Monday, September 22 – Collinwood to Columbia. To start the morning, we retraced our quarter-mile or so back to
The Trace, and continued North. It was a
“cowboy up” cool morning ride. At MM 380, we bid adieu to The Trace and embarked on the remainder
of the trip. Due to adverse wind direction (a stiff 20 mile-a-hour wind from north), we abandoned our planned route, and instead took a small country road appropriately titled
“Railroad Bed Rd" (read "flat"). It was a sweet
eight-mile ride through the Tennessee countryside along Chief Creek. Many of the farms had
big, well-maintained ponds. All had
dogs, usually more than one and they all took their afternoon constitutional by chasing Diane. As Rob knows you don't have to be the fastest rider, just don't be the last one in line.
We happily lunched
along Chief Cheek. Unfortunately that was the
last truly pleasant moments of the day.
Soon we were on highways with no shoulders, ugly hills, and high density traffic -- including semi’s
and hay-haulers. There were momentary
improvements over the next 25+ miles into Columbia, but after several days of experiencing the
50 mph-non-commercial light traffic on The Trace for several days - we had grown spoiled.
After biking in the environs of Columbia for several miles,
we decided to pull into a Burger King and get our bearings (and to make
sure we hadn’t overlooked a safer route or bike trail). Frankly, just as importantly, we both needed a break from the
intense urban riding experience.
Diane had not
been in a Burger King, nor eaten its fare, since 1983. For the past several years, she had been avoiding
soda pop, except for an infrequent Pepsi. But she figured if she were going to die, she
might as well go for the gusto, so she had a Whopper without the bun, French
fries, a Dr. Pepper, and a vanilla ice cream cup.
Rob the same, but with the bun and the cone. While enjoying the meal, and the coolness of
the establishment, Rob found a route via side streets that kept us off the
beaten path for the next six miles, until just a few long urban blocks from the
Extend A Suites - where we had a confirmed reservation for the night. Unfortunately, the manager said we had no such reservation, even though we showed him our written confirmation. Frankly the place was a bit sketchy, and the
Day’s Inn, another three blocks north, had a room, so that part was ok.
What was not ok was while we were waiting,
Diane noticed something awry with Rob’s bike.
The chain was drooping, only about 4 inches above the ground. Upon inspection, Rob saw his bike was missing
part of the rear derailleur that wraps up the chain, when shifting through the various gears
that make up the rear cluster.
Once at the Day's Inn, the McDaniel team divided up the labor. While Diane
refrigerated the snack items in our coolers, cleaned water bottles, and prepared for
the following day, Rob caught a ride back down our route for a little over a
mile, and then walked back to the hotel, hoping to find the missing derailleur part but to no avail. So, while Diane tele-worked, Rob connected
with the proprietor of a bike store in Franklin, who thought he might be able
to assist, but we would have to find a ride up to his since they had no staff with a
truck to come get us.
And so the plan
was made. We would rise early and hitch a ride to Franklin.
Railroad Bed Creek.
Wild flowers along the way.
Chief Creek.
In this picture you should see two black roller sprockets. The one that is missing should be seen behind the cable wire in the upper right hand part of the photo.
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