Day 20 of 30 Days of Biking: Vinyl Lunch

My bike, locked up outside the Dragonfly Cafe.

Today has been busy! First of all, it's Record Store Day, so I rushed over to Gallery of Sound to pick up some new vinyl. A copy of Nirvana - "Almost Everything" BBC Sessions (plus the addendum, "...and the rest.") an Elliott Smith EP and whatever free junk they were giving away. There are still a few selections I'll have to wait until next week to buy (lack of funds) but I made sure to get the stuff that I couldn't leave without. Hopefully, I'll get my chance to claim them before someone else does.

After a stormy ride home last night (winds over 30 mph, tornado watch for Luzerne County, blinding sheets of rain, lightning, thunder, plague of locusts) I foolishly allowed the bike to drip dry when I should have attacked the chain with a cloth right away. This morning, I noticed a light touch of rust and immediately regretted it. Time for a healthy dose of TLC!

I degreased and scrubbed the chain until it shined, then I carefully lubed the chain and derailleurs until everything was moving smoothly. It worked! I even got rid of the squeaking that has been steadily increasing in volume with each ride.

Even though it's a bit cooler than yesterday, I just had to get out. I love riding to the Dragonfly for lunch on Saturday. Broad Street is a complete mess, however. Perpetual construction has removed a sidewalk on one side of the street and made the rest of it a 2-lane minefield. Fortunately, the drivers seem to understand and give me plenty of clearance as I do my best to stay out of their way. What else can you do? No one is happy about the mess.

Ride on.