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Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A windy ride, a stolen bicycle etc.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

We had a good day with Kenny on Sunday and we had stopped by his place for a visit before he joined us here and then we all went out for dinner.   Kenny shared lots of his old stories with us and we had a great visit.  Anyone who knows Kenny finds him a great story teller and he is really funny!  A good friend.

Yesterday (Monday) was another hot windy day and we had decided to take a ride south out towards Florence.  I popped up to the office to pay our last days and when I got back Eric informed me that his “personal ride” – his Trek bicycle had been stolen in the night.  Crap!  He forgot to lock it up last night after we got back from dinner with Kenny and now it’s gone.  He said he only had himself to blame and just sucked it up and we got ready for a ride.  He just blamed himself.  He loved that bike and spent a lot of time working on it. 

So.. first the ride.  It was really windy yesterday and smoking hot too boot.  Really getting too hot to ride and enjoy it here already.  Summer must be a horror at 100F and above.  Not for us, and especially not for a gardener because it is too, too hot!  The ride was hard in the wind  and after we got to Florence we headed west towards Picacho Peak but then ended up turning north and up to Casa Grande.  This again is not a favorite area for us as it is all farming so lots of wind and huge amounts of dust and no fun on a motorcycle.  We got some directions at a gas station and headed back through Casa Grande to Coolidge for a late lunch.  We ate at Tag’s cafe where we ate a couple of years ago and it was again good.  A local landmark.  A ride home and exhaustion from the heat and wind.  At that point Eric found that a piece of the rail on the right bag had fallen off!  Crap! 

Today is Tuesday and it started off as a better day.  I got the laundry done early and Eric “walked” …..no bicycle to the Harley dealer a block away for parts.  Success they had everything he wanted, even the small pieces that fell off.  We thought we’d have to buy a whole new rail.

Eric took the cell phone and headed of for a ride on Red by himself and I got ready to do some last minute shopping.  There was a knock on the door and Mary Jane (manager) said Eric had just called and he was at a nearby gas station and he had found his bicycle.  Can you believe it!  I jumped in the truck and roared off to pick up the bicycle.  There was a yelling match going on when I arrived because it turns out that it was the lady working at the Esso stations son who was on the bicycle.  Eric had stopped at the red light and the kid (26 years old!) pulled up beside him.  Eric saw his bike and he dropped Red onto the kickstand and grabbed the bicycle from the guy.  The “thief!?” sustained scratches to his leg and they moved to the gas station parking lot where the “boy’s” mother said she was going to press charges for assault!  The police were called and Eric was going to just load up the bicycle and head home.  More yelling by another worker at the station.  Finally everyone calmed down.  By the time I arrived the “boy” had already disappeared in his mother’s car and gone home.  If that was my son I would have slapped him upside the head for either stealing it or buying stolen property.   The police arrived and we now had to prove it was our bike.  Luckily there is a Blogger in the family who just happened to have her camera with her with pictures of the bicycle on it.  The luggage rack was gone, there was a water bottle holder on it,  the seat had been changed and the identifying ends of the handle grips had been removed.  Still Eric’s personal ride.  In the end the cop was convinced it was our bike and he said” Take it home” He had sent an officer to the address where the “boy” lived….not home….and not answering his phone either.   A real nice policeman  and he knew what was going on but he has to follow the law.  We should have recorded the serial numbers and reported it stolen.  Our mistake.  He knew it was ours and that the rider was either the thief or bought it from a thief.  The “boy” said he bought it from a homeless guy for $40 and that he was a Christian and was just helping him out!  What a crock!  So, luckily Eric didn’t pop the thief because that would have made a mess out of this and we’d be staying for awhile in Mesa!  He said he really, really wanted too.  I guess Eric is growing up!

What a wild story.  Almost as good as back in the 70’s when Eric’s chopper was stolen.  Once again while he was working for the phone company he drove around looking for it and found it parked in the front yard of the “Gypsy Wheelers” motorcycle gang.  Different color and all changed but he built that bike from the ground up and it was his.  He finally convinced the cops to go in there and they seized it.  The serial numbers had been ground off but an acid test raised them and they knew it was Eric’s bike.  It took almost a year to get it back and no one was ever charged.  Luckily we had insurance and we could replace lots of the missing parts  You know the old story….I bought it from a guy!!!!  Eric said when they rolled into the front yard the guy who had it just kept saying Oh Shit, Oh Shit.  Did he steal it, you bet, did he do time for it….of course not.  Same story….different kind of bike! 

So, our KARMA was good today.  Eric took the cell phone, the manager was in the office, I was still home when she came to tell me, Eric and the thief stopped at the same light at exactly the same time!!!! and I had my camera with me when I went to pick up the bicycle. 

The rest of the day Eric spent driving around Mesa buying the parts that had been stolen of his personal ride to the tune of $70.  This used bicycle has cost him so much he can’t afford to get rid of it.

We had planned to leave tomorrow but we will delay our trip by one day to just sit and do nothing!  Plans are made to be changed, right?

1 comment:

  1. All that time in Mexico and nothing gets stolen but come back to the States!!

    You guys have more adventures! You couldn't make this stuff up!

    ReplyDelete