Fixing a Hole

It's a good thing I slept until 9:30 this morning. I awoke to a rather nice little thunderstorm. It wasn't as noisy as some of the ones we've had in the past month, but it was rather heavy for a while. By the time I'd read a little and finished writing in my journal, around 10, the storm was gone. It did nothing to alleviate the stiffing humidity, but it was a bit less hot.

The Acme called me around 11. I still feel bad for not calling them back, but I really wanted to fix my bike. It's one thing to walk or get a ride for a day or two, but I wasn't going to have another day off until Saturday. Not to mention, my legs are still sore from my hikes yesterday, and I'm still a bit tired.

I went online after breakfast to start editing this month's Monkees role-play and look up local bike shops. I was going to ask Dad where the shops in Cherry Hill were and if I could reach them by bus. My original intention was to take the bus to Cherry Hill from the Haddon Township Library, but Dad ended up driving me. Maybe it was just as well. It was 1:30 by then; traffic was a bit heavy with people returning from lunches.

We ended up at the Erlton Bike Shop, a small but densely-packed store on busy Route 70. I couldn't help but notice that more than half the bikes for sale at Erlton were cruiser bikes like mine, with no wires or gears. I never see cruiser bikes at Wal-Mart. While a younger man helped a group of kids get their new bike (in tangerine), an older man found the bike tube size I wanted. He had "hundreds of them," in his words. Wal-Mart didn't even have one. I bought three. I will definitely not be buying any more bike items of any kind from a department store. From now on, I'll either take a bus to Cherry Hill, beg a ride, or order them online. The selection is just better.

After we got home, I left Dad working on his guitar and headed back to my place. Unlike the last time I changed my bike tire back in December, I got it done in about 20 minutes and with a minimum of blue language. The trees around the apartment shaded me from a sudden shower. I barely felt it, other than water getting in the tire.

It was almost 3 after I pumped the tire. It was too late for bus rides, but I could still get some errands in. I rode over to Dollar Tree for toothbrushes and rain ponchos (just in case), then headed for the Haddon Township Library. The DVD rack was overflowing today, and I spent quite a bit of time getting it done. It helped that it wasn't nearly as busy this afternoon as it had been the last time I went to the library. I took out another New York City guide book (Fodor's most recent), then went on my way.

I was in the library for so long, I didn't leave until after 6. My ride home was a pain. I went through Newton River Park, but I hit a patch of dense, heavy, clay-like mud on my way. I was glad I was able to stay on, but my bike tires and sneakers were a mess. I turned on the hose and gave the bike a good spraying when I finally got in.