Even though we'd never met, list member Norm and I recognized each other from across the street. He was sitting at a sidewalk table in front of a coffee shop and I was walking my bike on the sidewalk to the crosswalk to come meet him. We had connected through the list here. His orange All Rounder and my blue AHH were dead giveaways.
We discussed destinations/routes a little bit and were soon on our way. About half a mile up the road there was a sudden and horrible sound from my rear wheel. It was the sound of metal clanging against metal. I slammed on the brakes and looked back. Everything looked ok but the tire was flat before the bike was even stopped. Further investigation led me to a #4 finish nail through the sidewall of my tire. The sound was the nail hitting the seat+chain+fender stays... like a finger strums a harp. Fortunately I had pliers in my tool roll because the nail was in there really tight. The spare tube came in handy too. I got the wheel back together and we were back on the road. Our first real stop was Mt Tabor. We got peek-a-boo views of Mt Hood and a nice clearing provided views toward downtown Portland, but the forest was too dense on the Mt St Helens side to really see any thing. Next stop was Rocky Butte. There's an interesting structure that looks like a castle from the outside, but when you get up to it the "castle" is full of dirt and is just a lawn and walking path with a spectacular view. Norm and I ate a snack, took a few pics, and soaked in the view. It was time to head home. As I was turning onto my street I was thinking it was perfect timing 'cause it was just about time to dig the lights out of the saddlesack. A fun little adventure with some great views and good conversation. click for the pix <http://www.flickr.com/photos/15966859@N07/sets/72157628789865139/> --Smitty -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/KkhKf_FmDNsJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.