Friday's Great Around-Town Ride

Nice Tracking Today via Ham Radio APRS
Jacque just got her new Catrike out of the repair shop where we bought it mere weeks ago.  Not only had the 2 front tires (it's a Tadpole variety) worn almost bald in about 10 short riding trips, but the super small super-thin tire on the right front had picked up a tiny teensie thorn that punctured the tube right next to the kevlar tire liner.  These wheels are so small and shallow it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to pry the tire off in order to repair or replace the tube.  My first attempt to repair the flat was successful but stressful, hoping it would be a long time between flats.  On my second attempt at patching the tube, a  couple days later, I could not get the tire back on the rim without multiple attempts, the last one with lots of soapy water trying to lubricate the job.... it was still extremely difficult.
When the tire went flat the third time we decided to let the shop we bought it from do the repair... they ruined the tire trying to get it off the rim.  So we agreed to pay a few hundred extra to install larger wheels and tires on all 3 trike-tire positions.  That took several weeks to accomplish, and now that Jacque has her trike back, she's absolutely delirious about it.
So, we were both anxious to put some miles on our human powered vehicles today.  We left earlier than usual and decided to go ride around Albuquerque since we needed some shopping and errands done within the big city limits.
The city of Albuquerque has recently built a bicycle path overpass over Interstate 25 near Montgomery.  We decided to park near Los Altos Park and ride the several miles across town to the west end of the new overpass and ride over I-25 just to see where the new bike path and overpass took riders, if it did not in fact dead-end somewhere as many of our bike paths do.  The original bike path has sat as an unused mile that dead-ended right at the fenced shoulder of I-25 for years, and there is considerable local enthusiasm about the addition to the bike network.  A few locals have actually ridden over the overpass and commented on it online and the city announced it was open for the public a couple weeks ago.
Consider our frustration when we finally arrived at the new path about 9 miles later and found the old path is still a dead-end:  It lies about 100 yards from the new path on the other side of the diversion channel and does NOT have a connection to the new trail and overpass.  When we rode back down to Jefferson to get on the new trail we found it was totally blocked off with "Jersey Bounce" concrete barriers as well as a locked gate just before the overpass ramp.  City workers could be seen painting railings and barriers on the new section.  So we rode back, without discovering where the new overpass and path go, if anywhere.  BAH
This is surely the longest pedaling trek Jacque has ever undertaken.  By the time we returned toward the parked car, it was well after noon and getting very hot and muggy.  As long as we kept moving there was sufficient breeze to keep us from overheating but ..... I started worrying about Jacque as she has a trick knee and she didn't have her knee support brace with her.  When we finally topped the hill at Sandia High School, I decided we needed to find a shady place for her and Tinkerbell to stop and rest and wait for me to ride back and bring the "rescue vehicle".  It seemed to be a good idea, since although tired, Jacque was not hurting or discouraged from further longer trips... and excited about doing it again and continuing to build up her endurance for future rides.
About halfway through our ride, I noticed the front wheel brake was dragging slightly and making noise.
I finally stopped and looked closer at the wheel and was shocked, SHOCKED, to find the front quick-release spindle had come completely loose from vibration and the wheel was only held in place by gravity and the brakes which kept the tire from falling completely out of the fork during bumps, turns, and vibration.  Simple to fix but scary to realized I'd again made the mistake of ignoring a small unusual noise on the bike.....
Beginning Battery Voltage: 12.9   --    Ending Voltage: 12.5
Stats from the GPS: Total Miles:     19.85
Overall average speed            Moving Avg               Max Speed
03.7 MPH                                6.0 MPH                   19.4 MPH
Total Trip time                       Moving Time             Stopped Time
5 hours 19 mins                     3 hours 18 mins        2 hours