VROC - Deadwood, SD / Solvang, Ca - Revisited!
- 7/28 1600 - Post script on my tire: It just get's "better"... sigh
Can I add to the trip from "heck"???
When the tire mounting folks put the tire on in ELY, they disturbed
my valve stem, I now have a 2-3 psi leak / day...
SO, I get to do it all over again, take it to my wrench, and
they have to take my right muffler ( the one that rattled all
the way since Ely) off, tire off, to the tire place, remove/replace
a tire I didn't want at twice the price, put it back on, back to the
wrench, complete tire service...... for nothing, oh, I forgot the
$100 bucks wasted...... sigh...
I always look for good in things, it will be on the lift, he can
put my new kickstand spring on, rubber isolators to the
muffler so it won't rattle, and maybe lube my squeaky
kickstand!!!
The tire that won't die!!!
- Update 8/4 - Well, the muffler was busted, best guess is the tow guy when he winched it up into his trailer, it came up at an angle and busted the muffler off where the exhaust pipe meets it from the goats belly. My wrench has a welder next door, $40 and a $10 tip. Wrench fixed my kickstand and checked my back tire for leaks. He could not find any, a day later, no air loss. Guess lightning struck something... I know, I'll always wonder, sigh... Well, at least I didn't have to pay for a tire remove / replace.. Always good there somewhere! Logan, Ut ready!!!!
Round Trip to Deadwood, SD / Solvang, Ca
Click the above link to see a Google Map of my trip plans...... I was at the rally for 4 nites, and 3 days. Got in Tues nite 7/9, rally was Wed, Thurs and Fri, left on Sat 7/13.
Click on links to my pics from 2 years ago to Deadwood, SD '11 Trip To Deadwood
Same for links to Solvang, Ca 2011 2012
This years Solvang, Ca rally was 7/18-20, leaving on Sunday 7/21.
Sherm's blog, when Ya get to the end of a page, click on "older posts" at the bottom. It goes from most current back.... Covers both Deadwood and Solvang.
Sherm's excellent blog
Skid and Sandy's blog is also from current back to past and click on "older posts" for more info...
Skid and Sandy's excellent blog
Lanny did his a bit different, the days covered are listed on the right, pick one and enjoy!!!
Lanny's excellent blog
You owe it to yourself to look at the above 3 blogs! Many great shots and many names added to faces. That is what these rallies are about, putting names to faces!
So I thought I'd take a look at the lovely weather ahead... I'm cursed... sigh... Is this July???!!! Geez.....
I'm gonna get smacked!!! Geez, July on the left coast???!!!
Pics are from top to bottom, click on a pic for a larger pic, text for a pic is under it....
Unusual blog for me, I've been to these places before and did not take many pics... All in all, the trip included many challenges, ie: stuff! $*%)$!#*%!#), sigh...
Let the litany begin....
So far so good!!! GBG Ready to go, got Who-dog in the pic....
I like to take lunch with me, find spots like this and enjoy the country. Overlook on 88 out in the mountains...
Part 1...
Part 2...
Part 3... my preferred method of note taking...
Another nice lake along the way.... think it was Alpine..
And another...
On my way to Lovelock, Nv, got a room for $37 including tax... told my wife, this ought to be interesting.... it was... sigh... TV, no work, ditto for wifi, had to ask for cups, no ice machine, a bed, bathroom and not much else but the AC did work!!! Decent restaurant across the street, gas station and good to go!
Next stop Twin Falls, Id and got lost coming into town but pulled up by some scoot riders and they set me straight.
Next was Livingston, Mt. I didn't realize it be it is 1 1/2 miles from Yellowstone Park and they charge for it! Got a discount and still cost $100 a nite!
Interesting trip there, skirted Yellowstone on 287 and it was a gorgeous road! Almost made it with no rain, 'til getting gas in a little town south of Bozeman, before catching 84 into town. Whoosh! Yeah short and sweet!
On to Livingstone! This is where I lost my camera 2 years ago... once in a Blue Moon event.. in the room, plugs weren't working and I was trying to find out why, bumped my Blue Moon beer, tipped it over and it knocked my camera over and poured beer into it... toast! And that was before I got on Lolo Pass, one of the most beautiful roads ever!!!
Next day I wanted to take 212 across the plains but they had a 7 mile gap in it and it was not recommended for scoots... Apparently it was a good decision to not try it, the gap was 40 miles out in nowhere and when they do roads it's down to mud holes and bottom up.. not nice!
On to Deadwood and looking out over a balcony, looks like a motorcycle rally!!
VROC is a "no rules" group... casual to say the least/most! Great folks! You can see the list of rules on the white paper! GBG
Love that Vaquero!! Jerry T has a gorgeous scoot just like this! Maybe some day!
Thursday we went to Devil's Tower, I'd not gotten that visit 2 years ago, so off we went. Picture from afar. Big sucka!
At the park gates, got to use my ol' fart pass! Saved some bucks! GBG
At the base, there were folks climbing it, but not to be seen.
When we went to leave, I was one of the last ones to go. My scoot died! It was like the kickstand was not up, kicked it again, started it up and a little bit later, died again.... I had lost my kickstand spring!!
I caught a cage rider and told 'er what happened and circled around the parking lot to look for it, while holding it up with my left foot! Found it and got back to the group out by the visitor center and we all took a break and time to fix this thing!
Link to Ruby on 'er right side!
Well, it is normally a pain to put that spring on, I tipped my scoot over on 'er right side so the kickstand would be more exposed and one of the younger folks went to put it on.. it went right on NO EFFORT! He said, methinks Ya got a stretched spring, so out come the cable ties!!! Just to keep it on and not to loose the &#$(%#$*% thing!! We used 2 ties, top and bottom.. The above pic was back at the hotel, -1- tie!!!!
Everything is fixable! GBG And they are still there and working!
Next problem, my right running light hit my right shin on the last day in and was dangling by the wires. Lanny went to Walmart and while there got me a bracket, he's facing you and MacGuy is helping while Penmaker looks on...
Final tweeks...
Adjusting.. and done! I got both lights back!!!
Next I found my trunk was stress cracking and had to put on some more/larger washers to hold it secure! I'm just on a roll here.... sigh....
Folks are lining up to catch the trolly car to supper, I don't do evening meals so had an hour to myself.
Lanny and Tom M were talking routes. Lanny was looking for roads on the way home and Tom gave him some great ones!
Lauren, Trouble and zmean1 plotting something!
Badger joining in on the conversation.
The main part of any rally, evening BS and booze!! Social hours! GBG
Day 2 and lined up for a fall ride! GBG
Link to the entire group of us
On to lunch at Sturgis, SD! The big event will be soon and the town is getting ready! Nice place! It was warm out and we needed some shade!
Just some table shots, we took up 2 big 'uns!
Big place!
Poor Trouble, she had to sit with these signs!
Link to Our riding group on stage in Sturgis!!!
We made the big time!!! GBG
Time to head out for the rest of our ride thru come nice roads!
Trouble's beautiful scoot!!! IIRC, it was painted black and then several clear coats added, materials are cheap, the painter is the expense, new procedure, I guess....
Back at the motel, Mal decided he needed some beads for the ride/heat.
Must be supper time, the folks are congregating!
Skid, Sandy and Sherm are taking off in am and time to fill the trailer!
We entertain easily! Everyone watching!
In goes Skid!
In goes Sherm...
Done deal! Must be supper time!
Next day was to myself, I wanted to go back thru Custer State Park, no pics, did all that 2 years ago... Took a different route south thru Wind Caves road stopped here for my ever present take a lunch and enjoy it . Very nice picnic spot!!!
Ran into a guy that had come up the opposite way and he was explaining that the Ranger had to shoot the buffalo in the rump with a pellet gun to get 'um off the road. That man is braver than me!!!
Well, I guess I missed 'um all...
Caught a couple antelope, is all.
Headed back, the ever present road work, guess what was in front of me! Of course I had to go look...
Back in Deadwood, last nite and we were getting a shower and out comes the covers... Ruby was trash by then, clean 'er up after the trip...
Stinkin' paparazzi!!! GBG Last of the folks left... Penmaker, Zack, zmean1, Badger, Trouble and JameyT.. 'course the Cranky dude!
Great little rally! Very comfortable and great folks! Thanks again!!! to Jameyt and Trouble for doing this!!
Last supper! It was raining out a bit.. so we were on the veranda!
Got a double bow outta it!
Next day, Penmaker and I head for Rawlins, Wy.
We hit some of the storms that were forming, Penmaker was in the lead, pulled off and said "time for rain gear"... we just got back on the hiway, and smack!
This is a pic just before Penmaker came back from a supper hunt with no gear on ... yeah, a bit damp! Some good lightning too! Glad we were NOT on the road!
At our lunch stop we were looking at this Kawasaki - VROC is a Kawasaki - Vulcan Riders and Owners Club. It had 150K on it and the guy, a Viet Nam Vet, said it was trouble free! Plugs and fluids... We liked his "saddle"!!!
Well we went on to Delta, Ut and spent the nite... for some reason, I looked at my back tire and was shocked! The tire was gone and many thousands of miles before that point should have been reached... Well Hope is a ship and it sank... I hoped it would make it a few hundred more.... Literally, On the road again... sigh, blew out at road speed, came down with no problem and was completely toast!
I normally keep my keys in a little pocket in my left leg chaps, checked 'um on the way back to Stateline and they were not there, I assumed that I left them in the scoot and told Don/Penmaker so. It was NOT going anywhere! Got back to Ruby and no keys!
I lost the dang thangs!! Couple days later, got a ping from Penmaker, I have your keys! Luckily, I always have a spare set that is accessible...
Being bitch on a wing, my knees were higher than normal and the keys slid out! They fell down and caught on the left footboard and stuck! Penmaker gave them back at Solvang!!! I have 3 keys and wasn't looking forward to replacing them!!! Sometimes great things DO happen!!! GBG
I'm a member of ROK, Riders of Kawasaki, and Penmaker gave me a ride to the last gas stop about 15 miles back, Stateline border, and I called 'um.
They said a guy would be out from Ely, Nv to get me go back to the scoot... it took 2 hours - we were 51 miles east of Ely, and we got 'er into the Kawasaki dealer for repair....
Now, they don't stock much there, so I got to spend 2 nites waiting for a new tire fix! 2 nites - motel 6 - no wheels, not that they were needed... not much there! Hey, coulda been much worse!
Well, plans change... I plotted a new path, was headed home but headed to my next rally in Solvang, Ca, down thru Bishop, Ca. Super 8 here I come!
Some neat cars outside my front door! '57 shaker and ...
IIRC, '55 Merc. They were traveling together...
OK, troubles, sigh... when they changed my tire, something didn't work right and the right exhaust pipe they had to loosen, was rattling.. Get some tools outta my bags, take the bag off to tighten the screws... They were tight!
Something did not go right, and it rattled all the way home! $*($*(!$)_
Next morning, I couldn't find my cell phone... Well, I had set an alarm for 0800, wait for it to ring! 0800, ring.... well I decided to charge it and it was hanging behind my travel bag in a wall socket... Get old, get a memory like a steel sieve!!! Geez!!!!
So next day... head out of Bishop south and I see a gas station about 100 miles out.. I have ALWAYS said, out west, see gas, buy gas.... did I listen??!! NNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!! $#*)#$*%!#$) Had over 1/2 tank....
Got to watch it all burn up!!! Was on 14 and got to 58 interchange, peaked over the hill to see if there was anything own the road in Mojave, couldn't see anything, (it was there, couple miles and 8 gas stations!!! $*%!$%!$)*) and headed east to the 395/58 interchange and knew that there were many there.... 35 miles... After adding one of my spare 1.5L bottles of gas...
I pulled in at a pump and Ruby took 4.78 gal... I've NEVER gotten that far on a tank!!! She always coughs @ 4.6. I DID have another spare gas bottle tho..
OK, lunch, gas, and down the road. Got to 138 and headed back to 14, to 5, 126, 101 and 246, Solvang!!! Made it!!! Hotter'n crap out in the desert around 1500!!!
This is our Friday nite raffle 50/50 get together.
Sat, we did a run out to Avilla Beach, Sherm was stationed there 50 years ago, he was amazed at the change. Very little was there when he was!
Folks out playing on the beach.
We walked a waze out on one of the piers....
Well, time for all good things to end, turn out the lights, the parties over!!! GBG + sigh.....
Headed out on Sunday for home, planned on running 1 up the coast, ate a buncha fog and said *$#*%#)$ that, jumped on 46, over to 101 and home.
By time I passed King City, it was cooling down and I almost had fog, just the edge, but that told me Monterey was socked in, guess I made a good call.
Time to order some new muffler isolators, kickstand spring, get out the Kawasaki pre-wash good stuff and have at Ruby!
That was after hearing the dryer does not work, the dishwasher = same, sigh...
We called a repair guy that one of our local PGR RC's knew to come over, so far so good... That took care of Monday, Tuesday it was time to get the cranky machine out for a nice level 15m ride. My legs told me about all that time off!
Guess time for a hill today!!! Next comes Logan, Ut!!! mid August! On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again, sing it Willy!!!!
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