Day 63 July 24th The Tapestry.

Cody WY to Creekside Lodge WY 42 miles (2,756)

It is impossible to put into words the amazing tapestry that God wove in my life today.

Nevertheless, I hope this feeble post communicates to some degree the myriad hues that colored my life between sunrise and sunset.

One of three major persons that made today's experience memorable, Chris, the owner of Joywagen Bicycle Shop in Cody:

Today began innocently enough with a climb out of Cody toward Buffalo Bill Dam and Reservoir:

Then, I got a flat tire - only my second flat in over 2,700 miles. Little did I know that this was but a portent of bad things to come. But, it could have been worse - at least I had a good staging area with a beautiful view in the background:

Little did I know that this was but a portent of good things to come.

After a couple more hours of riding, when I was about 8 miles from my overnight destination, the left arm on my bicycles crank set broke. I was about 50 miles from Cody, the nearest town - and in an area with no internet and no cell service. I walked with my bicycle to the nearest establishment - Creekside Lodge - and sat on a bench outside the office. I sat wondering and praying about what was going to happen next. Here I was the middle of nowhere with a broken bicycle and no way to communicate with anyone. After a while the owner of Creekside Lodge, Diana, walked by and asked if everything was okay. I told her what had happened. She said they didn't have cell service or Internet anywhere for over 20 miles. But she offered to let me use her landline phone. I called the bicycle shop in Cody, Joyvagen, and told them what had happened. Chris, the owner, said to bring it in and he would see what he could do. The next time I saw Diana pass by I asked her if she knew of anyone in the area who would be willing and available to drive me to Cody. I added that I would be happy to pay them. She told me to hold on a minute and she would see what she can do. She came back in a few minutes driving for Toyota Tundra pickup truck. She said she found someone who would do her job and that she would accept my money in order to pay them and pay for gas. Here's a picture of Diana dropping bicycle off at Joyvagen:

Diana is another of the three people who made today's tapestry beyond belief.

Chris (see picture above of him working on my bicycle) worked for 4 or 5 hours piecing together what was needed to repair my bicycle. He went above and beyond in every way - putting his life and business on hold while making it his sole mission to get me back on the road. He even went home to get his own bicycle to use for donor parts on my bicycle. When all was said and done he only charged me for 1 hour of labor and a nominal amount for parts since most of the parts were used.

When I was done at the shop I called Phil and Linda - my warm showers hosts from last night - to let them know what had happened. Phil came to the shop in their Chevy Tahoe and said he would take me about 50 miles up to my overnight at the Pahaska Tepee Lodge just east of the Yellowstone National Park east gate entrance. The setting sun made for some beautiful views as we drove up the Shoshone River Canyon:

Phil was another of the three main persons to make today's tapestry complete.

So, a flat tire, a major mechanical, and 5 hours at the bike shop and in the end I didn't even lose a day of riding. How did this even happen?

While Chris was working on my bicycle I went down the street to grab a sandwich at Annie's Soda Fountain. I asked the lady who was obviously the proprietor if her name was Annie. She said no but that she had named the restaurant after her grandmother, whose name was Annie. This is a picture of Jeanette, the owner of Annie's:

Here is a picture of three "Annies" that Jeanette has hanging in the restaurant. Left to right, they are Annie Oakley, Saint Anne, and Annie her grandmother:

Jeanette said she often asks customers who inquire about the name of the restaurant, "Who's your Annie?"

After leaving the soda fountain, I was able to have a short discussion with Bill:

Here is a cool piece of art that Chris's friend made out of bicycle parts: