The weather was better (just overcast) the next
morning (4-19), but my start was delayed when I discovered that my tire
was flat again. I found a
piece of glass embedded in a small tear in the tire, so I changed
the tire (put on my spare that served Gene so well) as well as the tube.
The weather forecast for the next few days is quite
depressing – mostly dreary today and tomorrow, then rain for the next
three days. There isn’t
even any hope of riding out of it because the weather system is moving
northeast right along with me.
Along with my late start, I also had to take an
unplanned detour in the morning. Someone
in Aberdeen told me that I couldn’t cross the U.S. 40 bridge over the
Susquehanna River a few miles up the road. After looking more carefully at my Maryland Bike Map, I saw
that he was absolutely right. The
next closest bridge was on I-95, and of course I couldn’t use that one
either. I had to ride about
15 miles north to the town of Darlington and cross the river on U.S. 1. That wasn’t any picnic either, as the highway crosses the
river on a very narrow dam.
| Click on thumbnail to see full
photograph..
|
The ride through northern Maryland was great,
however. The land is
quite hilly and the farms are among the most beautiful I have seen
anywhere in the country.
I had another flat tire late in the day.
I think this one was my fault, as the location of the hole
in the tube seemed to indicate that the tube had been “pinched.”
I must have done that in the morning when I changed it the
first time – maybe those low watt bulbs had something to do with
it though.
|
I made my destination of Newark, Delaware with no
further problems. Once
settled in, I went to look for a bike shop.
I knew there would be some because Newark is a college town
(University of Delaware). I
found one just a couple of blocks away from my motel – Bike Line of
Newark (part of a chain of stores). I
wanted to buy a new tire and a couple of tubes.
I talked to the Store Manager, Howard “The Kid” Brown (just 19
years old), who genuinely apologized when he didn’t have the type of
tire (Kevlar bead) that I was looking for.
So he gave me the two tubes and a patch kit that I also
needed, and wished me great success on the rest of my journey.
Thanks Howard. I appreciate your generosity (and hope I don’t
have to use any of that stuff for a while).
Today is the 11-month anniversary of the start of my
journey. Try as I might to
see things otherwise, the cup is beginning to look pretty empty.
(Great
Adventures to Scenic Places)
