The flight to Albany was uneventful. I got about an hour or two of sleep before my transfer in Chicago, then landed in Albany at around 9am.
My awesome cousins Marty and Elyse were there at the airport to pick me up and then took me to breakfast.
When we got back to their house, there was a surprise waiting for me! My wife Ragon had sent me this adorable card and it arrived the day before! She always finds new ways to surprise me. Thanks Sweetie!
My bike box did indeed have a large gash in the side, but once I took everything out, it looks like everything made it in one piece, except for my seat which somehow has a big hole in it now.
I spent a while trying to assemble the bike back together. Seeing as I was the one who took it apart in the first place, I thought this would be easier. But try as I might, I could not get my derailer to screw on correctly.
Luckily, Marty & Elyse live next to a bike store, so that was my next stop. They were able to fix it and get everything working. Turns out in addition to fixing the derailer issue, they told me I had put the front tire on backwards, and the quick release mechanisms on the wrong way. So, good thing I took it to the shop. I am just not the bike mechanic I thought I was!
After I rode back to their house, Marty was itching for a ride on his bike. So he took me on a bike tour of their community. We rode through some beautiful country and ended up doing about 12 miles before heading back.
This was a good test ride for me because it made me see first hand how my body is just not used to the humidity they have here. I don’t sweat very much but today it was pouring off me, and I ended up drinking almost my entire water bottle. So the lesson for me is to bring lots of water, especially since the temperatures are supposed to rise over the next few days into the nineties.
After the ride we walked over to the local CVS to pick up some sun screen, then headed back for a delicious dinner and dessert!
I want to give a big thank you to my super sweet cousins who have treated me like royalty and helped make this trip possible.
Tomorrow morning I am finally hitting the road! Keeping my fingers crossed everything works out, considering I have no idea where I’ll be sleeping tomorrow night! Yay adventure!