Grounded

I awoke this morning, ate some breakfast, and got around to head to the bike shop and reunite my trailer to my bike at 9:00. Then when I was just about ready to go, the bike shop owner called me to say that he had spaced and not worked on it last night and to give him until 9:30. I took another helping of breakfast and waited awhile before heading over. I arrived at 9:30 to find it not done. Then 10:00 passed, 10:30, 11:00... I watched the clock with increasing alarm at the 80 miles I was supposed to cover today with increasingly less daylight to do it in. It turned out while the crankset had some wear, that wasn't the real source of the problem. Apparently the bike mechanic who worked on it in Seattle had messed a number of things up, and the cables were poorly adjusted, the derailleur all out of line, and all kinds of contributing issues. I eventually, with heavy heart, contacted my host of last night, explained the situation and asked if I could stay another night. She said yes and I thanked her profusely. I told the bike mechanics that I wasn't going anywhere now and to take their time and get it right. Even after they thought they had it perfect, it turns out there were issues they were unaware of when riding it without the added resistance of the trailer. By the time things were all sorted, it was well after noon, and definitely too late to go anywhere.

It's a disappointment on many levels. The people I was going to stay with in Astoria were able to put me up tonight but can't tomorrow. The weather was great today but it is going to be hellishly windy and rainy tomorrow. 100% chance precipitation, no ambiguity at all. And it's my birthday. I'll be celebrating with a very long ride in the rain and wind with no certainty on where I'm going to sleep. ...But such is life.

I made the best of the sunny day today and took a walk around town, as well as to a nature preserve, accessible only past an industrial area and an airport, with little indication of its presence. It was a good day in many regards, ending with a warm meal of sweet potatoes and spinach soup that has me feeling satiated and ready for sleep. But my schedule is off now and tomorrow will be a very hard day.

But, well, best to worry about tomorrow when it comes, right? I can tackle it all in the morning. For now, it's time to rest.