In search of a flat repair kit

As fate would have it, my rear tire mysteriously picked up a construction nail sometime in late afternoon.

I was out in a more rural area when I discovered this. To make matters worse, it was after 6pm. At that hour everything would be closed, even in the bigger towns.

The nail was bent at 90 degrees. I made the mistake of pulling it out (in the hope that it hadn't gone through). Sure enough there was an audible leak. Pushing it back in no longer stopped the leak.

Unfortunately I did not have my tire repair kit with me. In recent times I’d become complacent about the possibility of enountering a puncture. It just never happened. As I packed for the trip, I rationalized that the extra space saved could be used for other essentials.

I spent the next several hours tracking down any type of flat-fix items. I wasn't picky. I was ready to use anything that would allow me to have an inflated tire in the morning. The leak-rate was enough to empty
the tire in an hour, so I had to ride fast between towns and refill often.

By 10pm I was close to home base and still searching. Some of the people at the local gas bar (sitting and chatting at the coffee shop) suggested I should go up to a local who owned a repair shop. Just knock at this door, they told me, and he'll be honored to help.

I didn't want to do it. But I had no choice.
So I went up and knocked. We walked out to the garage. He had it plugged in a couple of minutes with the type of repair kit that I should have had with me.

Lesson learned. Had I brought my repair kit, I would have been up and running in no time.