I got up, loaded my motorcycle and departed to Kurgan on Highway M51. Another uneventful day of driving from point A to point B. The roads were actually pretty good considering the last few days. I drove by a roadside hotel just before Kurgan and said to myself that I bet I don’t see another one. That was the last one I saw for the rest of the day. I drove probably another 60 miles/100 km east of Kurgan and stopped for the night. I was hoping for a hotel, but no luck. The countryside is flat with wheat fields and forests, usually one or the other. In the open areas the north wind would be blowing across the road at about 40 mph/65 kms. Then here comes four semi trucks about 100 feet/30 meters apart. First you’re being pushed sideways by the north wind to the right side of the road, then you meet a semi truck and it stops the wind and you’re sucked into the semi truck, then the truck passes and you’re hit by the north wind and it blows you to the right side of the road again. The next three semi trucks do the same thing. If you were following me you would think I’m a bobble head doll. First you’re in a high pressure area and your head is tilted to the right, then a low pressure area and your head is tilted to the left and back and forth and back and forth. This goes on in all the open areas and wheat fields. This tidbit is for the North Dakota people if they read this blog. You have not cornered the world on black soil i.e. the Red River Valley. I don’t know whether the soil is depleted or fertile but I say it’s black. This is for Alverne R. who has to look out her kitchen window and be able to see a ¼ of a mile. Some of the wheat fields I drove by you could look all the way to the horizon or vanishing point. Huge, huge acreage. The last gas station I stopped at had the Shell oil I was looking for. My motorcycle needs an oil change so I was quite happy to find it. I got back on the highway again and saw this dumpy looking parking lot or wayside. I wanted to find an empty four litre plastic jug. I got off my bike and checked it to see if it would stand alone or need its right side wooden leg to keep it from falling over. It seemed stable. I turned my back to pick up a plastic pail and the next thing I hear is crash. There laid my bike on its side, running. I shut it off and swore a blue streak. I was pissed. A gust of wind hit it from the kickstand-side and over she went. Now how do I get this thing on two wheels? I emptied the saddle bag on the ground and took off the tire. Then tried to lift it. No luck. All it wants to do is spin/turn on the saddle bag on the ground. I unloaded the top box and tried to lift again. It still just wants to spin on the saddle bag. I then got a brilliant idea/brain fart to shift the bike into 1st gear and then the rear wheel won’t turn when I lift and maybe it won’t turn on the saddle bag. I gave it another max effort lift, and up she went back on two wheels. I’m just steaming about this. The saddle bag is scarred up and I thought maybe I bent the handlebars. The right plastic hand protector is also scarred up. Things could be worse so I blew it all off. Ha Ha……..I had my bike all unloaded so I changed my oil there. I forgot to get a picture of my bike lying on its side. I guess my mind was elsewhere. It would have been a memorable moment. It was around 7:00 p.m., time to call it a day so I drove across the road on to a farm road and followed it back into his fields. I found a spot out of sight of the highway and no visible farm houses or farmsteads and set up camp. Wow, the mosquitoes. I had to wear my helmet with the visor down till I found my mosquito net that I could put over my head. I was in full riding gear setting up my tent and it was hot. By the time I was done I was sweating profusely. Everything inside was soaking wet from perspiration. I got everything staged by the front door, opened the tent and threw it in. I undressed inside the tent and never left it the rest of the night. If you opened the door 15 mosquitoes were inside in a second. I never mentioned it before but it doesn’t get dark here till after 10:00 p.m. Kind of like driving up to Alaska. Tired of fighting mosquitoes and still hot under collar about my bike tipping over, I went to bed. As I was laying there thinking about how far I had to travel in relation to tire wear it began to rain. I feel if the road doesn’t prematurely kill my tire by a puncture or breaking or cracking the casing, I should have enough tread to make it to Valdivostock, Russia on the Pacific Ocean. I hold my breath every time I look at the rear tire hoping not to see any lugs missing. I’m seeing more and more stress cracks around the lugs and the already the existing cracks are getting larger. I really don’t have that far to go………..somewhere around 3000 miles. The Michelin tire has held up much better than the Bridgestone, which was the first rear tire I had. I have a spare rear tire but it’s another Bridgestone. This tire business is kind of a guessing game.
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