To the Nub

As a bike rider, I love those mornings like this one. When you wake up and it's 52 degrees and clear and sunny with the forecast of temperatures hitting the middle seventies, perfect riding weather. Even if your just riding to work.
When I pulled out from the house I was already looking forward to my ride to work. It would be a good one, no snowmobile suit and other heavy clothes. Dry and clear. I couldn't wait to get on the road. I pulled in to the One Stop and topped off my tank then headed toward the mountain and work.
As I skirted the mountain I started feeling some new chain vibration and made a mental note to check the chain when I got to work. the ride was a good one until I got to The dips on Guy Terry Road. About half way to work. The county had place gravel beside the road for icy weather and in a couple of places where people had thrown it on the road it was piled up in the middle of the lane. I ran over a small pile of it and apparently picked up a rock just big enough to throw my chain off. This came as a mild shock. Here I was riding along at about seventy miles an hour and all of a sudden hear this knock and lose all pulling power. Then I hear the chain still rolling around and realize that it wasn't on the sprocket anymore. Having had this happen a time or two in the past and in both cases having the loose chain lock up the back wheel, I jammed on the brakes and slid into the driveway of a subdivision. Yep! Chain was off the rear sprocket.
Thinking about what to do I called work and let them know of my setback and then called my buddy Luther and ask for his help.
With everyone notified I took a good look at the chain and realized that I would have to replace the chain and both sprockets. They looked bad. I also noticed that I could put the chain back on with out too much effort, it was that loose, I just couldn't do anything to tighten it. So, just to see if I was right in my thinking, I got out the tool kit and took off the chain guard. I started walking the bike backwards as I held the chain up and it went back in place. I put the chain guard back on and thought, "what the heck", I'll ride back to the house. Thinking that I'll ride slow and maybe it'll hold together.
Firing up everything sounded good and as I pulled out it didn't have any noticeable defects. I wound up and as I changed gears I could really feel the chain.
A couple of miles into my return trip I met Luther and stopped and informed him And asked him to follow me to the house.
The rest of the trip wasn't nearly as what I had envisioned for today. I made it back to the house without any further problems and that just made it all the worse. I just made me start thinking about going ahead and trying again to ride to work.
Pulling into the house I got off and looked the chain and sprockets over again. They looked like they were four years old and had about eighteen thousand miles on them. Which they are and do. They were as people say, "down to the nub".
A BIG thanks goes out to my friend Luther. Seems he is always bailing me out in one way or another
I jumped into my car and headed out.
Hope to catch ya on the road.