"That probably would have defouled your nether-regions eventually..."

Yup, that was said to me at some point today. That and, "Yeah, your seat would have broken and you probably would have ended up with something up your butt that didn't belong there."

How, or why were things of this nature said to me? I think it's important to mention that they were said in all seriousness but with my best interests at heart.

Here's how my day went today.

After a tiring but not exhausting ten mile ride into Rhinebeck, we made a last stop at a Mobil gas station on our way to Rock City and the infamous "Fork in the Road." The gas station was G-ross...and there were bugs galore (but I'm sure Meagan will tell you all about that). We left the gas station and expected an uneventful ride. We were way off. Approximately half a mile into the ride MY PEDAL FELL OFF!! For real...Read it again, I'm not lying, it means what it says. The mechanism used to propel the bike fell off. Meagan and John were a bit ahead and did not hear my girly scream, err, I mean my barbaric yawp. Fortunately, Timy was with me so I wasn't completely stranded. Timy rode back to the gas station to see if they had a wrench or pliers that I could use to try to refasten the pedal. Amazingly enough, the service station could not be of any service to me (there's the irony again). Our options were limited, so what did we do? Timy and I started riding...Yeah...I rode with one pedal, for a good 5 miles. We eventually made it to the fork and had no real plan of attack once we re-embarked, so I decided I would stop at any and all places of business and ask for tools to help me reattach my pedal. In the interim, I would simply ride with one pedal.

First stop, antique shop. The woman who worked there said she did indeed have both pliers and a wrench. After a short and futile search, an elderly man with no teeth appeared from thin air and informed her that he, if you can believe it, had taken both tools home. She proceeded to offer me a set of sheers..."No thanks."

Second stop, Ironfish Carpentry Shop. Jackpot! A man by the name of Erik said he had the tools necessary to fix my bike, welcomed me into his shop and then dropped this bomb on me. "I used to be the manager of the largest bike shop in D.C.. I think I have just what you need." While he didn't have what I needed at his shop, Erik went home, (leaving us, total strangers, alone in his shop with his awesomely great dog named Sara...We shared some beef jerky), found a pedal and some other tools and then fixed my bike. Afterwards, he went on to tell me that the bike I am riding is a piece of crap and could potentially cause me much pain (see the above quotes). I'm hoping to finish the ride on this P.O.S., but my chances are getting slimmer by the minute.

After my pedal was fixed, and my seat was lowered, and my tires were inflated, everything went pretty smoothly. Until my chain fell off my bike and my gears wouldn't shift going up Winschell Mountain Road. Again, Meagan and I were lagging behind Timy and John when this mechanical debacle befell me. Meg and I were in between huge uphills when I stopped to pretend I could fix my bike. As I was staring blankly at my gears a car pulled up and the following conversation ensued.

Driver: "Hey, everything alright?"
Me: "Ummm, yeah, I mean my gears aren't shifting, but I'm in the lowest one so I'll be able to get to the top."
Driver: "You want me to take a look at it?"
Me: (cuz I'm an idiot) "Nah, that's alright. I'll be ok. Thanks though."
Driver: "You sure? I'm a bike mechanic."
Me: (Dumbfounded) "Oh...In that case sure."

James went on to fix my bike up and off we went.

It was potentially a disastrous day that turned into the best day of the ride so far. EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON...Today was the best proof possible.

So it goes...


P.S. Keep the prayers coming mom!!