A Week In Colorado in Three Minutes from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

I had to take the RV to the dealership again.  This is the fifth on this trip.  Loveland Ford is going to take care of the situation.  All the others told me to ignore the information lights on the dash and keep driving.  I had and 8:30 AM appointment at the shop and took my bike along.  There is a lake region a short three miles away and I took advantage of the situation.

During the ride the dealer called and said their only diesel mechanic had to take the rest of the day off.  With that, I have to drive an hour back to #1 sons, and in the morning drive again to the dealership. With my bike of course.  So I suppose we can all agree that things kind of worked out.  Another day of riding the lakes.

Lakes of Loveland Co from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

It was a hot day riding the wide open prairies of Colorado. A shortish route of 22 miles on a beater bike gave me a pretty good workout. After 7 days of driving, getting on the bike was rewarding. The route took me on the Cold River and Rock River trails and except for the occasional runner and biker, it was pretty much me and the prairie dogs. After 7 days of driving, getting on the bike for a good ride was pretty rewarding.

I’ll be doing quite a bit of riding during our week long stay in Colorado. From here we head west to California with stops in Sedona, Moab and Joshua Tree National parks.

Laffayette to Erie Co from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

One of the last items of my prep list for our road trip was to make sure Sue’s bike was in good shape.  I thought a cleaning and lube would be enough.  I was mistaken.  There  were a couple of issues that were beyond my skills.  It was much to late to bring it to a bike shop so I did the next best thing.   Have the bike shop come to me. I had worked with Mike during a couple of local events, knew of his business, but when it was time for bike repair I defaulted to the LBS.

Yesterday I was in a pinch to get the bike fixed.  I went online to Velofix.com, chose a 3 PM appointment and at 3 PM, Mike was in front of my house. The work was good, the price was fair $69 for a basic overhaul/tuneup.  My regular bike shop is $75. Close enough to call it a wash price wise.  As for service?  Who could not love a house call.

The rest of the packing for a two month road trip is crazy.  Like packing for a long distance bike tour, it’s chose stuff, think about it. Take some stuff out of the pile, put stuff in the pile.  I’m thinking I’ll be making changes till the minute we depart.

Today was my last ride on my Felt road bike.  Sunday Sue and I begin our two month road trip. Coincidently we have a friend moving back to this area from out of state who was looking for a place while they house shop.  Things worked out great for both of us.  We are leaving on Sunday morning and they are expected “sometime” Sunday.

Today was also my last session of PT for my tennis injury.  I pulled a muscle in the back of my head hitting an overhead volley.   I never knew this existed until I hurt it. It hurts back 10 times as bad.

We will be spending the next two days getting the RV ready.  By ready I means converting our vehicle into a tiny house and all the stuff that makes it a house. Clothes, pots and pans, pot, non perishable food etc.  You know what’s needed. Both of our utility bikes are tuned up and ready.  The RV is small enough, 23 feet, that we don’t need to bring along a car.  It’s about the size of the bus you would see at the senior center. 

Our two dogs, Lucy and Owen will be with us, but midnight the cat will be staying with a friend.  We will be in touch from the road.  First stop.  Pittsburgh.

Owen

Lucy

Midnight the cat

It was raining at daybreak but the forecast was for clearing by sunrise.  We stuck with our plans to drive to Newport, R.I. for a ride around the beaches and the mansions.  We also did a quick jaunt through Fort Adams, best known for being the sight of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals.

We left the car at Bike Newport which is on Facebook HERE.  Bari the big cheese, directed us to free parking which is very much at a premium in Newport in the summer.  It’s good to have “people”. It felt like Jason and I did more stopping than riding.  So often one of us said, “stop here, I want to get a photo”,  or in my case, video.  In Newport, on a bike, you kind of have to force yourself to keep riding and forgo some pictures, or at the very least, try to take them on the fly.

Newport is definitely a destination for both the casual and serious bike rider.  The area is bike friendly enough for both styles to ride the same routes and on the same roads.  Just listen for “on yer left” and you will be fine.

Newport with Jason from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

EBBP with the Fall River Gang from John Sullivan on Vimeo.