Last Year Ants - This Year Tires

During last year's trip in the South we had to battle reoccurring ants for over a month after we picked up our trailer in Georgia.  This year we have not see one ant the entire trip

However.......

These little critters above have become our nemesis.  

Bill has had to change four (4) flat tires on our bikes so far - mainly because of the little "Goathead Thorns" you see above next to a penny.

These thorns or spurs, as some people call them, are like Nature's thumbtacks.  They come from an invasive plant called  Tribulus terrestris.  The picture above from the internet shows what they can do to a bicycle tire

They are on roads and bicycle paths and impossible to avoid because they are so small.  A man who  knows cactus types down here in Arizona told us that they can puncture the bottom of a tennis shoe.  Bill has pulled three out of his mountain bike tires and has now gone to "self sealing" tubes to see if that helps.

The good news....Bill has become really proficient at fixing bike tires which is not that easy on an 18-speed mountain bike rear tire.