Moving the bags to the picnic table, I first unloaded my favorite helmet, three sets of gloves, my favorite boots and my leather jacket. I moved them into the rig where they would be easily accessible for riding and temperature controlled. I know at some point I will need to redistribute things in the bags and keep one inside the RV but that's a chore for another day.
Tackled the tie-downs at the rear, took a minute but they released. Phew! Now on to the tough part - the front ones. Remember, the front ones match the ones in the back that slipped and let the rear end bounce. I had bought them because I thought they would be easy on my hands since they had large plastic coated ratchets. Unfortunately it takes two hands to release them...and strong ones at that. After working at it for half an hour, and really straining my right hand which is still puffy this morning, I went over and asked my neighbor to help.
Using the side door, he worked on releasing the right side. We did this side first since the kick stand was down and that would take the weight of the bike - of course the front chock also helps keep it upright. After several tugs, pulls, twists, yanks and strains, he got it to release. Now to the left side....
As you can see, there isn't a lot of side room when the bike is loaded. Well, my neighbor is a bit on the short but round side. With the bike leaning it's very hard for anyone to squeeze past the saddle bag, so I stood on the right side and pulled it upright so he could get past. Fortunately this side released a bit quicker even though he still wasn't sure what the "trick" was to getting them to let go (note: I left the tie-downs bagged and sitting in the kitchen/lounge area for anyone who wants them). He squeezed back out and started to leave....I asked him if he would hang around a bit since I had never backed a bike out of a trailer & down a ramp before.
Another adventure....I know anyone experienced would have had it out in a tenth of the time it took me. LOL! But I did it and didn't lose my balance or get stuck. Whoo-Hoo! Even better, it fired the first time I tried. No gloves, helmet but I ran it around the park twice to get a sense of it again and to let the engine warm a bit. Even in that short a trip I could sense how much better it handled being on dirt, gravel and grass (as I avoided speed bumps when possible).
I parked it in front of the Lily Pad and snapped a few photos. A successful day! I didn't go for a longer ride since being the anal person I am, I wanted to map out a route as well as figure out where to find the Post Office and local grocery store.
Since it was warm (mid 70's) and sunny, I pulled down my side awning over my living room window. I was amazed at the amount of moisture still inside as I rolled it down. Guess that means I need to do the same with the big awning to let it dry out, too windy yesterday though.
Spent the night writing out my few Christmas cards (family & a very few friends) so I could mail them today. Spent an hour on the phone with an old friend from the local area, then another half hour talking to a new friend in the area. Mapped out a nice 110 mile route for today then watched some shows I recorded and finally off to bed, still too late but at least before 1 am.
Got up with full intentions of heading out at a decent hour to drop off my mail at the post office, pick up a loaf of bread and do the nice ride I mapped out. Well, sometime during the night fog moved in....BIG time fog. I opened the door and everything was dripping wet. UGH! Back inside after checking the bike and being sure the cover was still secure.
It's now 1 pm and still in the mid 60's and cloudy although the fog has dissipated. First things first, I need to dump the tanks today. As many of you already know, the gauges aren't to be trusted and since my black tank never reads below 1/2 tank, it's hard to know when to dump. I had read where you can tell when you see the water rising when you flush the toilet. Well, that happened this morning. I had dumped my gray tanks before I headed to the Ford dealer in New Braunfels but not the black. That meant I only had a week's worth of gray tank use so since I'm hooked up to water, I just ran it to add more to the gray and then dumped. I'm getting pretty good at it...what used to take me 30 minutes now takes maybe 10.
My shirt has changed from short sleeve to long sleeve to short sleeve again, it's one of those days. I'm trying to wear my holiday shirts...I kept them, I need to use them.
I am truly seeing that I can live comfortably with much less than I have with me...but it's hard to get rid of things that are duplicated (plastic bowls, extra plates, too many coffee cups, shoes, shirts, etc) when I know I will have to buy replacements at some point. So I won't hesitate to toss when well used/abused and slowly cull things that way. I'm still working on the paperbacks...just have to avoid that section of Wal-Mart. LOL!
Time to get off my butt and take a walk...before it rains....and yes, it looks and feels like it will rain soon. Sigh....hoping for some sun tomorrow....Christmas cards are REALLY going to be late now.
Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna
Stu and Donna
You might like the dryer humidity of Arizona better. At least you are where it is warm, even if wet.
ReplyDeleteI have wondered if your tie downs would be better or easier if they came from the sides of the trailer rather than from the floor level? It might not really make any difference but the geometry just seems more direct.
I pass on my books as giveaways through my blog, or through Book Crossing, or leave them in campgrounds.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have a trailer yet for the bikes...we will likely change bikes before we go full time on the road. It was interesting getting them in and out of the U-Haul; it'll be even more interesting when it becomes a frequent chore.