If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on
fire, then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience.
Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy. A lump in the oatmeal, a lump in
the throat, and a lump in the breast are not
the same kind of lump. One needs to learn the difference. -Robert
Fulghum, author (b. 4 Jun 1937)
Hello Arthur, and Janet! I
trust this message finds you both well. My name is Patrick Dunn and
Janet very kindly contacted you on my behalf. I do apologize for not
being in touch sooner but life on the road has been very busy, wonderful
indeed, but very, very busy. Our group will be cycling towards Kraków
as this week draws to a close and we are to arrive on Friday, June 8th.
We will be staying at the Ibis Centrum. The tour is "officially" over on
Sunday, June 10th but I plan to stay in Kraków until the following
Tuesday or perhaps Wednesday, before traveling on to Aarhus, Denmark. I
had hoped to visit Warsaw but now know that I will not have time to do
this. If your schedule allows, I would be more than delighted to meet
you. If I could ask you to let me know what times might be convenient to
meet and where, that would be most kind. If I have not heard from you
by the time I'm back in Kraków I will
call you as Janet provided me with your number. Thanks again and I do
hope we are able to connect. All the best. Stay well. Thanks again.
Cheers, Patrizzio!
Hi Steel Magnolia! Thanks
for informative response. I'm glad you were "alerted" to my travel
progress by last message. Once I'm back in Kraków, even before, if possible, I will book my
day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau and make my train reservation for
Denmark. As soon as I have confirmed my itinerary I will send you the
details. Looking ahead I think, all going as I hope it might, I
should arrive in Aarhus by Friday, June 15th, perhaps Thursday, June
14th, depending on train timetables, etc. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!
Up at 6:30 am, on the fateful morn of Monday, June 4th, to head downstairs to boil the kettle. Sweet Lorraine arrived a few minutes after me as she wanted some java as well. I need to try and make contact with the Polish couple in Krakow to see if they will be around when I return to the city at the end of this week. Hope to see them before I leave for Aarhus. Also heard from Steel Magnolia so need to let her know how my travel plans are evolving. Hard to believe that the bike trip in Poland is half finished!
After I'd sent my messages, I went back upstairs to start packing my things as breakfast wasn't served until 8:00 am this morning. Yesterday there was a large tour group staying and so I guess they had arranged for an earlier time. Anyway, I packed my panniers and returned to enjoy another lovely breakfast. Back upstairs to finish stowing last few things and then down to garage to see how my bike tire had fared overnight. Very pleased to discover that patch Radek had placed on inner tube had held and tire was fine. After I hooked my panniers to the rack I went for a trial spin to see how the extra weight would be. Everything seemed fine and I circled in the village while most of the other waited for Thomasino and Thread-Count Woman to mail a few postcards.
That done we left Kroscienko, heading down a fairly busy road, past restaurant we'd had such a grand time at, listening to the Boogie Woogie Blues, (last song group performed, a number they had written themselves!), running alongside the Dunajcem for much of the time. Glorious morning and I was happy to be sailing along on smooth tarmac, a surface I assumed we would be travelling upon for rest of the day. How wrong I was, Dear Reader! Somewhere near the village of Talafusy, I believe, we left 969, crossing a bridge to continue along an exceptionally picturesque country road, often passing apple or cherry trees, hilarious penis-shaped hay stoops in the well-tended, small fields, well-kept houses guarded by the occasional yappy mutt. Couldn't believe our great good fortune until we rounded a bend and surface changed to concrete and grade started to increase and substantially so, to the point I knew it would simply be impossible to ride up, with or without panniers!
Matt zipped ahead of me as grade was beginning to steepen but when I pushed my bike around the next corner, he was doing likewise. Should have known we were in for a bit of a climb when I noticed a sign suggesting winter tires were needed! I assume this road is used by farmers and loggers as we found evidence of the latter activity, further along. At any rate, the surface was still in excellent condition although one needed to be careful of the fine, dark gravel, patches of which covered parts of the track, spread, I assumed, for traction when snow and ice were issues. Anyway, it was a grind as I estimated the grade was somewhere between 15% and 17%. At times one was almost looking straight at the concrete as we huffed and puffed our way to the top.
Glad to be there we took a few minutes to rest and while we took a few snaps and chatted. Katarina mentioned that the worst was over, (Cheque's in the mail!], although, in her words, "It will still be wavy for some time!" Wavy indeed! As it turned out the "waves" we more tsunami-like than friendly rollers, no longer surging over concrete but on a muddy trail that we slip-slided along, trying as best we could to push our bikes around the deepest, muddiest pot holes for riding was not a sane possibility. While many of the next inclines were not nearly as long or quite as steep as the initial climb to Base Camp 1 it was pretty challenging going.
At last we came upon a bit of a clearing, piled with quite a few logs and just beyond the trial left the cover of the forest for the more open countryside and I hoped the track would be drier and the grass growing on it would be a kinder, gentler surface. This was the case for a short while and the ride was most enjoyable, for a few minutes, until the rocks reared their ugly heads and we were back on more nasty cobblestones. Trail was just ride-able but by this time I was very worried about my rear tire and wondering if it could take the considerable punishment of the constant pounding that simply could not be avoided. Thought I had made it through, unscathed, as the tarmac, down one last rocky patch, came into view, and then I felt the dreaded sway of the fish-tail of a tire going flat!
No choice but to stop and assess the damage. Fortunately, there was a bit of flat road at this point so I had the bike turned over and the back wheel off by the time the rest arrived. Thomasino did most of the work taking the tire off and then inner tube, Matt and I assisting with the delicate operation, the others stretching or eating sandwiches while we worked on the repair. Upon inspection we found another pinch hole near the original patch so abraded area around it and then applied the glue, waiting three minutes, as per the Slovakian instructions and then put the patch itself on. Worked it as I'd seen Radek do and then we put it back on the rim, carefully putting the tire over it. Once that was done we reinflated the tube and it seemed to hold so put the wheel back on the tire. No sooner had this been accomplished than we noticed the tire was losing air!
Whole process had to be repeated. This time we found a different pinch flat and so applied a patch to it. Even before I put the wheel back on the bike we could see tire was losing air! Now what to do, Dear Reader! Long-distance, collect to Donaldo? We decided that tube was not worth saving so Katarina suggested we try one of the spare tubes she had for her bike. She thought it just might fit and it did! Very, very carefully, so as not to pinch the new, slightly larger inner tube, Thomasino deftly worked the tire over it and pressure held once he pumped it up, as best he could. With the panniers back on there was a bit of sag but everything worked well and when we stopped for lunch, about half an hour later a very helpful mechanic at the gas station across from the restaurant, pumped up, using a couple of his own adapters, both front and bike tires. Felt much more comfortable with the inflation close to the recommended 80 lbs/sq inch, +/-.
I ate a quick couple of sandwiches, while the gang had soup and salads, and after my brief picnic, I set off to explore a bit of the surrounding countryside, logging roughly 5 km before the luncheon crowd was ready to roll. Next little while was on smooth, smooth tarmac and we were soon in Stary Sącz where we stopped, briefly, for me to buy two spare inner tubes. Once these were safely stowed in my camel pack I felt completely invulnerable, Dear Reader, and looked forward to rest of ride. Not even a twinge of anxiety when Colonel Klink said we were taking a bike path, away from main road, registered as a EuroUnion standard trail. Started out as such, passing more phallic haystacks and flourishing garden plots, but soon disintegrated into a rough, rough pockmarked asphalt nightmare, interspersed with mud holes just to keep life interesting.
Pounding panniers were taking was of utmost concern to me, given past history of pinch punctures, but imagine my surprise when I came down a small hill and realized that I was not in control of my handlebars! Somehow I managed to come to a stop without pitching over as my front wheel was wobbling like the head of the Obama Doll Chloë has on her dashboard! Believe it or not the throat attachment for the handlebar stem had fractured and the handlebars could no longer steer the bike, floating about without restriction. Called for help as soon as I was able to un-clip as I knew this was a very, very serious development, it goes without saying, Dear Reader! Katarina and Glasgow cycled back to where I was floundering around and I tried, as best I could to explain the dire situation. Katarina was in denial, from the get go, and kept saying that she had never seen anything like this. Whether she had or not, I knew I was in trouble aplenty. Couldn't even walk my bike, relatively easily, at this point, as I couldn't control the direction of the front wheel, other than griping the fractured joint with the palm of my right hand. Knew this couldn't go on for long especially as terrain was horrible, even when walking, sharp stones mixed with mud when the going was easy, worse when not.
At any rate, Saw-Bones Glasgow came up with some medical tape and I was able to wind it around the break and part of the upper frame so that I could actually steer the bike as I walked along. Katarina asked Glasgow if he would ride ahead o see if there was a bike store in town we were to stay in that night while she gave instructions to Thomasino to lead rest of able bodied cyclists to the hotel. Katarina and I then continued to walk towards Rytro, our day's destination. Once we'd been walking for a few minutes I suggested she go ahead to town to see what Matt had discovered and once there, return to take my panniers so that it would be easier for me to walk bike. She agreed and I continued to the best of my ability. I was already a tad fatigued, from earlier miss-happenings, and the fact that the day was pretty warm only added to my overall sense of exhaustion, and depression, given the condition of the bike. How would this be solved?
About half an hour later, Glasgow appeared on the horizon and told me I was almost where he felt a solution was to be found. Turned out he had come across a tire shop and somehow he conveyed the situation I was facing to the owner. Chap couldn't help but he called a mate who could and Paul, his friend, arrived about fifteen minutes after I struggled into the parking lot in front of the tire shop. When Paul showed up and I must admit I was rather skeptical that he could be of any help. Earlier, I had suggested to Katarina, that perhaps I might have to take a taxi back to Stary Sącz to the seemingly well stocked bike shop to see if they might be able to right the dreadfully wrong situation. She was of the opinion, that, if necessary, I might take the train from Rytro to Krynica to see if there was a bike shop there, while others rode.
At any rate, it soon became apparent that Paul, The Good Samaritan, knew, exactly, what he was doing. Within minutes he came up with a solution, albeit not an ideal one, that would allow me to continue on to Krakow. However, in order to effect this he had to return to his home to pick up a rather necessary "star" insert, cannibalizing his own bike for the part which would stabilize the new throat/handlebar fixture, as best as could be accomplished without new fittings, specifically designed for original assemblage. Another fifteen minutes later he was back with everything he needed and shortly thereafter my bike was ready to ride, although without the added height of the original stem, I had to lean over the handlebars at an angle I wasn't overly comfortable with. However, I could ride the bike, and safely, until I had the opportunity to effect a more permanent and comfortable solution.
Thanking Paul, from the bottom of my heart, [What would I have done, Dear Reader, without his truly remarkable help?], I asked him what he would like in terms of payment for all his help. 30 zlotys was what he asked! I couldn't believe my ears, after everything he had done and as quickly, so I gave him 100 zlotniks and knew he deserved even more! Waving goodbye, I followed Katarina to the hotel and I tried, as we wound our way up the gradual incline, to adjust to the new handlebar height. Not quite as bad as I had thought it might be but, overall, I was just glad to be back with a set of handle-bars that were behaving as they were meant to do, and I was still in one piece, although I shuddered every time I though of what might have happened had I been going at speed, downhill, on a busy road! Thank you, Malt Gods for your constant concern and protection!!!! Cheers! Map and Stats for ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2751629246#.WxWSjZT-OCs.email
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