Trust

One of the goals of the trip is learning to handle adversity and trusting that everything will turn out OK. The morning of the second day Jana and I came to the conclusion that we are too heavy. Not us, and not Leonardo, but what we packed on Leonardo. Too much of what we are carrying is gear to handle any possible bump in the road. CO2 cartridges to fix a flat... not one or two, but six in case some of them are bad or if we have problems using them. Of course we are also carrying an air pump, so the cartridges are a bit redundant. What if we break a spoke? Before setting out, we took a lesson on replacing a spoke, and are carrying several, just in case. The problem is that the tools necessary to replace a spoke (chain whip, cassette tool, adjustable wrench) weigh about 2 pounds.

Monday morning we pulled into a bike shop in Hobe Sound and made a donation of four CO2 cartridges, spoke changing tools and other assorted stuff that reduced our load by almost 5 pounds. But what if we break a spoke? Since we will never be more than 20 miles from a bike shop, we will lock up Leonardo, remove the wheel, call a taxi and go to town. Trust that assistance will be nearby, rather than struggle with the weight preparing for a negative outcome that may not happen.

This week we have pre-booked all our overnight accommodations. We were concerned that Bike Week in Daytona Beach and this being tourist season in Florida, we might have problems finding places to stay. Beginning Friday night, we will begin trusting that we will always be able to find something... a camp ground, a motel, the floor of a fire station... and that we will not have to spend a night on a park bench or in a cell in the city jail. Stay tuned.