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Aug. 6th, 2008 06:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miko2Monday after yet another attempt to pump air into my front tire, I rode my bike up to 277th Street again. This is the edge of Auburn city limits, where it turns into Kent. It's not really that long of a ride... maybe 50 or 55 minutes round trip at the very most, at my slow speed. I had planned to go as far as the Green River this time but my right leg had a bit of a charley horse and I was feeling tired so I turned around there.
Tuesday I rode North again, this time all the way to Green River. It wasn't really that much further, about a half mile or so I guess, 10 minutes more riding at the most. I stopped and looked at the river then turned around. Just past the bridge is where the trail splits off into more than one bike path... Kent has a few. It'd be nice to ride some of those, I think.
I told my coworker at work where I'd ridden to, and she said, "That's where the first body was found." I had been kinda wondering that at the time too.
Today I fought with my front tire some more. I bought another of those cans of air that are supposed to inflate your tire and help seal leaks. One of the problems is that the valve on my front tire sticks out crooked and the spokes get in the way. Anyway, it seemed to work better this time, but the results were the same -- it's still semi-flat when I ride.
I also had intended to pick up a small screwdriver to try and adjust my brakes and gears and tighten some things, but I forgot about it. I debated going to the store first since I didn't want to put it off again, but then I decided to ride South and stop at Walmart. I spent a lot of time in Walmart looking for the screw driver and then looking for a water bottle. I was thirsty, but I failed to find a good water bottle and decided to just buy a cold bottle of water outside. Naturally all of the machines outside were out of water... even the one that only sold water. One of them ate one of my quarters, too.
I fiddled with my bike, realizing that, while I could tighten a few things, the screw driver was not the right tool to adjust the brakes or the gears. Actually I think I'm probably not the right person to be attempting to adjust those things anyway, it seems simple until you start messing with it. I should probably find someone who knows what they're actually doing.
By this point I was feeling kind of tired and afraid that my tire was about to go completely flat, and was debating turning back even though I'd hardly biked at all, but instead the tire seemed not quite as flat as I'd feared, and as I rode back to the Interurban Trail I felt much less tired, so I headed South to Algona, where I stopped at a Mexican place. Having passed by there a couple of times, I was curious about it... I had the impression that it was a corner convenience store with a small taqueria, but actually it was a corner dine-in Mexican restaurant. It seemed run-down and I was the only customer when I got there, so I ordered four chicken tacos and sat down. A few people came in to get take out while I was there -- they all spoke Spanish. The television was turned to a Spanish channel, with some sort of Mexican soap opera playing. There were Chick tracts -- in Spanish, of course -- on the counter.
Overall the food was ok -- it's hard to mess up tacos, just tortillas, chicken, onion, cilantro, and a little lime or hot sauce -- but I see no reason to go back there again. Lopez Taqueria makes tacos that are every bit as good, they're closer to me, and their countertop Christian literature doesn't include any Chick tracts. Plus they're very nice people.
Overall my bike ride took almost an hour and a half, but I'd estimate only about 40 or 45 minutes of that was acutal riding. I doubt eating a Mexican meal halfway through your bike ride is the reccomended way to get exercise, but I enjoyed it. ^_^
Tuesday I rode North again, this time all the way to Green River. It wasn't really that much further, about a half mile or so I guess, 10 minutes more riding at the most. I stopped and looked at the river then turned around. Just past the bridge is where the trail splits off into more than one bike path... Kent has a few. It'd be nice to ride some of those, I think.
I told my coworker at work where I'd ridden to, and she said, "That's where the first body was found." I had been kinda wondering that at the time too.
Today I fought with my front tire some more. I bought another of those cans of air that are supposed to inflate your tire and help seal leaks. One of the problems is that the valve on my front tire sticks out crooked and the spokes get in the way. Anyway, it seemed to work better this time, but the results were the same -- it's still semi-flat when I ride.
I also had intended to pick up a small screwdriver to try and adjust my brakes and gears and tighten some things, but I forgot about it. I debated going to the store first since I didn't want to put it off again, but then I decided to ride South and stop at Walmart. I spent a lot of time in Walmart looking for the screw driver and then looking for a water bottle. I was thirsty, but I failed to find a good water bottle and decided to just buy a cold bottle of water outside. Naturally all of the machines outside were out of water... even the one that only sold water. One of them ate one of my quarters, too.
I fiddled with my bike, realizing that, while I could tighten a few things, the screw driver was not the right tool to adjust the brakes or the gears. Actually I think I'm probably not the right person to be attempting to adjust those things anyway, it seems simple until you start messing with it. I should probably find someone who knows what they're actually doing.
By this point I was feeling kind of tired and afraid that my tire was about to go completely flat, and was debating turning back even though I'd hardly biked at all, but instead the tire seemed not quite as flat as I'd feared, and as I rode back to the Interurban Trail I felt much less tired, so I headed South to Algona, where I stopped at a Mexican place. Having passed by there a couple of times, I was curious about it... I had the impression that it was a corner convenience store with a small taqueria, but actually it was a corner dine-in Mexican restaurant. It seemed run-down and I was the only customer when I got there, so I ordered four chicken tacos and sat down. A few people came in to get take out while I was there -- they all spoke Spanish. The television was turned to a Spanish channel, with some sort of Mexican soap opera playing. There were Chick tracts -- in Spanish, of course -- on the counter.
Overall the food was ok -- it's hard to mess up tacos, just tortillas, chicken, onion, cilantro, and a little lime or hot sauce -- but I see no reason to go back there again. Lopez Taqueria makes tacos that are every bit as good, they're closer to me, and their countertop Christian literature doesn't include any Chick tracts. Plus they're very nice people.
Overall my bike ride took almost an hour and a half, but I'd estimate only about 40 or 45 minutes of that was acutal riding. I doubt eating a Mexican meal halfway through your bike ride is the reccomended way to get exercise, but I enjoyed it. ^_^
