Eureka!

As a graduation gift, I took my wife to Eureka Springs, AR. We took the scoot. The road to Eureka is infamous for it's hills and curves and is a popular biker destination.


I detached the trunk on the BV and ratchet strapped the dog carrier down. The strap being rated at 1500 pounds, I thought we were playing it safe using it to secure a ten pound dog. I bungee cabled our overnight bag to the top of the pet taxi.

About five miles into the trip and at 55 mph, we see the whole shooting match go rolling off the back. I quickly decelerated and had the wife get off the bike. I spun the 250 around and ran it up on the carrier. We pulled everything off to the shoulder and opened the pet door. The dog came out wagging his tail as if nothing had happened!

So, what did happen? After I checked the dog's eyes/ears/nose/mouth for blood and his body for tender spots and found him okay, I found the brand new ratchet strap broken in two. I was having trouble swallowing a simple break in this situation. A couple days later, I realized I had threaded the strap inside the carrier for more stability. The dog may have been digging at it and a small nick under pressure may have caused the failure.

Now we were roadside without a strap to put everything back on the bike. Fortunately we had put the dog in his harness for shorter rides once we were in Eureka. The harness clips to a jacket strap and the dog gets zipped up into my wife's coat.

So, we stowed the pet carrier behind a tree just outside Pea Ridge National Park and came back for it a few days later. While we were hiding the box, a car comes creeping up what could very well be his own driveway and rolls down his window to talk to us. He introduces his lap dog - Moxy, a King Charles Cavalier. The dogs meet and he drives on, unaware or without care to what we were doing.

The rest of the trip was a blast. We stayed in a jacuzzi suite, ate authentic italian, and visited all our favorite hot spots. Eureka is a town known for it's eccentricity and we caught some of it in the midtown park that featured live music and chinese acrobats.

The curvy, hilly roads make for great riding and the downtown area is perfect for scooting, but unlike most areas that offer preferred parking for bikes, Eureka charges everyone for parking. In fact, we paid more for parking than we did in fuel!

The health food store clerk gave us a tip for the ride home that led us over Beaver Dam, seen in the picture above. All in all, a great trip and we can't wait to take the next one!

My wife took the dog to the vet and he's okay.

Rainy Days

With the current car situation we both needed transportation, rain or shine. Severe thunderstorms in the forecast, I removed the winter liner from my riding pants and saddled up. No rain on the way in, a little bit on the way home. The gear keeps me surprisingly dry.

Despite the situation, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the ride. Even though riding in the rain is exponentially more hazardous, I love it. I fought off a strong urge to go exploring in the rain and settled for an extra lap around the neighborhood.

Scary Stuff

Yesterday morning brought the phone call you always have in the back of your mind but usually dismiss as paranoia. My wife was in an accident and was calling from the scene. Fortunately, she just has to wear a neck brace for a few days.

I drove the Saturn rather quickly, passing cars and running lights as responsibly as I could. When I arrived I could see my wife standing outside of the car and talking to the EMT's. I could tell she was shaken up but not seriously hurt. Knowing what I know from my medical team role at work I politely ran off the ambulance drivers. They carefully suggest over and over that you take the $1000+ ride down the street whether you need it or not. If you truly need it, they don't ask.

I glanced at the mangled rear driver side of the Acura and instantly knew the axle was broken and that it would be totaled. A police officer asked about her proof of insurance card. My wife said she was too confused to find it.

I stuck my head in the cab and it looked like a bomb had gone off inside. Broken glass, juice everywhere, books, papers, clothes; it's not like it was clean beforehand but the 35-40mph accident had spun the car around.

I couldn't find it at first and just grabbed her purse. I handed my card to the officer, telling him it was my card, she was on it, and the insurance could be verified at the number on the card. I respect the police, but he reads the card and says "This is your card, she's on it, but I can't tell if she's covered in this vehicle unless I call this number." As if it was news to ME? I said "Do what you have to do, man. I'm taking her to get checked at the hospital now." He was like, "Oh, right. I'll, uh, meet you there."

I personally don't think I pay nearly 40% taxes to the govt. and $150 a month to insurance so that I have to plan my life around being able to produce the "correct" piece of paper on demand while standing roadside with a crying wife and totaled automobile at 7:30 AM and I'm not even wearing socks. The car is either covered at the time of the accident or it's not. All of the info was on my card, which I did have, and regardless of her card or mine, the coverage would have to be in effect at the time to satisfy the law- which it was. So, f*ck off traffic cop, you deserve your post in life and I hope you stay there until you learn better.

Anyway, the car was towed away and while we wait for next steps from the insurance company I'll be driving my wife around in the Saturn for the next few days. The scooter will become a necessity as she starts to drive the Saturn until we replace her car.

All in all, I consider us lucky. It was too close to being much worse.