Sunday, October 11, 2009

2 September 2009, Anchorage, Alaska

I got up sometime around 7:00 a.m. and installed the new tire on the rim. I thought for sure it was going to be a bear of a job being a new tire and all. I bet I had that tire on the rim in less than 30 minutes. The last new tire I installed on the rear wheel was tough. It really didn’t want to go on. It took a lot of convincing to get it on. Cleaning up the mess took longer than installing the tire. I just caught my sister leaving for the gym and asked her to drop me off at The Motorcycle Shop so I could get my tire balanced. I wanted to get there early so they would balance my tire while I waited. We arrived at 9:30 a.m. and the shop opened up at 10:00 p.m. They started balancing it about 10:05 a.m. and I had it back by 10:30 a.m. I paid the service manager and thank him for his prompt and speedy service. He also gave me about a 50% break on the price of balancing my tire after he found out that I had traveled around the world. I was very grateful for that. I re-installed my rear tire, oiled my chain and cleaned the place up some. I asked my sister to wash all my clothes and I got ready for supper. John and Doreen invited all their children and some of their extended family over to their house to meet me. I was a small time celebrity for 15 minutes. We talked about my travels and looked at some pictures. I answered all or most of the questions presented to me. People started leaving for home about 9:00 p.m. and continued to do so until about 11:00 p.m. Mack repaired the WiFi on my Panasonic Note Book. He just became my fourth hero. He saved me from having to send it back to Panasonic for warranty work when I get home. I said all my goodbyes to everybody because when I get up tomorrow everyone will be in school or at work. I showed Doreen and a couple of her daughters how to eat chocolate cake by putting it in a bowl and pouring milk over the top of it. They had never seen that before. They then proceeded to tell me about some of the unusual dishes they have seen over the years like popcorn in milk. I can’t say it’s crazy, but I've never heard of that. What a great time I had with these folks and their family. I want to thank John for allowing me to work on my motorcycle and use his tools. I needed that new tire because the old one would have lasted only until the end of the Alaskan Highway. Then I’d have to find new one and pay to someone to mount and install it. I usually develop a foul mood in those kinds of situations. Off to bed.

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