June 21

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 I got up at 6am and packed up my stuff.  Then I took it all outside to the bike to find the rear tire was flat.  Wow, what a sinking feeling.  I took the rear wheel off and put in a new tube but that tube would not hold any air.  So I pushed the bike into town (only about 1/8 mile) and went into a cafe to eat breakfast while waiting for the little sporting goods store to open right next door.  After breakfast the shop was open but the lady said she had no tubes and couldn't help me.  (In the cafe they told me she "loves cyclists and can certainly help you"!!).  At that point I took out my second new tube and inserted that with the same result - it would not hold any air.  

Then one of the guys I stayed with the prior night in the church basement rode up and saw I was having difficulty.  He said he used to be a bike mechanic and offered to help.  He found the leak in both tubes and said It looked like they were made with that defect because the holes were in the same exact spot on each tube.  So I got out my patch kit and proceeded to patch both tubes.  In a few minutes the patches were dry and we inserted one tube into the tire.  And it held air!!!  YAY!!

These guys helped me in the morning with my tire and tubes.

Helena Montana was he next closest place with bicycle shops and that was 75 miles away.  Just then the lady from the little sporting goods came out and said her friend was going shopping in Helena and asked if I wanted a ride.  Amazing.  So her friend, Jesse, came and we drove to Helena.

Jesse. Another angel.

Jesse dropped me off at a huge sporting goods store.  I went inside and they said they don't carry any bicycle tubes.  So I found another bike shop that was open on Sunday.  I called them and some young kid said they had tubes.  But when I got there they only had 3 tubes and they were not for my wheels.
There are 2 big specialty bike shops in Helena but they don't open until Monday at 10am.  So I got a room for the night and will be at their door at 9:50 praying that they can replace my patched tube and sell me a few spares (and a new patch kit). I would hate to be riding on these sparsely traveled roads in the middle of nowhere and get a flat and not have replacements ready.
Stay tuned.  I'll tell you all about it tomorrow.
In any case, it's good to know that there are nice people out there willing to help out.

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