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"IN MEMORY OF MARY LOGSDON" - IN NOTE SECTION OF CHECK

AUGUST 14, 2006 -  "FROM MEMPHIS TO MOBILE, FROM NACHEZ TO ST. JOE, I'VE BEEN IN SOME BIG TOWNS…"

After leaving Minot, the morning was pretty uneventful, until I got just past Rugby, which I will mention later in this narrative but for different reasons. I was booking along Route 2, when off to the right, I saw a stand of dead trees. Wait a minute these damn things were MOVING. I took the next emergency turn around to come back and park to look closer at the dead trees - all of which were attached to the heads of 28 BULL ELK, standing along the Right of Way fence. These bad boys were huge. The antlers were very respectable. Oh hell, they were all huge, but some were obviously the biggest and baddest of the herd. See the photos of these guys in a separate installment. While I was there, a group of six other bikes went screaming past, and within seconds, they too had utilized the same turn around that I did to come back and just sit on the roadside with me to watch these massive creatures.  I can whistle fairly loudly and it was fun getting their attention from time to time for those special photos. They didn't mind us at all. I even approached 40 yards closer without causing any cautionary moves, but that extra foot closer would cause them to get up and walk - walk mind you - a few yards down the fence. 

MEDS HAVE BEEN FOUND
"FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY, I'M FREE AT LAST." DR. M. KING AND M. LOGSDON
MORE TO COME LATER
Remember that earlier missive from me? Well, I got myself out of that town very well, thank you. Furthermore, I made it through the following towns as well….. RUGBY, YORK, PENN, DEVILS LAKE, GRARY, DOYON AND JUST SOUTH OF BARTLET, THE REAR TIRE BLEW OUT AT 70 MILES PER HOUR.

I am fine. When a rear tire gets deflated at the speed I was going, there are a few things that the driver can do to insure that his person and his vehicle can withstand the resulting equal and opposite reactions.
1. IMEDIATELY remove energy to the rear wheel by pulling in on the clutch 2. Reduce engine RPM 3. MAKE ALL FOLLOWING ACTIONS VERY DELIBERATE AND WITHOUT SUDDEN MOVEMENT 4. MOVE TO THE EDGE OF THE THROUGHGOING LANES OF TRAFFIC 5. ALLOW THE SPEED TO BURN OFF BY EVER SO LIGHTLY APPLYING THE BRAKES SO THAT THE REAR WHEEL DOESN'T LOCK UP AND THE REAR TIRE CONTINUE TO ROTATE. THIS COULD BE VERY BAD IF THAT HEPPENS 6. COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WELL OFF THE ROADWAY 7. CHANGE PANTS IF YOU HAVE AN EXTRA PAIR THAT ARE HANDY 8. CALL THE H.O.G. ASSOCIATION FOR HELP.
9. WAIT THE TWO HOURS FOR THE FLATBED TRUCK TO ARRIVE BECAUSE ALL OF THIS HAPPENED 66 MILES FROM THE TOWN THAT HAS A HARLEY DEALERSHIP.

While I was waiting for the tow truck to arrive, reviewed the procedures that I had gone through to see if there was anything I could do to have been safer at the way I handled the situation. I believe that I was correct in my handling and then proceeded to determine whether or not I could patch the tire. I had purchased an excellent tire repair kit with a compressor prior to leaving on the trip. When I pushed the bike forward to see if I could find the damage, I was greeted with a complete tire failure with exposed layers of the tire carcass showing.

This could only mean that I had hit something. While eastbound on Route 2, I had encountered a section of road littered with truck tire debris. While I was fairly confident that I had pushed the bike through successfully, I was worried about the right trailer tire. I just had a feeling that the tire would hit some of the debris.

I was wrong. I was catastrophically wrong.  The rear tire had contacted something that literally tore it apart. The inner most layer didn't break like all the other layers did, but instead began to leak slowly. When I heard the pop, I had already started to do the safety moves described above. It was because I smelled the burning rubber from the tire which was coming apart rather quickly.

I belong to Harley Owners Group, so I called and they arranged to have the tow truck drive the 60 miles out to get me and then deliver me to the Harley dealer. It took two hours, so I got out my quilt and relaxed on the road shoulder. When the operator from HOG was working through my service request, she asked if I were near a store or anything. I replied by telling her that the closest thing to me at that time was two butterflies trying to make love and a bean field.  She chuckled and after getting all my info, asked if there were anything else she could do. I said, yes, would you read me a story. She laughed and said no. So I did something that I always asked my cousin Patti to do. I asked her to make me a sandwich. She thought that was funny. Sooner or later, well actually much later, the truck showed up, but in the meantime, I had to entertain the North Dakota State Police. When the car pulled up, the nice kid in a grown up uniform asked me if I was having a picnic on the road. I said that I might as well, since the rear tire was blown and the tow truck had yet to arrive.  He understood that I wasn't all that crazy then. Shortly after he left I spoke with my sister in law, who had called, and I told her that I was on my way to prison because I didn't have enough tattoos, and far too many teeth to be on the Harley.  Actually I had asked to officer about the Elk herd that I had seen earlier. Was it a private farm? Was it a Reserve, run by the State of North Dakota? Perhaps a private hunting lodge? He wasn't sure, but he thought it might be the North Dakota Game Dept. Reserve. It certainly was a rare and powerful sight.

Tim, from Interstate Towing arrived, and the bike and trailer loaded easily. All that was needed was to head the 66 miles east to Grand Forks. While on the way there I alerted the staff at Andy's Harley Davidson in Grand Forks that we were on the way.  We got there just before closing, but Jim the service manager got right to writing me up and along with Dallas, one of the Techs, we had a team effort in getting the bike and trailer off the tow truck and into the shop.  I am having them put on a new Dunlop, instead of the Metzler that I had on there. Perhaps it is the fact that this might not have happened on a Dunlop tire. While it is in the shop they are going to see if the timing chain tensioners are ok, or if I need to have the timing chains replaced.  While I looked for my Extended Warranty Card, we discussed options.

I couldn't find the card, so I called Todd from Wolverine, who had given me his cell phone number in case of an emergency. Get this; I had not had a reason to call him this whole trip, and today I called him twice. The first time was due to some North Dakota gas stations removing the high octane gasoline option from their pumps and putting in what is being called E85. This fuel is almost all alcohol, but it is 105 octane. I had called Todd to see if it was safe to put in the machine. FOR ALL YOU BIKE GUYS OUT THERE ---- DO NOT PUT E85 DERIVATIVE FUEL IN YOUR BIKE. 

The second time I had to call and disturb his home life was to have him get my number for the extended warranty service. The card, which was in my wallet, is not there. I have no idea where it is. Tonight, after Tim from the wrecking company dropped me off (I left him with a nice tip) I am calling Holiday Inn of Grand Forks my home. Gosh, I hope I can get out of here tomorrow.

I told Dennis (the VP of Andy's Harley) and Jim the Service Mgr. that I had come here to have experts determine what course of action I would need to take to complete the journey that I had started so many months ago.  I find out tomorrow, what my options are, and are not.

I will, make it home. I am so close to Minnesota that I could actually throw a stone and hit the western most part of that state. I just want to ride across the border and not walk across the border.

More tomorrow.