Day 17 - Tok, AK to Fairbanks, AK

Listen to your wife !

   Yesterdays trip over the "Top of the World Highway" was tough.  I didn't know how tough until today.

   Me and Kat, (I know, Kathy and I), slept in late today. It was raining, so we just sorta eased into the day.  I was going to do laundry, but, it was raining.  Finally the rain became a light drizzle so we loaded up to go.  I asked Kat if the tires looked OK.  I usually check the tire pressure with a gauge but not today, it was raining.  Kathy said, the rear looked a little low. So, I said I'll check it later since, you know, it was raining.

   We stopped at a little cafe and had a pretty good breakfast.  Kathy had biscuits and gravy, while I had a breakfast burrito.  It was an awesome burrito.  We asked our waiter, who was from Jamaica mon, where the cook was from.  San Miguel Allende....I knew it.  The real deal from the real deal.

   Leaving there we took off in the spitting rain, taking our time, you know, because of the rain.  Not a lot to see on our way to Delta Junction, mostly flat forest.  There was a lot of road that had been resurfaced and it caused quite a bit of tire movement, almost like I had a low tire.  Almost.

On a long straight stretch of highway, a big wobble suddenly occurred. I knew what it was immediately. FLAT TIRE.  I pulled over onto the shoulder and sure enough, flat. 

Putting the bike on the center stand was very hard.  I guess the flat tire lowered the bike enough so that I was lifting a lot more weight than usual.  Kathy helped and together we barely got it on the stand.  Checking the tire I found a small cut, probably from the railroad ballast the contractors had used on the "Top of the World Highway".  I used my small hand pump to get enough air into the tire to make sure the cut was the source of the air leak.

I hear motorcycles slow and glancing around I see three Harley Davidson motorcycles roll to a stop.  They offer to help with an electric air pump and I certainly didn't decline.  I plug the tire and attach their air pump. In just a short time my tire is aired up.  What would have taken an hour with a hand pump took less than ten minutes with their electric pump.

After the flat is fixed I find out two of the motorcyclist are from New Jersey and one from Ohio.  These good Samaritans, Sean, Brenda, and Randy decided to follow us on to Delta Junction just in case...Good call, Sean.

We took off and immediately notice the wobble is still there....hmm.   After pulling over we discover that the tire has developed a knot or bubble on the sidewall.  Not good, not good at all.  Sean suggests that Kathy ride behind him to Delta Junction to lighten the load on the bike.  So off we go, Kathy riding two up with a Harley man....

On we go for the next 30 miles at a top speed of 40 mph.  I sure hate to be a burden on these good folks but I sure am glad they stopped to help.  And by the way, the only ones to stop out of a dozen or so cars that shot by us.

After getting to Delta Junction they stayed with Kathy at a convenience store until I found help.  Kudos to the Harley crew.

The convenience store clerk suggested I go down to a place called Interior Diesel.  I didn't get the name until I realized it meant Interior Alaska which this area is referred to as.  Also I didn't know why the convenience store clerk sent me here. But when I walked inside I spied dirt bikes and big knobby tires. WOOT !

First off, they had a tire that might work and would try to mount it. Great. secondly, when I ask if he could find out the number for the convenience store so that I could call Kat and let her know what was going on he said, take my truck and go get her.  WOW !

They tried to get the new knobby to seat on the rim but to no avail, and they tried hard.  Finally they decide it's time to punt.  The owner of the shop Adam McNabb, calls Fairbanks for me and gets me in touch with a BMW dealer. Sure he has a tire, a bunch of them.  But how to get it when it's 100 miles away. Andrey, the mechanic, offered his car to us to make a 200 mile round trip. Without hesitation we say YES.

Hmm.  The last broken down rider's ride...

If only UPS could of overnighted the tire...

We travel in Andrey's car to Fairbanks, so we can pick up a tire tomorrow. It seems strange to be behind a wheel of a car after 17 days on a bike.  So we take our time, obey the speed limit. The roads are wet, it was raining you know...