We may be staying at Melissa’s home, but we’ve still set up a camp like we usually do when traveling. Her adult children have taken over the house by mutual arrangement, and she’s been splitting her time between catching up with them and hanging out with me. It’s a balancing act, but she’s been doing a great job of it.
I’d set up my tarp awning, but my poles were already on their last legs after the Ironwood Meetup, and a moderate breeze did them in. We set up Melissa’s MoonShade instead, which clips right into the eye bolts I put on my roof racks as if I designed my setup for it. This gives us shade on sunny days and shelter on rainy days so we can still be outside. I hung my Luci light from the edge of it to cast a warm glow on our camp after dark if we want to be outside.
I have a long list of things to do while parked here — van stuff, bike stuff, other things… It’s nice to be able to tackle these projects at my own pace without worrying about things taking longer than they should and having to move on if the 14-day limit hits. I fixed the LED strip lights inside the van, which had broken and failed down the passenger side wall. Best of all, I didn’t spend a cent to do it, using leftover bits and pieces from previous strip light installations in both vans and the trailer. The replacement strip isn’t as long as I’d prefer, but I can live with it for being a free fix.
I’ve wanted to play with a drone for a while but could never justify the cost. Adventuring With Amanda gave me a smoking deal on one that she reviewed. The US Postal Service lost it for a few days, but it just arrived. I’m looking forward to learning to fly it, as well as the pictures and video it should get me. Here’s the one pic I got during my first attempt before the depleted battery died.
Since I don’t trust my nearly bald rear motorcycle tire on gravel roads and in an area where it rains, Melissa and I took the 4Runner to Eureka Springs, where the Spring Fling Bike Rally is going on. It reminded me a lot of Sturgis, where it was almost all Harleys and an occasional Indian, and just about everyone wore leather and no helmets. I have nothing against people doing what they enjoy, but it isn’t really my scene when it comes to motorcycles.
Melissa wanted to show me Eureka Springs anyway, and some internet people I know holding a meetup there made it a good time to go. It’s a neat little town, regardless of whether a bunch of bikers are hanging out there or not. I’ll definitely go back sometime when it’s a bit less crowded. The curvy ride up Route 23 will be worth it, too, especially with less biker traffic.
Seeing all the bikes made me a little bit sad to not be on mine. However, my replacement motorcycle tire just arrived at the nearby Cycle Gear. The weather has cooled off a bit, so I was able to remove the back wheel without sweating up a storm (though it’s nice having access to a shower anytime I need it). The bike was still strapped down from the trip east, so I released the rear straps, then used my floor jack to raise the back of the bike off the ground, pivoting on the front wheel and using the two front straps to hold the bike upright. It worked much better than I expected. I slid the axle back into place and put a jack stand under it for safety.
Melissa is on her way back from things she had to do. I’ll wrap the dirty wheel up in a tarp, and then we’ll take it to Cycle Gear to get the new tire mounted and balanced. If I don’t have time to put the wheel back on today, I can do it tomorrow. I’m looking forward to having my own independent transportation back, as well as a bike to explore all the amazing riding around this area.
Smokey Da Van 