2010 Mid Life Crisis Tour

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I’m stopped for lunch at the Subway in Vilonia, Ark. and listening to the recitation of health violations at an employees’ meeting. There were a lot of them, but nothing lethal. They’re on probation for three months.
I decided to stop here for lunch because I was overtaking a small thunderstorm and figured it was a convenient way to let the storm get out of my path. Plus, now that I have the netbook fired up, I can see the Weather Channel radar and know when it’s safe to go.
I spent a pleasant evening and night last night at the home of Sue Crumbo, a lifelong friend and high school classmate from Delphi, Ind. at her home in Edmond, just north of Oklahoma City. She and her boyfriend Guy feted me grandly with a huge steak and lots of beer. I slept like a rock until Sue tapped on my door at 6:30 a.m.
She served up a cheese omelette, toast and coffee and we chatted until 8:30 or so. The rush hour over, I loaded up and headed for home.
It was great to see Sue. I haven’t seen her since our 40th class reunion in 2003.

I read the weather radar correctly and caught only a few sprinkles as I rode the last 100 miles or so, clipping the back edge of a line of pop-up storms crawling east across northeast Arkansas.

I made my final gas stop at Bill’s Fresh Market on the northside of Jonesboro and rolled into my garage about 5:45 p.m.

I had a great time traveling, rallying, visiting my sons and their families, riding my favorite road, and catching up with a longtime friend.

Here are the stats:

* Total miles: 5,414
* Days: 17
* Gas cost: $385.53
* Gallons used: 131.78
* MPG: 41.1
* Lodging cost: $352.88
* Cost/Day: $50.14
* Cost/Mile: 16 cents
* Maintenance costs: $113.97
* Total trip cost (not counting food and incidental purchases): $852.38

Remember that right side combination switch that cost me a little less than $500 back on July 9? It gave me a major Maalox moment last Monday morning when my bike wouldn’t start on the first 6-7 starter button presses in Steve’s garage in Las Vegas. Happily, the engine fired on the first push every time after that.

But, I noticed yesterday afternoon that my right turn signal wouldn’t turn on most of the time and when I turned on the left turn signal, I couldn’t cancel it most of the time and it just had to time out by itself. BMW K-bikes have the right turn signal button on the right combination switch and the left turn signal button on the left combination switch. The button that cancels the turn signals is on the right combination switch. So everything that was malfunctioning was controlled by the right combination switch. Clearly, they gave me a faulty switch. Fortunately, BMW parts are warranteed, so my bike will make a return trip to Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles in Cape Girardeau, Mo. someday soon for yet another right combination switch.

LATER; I just talked with Pat at Grass Roots. He's ordering a new right combination switch which should arrive next week. He'll call when he has it in hand and we'll schedule a time to switch the switch.

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Photos

Susan and me
Lifelong friends from Delphi, Ind.

Susan's dog Bear
Sits on a couch and plops his head down on the kitchen bar.