After breakfast, Zhang and I kind of hung around the hostel longer than we should of, soaking up the last moments of each other's company. We were out of the house at 9. I had to stop at the library, post office, and bike shop before I got out of town. The cycling store hurt my wallet for such a small problem but... it was necessary. This is my mode of transportation we're talking about here. My frugalness is pissing me off.
As it turned out, the bike repair was no more than duct tape on a major problem. 25 miles out of Farmington, another spoke went. Calling multiple bike shops; the culprit was the rim. I'm going to have to get a whole new wheel from a shop that's about 300 miles away on the border of Kansas and Missouri. Ironically, the town where this shop is located is in Pittsburg. Since the spoke broke, my mind has been racing with alternative methods of transportation, mainly hitchhiking. I pulled over at a bar shortly after to drown my sorrows.
To add insult to injury, the bar has no cell phone reception; the first place since the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, as I began to speak with the bartender and owner of the place, multiple positives came out of the negatives. John, the owner, had a keen sense of humor that steralized my wounds. The bartender, Truma, would bandage them with her kindness and empathy. As I spoke of attempting to limp my way to the next nearest campground, something pretty awesome happened. The bar just so happened to also be a campground... and I could stay free of charge. Also, there were some hotspots for cell phone reception. Enter super incredible positive #2.
Marcela, who housed me in Carbondale had just gotten a new tent and we already missed each other. Earlier in the afternoon, we planned out a little dayoff to camp some miles up the road. Well, once all the rear problems occurred, I texted her to see if my bike would fit in the car. It would. Not only am I saving the bike from more wear and tear but I get to spend a day with an incredible human being in a beautiful campground. My problems were slowly dissipating away. It's amazing to be in such a vulnerable position and have people (total strangers albeit) totally come through for you. It's funny how low I felt a few hours ago and how things are really starting to turn out okay. The back tire still turns, so I'll ride that baby until the wheels literally come off.
This evening, I got my tent set up and went to the bar for some food. As I approached, I saw John and Stewie (John's hired laborer) struggling with a sign. I replaced a panting and out of breath John as Stewie and I got the sign up. We moved a few cinderblocks and got the thing stable. When I entered the bar, I threw money upon the wooden table for a beer. Stewie was behind me within a second of the action and told me the beer was on him. I spent the night getting to know Stewie and Bob.
Bob's a character. He's 70 years old and still works incredibly hard. He's got a really strong work ethic and was very friendly with me. He spoke of dodging deer around the road in his Dodge 98' truck with 300,000 miles on it, the old post office up the road his aunt used to own, and old baseball and hockey games he used to attend when he was interested. Nowadays, he lives in Arnold, 70 miles away, but has a small house near the bar he comes down to on weekends and gardens.
Stewie lives 25 miles away and just started working for John. He's his right hand man and has a solid headon his shoulders. Slim and lean with a goatee, he doesn't have the Southern accent that Bob has. There is an air of youthfulness to his otherwise businesslike work ethic that's enjoyable to be around. I noticed he processes things very rapidly and has a quick wit about him. From the moment I entered the bar, he was good to me.
People never cease to amaze me... and I never really would have expected to say that in such a positive sense a short time ago.
The connection out here is too weak for pictures so you guys will just have to deal with my prose. I'll try to upload pictures tomorrow when I'm in a better spot.
Zhang quite literally wolfed down his half of the pasta in less than five minutes. It was amazing.
Just some flowers growing wildly on the side of the road.
Checked out the Battle of Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob, MO: a battle in 1864 that halted the Confederate's attempt to take Missouri under their control. Despite Union soldiers being outnumbered 12,000 to 1,500, they inflicted massive casualties. Missouri was proclaimed to be in cahoots with either side but the Confederate government of the state had been exiled years earlier to Texas.
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