Post by edie2u on Dec 25, 2007 8:56:07 GMT -6
The hardest part about the trip was figuring out what clothes to take! I flew into Albuquerque and of course my plane was late. It was after midnight before I got in. The next morning we got up and drove to Grants NM for the Fire and Ice Bike Rally. The weather was hot and we had a great spot to set up our tents which are two 10x20. It was under a giant old oak tree in the city park. Lots of people came to hang out and enjoy our shade!
We went to the room that Mary had been reserved and found out it was a flea bag motel (but it was a suite! LOL). It rained during the evening and we soon found out that we had a severe leak in the roof. Our bathroom was flooded and their was a leak in the bedroom.
Shit!!! Not a lot we could do as every room in town was booked! Besides this was New Mexico how much rain could you have in the desert in July! Unfortunately we were about to find out. Friday was we were really busy and it was really crowded. Half the state must have turned out for this rally! Saturday started off with a bang and we couldn't hardly keep up....until...rain clouds appeared on the horizon.
The winds came up and we battened down the hatches. Soon we had gusts in 20+ range, then the rain started...and kept coming. It was the lightning that worried me! Remember that old oak tree? Soon the water had backed up into the middle of the street and it now looked to be a river instead of a four lane street. Hmmm...time for another shot of that Southern Comfort. Was that the street light 40 yards down the road being hit by lightning? Shit, and we are standing up to our ankles under a huge tree, in the freaking desert, in a lightning storm that would have made Florida proud? Shit...time for more Southern Comfort!!!! And as suddenly as the rain started, it quit. Now it is really hot and humid. People are out in the sun trying to dry off. But what the hell it's a bike rally! The rains gone, the suns shining, lets party!!!! About the time we got dried off I noticed another bunch of ominous clouds. Soon it was pouring...water was running over the curbs and flooding into the park. The guys in the tent next to us were up to their knees in water...their inventory is trying to float away!!! OMG, there was no time between the lightning and the sound of the thunder. We again are up to our ankles in water trying to clear the debris at the back of the tent.
Shit...are those bikes being knocked over and floating down the street? What are all those sirens?
Are you serious...the rain and wind made the HUGE beer tent collapse???
Lets call it a day and get a hot shower and something to eat. Oh shit...remember the roof at the hotel?? We did get another room with three beds as there were four of us. (I have to admit this was the first hotel I had ever seen with three double beds in one room.) There was a Mexican restaurant next door and we (plus a couple of other vendors) all had dinner together. Tomorrow's another day. The morning is gorgeous. We pray that our tent is still there and the inventory is not ruined.
Everything is grand!!! Except for those big black streaks on the oak tree!!!!!!!!! It was struck by lightning after we left.
We were busy until those damn clouds started piling up. It's spitting rain again. Mary said pack up?? OK, and then lets get the hell outta Dodge! The papers announced that the monsoon was the worst they had had in 40 years!
Yahoo, we are heading for Montana and Evel Kneivel days!!!!
The trip was uneventful other than the darn storm followed us all the way to Montana. Once we hit Montana the weather cleared up and it was beautiful. Once we get to Butte, we'll see all the guys from the Wall of Death. As we are dropping down into Butte the rear van tire blows out. This is kind of hairy as the 20' trailer we are towing is overloaded (and not loaded properly)! No problem we will call the guys from the wall or even Good Sam. SHIT...SHIT...SHIT no cell phone coverage and the sign right there in front of us says:
Butte 23 miles
Two men in a truck with a border collie stop to help us. Ah...Mary, where's the jack? In the trailer...somewhere?? We find it but the lug wrench is stripped and the one that guys have doesn't fit. I decide to stay and Mary rides to town to see if she can gaffle up one of the guys from the wall (If not then she'll call Good Sam). About an hour later and after only about 20 cars have passed on that desolate freeway, I hear a motorcycle that sound likes Charlie's Bike. Yippee it is Charlie, and minutes behind him is David's van with Wally, Marcy, Harry, and Mary!!! We are saved...the calvary has arrived! They pull out a lug wrench and start to work AND what do you mean that one of the lug nuts won't turn no matter what? Well, just break that puppy off and lets get the fuck outta here!!!!!
A nice hotel room, a pizza, ahhh life is good. We do set up the next day (Thursday). We are in the old section of Butte. It was really pretty. On Friday, things started coming to life in the afternoon. About midnight Marcy and I went to the local college bar (which was CRAZY busy) and watched the wet T-shirt contest. They were dumping buckets of water with ice cubes on those girls!!! It was fun, but Saturday was going to be insane, so off to bed we went. The next day we ate breakfast and all I had was hash browns with gravy. I got food poisoning. By 1pm or so they sent me back to room where I spent the rest of the afternoon hugging the porcelain throne. BLAH!!! I felt better and walked back to the booth at dusk. It was really busy and the kid were heathens in that town!!! They tried to steal us blind. We closed up around 1am and Jay (the owner of the Wall of Death), Mary, Wally, and Marcy, went to the bar. The others got ahead of us in the crowd as we left the bar and we lost them. Jay walked me back to the room where he gave me a peck on the forehead and said goodnight. Jay told me next morning one of the older men that does maintenance at the motel thought it was so nice and old fashioned that a guy would walk his girl back to her room and be such a gentleman. Little did he know that Jay and I are practically brother and sister!
The most memorable thing about Evel Kneivel days were the stunt men jumping out of the old hotel window on fire!!
Did I mention that Montana was having a heat wave and we broke records that weekend?
It was a really busy (and fun) that weekend, but now we are off to Sturgis.
This concludes the first two weeks of my saga!
To be continued...
Modified to read Good Sam, not God Sam!
We went to the room that Mary had been reserved and found out it was a flea bag motel (but it was a suite! LOL). It rained during the evening and we soon found out that we had a severe leak in the roof. Our bathroom was flooded and their was a leak in the bedroom.
Shit!!! Not a lot we could do as every room in town was booked! Besides this was New Mexico how much rain could you have in the desert in July! Unfortunately we were about to find out. Friday was we were really busy and it was really crowded. Half the state must have turned out for this rally! Saturday started off with a bang and we couldn't hardly keep up....until...rain clouds appeared on the horizon.
The winds came up and we battened down the hatches. Soon we had gusts in 20+ range, then the rain started...and kept coming. It was the lightning that worried me! Remember that old oak tree? Soon the water had backed up into the middle of the street and it now looked to be a river instead of a four lane street. Hmmm...time for another shot of that Southern Comfort. Was that the street light 40 yards down the road being hit by lightning? Shit, and we are standing up to our ankles under a huge tree, in the freaking desert, in a lightning storm that would have made Florida proud? Shit...time for more Southern Comfort!!!! And as suddenly as the rain started, it quit. Now it is really hot and humid. People are out in the sun trying to dry off. But what the hell it's a bike rally! The rains gone, the suns shining, lets party!!!! About the time we got dried off I noticed another bunch of ominous clouds. Soon it was pouring...water was running over the curbs and flooding into the park. The guys in the tent next to us were up to their knees in water...their inventory is trying to float away!!! OMG, there was no time between the lightning and the sound of the thunder. We again are up to our ankles in water trying to clear the debris at the back of the tent.
Shit...are those bikes being knocked over and floating down the street? What are all those sirens?
Are you serious...the rain and wind made the HUGE beer tent collapse??? Lets call it a day and get a hot shower and something to eat. Oh shit...remember the roof at the hotel?
? We did get another room with three beds as there were four of us. (I have to admit this was the first hotel I had ever seen with three double beds in one room.) There was a Mexican restaurant next door and we (plus a couple of other vendors) all had dinner together. Tomorrow's another day. The morning is gorgeous. We pray that our tent is still there and the inventory is not ruined. Everything is grand!!! Except for those big black streaks on the oak tree!!!!!!!!! It was struck by lightning after we left.
We were busy until those damn clouds started piling up. It's spitting rain again. Mary said pack up?? OK, and then lets get the hell outta Dodge! The papers announced that the monsoon was the worst they had had in 40 years!
Yahoo, we are heading for Montana and Evel Kneivel days!!!!
The trip was uneventful other than the darn storm followed us all the way to Montana. Once we hit Montana the weather cleared up and it was beautiful. Once we get to Butte, we'll see all the guys from the Wall of Death. As we are dropping down into Butte the rear van tire blows out. This is kind of hairy as the 20' trailer we are towing is overloaded (and not loaded properly)! No problem we will call the guys from the wall or even Good Sam. SHIT...SHIT...SHIT no cell phone coverage and the sign right there in front of us says:
Butte 23 miles
Two men in a truck with a border collie stop to help us. Ah...Mary, where's the jack? In the trailer...somewhere?
? We find it but the lug wrench is stripped and the one that guys have doesn't fit. I decide to stay and Mary rides to town to see if she can gaffle up one of the guys from the wall (If not then she'll call Good Sam). About an hour later and after only about 20 cars have passed on that desolate freeway, I hear a motorcycle that sound likes Charlie's Bike. Yippee it is Charlie, and minutes behind him is David's van with Wally, Marcy, Harry, and Mary!!! We are saved...the calvary has arrived! They pull out a lug wrench and start to work AND what do you mean that one of the lug nuts won't turn no matter what? Well, just break that puppy off and lets get the fuck outta here!!!!! A nice hotel room, a pizza, ahhh life is good. We do set up the next day (Thursday). We are in the old section of Butte. It was really pretty. On Friday, things started coming to life in the afternoon. About midnight Marcy and I went to the local college bar (which was CRAZY busy) and watched the wet T-shirt contest. They were dumping buckets of water with ice cubes on those girls!!! It was fun, but Saturday was going to be insane, so off to bed we went. The next day we ate breakfast and all I had was hash browns with gravy. I got food poisoning. By 1pm or so they sent me back to room where I spent the rest of the afternoon hugging the porcelain throne. BLAH!!! I felt better and walked back to the booth at dusk. It was really busy and the kid were heathens in that town!!! They tried to steal us blind. We closed up around 1am and Jay (the owner of the Wall of Death), Mary, Wally, and Marcy, went to the bar. The others got ahead of us in the crowd as we left the bar and we lost them. Jay walked me back to the room where he gave me a peck on the forehead and said goodnight. Jay told me next morning one of the older men that does maintenance at the motel thought it was so nice and old fashioned that a guy would walk his girl back to her room and be such a gentleman. Little did he know that Jay and I are practically brother and sister!
The most memorable thing about Evel Kneivel days were the stunt men jumping out of the old hotel window on fire!!
Did I mention that Montana was having a heat wave and we broke records that weekend?
It was a really busy (and fun) that weekend, but now we are off to Sturgis.
This concludes the first two weeks of my saga!
To be continued...
Modified to read Good Sam, not God Sam!
