Monday, July 03, 2017

When A Bolt Turns You Into A Bitch


Today brought a whole new adventure to Ed and MacG.  Their plan was to ride to Globe, Arizona.  A short ride that would get them back home in time for dinner.  They left the house at seven in the morning.

They wound up riding past Globe, up to Roosevelt Lake, through Tortilla Flat, into Apache Junction, through Florence, down through Catalina, and back to the house in Oro Valley.  Let's just say they weren't home in time for dinner.

A few miles past Tortilla Flat, MacG noticed he was losing tire pressure.  Stuck behind a slow moving RV pulling a boat, there was nowhere for them to pass on the narrow dirt road.  They knew there might be trouble, but they had to wait until they could safely get around the giant snail.

Finally finding a place to pass, they pulled into the first gas station they came to.  Once there, they inspected the tire and checked it for air when they noticed something protruding from the tire.  At first, MacG thought it was a rock but when he tapped on it, it sounded like metal.

At that moment, another driver - named Scooter, who was driving a scooter - with 45 years of driving experience offered his help.  He had a sidecar crammed with tools and gadgets and parts.  Unfortunately, after having emptied the bulk of his sidecar didn't have the tire plug they were going to need if they pulled out whatever had pierced the tire.

They went to a nearby auto parts store and seventy-five dollars later, they had what they needed to pull out what looked like some kind of nail.  When they started pulling, they laughed saying it was like a magic trick where a magician pulls a scarf out of someone's ear.  What now looked like a bolt seemed to go on forever.  Eventually, Ed pulled the last bit of it out and looked down to see a 4" bolt in his hand.

They called us several times to update us on their situation.  At this point, they had missed dinner and were venturing into the "we're going to have to get a hotel and resume this task tomorrow" territory.  They finally made it back to the house by 9:45 to eat dinner.  But they weren't finished.

The best part of the whole story?  Because it was Sunday, no shops were open to take the bike to for repair, so they both rode back to the house - over 50 miles - on Ed's KLR.  MacG was the one who had to ride bitch.

They didn't get back to the house until 9:45 p.m.  They were hot, hungry, and tired.  But they weren't finished since they had to go back up to get MacG's bike.  They took the truck for that trip.  Their day didn't end until they got back at 1 a.m., took showers, and crashed by 2 a.m.

Someday they'll look back upon this and laugh.



~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2016: 
The Most Important Meal Of The Day

2015: The Weirdest Reunion Ever
2014: River Alarm
2013: A Face Only A Mother Sniffer Can Love
2012: Rolling In The Deep
2011: A Castle On A Bluff
2010: The Skies Really Are Friendly, No Matter Who Is Flying In Them
2009: Eddie Beach Feet Friday
2008: Panoramic
2007: My New Motto
2006: Fake It Till You Make It
2005: Feria Colour Strands

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