and hillsides, they continually display themselves in a new and exciting ways. The brisk fall air combined with seasons spectacle of colors would make for an interesting day's event. Following RR1 out to Simmons Rd for a pleasant climb into Perry. This time I opted to ride from Perry,
around the north edge of Silver Lake trying to get a glimpse of the infamous Sea Serpent. Shucks ....foiled again...! Next , a little more climbing up to big metropolis of Silver Springs, then on the the Portageville entrance of the park. Stopping to view the Upper and Lower Falls, I'm in awe of how the river has carved this chasm into the rock. As I round the sharp bend after Wolf creek, it was Deja vu all over again.
I raise up out of the saddle to climb the steep rise ahead....then I hear a Clang ,Clang...then a thud. ...I look behind and there, sitting in the opposite lane, is my saddle and saddle bag. There are a couple of cars approaching in the lane everything lies in. So after they pass me I turn around and watch the first car straddle the items in the road, and the second car stops. Turns out this happens to be a park policeman. After gathering up the pieces and surveying the damage it looks as the bolt that holds the saddle to the seat post has broken. The outlook is bleak for on the spot repairs .... as I know this is a fine threaded metric bolt from a couple years back (when it broke previously), and none of the hardware stores I tried had anything that would work. So the officer and I talk 
about my options for a few minutes. It is looking more and more as if I will need a to resign myself to a rescue mission more than anything else, which will certainly dampen a fine ride. I'm not cherishing the thought of riding 35 miles standing. Officer Friendly first offered me a ride to my car, but upon realizing that my car is not near the park he then asks me if a bolt from another bike might fit....! Perking up rather quickly ..... I say there is a strong possibility. So I place the Bianchi in the back seat and off we drive to the maintenance/police station at the Highbanks Recreation area. We go down into the basement where he points to 5 bikes that have "Police" stenciled all over them and then asks me if something on one of those bikes will work. Quickly I cannibalize the seat post from one.....
a short time later the Bianchi is set to go down the road. With field repairs like this. things are not quite matched up perfect, but they are in good enough working order for me to ride home. There was a 30 minute stop in Cuylerville to put the "borrowed" seat on the Bianchi seat post. I did learn that if the seat is to high that will also cause knee pain just as if the seat is to low...Hmmmm..... Eventully I did make it home well after dark. One of my intentions on this ride was to take pictures at the same areas I had taken pictures ten days earlier, to see what difference's there would be in the colors from the leaves falling off the trees.
Unfortunately was this plan was put on hold, but I was able to get some nice shots of a different area of the park.
A BIG Thank You to the park police for the lift and the use of their bicycle parts........
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