Sign From Above?

I should be setting in the orange/copper mountains of New Mexico or somewhere near Durango, Colorado but... I'm not. What's that saying about "well laid plans of mice and men"? Let's rewind to Saturday night and Sunday evening. (Saturday) I'm packing like a mad man, the house is a wreck with stuff thrown all about and I'm slowly boxing and organizing everything for the trip. I'm this close to leaving for a trip I've had planned for 2 years. (Sunday) Opps, I need to get some bars and gels that I forgot at the shop so I better run to Kroger real quick to get them so I won't end up paying keystone retail out west. Sunday morning I say a few prayers pertaining to the safety of my trip. One especially that if moto van is going to break down between now and when I return please make it happen now before I leave on the trip. (just a fyi here; moto van has 240K on her but is pretty well maintained) Well ask and ye shall receive.... When I get back in the van at Kroger the van won't start. I finally get it started and it spits and sputters barely holding idle. I set there a minute, look up and give thanks. If this would have happened somewhere out west.... well, there's no telling. I managed to limp moto van back to the house, barely.... I got my nutrition stuff though!


After getting home I sat quietly and reflected on the situation. No need to continue to pack moto van although it's 80% packed. I wanted to tear into the engine compartment and start trouble shooting the problem but I didn't. I just sat down, watched a movie then went to bed after a mini-sulking session.


Monday I jump into the diagnosis part of moto van. I replace everything. Plugs, wires and coil pack. The code reader didn't throw any codes except a mis-fire in cylinder 3. After all the parts installed, by yours truly, there's still a miss. I pull the coil pack and test it with a ohm meter. Wowzers, one bank is bad. Back to the auto parts store and swap it for another. This is where I'm a dunce. I should have checked this one before installing it but I didn't. It had a bad bank also but in a different location. Back to the parts store and I swap it out for he most expensive one they had, opps, they'll have to order it though and it won't be here 'til Friday. So moto van has been sputtering around all week but I haven't driven it very much, just to work and the TNR.

Sorry this post has been mostly about moto van being sick and not much about the bike. The past three months have been nothing but vehicle repairs. Austin's explorer, then Vanessa's Mazda and now moto van. I've tapped into the Colorado trip fund so many times that the trip is now postponed. So the week after my birthday was spent being an auto mechanic, not a bike mechanic.

So................ I took what little was left of the trip funds and splurged on a new set of wheels for the road bike. It wasn't too much since I had a EP form to use with Mavic. I still plan on doing the trip but it will have to wait for a bit. The 401 in Crested Butte still had not dried from what I've been reading and that was one of the trails I most wanted to ride. I chalk the whole thing up as a blessing in disguise. I'm truly grateful that the van broke down here instead of some remote place out west no where near a place to get it repaired......... ya never know.

Anywho, Ive ridden everyday this week except for Tuesday when the torrential rains rolled through. We received 2.5"+ inches of rain in less than 6 hours. The wet trails have kept me mostly on the skinnies except for the weekly 60+ mile gravel ride on the Virginia Creeper trail.

Tomorrow there's several locals heading down to the SERC series race at Clemson, SC. I've debated about going but last year it was nasty humid down there and I also camped in moto van. Fun course too with plenty of competition. Ya know there's one thing I can't wrap my head around... People around here (tri-cities) will travel 2, 3 or even more hours away, spend money on a hotel, gas and eats but if there's a local race to help a local group or cause no one shows up except for just a few. I just don't get it.




LAter G..........................