Day 39, Thursday, May 29: Side quest

Stuart, Nebraska

As described in the post for May 28, I had two broken spokes. A local retired lawyer, Steve Brewster, was driving to Omaha and back, and he agreed to take me and my rear wheel to Norfolk. He would drop me off so I could have it fixed at Norfolk Bike, then pick me up on his way back to Stuart.

I arose earlier than usual, about 5:20. I even set an alarm. John and I never set an alarm, though we always get up at 5:30, but I had to make absolutely certain I was ready when Steve came to pick me up. One rule I try to live by: when someone is doing you a favor, never make them wait.

Steve arrived at 6:00 AM as promised. I threw my wheel and one of my panniers full of dirty laundry in the back of his car and we were off.

One aspect of this trip that contributes to the daily grind is the search for a place to do laundry. We each have three sets of cycling clothes. You never want to start the day in dirty clothes, especially the shorts, so we are constantly thinking about the next place to do laundry. 

One rule for zero days is always do laundry. I would have preferred John deal with it since he was staying in Stuart, but there is no laundromat there. There is one close to the bike shop in Norfolk, so I took the laundry with me.

The ride back to Norfolk on US 20 and US 275 was a bit surreal, like I was traveling backward in time. We passed through all the small towns where John and I spent the last two days cycling and camping and taking breaks: Atkinson, O'Neill, Ewing, Neleigh. The two-hour trip also made me appreciate just how far we can travel in two days.

Steve dropped me off at a coffee shop across from the bike shop at 8:00. I had a coffee, then walked to the laundromat nearby. I put the clothes through a wash cycle, transferred them to the dryer, them rushed over to the bike shop with my wheel.

I got there just at 9:00. The owner, Jason Toffelson, was there as promised. I dropped off the wheel, went back to finish the laundry, then went back to the coffee shop. Just as I sat down around 9:45, Jason texted that he was finished.

I picked up the wheel then spent the rest of the morning exploring downtown, where I ran across a Johnny Carson mural and statue we had somehow missed.



I also had lunch and a beer at the local brewery, Divots, that had been closed when we passed through on Monday.

Steve picked me up at 2:00. By 4:00 I was back at camp in Stuart. I popped the wheel back on the bike and just like my side quest was complete. 

I could not have done it without Steve.


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