Until I started this post I hadn’t realized we’re on Travel Day 13 – good thing I’m not superstitious because we’ve had quite the day!
On Thursday morning while we were having breakfast we met two motorcycling couples who told us that the best motorcycle shop in these parts is called Eyecandy and is located in Smithers, BC. So last evening while we pondered what the hell to do with our motorcycle with a fickle battery, I sent an email to Eyecandy (thank goodness for the Inernet!) and Burl sent one to his friend Wiliferd at home who is a Goldwing mechanical genius.
By morning both of them had replied and Sam from Eyecandy sent several ideas of what Burl should check along with his toll-free number and said we should call him as he was happy to help. With Wiliferd’s assurances that it probably wasn’t the alternator (great news!) and Sam’s instructions Burl determined that our new battery that he installed less than 2 months ago was probably a dud.
I trekked to the local service station – there’s only one in Stewart – and found they didn’t have the battery we needed or a booster battery for us to take for insurance. In the meantime, Sam located the battery we needed in Smithers and was ready to put it on a Greyhound bus headed to us in Stewart where we would have received it tonight.
We spent most of the morning futzing with the electrical components of the bike and weighing our options while watching it rain – with no relief in sight for a couple of days. I knew Burl was itching to get it jumped again and head for Smithers and once more, I needed a sign from above. This time it came in a full refund for tonight’s lodging from our hotel in Stewart – something they didn’t have to do but they didn’t even hesitate to say “yes” when we asked.
So – by noon we had finally gotten it started (another good deed from a stranger), filled it with gas, put on layer upon layer of clothing and rain gear and we were off – headed 200 miles southeast to Smithers where Sam had a new battery waiting and needed to close up shop by 5:00 today.
With road conditions of rain and fog, Burl played it safe and kept our speed low as he navigated the twists and turns of remote roads, albeit paved ones. We were right on schedule to reach Smithers by 4:00 when we get stopped for 20 minutes by a stalled train. Fortunately it had stopped raining and I was reading “Mrs. Dalloway” which I found at the hotel lending library in Stewart so I didn’t panic!
The train finally moved and we made a brief pit and gas stop at the intersection of the Yellowhead and Cassiar Highways before our last 70 miles to Smithers. About 4:20, Burl dropped me and the trailer at the same hotel where we stayed a couple of nights ago and he took off for Eyecandy.
Turns out we did have a bum battery and Sam quickly got a new one installed and tested the bad one and wrote up an analysis so we can return it to Honda Direct when we return. For those who aren’t into motorcycles, trust me when I say that every part for a motorcycle costs way more than a comparable item on a car!
So now we are sharing a victory beer in our hotel room and planning our day tomorrow.
And here’s hoping we learned a lot of lessons today about the kindness of strangers and can pay it forward many times over in the near future.
You are having a “novel” trip. Not only are you reading some, but your adventures could be pulled from one!
If I were you, I’d take out my gun and put the motorcycle out of “my” misery and buy a cute little sports car…oh wait, don’t you have one of those in the garage somewhere too?
Hehe.
Glad you got a new battery. We were beginning to worry about you getting stranded in the wilderness! The pictures are great and we followed you for a bit on Loopt last night. Can’t wait to hear all about the fun. We’re currently enjoying a bit of cool weather here so it’s almost like we’re with you! Love to you both.