Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Getting the bike serviced

This morning we took our bike for its 24,000 mile service. It was a 0.3 mile drive from our motel to the BMW/Harely Davidson dealer. By getting up at an un-natural hour we managed to be there at 8:30, half an hour after their service department opened, as it turned out.


We ended up sitting around the dealer's until our bike was ready at 2 pm. Wanda revisited an earlier blog and populated it with photos. Chris climbed up the walls most ot the time, although he did make a few new friends, too. Jack has two motorbikes at home and is looking for another one.

We were keen to get on the road. The day had dawned bright and sunny, but now it was getting very overcast. Our original schedule (that did not include any allowance for motorbike servicing) had us travelling to Bailey via a scenic loop. Given the late start, we took the shorter route there, but not without a detour to Cripple Creek and Victor. As it turned out, these were all damn fine motorcycle roads.
We also had the option of riding up Pike's Peak, famous since 1916 as the sight of the Annual 4 July Pike's Peak Hillclimb. This is a 12 mile ride up a steep dirt road. We opted out of that. "Dirt road" isn't really attractive when riding a heavy bike, two-up, with heavy bags - and we were short of time. At least they're Chris's excuses, and as they say in the classics, "He's sticking to it"...

Turning left at Woodland Park and left again at CO 67. we headed for the old gold mining towns of Cripple Creek and Victor. These are historic old towns full of interesting buildings that amply demonstrate the wealth that was won from the hills around here.
In Cripple Creek they are still mining gold - but in casinos. The central block of Maiin street in Cripple Creek is entirely taken up by two casinos - one on each side of the road. We stopped in one casino for a coffee before heading for Bailey, another 60-odd miles away. The ride was most enjoyable, and we arived there around 5 pm, and were keen to find lodgings.

There are no motels in Bailey, just a few B&B's. The girls at the store tried hard to contact a B&B for us but no-one answered their phone. We checked out one but they were not prepared, and the asking price varied depending on who we asked. It ended up double our budget. We were cold, damp, hungry and tired and a little annoyed that this town could not get its act together. Eleven miles down the road in the tiny town of Grant there was a motel. It was getting dark and started raining as we rode there.

When we got there, the proprietors were not in - they had to go to Denver for a doctor's appointment. The only other choice we had was to ride another 30 miles to look for another motel. We rang their cell phone and learned they had a room available, but would not be back until 9 pm.

They suggested we get dinner and come back later. As it turned out, there is no restaurant in Grant, so we had to return to Bailey. It was almost dark when we arrived at the diner. The food was basic, but filled our bellies.


It was completely dark when we rode back to Grant. Riding in the dark is something we are most anxious to avoid. So far we have done so successfully. Chris's eyesight is not as good as it used to be, and night driving presents challenges. Then there is the wildlife you wouldn't want to meet in the dark... At least it wasn't raining.

Our relief in reaching Grant safely again was almost palpable. It was getting quite cold, but fortunately the motel owners had left their foyer open and lit. We were able to fit two chairs we found outside the rooms into the foyer, and sat down to await their arrival at 9:30 pm. They were really nice poeple, and gave us a discount for waiting for them (as if we had much choice - they could have charged us double, and we probably would have paid it!). It was a lovely room. Fortunately these people were a little more professional and organised for guests.

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