Yeap, a rest day already. As I said earlier, this is a leisurely tour, so I am planning time off to do nothing but enjoy the weather. Plus, I had to catch up on my sleep AND deal with Daylight Saving Time . . . life is a burden. Once I did that, I was off to breakfast, which, in spite of a "late" start, 10:00 AM, still allowed me to beat the Sunday brunch crowd that arrived after 11:00!
Before hitting breakfast, I had to check out the pool. I'll be back!
After I returned to my hotel, I prepared to go poolside. But first, a call to another welder who was open today but located about five miles north of St Augustine. Chris, of After Hours Welding, Sandblasting & Trailer Repair, answered pretty promptly. He was available today, but that was not in the works (that would be a 50-mile round trip by bike!), so he said any night this week after 5:00 PM. So tentatively, I'm thinking Tuesday night. While I ride to St Augustine tomorrow, unless I leave much later in the day than planned, I'll be in St Augustine by early afternoon. I could backtrack later in the day after unloading the bike but could also do the same Tuesday, one of my two "days off" while there. Alternately, there is another welder in St Augustine, Cogar Machine & Welding, that is closer to my hotel (two miles vs. five) and might take a walk-in during the day. I have a call into him as well but probably won't hear from him until tomorrow. Just playing it by ear, as I also have a call into a welder just south of here, jfowelding, and mostly on my way out of town tomorrow morning . . . so it looks like enough choices. I just need one!
Then it was time to rest up for dinner later with Paul Free and his wife. Paul and I used to work together, and he was kind enough to hold my bike over a long weekend back in 2016. I met him and his wife, Allison, at 5:30 at Ragtime Tavern Seafood & Grill. From the looks of it last night, it promised to be fun (and hopefully quieter, being a Sunday). And it all turned out quite true. We had a delicious dinner, made better by the company. It was good to catch up.
A house specialty, sesame tuna. I had mine medium rare, but it came out of the kitchen mostly rare . . . and very delicious. Served over crispy fried spinach with ginger remoulade and red beans & rice. I'll be back!
When I got back to the hotel, I decided to have another look at the bike. A second friend (Lee Mitchel) had asked for additional pictures, so I obliged. He had a left chain stay fail on his Bike Friday while touring and had experience getting it welded. Experience worth sharing. Unfortunately, while re-examining the dropout, I found ANOTHER crack! This one, above the wheel axle. To be honest, at this point, I do not know what is holding the wheel on the bike! Just the rack? Both cracks seem clear through, as best I can tell. And if they aren't, it won't be long before they are.
The original crack, found yesterday, is circled on the lower right; the new one found today is circled above it and to the left. Immediately to the left of this new discovery is the attachment for my rear rack.
So, a sudden change in plans. I cannot wait till St Augustine to have this fixed, if it can be fixed at all. So tomorrow morning, there are three weld shops within a stone’s throw of each other . . . and a little over two miles from my hotel. I will call first and then make a beeline for them to see what can be done! Lee says if they can weld it, it should last the balance of the tour . . . if not, time to make plans to come home. Stay tuned.
