Oct. 30 – Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I guess I shouldn’t complain – except for one day in Colorado I have had either beautiful blue skies or cloudy skies with no rain. A rainy day was bound to happen sometime! I woke up in my comfy bed at Randy’s house the the sound of rain on the roof – a hard drizzle just like the forecast said. By the time I ate breakfast and packed up my bike it had eased a bit but was still coming down. I had to make peace with the fact that I would ride in the rain today. I said my goodbyes to Randy and a big “thank you” as he had been a great host on a fun weekend, and waved goodbye as I rode away.

My route would take me south through Smyrna and Murfreesboro and then over to Tullahoma, where I planned to stop for the day. I meandered through the suburbs of Nashville and over through Smyrna – the traffic was pretty light and I was careful because of the wet conditions. As I rode down the highway towards Murfreesboro with a light rain on my shoulders, but enjoying a little tailwind……I got that funny feeling that something wasn’t right. My rear tire was flat. Fixing a flat is never fun, especially on the side of a highway in the rain. There was a used car place right off the road, so I walked my bike over there and asked them if I could work on my bike under their awning. I got permission and found the problem – or I should say problems. I had gotten a double flat! A roofing screw right through the middle of my tire and a nail to the side – what are the odds?

My tube was toast, but luckily I had a spare. About an hour later I was back on the road. When I got to Murfreesboro I pulled in to a bike shop, Moab Bikes, to check my air pressure and buy a new spare tube. The guy at the shop was really nice and asked me about my route – and then gave me some suggestions that he felt would make it better. Touring tip: always go with the local intel! I changed my destination to Manchester on the route he recommended. I also got a recommendation on a place for lunch, and The Alley was fantastic (gumbo, Nashville hot chicken sliders, blackberry cobbler and a big mug of hot coffee). I was fueled for the ride! The countryside was beautiful, even if it was a little wet.

My timing was good as I pulled in to the Motel 6 in Manchester just before dark. No camping tonight! Tomorrow I will head towards Chattanooga. I am working on plans to meet up with two college friends, Bruce who lives in Chattanooga and Bob who lives in Atlanta, who will ride with me for part of a day this week. Looking forward to seeing them!