Days 44 to 46: August 4 - 6

Day 44: August 4th 38,??? on the odometer

Suitably refreshed, today we head back to Augusta. My tires should be arriving soon. First we decide to hit the sites on the island, which has a fair amount of history and historical sights. I find it interesting, and we get in a bit of hiking as well.
Ceci’s bike reverts to form, as the gremlin bell is apparently losing some of its magic. The Vulcan dies and won’t restart. Apparently we ran it out of gas, and it’s taking a bit re-fire on reserve. A little patience is all it takes to remedy the problem and we’re back on the road.
About half way back we see thunderstorms building. Tall dark clouds. Not what I wanted to see, especially with my bald tires. Bits of rubber are beginning to flake off the rear. We can’t avoid them though and eventually find ourselves in a pretty nasty storm. The wind gusts are blowing me all over the road. Ceci is trying to read the wind by what is happening to me in front of her, but it is no use. In the seconds it takes for her to get where I was the wind has shifted to blow the opposite direction. This is dangerous. What’s worse, the wind blows the paper I’ve been writing mileages on out of my map pocket. That’s why you keep seeing ??? on the mileages above.
The first place of refuge we find is the firestation for Engine 9, in the middle of what looks like nowhere. The two men on duty welcome us in, as they are more than happy to let us stay now than pick us up off the street later. We spend a couple of grateful hours drying out and waiting for the storms to pass, before heading uneventfully back to Keith’s. Have to guess the mileage again, but I figure just over 200 for the day.



Day 45: August 5th 38,??? on the odometer

We take another day for rest and recovery. The bikes don’t move as it is stinking hot outside. Instead we busy ourselves with laundry, housework, and internet surfing while visiting with family. I really should have written down my mileage at this point, but do not.



Day 46: August 6th 38,??? miles on the odometer.

The new tires have arrived, so today I busy myself pulling the wheels off the Bandit. I manage to somehow snap one of my brother in law’s sockets while trying to remove one of the front calipers. Fortunately it is a Craftsman socket so it is easily replaced. It is a good thing I am replacing both tires as I find a nail that has punctured the front tire when I get it off the bike. I figure there were only a couple hundred miles left in it anyway.
The shop, Augusta Kawasaki/Suzuki won’t be able to mount the tires until tomorrow afternoon, so we’ll be staying here at least one more day. We stop at another motorcycle shop where Ceci buys me a gremlin bell to ensure we both have good fortune for the rest of our trip. I remain skeptical but mount it anyway thinking it couldn’t hurt. Still no luck finding something comfortable to sit on though. My butt is better but still a bit sore, and I’m not looking forward to putting it back in the saddle. It is still stinking hot outside.