I just wanted to say "thanks" to Ron for hosting me at his home for my tech needs. It was great to meet him and Marlan, as well as Ron's girlfriend, Debbie. Ron, Debbie and I went out for dinner after the work was done, unfortunately, Marlan couldn't join us. Ron was a gracious host to a fault, buying me dinner as a "welcome to North Carolina". There is truely something to be said for Southern Hospitality.
My bike has unfortunately suffered a setback, and it broke my heart to see it loaded onto and hauled home on a flatbed today. Nothing mechanical, the rear tire went flat. To make matters worse, I had already ordered the tires replacement and was planning on replacing it this weekend. I carry plugs and an inflator, which I used when I discovered the flat after arriving at work this morning. I plugged the hole, only to discover it still leaking and another nearby. I double plugged the original hole and pumped up the tire before heading home. The tire threw the plugs more than half way home. I double plugged and pumped again, figuring I was all set. I lost that set of plugs with about 5 miles to go to get home. I tried a few calls in vain to get a truck/trailer back to the camper, but when a flat bed tow truck stopped and offered a lift (for a small fee, of course) I had to accept. The worse part of this is that I am confident that the original leak was small enough to have gotten me home if I had simply added air and not plugged the tire. The tire carcass, already being worn, simply tore away when I added the plugs and the hole was beyond repair. Lesson learned.
