Frank: We just had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, pan fried potatoes and onions, and fresh baked biscuits. I still marvel at how well the appliances in this camper work. The refrigerator and freezer are cold and efficient automatically working on either electric or gas, the microwave is quieter and easier to use than the one at home, the stove and oven get hotter than heck even though they are propane, and the water heater gives us (almost) boiling hot water within a few minutes of turning it on. The built in heating and air conditioning keep us comfortable no matter what is happening outside and we are as snug as bugs in a rug. All in all, RV’ing is not a bad deal.
Yesterday we went to the rally and registered. While there we found that the camp operators or the rally organizers had put the tent campers into the RV sites which have electrical and water hook-ups, and put the RVs into an open field with no hook-ups and are charging $15 per person in each RV to boot. For us that would be $30 per night with no hook-ups rather than the $28 per night we’re paying for a site with water, electric, and sewer. I don’t understand the logic at the rally site but I’m not about to ask, as putting on a National Rally takes two years of hard work and they don’t need my questions. I may be the founder of the club but I no longer hold any position to question how the club operates.
My Norton is vexing me a bit. The speedo died, the left side cover came unhooked twice (thankfully it didn’t come off) and the sidestand left for places unknown on the ride to Lumby. I think the sidestand spring came loose and the stand dragged on the ground and at some point snapped the pivot bolt. I heard it when it happened but thought the center-stand had lost its spring (it has happened before) and was dragging. So I was surprised when I finally was able to pull over and found the sidestand gone. That’s a new one on me. This morning I will call some of my vendors and see if anyone can FedEx me a new side stand and mounting bolt.
Cheryl: Today we thought we might go on a m/c ride to Needles and cross the river on the largest free ferry in North America, but Frank wanted to attend the INOA officers meeting, the chapter meeting and the tech session. We’ll probably do that ride east on Highway 6 on our own since we’re staying through the weekend (if I have my way!). There is a music festival Saturday and Sunday so I’d like to hang around for that.
The puppies have been waking us up with kisses about 5:30 a.m., so one of us is up and out walking the dogs fairly early in the morning. The dog walk goes up a hill and into the woods, so it’s a pleasant morning walk. This morning I spotted bear droppings on the trail and Cleo refused to go any further under her own power. After dog walkin' and checking out where the bear had his breakfast foraging in the trash right behind our trailer, I scurried home for coffee and breakfast.
Yesterday we took off for Lumby on the bike around 10:00 a.m. I’d much rather do Highway 6 on the back of the bike than in the truck. It’s very up and down and curvy, so it’s fun on the bike, but that Dodge truck just doesn’t have a smooth ride that I can enjoy on a road like that. Except for a tense moment when the side cover vibrated itself loose, the ride into Lumby gave Frank a chance to let the Norton just fly, and fly we did! The day was in the 80s, blue sky and just a hint of a breeze. We got our t-shirts, rally pins, maps, wrist bands, and info and met up with Susie Greenwald, the current and beloved president of the INOA. We strolled around the campground looking at bikes and then stopped at Anna’s Pizza for a quick lunch that we ate outside on a bench in the park where we could watch the Nortons zoom past.
We lolly-gagged the afternoon away back at the trailer and then decided to run back into Lumby in the late afternoon. Frank suggested taking the truck, but I wanted to go on the bike again. We stopped when the side stand decided to leave the bike and noticed some dark clouds looming above us. It was sunny all around, so we decided to continue on to Lumby since we were only 10 minutes away. Just as we entered Lumby the first rain drops hit, and by the time we parked the bike and ran for the registration canopy, rain was coming down in buckets. We stood for about an hour under the canopy talking with the Canadian organizers of the rally. Of course, we hadn’t brought our rain suits AGAIN, so we were worried about the trip back to Cherryville we might have to make in this deluge. And then the rain cleared, WHEW! So we walked over to a restaurant in town for supper while the bike dried out. We had scrumptious food at a German restaurant and brought our parsley boiled potatoes home in a piece of foil to frizzle for breakfast. Yummmm! Our dinner in the local pub on Saturday was splendid as well, so I’m thinking we should eat out as often as possible while we’re here, right?
The ride back to the trailer after dinner assaulted our senses with the soft air after the rain filled with the scent of new mown hay swirling around us. Sigh. “It don’t get no better’n this!”
Oh yes, I forgot to mention we ran into Josie our young friend who dog-sat for us at last year’s rally. At 18, she’s full of youthful exuberance and a pleasure to be around. At one of the recent rallies, Frank, Josie, Susie, and I danced up a storm. This year’s dance to be held in the Lumby Town Hall on Friday night promises to be even more fun. There are posters all over town offering tickets to the town folk, so it should be quite a large affair with live music of all kinds.
Well, I think I’ll find a woodland trail to keep the puppies and me busy until Frank gets home. More tomorrow from the exciting world of crazy cyclists, who sit astride 36 year old motorcycles on roads begging to be ridden flat out. Always remember and never forget, “Keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down.”
Love, Evel Knievel, Annie Oakley, Trigger and Buttermilk
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment