The Curse of the Flat Tires.

Thur July 29th: I rode through Cleveland today. I love city skylines. I went around the Cleveland Browns football stadium and could see the seats inside. Next door was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum because Cleveland is the birthplace of Rock and Roll (In 1952 a DJ who promoted the music used that term for the first time).

Once the weather got hotter we have been camping out less and trying to find other places to stay and it is amazing how kind people are. Thanks to the Old South United Church of Christ. They got us a motel room in Kirtland, without ever even meeting us.

Friday July 3oth: I spent half the day looking at the remodeled and rebuilt historic buildings in Kirtland. The girls continued their tours while I left to bicycle.

Because of all the flats that I have had, especially this week, I am a little paranoid so when the wind gave me a little push I thought that it was my back tire going flat again. I quickly pulled off the road. I found out that bikes don't stop vary well on wet grass. The tall grass hide the fact that the side slopped down so when I put my foot down there was nothing there. It was like I was falling over in slow motion. I landed on my side in a muddy ditch that was hidden by the tall grass.

Ironically about 10 minutes later I heard a pop sound from the back tire and then heard air quickly rushing out. A nail had gone through the bottom side of the tire and out the top side. I can't believe it! I go 1500 miles without a flat and now I have had six (all the back tire), and four of them have been this week! There was no patching this one and it was going to be dark soon. Laura was going a different direction than me but I knew that the road she would be passing was just two miles up. I didn't have cell phone service here so I ran to get to the intersection before she did. I figured that if I could bicycle across America I could run 2 miles. It turned into a slow jog and it turned out to be the only time all summer that I got a cramp in my leg. For some reason Laura now insists that I carry an extra tire tube with me now.