Date: Monday, September 3, 2018
Last night I slept until 5:30. I was in and out, then suddenly woke up. It was 8:30.
I called Howard. He said he would pack some tools, a floor jack and a tank of compressed air to simplify the work. He added that once he picked up the rear wheel at his storage unit he’d head our way.
Last night I was of course thinking about what happened. My theory was that the side thrust of the trailer on the wheel in the downhill hairpins caused the spoke nipples to break and puncture the tube.
A few minutes ago I inspected the tire to ensure there was no debris inside it. This is what I found:
Obviously the nail caused the flat. So did the spoke nipples let go per my theory, or break due to the flat?
I don’t think my patch kit will fix this:
Thankfully Don sent me off will a couple of tubes.
HOWARD TO THE RESCUE & THE REPLACEMENT REAR WHEEL
The job went exceptionally well. While we worked Lee walked down to a store.
We buttoned up the bike and talked some more then it was time for Howard to press on. For is kindness I gave him a rebuilt u joint and some petcock parts that Don had given me. He was thrilled.
Lee and I sat next to a tree and ate the salads she’d bought.
Location: Davis, Ca
Departure Time: 1:15 pm
Starting Mileage: 26,074
We turned onto RT 113. It was a four lane divided highway, but was okay. Eventually it turned into a two lane road that took us through extensive farm lands.
Bubba was running great and it felt good to run at speed along flat open roads.
4000 rpm seemed to be the sweet spot so that’s where I kept it. In 4th the spedo indicated 60 mph, 70 mph in 5th.
At one point we saw tomatoes in the road, then more and more tomatoes. As we passed by one field, off to the right we saw a big tractor pulling a harvesting machine. Tomatoes were coming out of its’ chute and dropping into an open top trailer being pulled next to it. Just past that there were two trucks parked, each hitched to two trailers heaping with tomatoes. It was such a cool site. Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture.
At one point I sensed Bubba was losing power. I turned on reserve and waited, no change. Seeing a driveway up ahead I downshifted and turned in. It obviously led to a ranch. The tank was just about empty. We sat in the shade and had a snack and some water. A vehicle tuned into the drive so I walked over to the open window. A woman with deep facial lines asked if we were ok. We chatted briefly, she told me how she and her husband used to ride Harleys.
FUELED UP & READY TO GO
Since Bubba was now relatively cool I got the gas jug out, filled up the bike and we were off.
From 113 we turned onto Rt 99, then 148 to 70 N. 70 N took us through Feather River Canyon. It was stunningly beautiful. Here are some pictures:
We descended for miles then ran along the river. The serpentine road wasn’t as tight as the passes we navigated yesterday and I took it easy in the corners. Eventually the road began to straighten out and were we back at speed.
We turned onto RT 36 E and rode into Susanville where we stopped for gas, it was 7:00 pm. I bought some octane booster, an apple and a package of jerky. Little did I know that it would be my dinner.
I gave Bubba some octane booster and added some to the gas jug before filling them.
We made the decision to continue on to Alturas, a little over 100 miles away. Lee called ahead and gave the guy her card # to hold a room for us. He told her the office closed at 10:00 and he’d charge her card even if we didn’t show.
We exited Susanville. Somehow I missed the sign for 395 N and ended up going south. It was a 25 mile mistake that cost us precious time.
Now on RT 395 N we were on a mission. A sign appeared for Alturas, 98 miles. It was dark, the road was desolate. Minutes and miles passed. 82 miles, 65 miles, 53 miles, the temperature was dropping. A deer shot across 100 feet ahead so I laid on the horn. 36 miles, an elevation sign read 5000 feet. 19 miles, I could feel fatigue engulfing me, the fingers on my right hand were numb. There were pockets of warm air followed by cold. I prayed for the warm air since I was chilled, but didn’t dare stop to add a layer.
Finally, lights appeared on the horizon. We began a long, gradual descent and rolled into town. I thanked God for His protection.
Lee said to look for a Chevron station. We turned right just past it then turned right again into The Hosienda Motel lot. I parked the bike directly in front of the office, it was 9:55 pm. We made it!
Within minutes of laying down I was fast asleep unlike the previous nights where I would lie there with multiple details swirling in my head. At 5:00 I woke up, 6 hours of good sleep.
Ending Mileage: 26,451
377 miles, not bad
Adventures With Bubba 