My sojourn in Denver was over, and I had new alternator and regulator, all provided at the standard inflated BMW prices. I was grateful that the staff seemed to go out of their way to get the parts ordered and the bike fixed within the time it took. As I waited in Denver, the heat increased, and the forest fires to the north of the city caused some concern. As soon as I could, I headed north through Wyoming and Montana. I needed to stop in Missoula, where I had been last summer with my northern family, and get a new sprocket and chain.
My Guardian Angels were working overtime when my front tire blew at speed. I managed to get Blondy stopped without crashing. I had assumed that the Heavy Duty tubes were safer for touring, and I have since discovered that they in fact are designed for more off track riding, and that they heat up and deteriorate on the slab. Lesson learned, I hope. I had quite a time finding a replacement tube, as the tube I was carrying for the past 10 months was too wide for the tire I had. A nice Mexican tire mechanic in a small Montana town raided his bosses' sons' dirt bike for the proper 21 inch tube, and got me on my way. I hope he didn't get in trouble, and I really appreciated his willingness to help me out.
Flat in the hinterlands of Montana...
Another pic for my Eagle friends...
This weekend, I attended the BC Dualsport ride organized around the North Island region of Vancouver Island. I spent quite some time in my travels telling my friends in South America, Central America, Mexico, and Europe about the beauties of Canada, and particularly B.C. I will attempt to give my friends a better idea through some pictures and discussion....
One of the members of DSBC has this very interesting 750 cc. Suzuki..
This KTM below was brought over from Australia, and the rider showed up for the North Island Ride. Fortunately, he was able to see a black bear, without running it over....
This KLR sidecar came to the Island from the Kamloops area...
The ride was not without incident...
Dave has organized a number of excellent rides of the North Island region. He also contributed a great deal to the TCAT Vancouver Island section...this trail is now completed, and stretches from Newfoundland to Winter Harbour on Vancouver Island...
We collected some natural coal from the beachfront to use in our campfire during the evening....
Another incident resulted in another slide and some damage to one of the bikes. Lesson learned: give the guy in front of you lots of room, and use your indicators....
A beautiful sight, north of Sayward...
