To fully understand this story you need a little history. The last time we traveled the LA freeway system we when we were en route to Palm Springs. The flow of traffic had pushed us to the left lane and before I could get out of what is typically held sacred as "the fast lane" and back to the right lane or la la land where the motor homes are supposed to dwell, an angry motorist in a red dually pickup blasted past with his arm out the window making....well...some type of hand signals to us or at us. Our first reaction was maybe something was wrong with the rear of the RV but a quick look in the rear view camera didn't show anything obvious. Then, Carolyn, trying to put the best construction on his actions suggested maybe he saw our Texas license plates and was supporting those two rival Texas Schools by making the sign for both "Hookem Horns" and "Gigem Aggies", you know, the whole house divided thing? (I hate hose bumper stickers by the way...) Hmm, I think that is a stretch. Anyway, we stayed in our slow lane and he sped away to cast his road rage at some other wandering motorist and that was the end of that.
So, back to this story. Once again, taking our lives in our hands we traveled north through LA's freeway system when suddenly another Texas higher education fan pulled up alongside us. This time Carolyn was ready and as he made his hand gestures we stared straight ahead and ignored him, for now we were seasoned freeway professionals and his taunts meant nothing to us. That is until his persistence caused me to shoot him a quick cut of the eyes and I made out the word "bicycles" on his lips. Oh crud, THE BIKES! I opened my window and he slowed alongside me and shouted "THE BIKES ARE FALLING OFF!" With my window open, the soundtrack for his words was a high pitched scraping sound back behind us, no doubt, probably accompanied by sparks which I could of course not see. I thanked the good Samaritan and pulled to the right. There was a large area on the shoulder and I stopped there and ran back to see the personification of my worst nightmare, a twisted mass of broken spokes, twisted rubber, and inner tubes shredded into streamers that trailed behind us. Not pretty. Now what. They don't fit anywhere except the stupid five bike carrier thing (I told you it didn't look strong enough to carry five bikes). What to do now. Do I just detangle the mess and leave them on the side of the freeway? I had a quick flash through my mind of the poor guy that picks up all the broken stuff that flies out of people's pickups on the freeway. By the time his trash truck got to my bikes it would probably be full of broken plastic patio chairs, lidless coolers and couches and then the poor guy would have to make a second trip and...ok, back to the problem at hand. Quickly I opened the compartment where I keep my tools to grab a wrench and disassemble the tangled mess and BOOM, all my tools come falling out on the ground. Sockets spinning and rolling across the freeway, screw drivers lodging under the tires, strategically positioning themselves to puncture my new Michelins. Now I have two messes to clean up while LA drivers speed by sneering and cursing me. I swear I saw the guy in the red dually, Gigem Aggies, Hookem Horns! I quickly untangled, pulled the front wheel off each bike (strange, only the front wheels were damaged) oh, and by the way, my bike didn't even have a scratch due to strategic positioning.... Anyway, by this time Carolyn was out to help me and we wheeled each bike (less the front wheels) into the motor home and sped away, leaving the broken wheels on the side of the freeway for the poor trash guy. I hope he has room in his truck.
So, I guess Chula Vista got revenge on us for leaving, or at least revenge on our bikes. So, now we are looking for a new five bike carrier. And four front wheels....and tires...and tubes. I hope the new one will carry five bikes.
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