I will put on a rain coat mid-morning and brave out to the bike shop to get a quick link. I tried to reuse the quick link from another chain, but apparently it’s a single use part and it popped out on test riding, though not far from home this time.
I’m still wrenching the bike 🔧 but hopefully if I buy a quick link from Mad Dawg Bicycles I’ll be able to get the bike back on the road by tomorrow. I looked into reusing a pin from another chain but it’s not recommended, and indeed once I pulled the quick link from the old bike, they say you really can’t reuse it. They’re not that expensive, certainly cheaper then a chain and cassette. I still am working on straightening and adjusting the derailuer – that might be at the root of my problem. I ‘m hoping to ride in on Monday and Tuesday of next week, also visit the Arboretum tomorrow if the weather is good enough.
Going out to see Mom and Dad later today, 👨👨👦 as they plans for Mother’s Day. I will probably wait until tomorrow to take the SuperDuty to Wally World 🛒 and I don’t know maybe do a hike or visit an preserve if it’s not raining too much tomorrow. I can say I want to drive as little as possible with the high gas prices but honestly I don’t care that much. It’s not that much money, 💰 and eventually gas prices will come down. ⛽ It’s silly to think what is happening today will forever be the future, as such short-term thinking is rarely the long-term reality, as we all learned in 2008 and 2022 with the big hikes in fuel prices those years. And I still make good money, and investments continue to grow rapidly with good economy.
Truth is that the SuperDuty is such a pain point in my mind. 🧠 I do like my truck, but I concede it was not cheapest truck, though it’s still a very basic work truck, admitly an HD truck. I try to be frugal but it’s the one luxury in my life, drinking fuel like all HD truck pickups do. Did I need the one-ton axle? Or legitimately all the off-road features and remote start? But it’s a lot of fun on the back roads, even if it has carpet delete and a very unpadded steering wheel. I had considered a steering wheel cover but decided against it as another expense. Honestly once I get the cap and things wired up I will travel more, though it’s black fly season 🐜 and that sucks in the woods. Things will be so much nicer come July.
I still want to do that Michigan trip in August, but I’m so troubled by gas prices. ⛽ But you bought yourself a brand new F-350, not a 25-year old Honda Civic and you’re worried about fuel economy and global warming 🌏 so you want to drive said ginamormous truck to Michigan to drive past all those stinky old dairies 🐮 and hog farms 🐽 with smoldering burn barrels out back. 🛢️ And see the great wilds of the Upper Peninsula. I should draw a line on gas price – maybe $5 or $5.50 a gallon is too much to spend but what difference really would it make for a great summer trip?🌲 🌲 🌲 A couple hundred bucks? I bought the HD truck for reliability but those SuperDuty truck groups on internet increasingly have me down with all the problems people report, though I’m not convinced that Toyota, GM or Dodges are any better. 🛻 Car just suck today, or maybe they always did.
Other then that, I want to finish up readingThe Millionaire Next Door 📚 today. I’ve had that book out from the library for about two weeks now, and I’ve kind of read it for a while, then put it down. The book is 30-years out of date, though the message seems still seems quite valid. I am always quite interested in personal finance and investing, because it buys things like my F-350, and eventually that off-grid cabin with the hogs and burn barrel out back. 🛖 And no more recycling plastics, paying electric bills or hopefully buying as few groceries or going to town as little much as possible with all the urbna problems and crap. 💩 Compost and not landfill the poop.
