Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Surrender Dorothy!

Wow, what a day!

I spent a week in Minneapolis with a friend and went to a week of rehearsals of The Wizard of Oz hence the Dorothy reference In the title.  

I just got back on the road again yesterday after a fun week with my friend.  I knew the weather was going to get bad at some point but was hoping to make it to my next stop before the storms got bad.  I drove a couple of hours and could see the dark clouds and knew I needed to find a stop for at least a few hours.  I ended up stopping at a Walmart in Worthington MN around noon.  I hung out in the trailer with the boys and did some work.  I decided I needed to wander around a bit so I went into the store, then across the street to Goodwill.  I heard there was a tornado warning over the radio but the one thing about traveling is you may know what town you're in but I have no idea what county I was in.  No one seemed terribly alarmed so I wandered outside to another store where still no one seemed alarmed.  The sky was really dark and the clouds parted in this weird way and it looked circular... But huge.  So I was watching the clouds as this huge arch was being created as the clouds were separating.  

As I was standing there this young girl, maybe 13 or so, comes up to me and asks if I had a car.  She was wandering around town while her parents were at work and wanted to get back home because of the tornado warning.  She was a bit scared as we were watching the clouds and this interesting teal color came thru the clouds.  I tried to ease her fears and told her to come with me into Walmart and she can call her parents.  

People were running out of the store to their cars and the girl was beginning to freak a bit.  She looks at me and asked while people were running and I told her people like to over react but all was going to be fine.  She told me she about held my hand.  We got inside and I brought her to the service desk and told them she needed to call her parents, said my goodbyes and left her in their hands.

As I was about to walk outside the clouds opened up and rain and wind like I haven't seen since being in Florida during a hurricane.  The store manager was by the door and I was looking out the windows.  He moved just an inch and the automatic doors flew open with a loud bang as we watched their plastic pools fly on by.

They made us all go to the back of the store... Which is really no place I want to be... I mean how do you get out?  All the employees and customers were in the back of the store by electronics... Hell if I am going to stand anywhere close to a bunch of TVs... Do these people not watch moviesand those seems of death by electronics??  So I moved over into the toy section and was looking for some sort of cushion to throw over my head if the roof should come off.  We were close to the furniture section so I eyed a few cushions and stayed somewhat close to them.

We were in there what seemed like forever but maybe 30 minutes or so.  I was quite concerned because my boys were out in the trailer.  What if the trailer tipped over... What if they got out... Will they be alive when this is done.  I tried not to get myself in a panic as I was thinking about loosing them all in one day.  That would be devastating to me.

We could hear the rain and on occasion some hail hitting the roof.  I just thought of what you see of Walmart on the news when a tornado hits... Wondering what it would be like but yet I was really clam.  Talked to a few people and played with some toys.

It seemed like the weather was dying down a bit so I walked to the front to see if I could see my bike and trailer.  It looked like all was well.  I got told to go back to the back of the store so I did.  It was a little bit longer and we were finally out of the tornado warning and it was just a severe thunderstorm warning.   We finally were free to go outside or finish our shopping so I went outside in the rain and wind to check on things.  My motorcycle fell over but the trailer was still upright.  The leg thing on the front of the trailer was bent to the side because of the bike falling but other than that all looked ok.  

People of course passed as they were trying to get home so I went back in the store for a few minutes. Finally the wind and rain died down and I went back outside and these 2 guys got out of their car and helped me pick up my bike.  The bike started and the trailer was still connected so I rode down the street to a hotel.   

Completely sopping wet the first hotel was full.  Got to the second hotel wetter than a fish and they had an opening.  The front desk person made me wait in my clothes that I could of rung out and fixed the drought in California while she had to get cookies out of the oven.  Finally she came back so I could check in and proceeds to tell me that the rain was good because they are in a drought.  Guess she hasn't seen a real drought like the southwest.

The rest of the evening I was nice and dry while the boys were in the wet trailer.  There was an amazing light show during the evening.  Amazing lightening going across the sky but other than that it was an uneventful evening.  I need to get up with the sun and check everything to be sure I am good to be on the road.  Will probably have to stop at a RV repair place at some point during the day to see if they can fix the leg thing on the trailer.  I am hoping to have trailer lights... Something went funky with the trailer wireing harness and it wouldn't plug in correctly when I left Walmart but I got it plugged in but couldn't check the lights a little later in the evening... So hoping that isn't an issue.  I just had that fixed a little over a week ago... That's another story...

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Home Sweet Home

I am so happy to be on the road with no where to go... this is where I feel at home.  People always say "Have a nice trip" but this is life not a trip to me.  It is survival, happiness, safety, home.  I wake up with a smile on face and go to sleep at night without nightmares.  Life is good and I am blessed.  Keep a look out for me.  :D

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Hit the Road Jack

Had to put off home on the road for a day because of the weather.  :(. Hittin the road in the morning.  Not going all that far since I have to work but at least I will be home.  I did spend the day finish packing and I am quite excited for the room I found from getting rid of stuff and leaving a few items behind.  I also took Blue out for a short ride to see how she feels and she is running fabulously!  

Here are a few pictures of Blue and TicTac.  Blue is looking good after all the new parts and TicTac has tons of room.


No more duct tape!  



Still a bit of stuff but I can actually get into everything.


If I didn't have the boys I would have a mansion but I do love my boys.


Can't wait to get lost on the road.  Wonder what I will see.  Life is good!





Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Seat Debacle


People have been telling me for quite some time I needed a new seat for Blue.  It is all duct taped and finally comfortable... and well, I never had the extra few hundred dollars for a new seat.  I finally decided as the duct tape was starting to stick to my pants and Blue passed 97,000 miles it was time to splurge on a new seat.  I had no idea it would be a weeks worth of searching to find a new seat... If I had known that I probably wouldn't of gotten a new seat.

I have a solo seat which gives you very few options.  Would love to have a heated seat but couldn't find one.  You would think riding alone they would realize you probably need it more than riding with someone on back but Owell.  I thought I found a newer version of the solo seat I had but it had this weird part in the middle of the seat.  It dipped down a bit and then had a metal harley emblem.  They totally weren't thinking there.  First as a woman who rides I constantly have UTIs.  I ride thru the sun and rain and a TMI a seat that catches the rain is never good when it is your time of the month.  The feminine products in or out soak up that water like nothing.  Haha.. That is why I changed to the Diva Cup but that is a different story.  Anyways... This dip in the seat with a metal emblem that will get nice and toasty in the sun.  My seat could burn my rear on a hot day without metal on it.  

So of course that seat wasn't going to work.  I found another seat online and ordered it.  It came a few days later and totally was not a touring seat.  It might have been an 1/8 inch thick and it was at least 1 inch thinner on either side.  So I had to send it back.  

Then my dad remembered a guy who reupholstered seats so I called him and it would cost the same as a new seat.  I started searching again.  I called every Harley shop in a 200 mile radius of my parents house and finally found the exact seat I have on Blue.  I called and they said they could hold it for 24 hours.  It was 90 miles away in Bowling Green so I figured my dad and I would take the short morning ride to go pick it up.  They also said they were having a pancake breakfast for extra motivation.  We get up early and hit the road.  It was a beautiful morning and a fabulous ride.  We get to the shop and no where was there a pancake breakfast...  Really fine by me because I don't really like pancakes or pancakes made in masses.  Again, another story.  So I go to the parts department and the lady went back to get my seat and came back with nothing.  She was very nervous because I was really pissed.  I tried to compose myself as we tried to figure out the misstep.  They have another store in Louisville which I had called a few hours before I called this store in Bowling Green.  When I called Louisville they said they didn't have it and when I called the 270 number for Bowling Green they said they did have it.  Come to find out my seat was in Louisville and they were having a pancake breakfast and the woman thought I was nuts.  I know I am dyslexic but I don't make mistakes like that.  I believe the lines are connected and I was transferred wrong but we will never know.  They should see if there was a new girl on the phones that day.  Louisville said they would ship the seat to me and I received it today.  


Old seat and New seat.  I have to take the bracket off the old seat and put it on the new seat.  Hopefully it will come off.  Took off the old seat and found a billion ants... So glad they didn't march into my woohoo.  Hoping I don't have a sore rear for the next 10,000 miles.  

Blue is going to look good.  My dad and I spent quite a bit of time last week getting her ready to hit 100,000 miles (all my miles).  She got new foot board inserts, grips, oil change, clutch adjustment and oil change, transmission oil change, new air filter we are putting on today and a couple new bulbs. She is looking good and riding good.  Excited to get back on the road.  Hoping the weather holds out so I can hit the road in the morning.  Life is good!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Gone Fishing

I have spent the last week or so at my parent's house in Kentucky.  My dad and I went out on the boat a few times to go fishing.  I really love being on the water... casting and reeling in the line but not a huge fan of actually touching fish.  For whatever reason there were a couple of fish who couldn't wait to get off the hook and flung around in the boat.  Yes, I screech and my dad picks them up off the boat floor to throw them back in.  haha... but life is good out on the lake.  Here are a few pictures from one of our days out on the lake.


Ready to fish!




Love this tree!

My dad's catch of the day... he wasn't having a lot of luck.




One of the fishies that jumped off the hook.

My dad telling everyone that was mine and I am a wimp. lol

How I hold the line after multiple fish jump off the hook.

Beautiful day on the water.  Life is good!