Monday April 3, 2011
We left Why early yesterday, well at least for us….at 8:30 am. We were worried the wind was going to kick up from the storm so we got an early start. We had decided to head up the old highway 238 from Gila Bend to Maricopa and then North up the 347 to the Wild Horse Casino on our way into the Mesa area. The only glitch was in Gila Bend as we left town because there were no signs saying where the turn to highway 238 actually was. I fired up the lap top, located the turn and off we went. Eric is getting more and more relaxed about stopping and regrouping when we can’t find our way. Doesn’t happen too much but you need a plan when it does.
A nice quiet drive with little traffic up the 238 and a short drive to the casino on 347. In the end we decided not to stop and just picked up the #10 freeway to the #202 freeway and went right into Apache Junction. This all sounds quite relaxed and not like us at all…..right! Well having spent a winter in Mesa two years ago and then almost piling up the rig coming into Phoenix that first year things just had to get better! Practice makes perfect (not perfect just easier and better!) Eric said it would but I had my doubts!!!
We found the Happy Days RV park on Meridian just north of Main and were lucky to get a spot for a week. Lots of winter visitors have gone home but they leave their rigs so there aren’t that many empty spaces. A week for $137.75 with internet and electricity so that is a bargain and the best part was that I didn’t have to help Eric park the rig. The guy who manages the park directed him and it all went very smooth. Yahoo!
We set up and then gave our buddy Ken Klippert a call. He popped over and we had a good catch up visit. He is still working so we likely won’t hook up with him again until the end of the week.
Today we hit the road to look at Harley’s. Since the Phoenix area is so huge we once again had to hit the freeways to get around. Two years ago we got a good feel for the area but didn’t use the freeways but in the end they really help for quick travel. You have to remember we were country bumpkins when we started this whole RV travel thing and weren’t used to big cities, freeways and heavy traffic so we have come a long way baby!
We stopped at a few dealerships and looked at quite a few bikes. Since it was just bike week here in Phoenix some of the dealers didn’t have all their bikes on display. In the end we saw enough bikes and were unhappy to find out that if we do buy one here we will have to pay the 8.8% Arizona sales tax. This will likely mean we won’t buy here since we wouldn’t save much. Oh well, time will tell. It is good to actually see so many bikes as we don’t have that opportunity at home.
Chester’s Harley Davidson, Electra Glide Ultra Limited that would set us back about $28,000. including tax!
This is the top end bike in two tone root beer.
Same dealer, Electra glide Ultra Classic in Red Sun Glow.
Same bike.
Chandler Harley Davidson. This is a Road King which Eric prefers to the big touring models. We could put a quick-tach tour pack on the back for more luggage space.
The other problem is that Blue didn’t want to start after we unloaded her yesterday. A problem with the over running clutch in the starter system again or if we are lucky just the battery. If it’s the clutch that means Eric will have to tear her apart after we get home. When this happened a few years ago he was on a road trip and had to jump start her all the way home from Kelowna. No fun and we won’t ride here unless we find out it is just the battery. Too bad because the weather is good for riding now that it has cooled down a bit.
So tomorrow we will look at a few more dealerships and perhaps hook up with Sam and Rita who are out in Florence just south of us. They will head home to Winnipeg on the Thursday and we will start to move again on Sunday.
P.S. Tomorrow is our 43rd anniversary. Holy moly, time is really marching on!
No comments:
Post a Comment