Picking up from the last post when we celebrated the life of our brother-in-law in Williamsburg, VA, we got back on the road and headed home to finish the trike conversion and prepare to leave for Utah.

Monday and Tuesday

We spread the return to our home to St. Petersburg over two days. The temperature was hot and both days we ran into rain within 20 miles of our destination. The trip was unremarkable. Our stay at the Comfort Inn & Suites was very relaxing.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Wednesday, I rebuilt the front brake calipers, which seemed to be stuck. My friend, Ed, assisted me or rather, I assisted him.

We were successful in rebuilding the calipers, but the brakes were still binding the front wheel. That led us to realize the calipers weren’t centered over the rotors. I tried several different sized shims until I found the right combination.

With the brakes operating as they should, I was able to do a couple of test rides on Thursday. I rode 80 miles without the trailer and then rode 110 miles with the trailer. Everything seemed to be OK.

Friday was oil change day. Changing the oil and filter on Beth’s bike went easily as it usually does.

I ran into another impediment when I went to change the filter on my bike. The bracket that is supposed to hold one end of a steering stabilizer blocked access to the oil filter.

The steering stabilizer cannot be installed on a Road Glide because the fairing mount bracket is in the way. The solution was to saw off the part of the bracket that was in the way.

Once the oil change was completed, I decided to put a new battery in Beth’s bike. The battery was only 16 months old, but the starter hesitated each time she started the bike. I also refastened one of the snaps that holds the fender bra. With those repairs complete, I was able to focus on packing for the trip to Shark Week XIV in St. George, UT.

Saturday

We had breakfast, got the house ready for our absence, and got on the road by 7 a,m.! Our first gas and coffee stop was in Chiefland, FL.

Lunch was at a city park in Shell Island, FL, up the Wakulla River, not far from the gulf coast. A family was having a birthday party and had set up a bounce house next to the pavilion.

We rode through a few showers before lunch and then ran into heavy rain in the afternoon. Our gear kept us dry, but riding in the rain requires increased attention and is tiring.

We were happy to arrive at our destination, Bunk-a-Biker host, Loraine and her Hippie Hollow Hideaway.

Tomorrow, we head for Louisiana, but the forecast is for lots of rain. We’ll just have to see what the weather looks like in the morning and plan accordingly.

Travel distances (day/total): 338/338