Allen to the rescue

There was a solid frost when I woke up in Telluride. Broke camp and headed to the business district for breakfast. I ended up at a Mexican place and had pancakes. Mexican place for breakfast and pancakes at a Mexican place both funny. I met a chick named Abbi who is biking across America. Here is her blog http://abbiacrossamerica.wordpress.com/
we talked touring and exchanged some contacts cuz she had come from where I was going. Then I  was of to take on lizard head pass. It was a great day and the pass was going well. About 2 mi from the top I noticed pedaling was getting a lit harder, I looked down and saw my tier was half flat. Same one that went flat 3 times yesterday. I stopped to change it. finally this time I found something, there was the tiniest little piece of wire sticking out on the inside of the tire. After lizard head the rest of the day was pretty much down hill. The scenery was spectacular. Being from New England I'm a bit of a foliage snob but I must say the asspens were amazing. It was about 4 o'clock and I was on my final push six mi to dolores my planned destination. Then BANG!!!!!! a noise like a shot gun. To me the noise was like a starting gun signalling the start of a huge pain in my ass. The noise was a hole in my actual tire and subsequently the tube exploding. the only way I could fix this was to get to a biker store. So I stuck my thumb out. Countless big trucks wizzed past with out even a second glanced. Finally a little sedan stopped. We some how squeezed my bike in the back seat. The kid was about my age and was using his GI bill in gunnison. He drove me to Dolores which was great but the nearest bike store was still ten mi away in Cortez. By this time it was 510 and I had know way to get around. The closest camp ground was two mi away. I figured my best move was to just get a room at the motel I got dropped off at and take the day off tomorrow and try to get to Cortez. As I was putting my stuff in my room there was a guy pulling out with his window down, I asked him if he was headed to Cortez he said he had juts come from that way and then drove off. About 10 min later I was still getting organised in my room with the door open. The guy who I had just talked to poked his head in " I'm in early and have some time to kill, I'll take you to Cortez now if it will help." I had just gotten of the phone with the bike store and they close at 6 it was 515 we both decided we could make it if we hurried. Allen to the rescue. Allen was an older guy from northern California. He was in Colorado for elk hunting. We made it to the bike store and picked up a tire and a bunch of other stuff since I won't be hitting a bike store for a couple hundred miles. Allen pretty much saved me a day what a guy. I thanked him and we went on our separate ways. As I was eating dinner who walks in but my buddy Allen. We sat together and chatted. He has been hunting in this area since 83. After dinner I went to enjoy my nice bed. I ended up riding 61 mi before my tier blew. That's all for now.
-NEO