Cleveland: Rest and Relaxation

After a night of hanging out with Sasha's friends and seeing a bit of Youngstown and Cleveland, I made sure to sleep in and enjoy the company of friends and the quietness of not having to get on the road.

We slept over at Community-based non-profit where a friend of Sasha's worked as a farmer. In the morning we were able to make breakfast  together out of food grown at out the garden, and meet other people
involved in one of Cleveland's Urban Farm projects.
In the evening, Sasha was going to attend a class about Gears and Bike maintenance at the Ohio Valley Bike Co-op, so I dedicated to tag along in hopes that they would be interested in work-trade.
 Jim, the manager of the co-op, and an avid cyclist and educator not only made me feel extremely welcome, but told me it would be no problem; there was plenty to do this week and I would just have to come in for a few hours which would be beneficial for us both.
The Co-op was larger than any other bike co-op I have ever been in. It was organized and functional, and I was impressed with the systems in place to make it run smoothly and to make sure that people were truly engaged with the co-op.

The class was perfect, it talked about gears, what gears to use and when, how to break and re-assemble a chain, how to maintain the chain properly, other low and high adjustments for the derailleur, and overall safety.
It seemed like the class I was looking for to have the confidence I needed to cross the country and to obtain new skills by the end of the our. I was very happy to be there and to be able to share the experience with my dear friend. Not only was it a nice ride through the city but and Sasha and I enjoyed the 8 miles bike ride to and from town.
The next day, I came into the shop to make up my hours and Jim made sure I was on projects that would give me practice for the tour including breaking chains, changing tires, and learning how to remove and tune spokes on a bike.
When I came home, one of Sasha's friends Hank, had left me a big bag of health foods and spices, yogurt, orangs, potatoes, teas to help me get better. I'd say this is a perfect place for a little bit of rest and relaxation.