Back Where I Belong

My flight to Salt Lake City has me once again in my rightful place in Economy Class and is serving as a good transition back into my reality. Sure, the seats are significantly more “cozy” and the food significantly less swanky (actually, there is NO food other than snacks) than First Class but I’m still able get some work done or, more accurately, able to type up a blog update or two. At this moment, we’re flying over Iowa, about 1,600 km (1,000 miles) from Salt Lake City so I still have a couple of hours to edit some photos too.

Fast-forward a couple of hours and I once again found myself back at the airport in Salt Lake City. From there I had a completely effortless experience with Utah public transit (which included two LRTs and one bus) as I made my way back to Joe and Christy’s place. All that was left to do was to get things ready for the resumption of my pedalling to the Grand Canyon.

Part of the those preparations included a bit of bike maintenance – and not the sort that I was in a position to do myself. I needed a bike shop. Fortunately, Christy was able to point me in the direction of Jerks Bike Shop. And, as suspected, the people there were FAR from being jerks. They were great.

After more than 5,000 km (3,000 miles), my bike had performed quite admirably. The tires were still good. Brakes were squealing a bit but still functioning. Gears weren’t causing me any problems. However, wear and tear was taking its toll on the chain and, based on my chain measurement tool, it was looking like a new chain was probably needed before hitting the road again. The good folks at Jerks very much confirmed that assessment. In actual fact, apparently the chain should’ve been replaced sooner. Oh well, no harm no foul.

On the upside, despite the excess stretching of my chain, it was deemed that I didn’t need a new cassette. I was more than happy with that assessment as it saved me a few bucks. That said, there was a bit of hiccup once the chain was replaced – the highest gear (smallest cassette ring) was not at all happy with the new chain. This wasn’t entirely surprising since it was probably the gear that got the most use. Once again, the good folks at Jerks proved their non-jerk status. Rather than replace the entire cassette, they found a replacement ring that could be used. A few adjustments later and everything was working smoothly. They definitely know their stuff! And, despite fully cleaning the cassette and doing the extra work to replace the lowest gear, they didn’t charge me any extra. I was VERY appreciative. Plus, they even offered to give me a Jerks Bike Shop t-shirt to wear in a photo once I get to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, they only had XL shirts left so that plan kind of fizzled. Again, I appreciated the gesture. So much so that I planned to Photoshop their logo onto a photo once I reach said canyon.

With my bike once again road-worthy, I made a quick stop to a grocery store to replenish my food supplies. The only downside from that detour was I lost my reusable grocery bag somewhere along the way. Not a big deal but it was a GREAT bag – very compact and strong. I had bought it from a Co-op grocery store in Scotland so it was also sort of a souvenir from my that tour. That said, I’m not about to make a special trip to Scotland to replace the bag – although, it’s as good of a reason as any to return to Scotland!

Anyway, I’m now back at Joe and Christy’s place making final preparations for tomorrow’s ride resumption. Grand Canyon here I come.

India totals:
Flights: 10
First Class flights: 1
Business Class flights; 3
Premium Economy flights: 1
Economy Class flights: 5
Tour Guides: 3
Ubers: Many
Auto Rickshaws: 0