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Wednesday, June 24: Today was quite an interesting day for sure. But let me degrees a bit to kind of put this together. About a week ago, round about, that or maybe 10 days ago, I began to notice a very slight whirring noise coming from what I though was my right front wheel. Now with that damned canoe on top of the van, that in itself causes weird noises as you increase/decrease speeds. Sometimes it sounds like a bloody airplane is landing on the roof. So anyway, I wasn’t really sure if the sound was from above the passenger side or below it. And heck, I was in the van so seldom each day that I didn’t really have a chance to dial in on that whirring noise. 


Well, I noticed big time several days ago that it was most definitely coming from the right front wheel. And that got the alarm bells going in my head….front wheel bearings! So I kind of really started to listen to the sound…was it a tire, wheel bearing, front end alignment issue, tie rods? But at this point I knew one thing - it was not the canoe on the roof. So yesterday I was putting my head down to the floor (nice contortion exercise in the van) on the right side and the driver’s side to see if this was just one side or both. Definitely louder on the right side, and the noise seemed to be getting louder each day. Last night I got on the web and surfed Ram 1500 wheel bearing issues and what to look and listen for. 


Sure sounded like I was on the right track with what I found there. Then this morning, I drove the van back to my end point from yesterday to see if I felt anything different from the driver’s side. I did this turning the wheel to the right and left test, and noted no significant sound difference or sloppiness in the wheels. But that dag gone right side wheel definitely was beginning to make a airplane engine sound on our drive out this morning. Did my first segment’s ride and got back to the van - after Judy pretty much yanked me in there to get some fluids and food - and while I was at it I called my good friend Keith to get the number of an automotive tech who I’ve just begun to use for my auto/truck work. The tech is Scott, and this guy is a true pro. Keith has been raving about the work that Scott does for years, and since the shop I’d been using closed down back in February, I thought I’d give him a try. And Keith was right, this guy is the equivalent to my bike tech guy Steve - a bloody perfectionist! 


Got Scott’s number and I called him from out in the middle of Western MO farm country to see if he could give me some guidance on getting this wheel thing diagnosed and fixed. Scott spent a good 15 minutes on the phone with me telling me that I was probably right, and to make sure I had BOTH sides done, not just the right. He also gave me the shop price for having both sides done, this so I could tell who was being honest with me, and who was giving me the shaft. And finally he gave me a list of all the stuff that needed to be done, and told me to get an estimate. “Should be between 3 and 4 hundred dollars,” he told me. “If it’s more than that find someone else,” he added. Finally Scott also told me to get it done asap or I could cost myself even more money by trashing the spindle and God knows what else. So that was it. 


Now we had stayed in Butler, MO last night, and right next door was a Dodge dealership, Max Motors II. So I got on the phone, looked up the dealership and began looking at reviews of their work. They had a pretty darned good list of reviews, and they were Dodge techs…AND they were only 10 miles east of where I’d taken that first support stop. Gave them a call, talked to the Service Manager,  Jonathan, told him my issue and what I needed done, and asked how much this would cost. His quote was exactly where Scott said I should be, and he said they could get it in the shop at 11 AM. So the day ended then and there. We went directly back on Rt 52 to Butler and Max Motors II. 


The people there were just great. Jonathan got me in, and a tech looked at the wheels while I talked with the General Manager, Dallas, who is a mt biker himself, and and an avid rider on the Katy trail. Jonathan came back in with the right side bearing race, and it was gnarly looking, pitted and rough. So I had them go ahead and do both sides as Scott had suggested. They did a wonderful job getting me in and out and that was done. Now riding at that point - at like 2 PM in the afternoon, well it was 96 degrees by that time. So we pulled the plug, got a motel and some food from Walmart and called it a day. 


But I will give you a recap of the days ride. Got back to yesterdays stop point and got on the bike at 7:45 AM, and it was just starting to get toasty out, even at that early hour. I got going with nothing but that van issue on my mind, and worrying about Judy in the van and any potential problems coming down, so I just couldn’t enjoy the pure beauty of being out there on the lonely country roads with no traffic. My list of roads for the day went like this. Began at junction of 9004 and Z, and rode berm for 3 miles on Z, some of which was just total crap - like weeds growing out of a ditch. So there were several occasions where I had to ride on the asphalt to avoid careening into the ditches and doing a series of endos. Then back onto 9004 west, to L on 493, to R on Road F, then R on 1001 to L on 9002 which turns into Road CC for a short piece, to L on 9001 to junction with Rt 52. And that’s where I made the calls about the van and eventually stopped for the day. We stopped right around this little place called Virginia, MO.


I ended up with 25 miles today, almost all gravel, with some really challenging riding: long rolling climbs, short steep climbs, and a very notable headwind out of the southwest. And with the high heat and humidity, this was a tough way to start. I couldn’t get more than an 11 mph average if my life depended on it today. There was one section, when I first got on 9001, where for about 2 miles the country had just spread a thick, new layer of limestone gravel - the size of ping pong balls - and this stuff was just wicked to ride on. I ended up riding on the very periphery of the road where most of the new gravel had not had a chance to gather. This stuff was way worse than riding on RR ballast. 


As I had said, Judy kind of pulled me off the road to eat and hydrate. I tend to get in this zone, my TEMPO zone, where I want to just keep amassing the miles. She’s a good one for yanking me out of my “zone” when I really need to back off and take a nutrition/hydration break. And that’s how the day ended on the bike. So… so far, “It ain’t Kansas yet my friend.” I’m still about 7 miles as the crow flies east of the state line, and about 15-20 miles from actually entering KS and getting on my intended start point for the state. 


I’m falling further and further behind on this thing…but, I’m just going to keep on and do the best I can. Have to say that I’d really kind of overestimated the time-line for this trip, believing that I could do more than I’ve been able to do each day. DE, MD, WVa, and OH had really kicked my butt, and also there’s been the weather issues. And it’s funny, in that there’s been times when I was out there riding, paddling, or bike-hiking, where I’d just chuckle to myself, thinking, “dude…what the freaking heck were you thinking of when you sat down at the desk to figure this one out?” Yea, I definitely made myself laugh at myself on more than several occasions. 


Now I don’t see me making huge gains on what I’v lost, but I’m still hoping that I can pick up a day here or there in each of KS, CO, UT, NV and OR. That could help. Well, anyway, that’s the dope on today. Hopefully the van is A-ok, and the weather will cooperate just a tad. Tomorrow - Kansas or bust!!