ANOTHER DAY IN NAUVOO

May 25, 7 miles

Yes, we are still in Nauvoo. We headed out this morning riding for seven miles in the rain and getting soaking wet before I got a flat tire RIGHT in front of a farm house. The farmer came out and asked if we wanted to use his shed to change our tire. Turned out it wasn't just the tube that had a leak but the tire itself was worn out. I can't believe I hadn't caught that earlier. We even cleaned up and worked on our bikes while here in Nauvoo , AND have had two bike shops check over the bikes before and during this ride, but I guess all the miles added up fast with the load I've been carrying and the road grime, etc on the tire camouflaged the wear. As the teenagers say "my bad".
The farmer loaded us up in his pickup truck and drove us back to Nauvoo. So we have met another "Trail Angel". He's grandpa and retired farmer Roger Tripp. Two of his grandchildren, Anna 5yrs old and Justin 10 yrs helped load things in and out of the pickup and came along for the ride. Our plan was to get a new tire at the bike shop in Burlington, Iowa across the river and get on our way again but the bike shop is closed today....Memorial Day holiday.
Sooo, we're staying in Nauvoo one more day. One good thing - My brother and his wife get back from their new grand baby trip tonight so we'll get to visit with them after all. They'll be home about midnight so we'll see them in the morning.
While we were riding along singing in the rain, a fella hollered from his porch "Are you two having fun yet?" I hollered back "You betcha!"
Later that afternoon we went for a drive and went back over the route we were on this morning. It had been confusing and unclear and we wanted to be ready when we rode it tomorrow. We discovered we had taken a "wrong" turn down that country road where I had gotten the flat right where Roger Tripp, the Trail Angel, was waiting to rescue us. If we had followed the course correctly I would have had been in the middle of "Nowhere's Ville" with miles of fields, no farm houses , soaking wet, a flat tire and no Trail Angel in sight!
Now that's our adventure for today....and every day has one! Life's good!