Day 12 – Torpor in Topeka
October 31, 2011 Filed under Happy
Since Topeka is a decent-sized city, I found a bike shop and bought a new spare tube. Glad to have that taken care of! I also had them check the loose spoke in the rear wheel, but it was nothing to worry about — a normal consequence of the tight spokes on the opposite side of the rim.
I had breakfast and went shopping, then browsed around the town for a while. There wasn’t much to see so I retreated to the motel room to crop photos and write. A low-key Halloween for me, and that’s just fine!
More adventure tomorrow.
I had wondered about bike shops along the way. I remember seeing some cyclists in parts of the Midwest growing up, but not many. They were always road cycles, in a pack. There weren’t any solo riders until you hit neighborhoods. If a man was on a bike, older than teenage guy age, he usually had a cigarette &/or a beer in a bag. Other than that, just kids. I like the goodwill people show you along the way. Makes me happy.
Yes, I think bicycling has been an oddity in the US for a very long time, and just in the last decade, maybe even just in the last five years, has seen a resurgence in the cities. The happenings in San Jose, CA have felt like the epicenter of a cultural shake-up. Thousands of people coasting down the streets, packed curb to curb, extending for a mile… Everyone whooping and carrying on… Every month when I miss the chance to participate, due to some schedule conflict or travel plan, I feel a sense of loss…