The Freedom Pedaler train is still chugging along!   We are at 1,658 miles and feeling great.  Everyone is happy and healthy and looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead.

We Survived Gear Carnage 2015!  In the last month, this has happened…

1. We attempted duct tape surgery, but we lost a tent due to Biscuit’s ferociousness in protecting the family from scary monsters during the night [B: You are welcome]. A future post is coming related to how the situation was resolved, stay tuned.
2. The right shifter on Mark’s bike stopped shifting, which as you might assume, is its primary function. It also defaulted to the hardest gear possible, and stayed there.  It’s a good thing he’s a beast (or just held it in place by tightening the screw way beyond specs, you pick). Luckily, the Coral Way bike shop was able to get us a new part and back on the road in only one day.  Such fast and awesome service!
3. Left pedal on Mark’s bike started sounding like he was making popcorn. Popcorn is great and in fact, sounds really tasty right now.  Mmmm, popcorn.  But sadly, the pedal was simply exploding very slowly.  The Infinity Bike Shop in Melbourne was able to get us a warranty swap!  Again, great service!
4. Georgia’s dynamo hub began to make a grinding noise, then a grating noise, and then was perfectly quiet. Ahhh, quiet!  Quiet also meant completely dead, so we had to have it swapped out by Downtown Cycles in Ft. Lauderdale.  And once again, great service!  We have been very lucky in finding three awesome bike shops to help keep us rolling.
5. One of the inflatable sleeping pads began to excel at deflating. Two dunks in a hotel bathroom didn’t turn up the leak. Luckily, buying things via REI means no-hassle returns, so we are back to sleeping on air.
6. The bicycle panniers have suffered multiple attacks from squirrels and raccoons, two resulting in holes just big enough to sneak out peanuts and oatmeal. Duct tape to the rescue! Also, one of the bags started to separate at the seam in a warranty defect, so the manufacturer sent us a new one while out on the road.  Great customer service!
7. We had to replace the rear tire on Mark’s bike after just 1,200 miles. The weight combined with the trailer really shaves off the tread in a hurry.  We replaced both rear tires with a sturdier version and they have been holding up just great!

That’s a lot of stuff, most of which have just been odd one-off situations. It hasn’t impacted our trip and we have continued to roll on.  Just speed bumps, no more, no less.  There will always be circumstances that arise to get in your way.  You have a choice.  Hurdle it and move on, or get stuck and stop your progress.  We say, #justride.

We are almost back up to St. Augustine and will soon be heading west to new territory!  Oh boy, we can’t wait!!

For any of you not on Facebook, the Jupiter Courier via Lori Griffith published an article about our trip. Give it a read!  She did a fantastic job of capturing many aspects of the adventure.

www.tcpalm.com

Mark, Georgia, Junebug and Biscuit