Day Six by Dave Schultheis
Saturday, August 2, 2003 - Lindale, Texas
It had been a little warmer overnight, so I had put the ceiling fan on a higher speed, and it was very comfortable. I slept well and got up to the alarm at 7:30 a.m.
My aunt prepared a nice breakfast and then took me out to Lone Star H-D to pick up the Road King. We got there about 9:45 a.m.
They had completed the 10K service, reminded me that I needed a front tire, and said they did not have an air shock to replace the left rear shock absorber that was leaking oil. They rolled the bike out and washed it while I paid the $405 bill.
[Note for non-H-D owners: the 10 thousand mile service includes an oil and filter change, primary fluid change, and numerous other "checks," "adjusts," "inspects," and "replaces." Of course, this bike had 112,876 miles on it; this was _not_ it's first 10K service.]
While waiting, I had checked my voice mail/pager for messages, and all I'd received was sales crap, so I erased those messages.
My aunt went on her way in the car, and I left the dealer at 10:05 a.m., where it was 80 degrees, and headed back to their home. Remember that on the way into the dealer, I had followed my uncle, but on the way home, I was on my own. Since I'd been on the route three times (on this trip), I was able to find my way easily through Tyler and its suburbs. How convenient that there was a Wendy's along the way. I got back at 10:55 a.m. after an uneventful ride.
I took the opportunity to call my bank to make sure that my 1st of the month automatic deposit had gone in properly the day before, and it had. Whew.
I caught up with my notes and spread my maps out on the kitchen table to see what the next few days might look like. The next stop on my Counter-Clockwise Tour was to be Eddie Kieger's birthday party in northeast Ohio. T.L. Mitchell had suggested U.S. Highway 62 as an excellent route to get there, so I checked different routes to get to Hy 62. Later, my uncle provided additional suggestions.
I hung around the house and watched CNN off and on. Later, some neighbors came over to borrow my uncle's cement mixer, so we talked for a little while, and ended up watching some NASCAR stuff on the satellite.
My aunt prepared an excellent catfish dinner with peas, corn on the cob, and cornbread. It's always nice to have a home-cooked meal, since my own home cooking is somewhat limited.
After dinner, we took a walk around their property. Since the last time I had visited, they had purchased a little more acreage from their neighbor, so they showed me the addition, then we walked back to the woods and they pointed out various improvements they were thinking of doing. They also pointed out where the new car barn/shop would be going in a few weeks.
They would be going to church the next morning, so I spent some time moving some of my things around in the garage, so that they could get their classic Chrysler out. Later, after I took a shower, and we sat in the comfortable chairs in the living room and watched television for a while, and I went to bed around 9:30 p.m.
Miles (for me) for the day = 21. Miles for the trip = 1912. For those double-checking, the test ride was 7 miles, so there were 28 miles on the bike for the day.
Tomorrow: another day of rest, including a scenic tour of the area.