By Marty
Well, Bob's first day turned out to be quite challenging...
Bob's Day 1 Report - Wednesday July 30th:
A few side comments:
Well, Bob's first day turned out to be quite challenging...
Bob's Day 1 Report - Wednesday July 30th:
- Bob started off at about 10:30 this morning and enjoyed the first parts of the day
- He had to make a fairly challenging river crossing - water was waist-deep - and that caused his bag of gear to float downstream. He made it across the river okay, but then was lucky enough to run into someone and have some much-needed assistance in getting over the side of the river bank.
- At mile 7, Bob's luck changed. In his words "My rear derailleur and hanger blew" (broke)
- Apparently, these are key parts. Bob could no longer ride the bike.
- Bob walked the bike and trailer on hilly roads and trails with loose gravel for the next 5 miles.
- At approximately mile 12, Bob was rescued by a man named Allan. Allan drove Bob into the nearest town, stayed with Bob while Bob found a (very good) bike shop, and then Allan was good enough to make a second trip back to get the bike and gear. There are good kind souls in this world who are willing to help others! THANK YOU Allan!
- Bob is now in the town of Canmore and will be waiting on parts until Friday. He's not sure if he will resume the ride on Friday or Saturday.
A few side comments:
- Bears - Bob said that he did keep two bear bells on the bike handlebars. Given how the day went, he said that a "Any bear would have been in trouble if he'd seen me."
- iPad - Bob now no longer wants the (much-discussed on this blog) iPad mini. Bob plans to spend the next day lightening his load as much as he can
- Gear - I will attempt to provide some sort of a gear report in a future post.