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2015-09-26 tl;dr: I'm breaking more spokes. The highway is boring. I'm biking through the Sand Hills of Nebraska. If I wasn't already awake, I would have been when the coyotes lit up all around my tent.My socks still aren't dry. And the smell! More broken spokes! Not having any more spares, I repositioned several spokes to even out the load. I'm now running 32 of 36 spokes, which isn't the end of the world, because some bikes are built with only 32 spokes, But I resolved to be extra careful, because if I loose any more spokes I'll have to thumb a ride to Valentine or risk making my tire into a taco. I moved all weight from my rear panniers to the front. Apparently the rain had worked its way into my brake lines. I need to really haul back on the brakes to stop, and then they rub for a while until they work loose. One more thing to deal with. It seems I may have my bike geared too low. I have a spare cog to fix that. It's really only an issue when I have a massive tail wind, so I may just leave it alone. This highway is so boring! But the shoulder is remaining smooth. I have the time, and I'd like to change course, but I just can't risk damaging my tire. I'm biking through the "sand hills" now. You can't plant much here, so it is dominated by cattle. I stopped twenty miles shy of Valentine, because I saw no reason to pay for a hotel tonight, and I don't want to arrive too early tomorrow. Also I thought it would be nice to sleep under the stars in the prairie. That flowing grass looks so soft. Perhaps I will take a little barefoot stroll. Bad idea. Sand burs! |
 more round bales  I hope that's not rain  cows in the fog  horses in the fog  turtle in the road    seemingly good place to camp |