Canadian Rockies '18: The First Day

START LOCATION: Winter Garden, FL
END LOCATION: Port Allen, LA
MILES TRAVELED: 710
TOTAL MILES TO DATE: 710
WEATHER SUMMARY: Oh, boy...

All through the day, I kept thinking to myself, "This isn't how I saw this day going."

I've ridden all 48 states and several Canadian provinces. We've ridden in all kinds of conditions - but I've never experienced a day quite like today.

I left home 50 minutes late. That really wasn't much of a surprise. I've been tired, so I went to bed last night knowing there were things left to do. And then I needed to take care of some things for a friend. No big deal.

I only had a half of a tank of gas, so I stopped to fill up before getting on my way. That's where the day got... interesting. The gas pump literally spewed gas everywhere. I cleaned that up, got on the bike to go, and it wouldn't start. I didn't know then, but it seems something is failing in the left switch housing. More on that later... Starting to get hot, I shed my mesh jacket and helmet, knocking off my sunglasses in the process. They landed on the passenger pillion, where I left them. Bad move. Because I forgot about them. When I got the bike started, I left the glasses there - and they are no more. When I realized it, I drove back to the station to search - losing more time - all to no avail. That was unsettling issue #1.

At my first real gas stop (not counting the stop to top the tank off before I left), my debit card was declined because we forgot to notify the bank we were traveling.  A six-gallon tank and two gas stops within a couple of hours 200 miles apart will trigger a fraud alert every time. That was unsettling issue #2.

I rode to Tallahassee in partly-sunny 85-degree conditions, and then saw the rain coming. My first thought was to keep going to let what I thought might be a brief shower cool me off. I really believe the Lord prompted me to reconsider and suit up. I pulled over and put on the whole deal - rain jacket, pants, and boot covers. It's a good thing I did.

As I stated earlier, we've ridden in some interesting conditions. Never have I ridden through rain quite like this. I stayed on my ride plane schedule, riding through it until I reached DeFuniak Springs. The best word I know to describe what I experienced is torrential. I grabbed a quick $3.13 lunch, then pressed on.

Almost immediately upon leaving the gas-and-lunch stop, I began to experience difficulty with my cruise control. A stop at a rest area did not resolve the problem. I finally figured out that pulling in the clutch lever and releasing it would cause the cruise control to engage for anywhere from 15 seconds to 15 miles or so. So I was able to get some brief breaks for the right (throttle) hand. Needless to say, I was frustrated.

And then there was the weather. With the exception of some few-and-far-between breaks in the weather, I rode through rain all the way to Port Allen (just west of Baton Rouge)... some 450 miles. With no cruise control. Frustrated does not begin to adequately describe my day.

An Uber ride to WalMart produced some things I used to try to fix the bike and a $9.33 Subway meal. Returning to the hotel via another Uber, I tried to fix the bike, all to no avail.

So... the plan is altered. Instead of converging in Port Allen, I'll get up early and ride to a Harley-Davidson dealership in Alexandria, LA in hopes of diagnosing and repairing my bike. The thought of riding another 9,000 miles with no cruise control is not appealing at all.

I'll try to update tomorrow with a remedy or a plan of something.

As I wait on my wet clothes to dry, all I have is this... from the first chapter of the book of James in the Bible:

Count it all joy my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

That's all I have. But it's enough.

Until tomorrow...