A day of blessings

Friday, July 8th.
Wilmington, CA.

Bicycle needs new parts. Tried to remove cartridge in bottom bracket. Metal shavings all over crank nuts from pedaling.

While searching for paper to write down list of the maintenance needs for my bicycle, found phone number of pal from Redding. He is vacationing at national parks. Won't be following me to Florida but keeping in touch. Gave me a nice tip for good eats at Souplantation. Muffins there are delicious.

Bicycle repairs. Ball bearings and the cup they race around in needed to be replaced in the bottom bracket. Front brakes needed tuning. Rear wheel spins unbalanced.

Went to two conventional bike shops and got the standard response: we've got lots of people ahead of you, yeah we'll take a look at it when we go through a $65 tune up, yeah we'll look at that too, yeah we look at all of that, and then if there's additional repairs needed we'll charge you again for parts and labor. I knew without them spelling it out that it would take me three days of waiting for service and parts and something to the tune of $130 for them to get to what I told them from the get go: the bottom bracket cartridge needed to be swapped out for a new one. 

I felt stuck again. Having to go to a serviceman who treats me like trash because my bicycle is not worth much more than the repairs he's charging me for. Having no access to something that is mine, having to jump through hoops and explain to the tech what I need when he doesn't care and doesn't believe the problem I'm describing to him. I'd do it myself in an afternoon if I only had tools and parts and YouTube.

I bought $65 worth of tools from a shop so I could tinker with my bicycle myself. I could've had the shop do their tune-up, but that wouldn't have fixed my problem anyways. Removed the cranks and had a bracket removal tool, but didn't have a bar to turn it with. Even though I couldn't fix the problem, I felt much better taking the bicycle apart myself, to take back some independence over my vehicle.

After a morning of bike disassembly and YouTube how-to's and Internet searching for parts... I had my bicycle just as in need of maintenance as I had before I started. Well, at least my hand prints were over my steed so he knows I care about him. It was past noon. I better get to the next buffet.

On the way I passed by a house with new bicycles lined in front of the driveway. Four or five tables were set up with partially assembled bicycles underneath a tented canopy. Casually dressed, every day people moved parts around, talking and cracking jokes as they worked. It was so chill.

Karl's Moonlightning bicycle shop. Karl treats people right. Everyone here is like a family and made me feel part of it. Fixed my bike and hooked me up with everything.

They looked like neighbors and friends having a yard sale. But they had so many bicycles. I was already down the block, but I made myself turn around and find out what they were up to. I had a legitimate need for their help. Maybe they knew what parts I needed and where I could get them.

They were a bike shop. Run by a stand-up gentleman and a crew of good decent people who treat you right, like a real person. I described my problem and demonstrated a bit. They listened and watched. I expected anywhere I went, I would have to wait if I wanted repairs. I saw they had a busy schedule to get through like the previous shops. I would be grateful just for some information and a point in the right direction to take things into my own hands.

But they paid attention to my concerns. The owner saw my travel bags, inquired bout my trip, and called his main man over to take a look. The guy was lynching a bicycle frame from a tree so he could clean it. Came over sat on the bicycle and without hesitation diagnosed what was wrong. Take off your bags, we'll get it looked at right now. Pretty soon the bottom bracket was out and my concern was confirmed. Revealed ball bearings beaten up and the race around them torn up; they would need to be replaced.

They didn't have the parts, but the boss took me with him to pick up some. Here, you'll also need tools. Get the sealed cartridge, it's better. We'll get two sets of replacements so you'll have a spare down the road. We drove around town, me listening to the boss's stories and voicing my curiosity at every opportunity I had. I was traveling, but I was impressed by this man's journey. A life of experiences and coming far.

By mid afternoon, I had a new set of bearings inside my bicycle, a meal in my tummy, and a big silly grin from ear to ear. Boss came out of his house with snacks, company shirts, my water bottles filled. Didn't let his knees bother him trip after trip he made for me. I took a stack of business cards to spread the word through town about his establishment for treating people right. A hug. An excited goodbye. A blessed and lucky son of a gun beaming smiles down to the beach, overwhelmed by the strength of human decency and character.

I played flute at the beach in my hammock between two palms. Some young people played volleyball on the sand in front of me. After an hour, the sun dropped and I started packing up. "We were hoping you'd play Star Wars." Alright. I've got that. Then I found Jurassic Park for them. A few other requests. I kept playing and they kept their game going, even as it got dark.

Before they disbanded, I told them about Karl's shop and gave each one a card. When you do a good thing for someone else, good karma can overflow to the people they meet. Playing music is one way, but I don't have to have any talent. Sometimes I am so happy traveling, just smiling like a genuine idiot that it makes joggers and pedestrians I pass by happy and they want to smile and wave to me.

Long Beach