More equipment breakdown.

More equipment breakdown.

I left 8:30 am on Saturday August 6, 2016, to go to the International Baha’i Picnic in Sarnia which would begin at 11am on Sunday August 7. I got to Popular Hill about 2:30 pm. (I am not setting any speed records) I needed a rest and stopped into the restaurant for a light snack. When I returned to my bike, I noticed the tow bar on the trailer was hanging low. A closer examination showed that it had cracked at the bend and was hanging on by a thread. I am not sure how it had not broke loose before this. I knew if I tried to tow it, it would break off on the first bump.

I got my tools out and luckily found a metal bar among them. This I bent around the bend in the tow bar and clamped it with the aid of a u bolt and a hose clamp. It wasn’t perfect but I was hopeful it would get me back to London. The trip to Sarnia had to be aborted.

There was an auto wrecker that I had passed about 4km before I got to Popular Hill and I was hopeful that it would be open so I could purchase a better tow bar. When I got there, the gates were closed but I could still see people coming out of the buildings. I got a gentleman’s attention and asked if they were closed. He said they were just closing up. I explained my situation and he felt they could help me out. Another gentleman brought me a length of a rusty bent up pipe and asked if it would work. It was much stronger than the shovel handle that I was using, so I said I could likely make it work. He took a closer look at the broken bar it was to replace and disappeared.

The first gentleman had also offered me a ride as he said he lived in London and could go right through the downtown area where I live. I got a price and paid $5.00 for the bar and looked for my ride. He was getting gas in his truck. The other man came back with another pipe that was larger, heavier and cleaner that the first. I told him I already paid $5.00 for the first one and he said to take them both for what I had paid. After this we loaded the bike and trailer into the pickup truck of the first gentleman. He gave me a ride right to my home.

Sunday, I purchased more hardware to attach my new drawbar being confident that this one will never break. Since the pipe was bigger, I had to modify the coupler on my bicycle. This required removing the rear wheel kick stand, so I also put a new stand on the bike.

I was disappointed that I could not go to the Sarnia Picnic, but will be heading out for Egerton this week. My family is getting together on Saturday, August 13 and I am allowing 3 days to cover the 150km distance. I am not sure yet were I will go from there.