We've had a ton of rain the past few days. Florence had 4.5 inches in 24 hours and part of Highway 26 was flooded. So I was watching the skies early this morning to see if I could ride to work. About 7:45, when I had to make a decision to drive or bike, the rain stopped and off I went. . . blinkin' away. When I got about 1/4 mile down the bike path, the path was closed due to flooding. I've seen the sign and the gate before, but wondered how often they close the gate. The path dips down by the river at that point and there was a couple feet of water covering that area. The detour was short just taking me onto a residential street for two blocks and then right back onto the path.
As I crossed the Willamette River I could see how swollen it was with brown water up to the top of its banks. A minute or so later a light rain started to fall so I pulled under a bus shelter to get my pancho on. But then the rain abruptly stopped so I continued on my way to Work.
Off and on during the morning it poured. But around 12:15 it let up and the sky lightened so I got my bike gear on and headed home. I was on Maxwell Road bridge crossing over the railroad tracks when I got a flat tire. I haven't had a flat in a long time; fortunately I had both a patch kit and a spare tube. Because it was looking like rain again, I opted to put on the new tube. I was so proud of myself for 1) having the extra tube with me and 2) knowing how to quickly change it. That pride preceeded a fall when I noticed I didn't have my pump with me. Oooof! I watched a couple of bikers go by but none stopped or looked like they had a pump on board. There are two gas stations about 1-1.5 miles back toward work, but there's no guarantee that they had an air pump. Most stations don't. So I started pushing my bike East on Maxwell toward home figuring I could get over to River Road and head north and maybe go to Les Schwabs.
About 1/10 of a mile into my walk I saw what used to be a gas station. It was surrounded with a high black chainlink fence and the front gate was locked with a huge chain and padlock. On the side of the building was hand painted "Online Auto Auction". The small buildiing was surrounded with cars. I noticed that there was a light on in the former gas station office so I pushed around to the side of the property and found a gate that was open. As I pushed my bike into the lot, a guy came out of the office locking the door. I asked him if he had an air pump I could use to inflate my tire. He hedged for a minute saying he was late for a meeting, but then said that he had a compressor in his office and it might work. In a few seconds he was back with the compressor that he said had a low battery. But it was enough to get my tire pumped up and I was able to continue home and avoid the rain. I thanked him for his kindness and told him I would pass on an act of kindness to someone else.
As I crossed the Willamette River I could see how swollen it was with brown water up to the top of its banks. A minute or so later a light rain started to fall so I pulled under a bus shelter to get my pancho on. But then the rain abruptly stopped so I continued on my way to Work.
Off and on during the morning it poured. But around 12:15 it let up and the sky lightened so I got my bike gear on and headed home. I was on Maxwell Road bridge crossing over the railroad tracks when I got a flat tire. I haven't had a flat in a long time; fortunately I had both a patch kit and a spare tube. Because it was looking like rain again, I opted to put on the new tube. I was so proud of myself for 1) having the extra tube with me and 2) knowing how to quickly change it. That pride preceeded a fall when I noticed I didn't have my pump with me. Oooof! I watched a couple of bikers go by but none stopped or looked like they had a pump on board. There are two gas stations about 1-1.5 miles back toward work, but there's no guarantee that they had an air pump. Most stations don't. So I started pushing my bike East on Maxwell toward home figuring I could get over to River Road and head north and maybe go to Les Schwabs.
About 1/10 of a mile into my walk I saw what used to be a gas station. It was surrounded with a high black chainlink fence and the front gate was locked with a huge chain and padlock. On the side of the building was hand painted "Online Auto Auction". The small buildiing was surrounded with cars. I noticed that there was a light on in the former gas station office so I pushed around to the side of the property and found a gate that was open. As I pushed my bike into the lot, a guy came out of the office locking the door. I asked him if he had an air pump I could use to inflate my tire. He hedged for a minute saying he was late for a meeting, but then said that he had a compressor in his office and it might work. In a few seconds he was back with the compressor that he said had a low battery. But it was enough to get my tire pumped up and I was able to continue home and avoid the rain. I thanked him for his kindness and told him I would pass on an act of kindness to someone else.
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