Speedy was Bad...

Almost an inch of rain last night!  We woke to a beautiful morning!  Fairly cool & with the humidity not quite as high as it has been.  I didn't plan to ride, Speedy had a rear brake that had been sticking.  But, after washing the vinyl siding under the back deck - it was only noon & wanted to go.

First stop~

I called Butch, told him to expect me & drove to Silver City.  Mari Jo's Cycle shop is closed on Mondays - so she can ride.  I parked & once I was on the trail, realized the humidity had climbed.  It  felt like I was peddling in 7th gear, uphill!  No fun at all & no breeze either...

The Beavers are holding their own~

I stopped I don't know how many times to try to adjust the break pad away from the rim.  About half-way - I saw a rider coming toward me - Mari Jo!  We stopped in the middle of the trail, both of us dripping sweat.  When I explained Speedy's problem, she pulled out her multi-purpose tool & tried to loosen the pad.  We spend several minutes trying to resolve the issue without much success.   She invited me to join her & turn back to Silver City, but I'm stubborn & told her I planned to get to Agriland - one way or the other!

On the Trestle

The trail was again sticky.  Malvern had received over an inch of rain.  The butterflies are still everywhere, one even flew under the visor I was wearing.

Speedy sniffing ditch weed :-)

It was the other!  I was exhausted by the time I reached Agriland.  I'd tried to reach down & move the break pad every time it hung up.  I told Butch I was giving up on making the return trip.  He started working on Speedy & before long, had the brakes re-adjusted & working.  The rear tire was spinning free!  We shared a cold coke.

Back on the trail - in the shade~

The short break revived me - so I decided to buck up & ride back.  Peddling was So much easier!  The temperature continued to climb - the day's heat doesn't usually peak until around 5 p.m.

Speedy & yellow flowers~

I was back at the Bronco just ahead of Butch.  My time was only ten-minutes longer than usual for the 17-miles.  I appreciated him lifting Speedy up onto the rack - I'd burned some energy on this ride for sure!  We enjoyed our usual weekly dinner at Tobey Jacks.  They have super Monday night specials.  Now, I'm going to hope for another cooler day this week.  The forecast shows the temperatures moderating, but not the humidity.  I may have to wait another month for that.

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!