Day 460 – US – Washington [Rest Day in Ellensburg]

08/07/21

 Rest day in Ellensburg (Washington, North America)

Today’s news is: BoB changeover!

This is sadly where’s BoB #1 finishes his run…

I have said in this blog several times recently that I was losing trust in my stroller. The rivets were losing their grip on the frame, the wheels axles seemed to be compromised, the sideways swing was becoming worse and in general, it felt that something essential could possibly break at any point now. Given that I’ll be running in fairly isolated places over the next two months, this needed to be addressed.

Shock of the Titans! Welcome BoB #2 🙂

Luck struck big time! As I was at the local bike store looking for new tyres a woman walked in pushing a BoB stroller. We started chatting and she referred me to a local pawn shop for kids’ stuff. And… there it was! Brand new (used a few times only) BoB stroller, identical to mine (only the wheels are different – oh and it’s blue not yellow anymore) waiting to be picked up at a 1/3rd of the original price. This is incredibly lucky, these strollers are mostly available online. I was chuffed 🙂

Happy in Ellensburg!

That means sadly I’ll have to abandon BoB #1 in Ellensburg. It has gone through close to 17,000kms of running (preparation & world run combined) a remarkable performance. I’m not sure it has been designed for such a feat of endurance! I sure hope BoB #2 will be as resistant and resilient, a trusted companion on my solo journey. I feel really relieved to have a solid structure to rely on, as I know the next two months will be particularly demanding and isolated.

Looking forward to hitting the road with my new Ferrari on Friday 😉

(PS: I know that Fergus will be sad that the stroller doesn’t end up in a museum and miserably finishes its life by the side of a garbage disposal area… I am not very sentimental with material things, although I concede in this case, it is arguable whether or not BoB crosses the border between object and person!)