Day 2 in Prudhoe Bay........
This morning at about 7:30 am Mark discovered that he'd sheared off one of his sub-frame bolts.... not a condition you want when you are heading down 200+ miles of washboard, slime, and gravel - with nothing in between.
We tore the bike down and one of the mechanics at the shop (and when I say shop... I'll have to show you pictures..) spent about 4 hours with all kinds of tools trying to get the stub of a bolt out.
Huge appreciation to Jerry in the shop, Meagan who was just all around sweet and helpful, and the two other guys that came by, gave good advice and didn't hesitate to jump in or lend tools.
By 3:00 we were back together and running... but word was there had been a storm all day south of the pass and we wouldn't be arriving until 11:00 pm if everything went smoothly. ...and did I tell you - it is freezing .. maybe it is 40 but the wind chill definitely makes it feel cooler. We've opted to spend another night in the extraordinarily warm hospitality of the folks of Prudhoe Bay/ Deadhorse, Alaska.
From the dining area where I'm sitting the sun is glinting off the water......... It is an adventure... and life is good.
I'll add photos when I get everybody's cameras.
Bummer about Marks bike and yeah, those kind of repairs can be a challenge for sure but glad you were able to get it all fixed! I'm also glad to see some good reason in the choice and decision to wait out the rest of the day and hope today is better. Looks like you'll see some showers but hopefully not a complete washout and maybe 50 degs + or - will feel better then 40. Loved the photos on the way up and on the shore of the Arctic Sea and looking forward to hearing from you when you make it to UFA or before! :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is the new bike you bought to replace the broken bike?
ReplyDeleteThat sucks. That cold and we in the middle of July?
ReplyDeleteJohns~ not the new bike... Well, they were all relatively new - but this was Mark's 2009 (same yr. as mine) Larry replaced his 2008 with a 2011. I didn't know it then but I ended up shearing both sub-frame bolts off my 2009. Probably not Kawi's fault - the engine guard we used and their 'superior' hard bolt. Think the vibration just was too much... actually a softer bolt may have worked better (like the one that was already there).
ReplyDelete