It wasn't me!
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| My baby's last rest area before it died... |
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Fourth "oops!"
It wasn't me!
Late postings
Sorry for the delays. I have no Internet service here in the middle of nowhere. I will try to get caught up soon. My apologies.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
The Bike Saga....
We finally got a guesstimate for my motorcycle repairs. $2,600 to $3,600. Yeah. Right. And, bonus problem, they cannot even get started on it until NEXT month! My question is: why could they not have mentioned that tidbit somewhere along all the back-and-forth phone calls? Huh? HUH?! I could have been making other arrangements. I mean, I KNEW what was wrong. I broke it! And I was very specific when I told them I would be here for only a few days. Is the air THAT thin here that it does not reach their brain?
Phew! Ok, enough griping. I guess they think they have me between a rock and a hard place and I'll either be forced to pay some ridiculous repair price, or buy the used bike they "so kindly" offered to sell me. They don't know puertorricans. Or me.
So, what now? I have not decided yet. But I'm certainly not without options. And THEY are not in the running.
Phew! Ok, enough griping. I guess they think they have me between a rock and a hard place and I'll either be forced to pay some ridiculous repair price, or buy the used bike they "so kindly" offered to sell me. They don't know puertorricans. Or me.
So, what now? I have not decided yet. But I'm certainly not without options. And THEY are not in the running.
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| Dennis' bike is lonely... |
Monday, August 29, 2011
Third "OOPS!"
Yes, this is a huge one. And not one I can laugh off. I don't even want to blog about it but, in the interest of continuing accurately chronicling this trip, here it goes.
We've been riding along nice and easy for days now, and we have not encountered any major problems. In deference to Azoica's limited driving experience and the capabilities of my little itty, bitty, teenie, weenie V-Star 250, we've been averaging 230 miles per day, 50 miles between each stop.
We've successfully tackled deserts, hills, mountains, wind, snow, hail, rain, dust, even the occasional tumbleweed. We've handled all this through 2,000 miles with no major incidents and I was starting to feel pretty cocky.
About 20 miles before we got to Flagstaff, AZ, my cockiness came back to haunt me. Big time. I had just hit 8,000 miles on my bike and was going to bring it for scheduled maintenance in Flagstaff. Just 20 more miles. That's it. Such a small distance, such a huge difference.
Before we began the trip, and through it, we've faithfully been checking the van's vital fluids and keeping a close eye on both bikes' brake fluid, my bike chain, and Dennis' bike belt. We also made sure we stopped every 50 miles or so for both our sakes' and the vehicles'.
Genius that I am, I forgot one minuscule yet EVER so crucial detail. I did not check, not once, the OIL in my motorcycle. Not that there was any to check. Not any more. My recently acquired, recently christened motorcycle met and untimely death Wednesday, on westbound I-40, mile marker 211, just shy of the Winona exit. A sudden high-pitched whine and I have thoroughly and utterly destroyed the engine on my "Roadrunner."
I called AAA and left Dennis with it to have it towed to the Flagstaff Yamaha shop while I continued in the minivan with the kids so that we could get to the Grand Canyon early enough to set up camp before dark. Plus, we had no campground reservations so, the sooner we got there, the better.
We were able to get a campsite, set up, then go to the market to pick up foodstuffs. Meanwhile, Dennis had to endure the incredulous oh-my-gosh-they-are-crazy looks because of my taking a tiny bike on such an ambitious trip. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. If I had been more careful, it would still be running. At least until we started up some real mountains....
We've been riding along nice and easy for days now, and we have not encountered any major problems. In deference to Azoica's limited driving experience and the capabilities of my little itty, bitty, teenie, weenie V-Star 250, we've been averaging 230 miles per day, 50 miles between each stop.
We've successfully tackled deserts, hills, mountains, wind, snow, hail, rain, dust, even the occasional tumbleweed. We've handled all this through 2,000 miles with no major incidents and I was starting to feel pretty cocky.
About 20 miles before we got to Flagstaff, AZ, my cockiness came back to haunt me. Big time. I had just hit 8,000 miles on my bike and was going to bring it for scheduled maintenance in Flagstaff. Just 20 more miles. That's it. Such a small distance, such a huge difference.
Before we began the trip, and through it, we've faithfully been checking the van's vital fluids and keeping a close eye on both bikes' brake fluid, my bike chain, and Dennis' bike belt. We also made sure we stopped every 50 miles or so for both our sakes' and the vehicles'.
Genius that I am, I forgot one minuscule yet EVER so crucial detail. I did not check, not once, the OIL in my motorcycle. Not that there was any to check. Not any more. My recently acquired, recently christened motorcycle met and untimely death Wednesday, on westbound I-40, mile marker 211, just shy of the Winona exit. A sudden high-pitched whine and I have thoroughly and utterly destroyed the engine on my "Roadrunner."
I called AAA and left Dennis with it to have it towed to the Flagstaff Yamaha shop while I continued in the minivan with the kids so that we could get to the Grand Canyon early enough to set up camp before dark. Plus, we had no campground reservations so, the sooner we got there, the better.
We were able to get a campsite, set up, then go to the market to pick up foodstuffs. Meanwhile, Dennis had to endure the incredulous oh-my-gosh-they-are-crazy looks because of my taking a tiny bike on such an ambitious trip. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. If I had been more careful, it would still be running. At least until we started up some real mountains....
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Arizona + August = Snow
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| City Of Rocks |
Yes, boys and girls. Believe it or not, we had another one of those temp extreme days. We started this Tuesday morning (ok, mid-morning) in the high 80°s and by mid afternoon pushing 100°, only to have it drop drastically in a matter of a few dozen miles.
We started off from City of Rocks geared up for hot weather. After all, we were still crossing arid, desert-like areas. And, yes, it was hot. and stayed hot. And
Friday, August 26, 2011
Sand and Rocks, Part 2
We left White Sands in mid afternoon and ended the day setting up camp at City of Rocks.
Within 10 minutes of getting there, I had a close encounter with a rattlesnake. If you look at the video close enough, a bit below the "D", you might be able to see it. You can certainly hear it rattle!
Within 10 minutes of getting there, I had a close encounter with a rattlesnake. If you look at the video close enough, a bit below the "D", you might be able to see it. You can certainly hear it rattle!
And, you know that bit about snakes being more afraid of you than
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Sand and Rocks, Part 1
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