Friday, 8/25 – Webster, MN

This was another day of hangin’ out and doing almost nothing. We did clean up Beth’s bike.

After lunch we went back to Raodsmith Trikes and picked up my bike.

They had a few bikes on their showroom floor.

I talked with the tech who worked on my bike. Here’s what he found and did.

He replaced the steering head bearings. He said he hadn’t seen ones that bad. He replaced the fuel transfer pump. It just wasn’t working.

The oil leaked from the differential around the axel. He turned down the axle and cut a groove in it for an O-ring. He then replaced the bearing with an oversized, sealed bearing.

Doug, the owner of Roadsmith Trikes, said his dealers would not have been able to fix the oil leak; they would have had to send the axle to his shop to do the machining and supply the parts. The entire cost of the work was less than the labor charge would have been at our local Honda dealer to just do the steering head bearings. How fortunate we are to have friends in Minneapolis and to have the work done there.

The bike runs well, the new fuel pump works well, and there is no leak. I notice how much easier the bike handles curves.

Saturday, 8/26 – Webster, MN, to Dodgeville, WI

It was a cool, overcast morning – perfect riding weather. We rode east to the Great River Road, south to Prairie du Chien and east to Dodgeville, WI.

We found a park in Lake City, MN, adjacent to a marina. There were plenty of long parking places, so we got off the bikes and walked down to the park on Lake Pepin. We investigated a statue and discovered this was the place where water skiing was invented by Ralph Samuelson on July 2, 1922.

A float plane had just landed and attracted lots of attention.

There is a coffee shop, Heidi’s Huggamug Cafe. It’s a very popular place.

Notice how the opening in the coffee sipper lid is covered. I’ve never seen anything like that before.

We stopped for lunch at a park in Ferryville, WI.

We rode on to Dodgeville, WI, and opted for a motel as it looked like it might rain overnight.

Sunday, 8/27 – Dodgeville, WI to New Lenox, IL

We had excellent riding weather and rode highways and interstates to my brother’s home in New Lenox. The only unusual thing we encountered was the bait shop in the convenience store at a Shell station in southern Wisconsin.

We’ll enjoy a short visit with my brother and sister-in-law and continue our journey in the morning.