HTo get our trip moving again, we needed a bike mechanic's help with our jammed shifter, so first thing in the morning we took it to the most promising of the bike rental/shuttle shops, and met the manager, Pepper, who bought into our cause, he having ridden cross country three times and knowing what it is like to be stuck. While we went next door for breakfast, he was able to extract the jammed cable and replace it with a new one. The shifter itself was undamaged. By ten o'clock he had it adjusted and we left with a healthy bike, much relieved.
Since we are already committed to a second night in Damascus, we have the remainder of the day to spend resting and whatever. I took a long time to give the bike and the cases a thorough cleaning, the best they have had since before we started the trip. Then on to the town's library where we could relax, read, and blog with wifi.
Returning to our B&B, we sat outside and spent a long while chatting with our hosts, Gaines and Susie, and three interesting guests who are here for the NASCAR races.
To reward ourselves for untold minimart dinners, we went to a "tablecloth" restaurant overlooking an old mill race and pond and enjoyed a fine dinner. We may eat the memory of it for dinner one day in the future.
We spent an enjoyable evening talking with one of the guests, David, from Columbus, Ohio, while watching an NFL game. None of us cared much about the game and we talked about sports we used to play and encounters with dogs.
Damascus is a pretty town, which since the bike trail opened in the early 90's has thrived on the bike rental and shuttle business, as I mentioned yesterday. We learned that they get 120,000 people per year here to ride the trail, and about 10,000 hikers on the Appalachian trail, plus a few hundred touring cyclists like us. The winters here are dead.
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