Road Trip 2005

National Park Run

Trip Summary

     Day 01

     Day 02

     Day 03

     Day 04

     Day 05

     Day 06

     Day 07

     Day 08

     Day 09

     Day 10

     Day 11

Day 05

 

Day five started out with the cool breeze blowing through the tent and water from the creek setting on the camp stove heating up for a cup of coffee.

 

With the much needed cool air and the wanted rest, we took our time breaking down camp and packing up.

 

From there we would be riding under the giant sequoias and red woods, with our fist stop at General Sherman.  The larges tree in the word.  "It is huge."

 

After that we would be easing out the other side of the park and take road to Yosemite National Park.  But before then we would have to encounter more problems with the bike.
After leaving General Sherman and all his glory, while driving through the park, we would pull off at almost every possible stop to take in the scenery.  The next bike problem came at one of these stops.

This particular stop was on a road side pull out.  One in the middle of a blind curve.  A stop that you would have to pull off to quickly so that would might not be hit by on coming traffic that might or might not be coming around the corner.

So with a dart off the road, we caught a large pot hole that jarred us and the bike real hard.  Luckily enough there was no damage to the bike or to the front wheel.  No damage that we could see at the time.

Now with a few pictures taken, we continued on down the road and out the other side of the park.
With Sequoia National Park in our rear view mirror and Yosemite in our sites we headed down the road.  Stopping on occasion to take in the views.  But while on the bike, strange things started were happening.  Every once in a while the speedometer would fluctuate...  Not really strange in a way knowing that I have had this problem before.  That and it is one of the hundreds of issues most Harley owners have with their bikes...  Yet it seamed to be different from what I have seen in the past.
Now with every stop we would make, another issue would make it's self know of the on coming problem with the bike.  That is, every third time we would go to start the bike, it would struggle to turn the engine over.  This again could be nothing more that a weak batter, so we moved on.
We were now finally in Yosemite National Park.  A key stone of our trip.  The part that we looked forward to the most...  The falls, the mountains, the trees...  The beauty of Yosemite National Park.

But once again, not moments after driving through the front gate, just as we turned into Yosemite Valley, the bike died.

Pulled over now to the side of the road and fluster beyond what we could handle, we waved down a few bikers that were willing to try to give us a jump.  With that not working, they were kind enough to give us a ride to the nearest phone.  This a needed thing seeing we could not get a signal with Lisa's phone and mine was lost at Hoover Dam.

Once at the phone and with our patients being tested, we called 'AAA' for a tow to the nearest dealer.

Now with an hour or two to kill, we set down and tried to enjoy an ice cream and watch people walk by before we would start the long walk back to where we had left the bike.

From there we waited for Triple A to show up and tow us into town and that he did.

"Even with all the beauty of Yosemite, you can not appreciate it from the cab of a tow truck."
With AAA you can only get 100 or so miles on a tow and with Harley Davidson's Owners Group, you get up to $100 worth of towing.  With AAA you wait a few hours beside the road, with Harley's Owner Group, days...  So with AAA we were towed to the extent of our first 100 miles and were dropped off in the parking lot of a hotel just in the outer skirts of Stockton, California.

It would be hear that we would spend the night and then call the dealer first thing in the morning.
(More pictures from Day Five)

Day 04

Main Motorcycle Page

Day 06