Speedy has a Screw Loose!

We finally had rain!  It started early this morning - hit from the north - with wind so strong the rain was coming in waves!  Lightening too - that took part of a tree about a block away & put it through the roof of a house...  In Glenwood we had 2.5 inches!  I could see the water in the creek, from the house.

From the Trestle - Silver Creek~

 We lost power for just a moment.  I went to matt-making this morning, we're working toward our  500th matt!  After a fun lunch with Laura & Karen, I decided to call Mari Jo & see what condition the trail was in.  Silver City hadn't even had a quarter inch of rain!  The Wabash would be sticky, but still rideable.  Malvern, on the other hand, had received four inches of rain!  The question would be -  how the trail was - further south.

It was just after 2 p.m. as I left Silver City.  After only the first mile, Speedy had an annoying rattle?  I stopped several times to see if I could find a reason, but there didn't seem to be anything amiss.

On the trestle~

 At the trestle, I could tell things were much wetter than in Silver City.  I continued on, meeting one other rider, heading north.  I asked him if the underpass at Hwy 34 was clear of mud & he confirmed it was OK.  A bit embarrassing, to be rattling along on Speedy.

Stinging Nettle Bloom~

 This beautiful bloom caught my eye!  Such a pretty color, I think it's a stinging nettle.  The sun broke through the clouds & as it did, the heat soared!  By the time I reached Agriland, I was soaked with sweat.  Butch was waiting for me, he'd wondered if I'd be able to get through.  I circled him - Speedy making the rattling noise.

The Problem~

 My husband had Speedy upside down in no time & had assessed the problem.  A loose screw attaching the fender to the frame.  It's amazing the screw was still there, after eight miles of limestone.

Butch works on Speedy~

 Speedy was a bit embarrassed, but handled it with aplomb. :-)

Rear tire back in place~

 With the tire back on, Butch noticed the brake pad on the left side, was rubbing on the rim.  No wonder it had felt a bit more difficult peddling - which I'd attributed to the sticky trail.  The brakes are floating in place.  With several adjustments & a trial ride around the parking area, we were back on the trail.  Sunny, my 3i,  had disk brakes, which I like better but aren't available on the 7D.

Heading north on the concrete~

 Back on the concrete, Speedy was quiet as a mouse.  No more rattle, rattle!  I'm still not sure the brakes are as they should be & Butch is going to do some research, but at least the pad wasn't rubbing on the rim.

Speedy & the countryside~

We stopped on the trestle just long enough for me to take a drink of water & one more electrolyte.   That's when I noticed we had a hitchhiker!

Our hitchhiker!~

A beautiful one at that!  I don't know the species, but he was determined to ride along.  Even after I got on & started down the trail, it took him a second to fly away.

Butch met me at Silver City.  I'd covered 17-miles in two-hours.  Speedy now has over 350-miles to her credit!  Most all on limestone & carried on the bike rack over the bumpy country roads to get to the trailhead.

The corn is starting to sweat & I've done a lot of it myself!  I told Mary Jo not to expect me if we get into the triple digits in the next couple weeks.  As much as I like riding - that kind of heat/humidity is no fun!