We woke to a dreary, rainy morning, but were hopeful the repairs to my bike would be completed and we’d be on our way.

We got to the dealership shortly before they opened and handed the service writer the temp sensor I had purchased in Jackson. He got authorization from the extended warranty people and got the tech started on the bike. We spent our time sitting on the chairs in the waiting area. This was our view from those chairs.

While we were waiting, we chatted with a very nice couple from West Virginia, Amanda and Eric. They were headed for Florida and planned to go down the Gulf coast and up the east coast. They were riding an Ultra 2-up with rain suits and half helmets. They’ll hit more rain heading east, but I hope they are able to enjoy some clearer skies along the way.

After a couple of hours, the service writer let me know the new temperature sensor revealed that the water pump was, in fact, not working and that it was being replaced. So, more waiting. Fortunately, the store’s marketing, events and social media director, Spencer Carter, wandered into the waiting area, and we had a great conversation about dealership and HOG chapter events. I gave him my blog and YouTube info, and he gave us his card and YouTube information.

It was still raining as we packed up the bikes and got on our way. The rain was pretty heavy until we were about 30 miles west of town. We ran into a couple of showers, but for the most part it was sunny and hot. This was our first gas stop after riding out of the rain and getting off the interstate.

We ran into some mischief for the first time since 2013 when Beth had a seat pad stolen off her bike. About 25 miles after we left that gas stop, one of the gas cans fell off the trailer as we came to a stop light. Beth picked it up and I put it back on the trailer. It took several turns of the locking screw to secure it. The locking screws do not loosen on their own. Never once before has one of them come loose, including during last year’s trip to Alaska. I figure someone purposely undid the screw so that the can would eventually fall off. Sheesh.

We set our sights on Paris, TX for our overnight stay and made it by about 6:30 p.m. Although we had every intention of heading out to the swimming pool, we succumbed to hunger, made some dinner and vegged out in our room in the Paris Quality Inn. Tomorrow, on to Amarillo!

Travel distances (day/total): 256/1321