see Survivor this week, Terry showed us how to watch yesterday’s episode on my laptop. My laptop has a pretty big screen, and it was just like watching it on TV. Something good. And I got to spend the night with my wife, after camping and slumming for three weeks. SOMETHING REALLY GOOD!

Tomorrow morning after eating breakfast, we are taking my bike to TJ’s Bike Shop and hopefully I’ll be rolling into my brother Jim’s driveway in Van Wert, Ohio by mid afternoon. That’s the plan, but everyone knows, “the best laid plans of mice and men…..”

I’ll include the map more often now, and will try to get a “Michigan version” with an anticipated route. I have basically been planning spur of the moment routes until now, so please understand any deviations once I get rolling. Here are some statistics:

* Total of 1818 miles in 22 days

* 132 total hours pedaling

* Most miles in a day – 105

* Web visits between April 18^th and May 11^th - 3,368

* Bugs flying into my mouth while I'm riding – one too many

* 20 miles to the sub sandwich