It rained the entire night, but let up a bit as the light of day seeped into the interior of the RV.
An early start was needed so the Smitanic crew could stop in Sturgis for the Motorcycle Museum before completing the days' journey.
The Park's narrow gravel roads had serious ruts, and the night's rain made them even more daunting as Kevin maneuvered the beast to a safe exit onto the highway pavement.
The windshield wipers never rested all the way into Sturgis. Theresa had called a local RV park to ask where a large rig with tow might be able to park for an hour or so. The suggestion was a local grocery store lot across from the Knucklehead Saloon which was quickly located on Theresa's phone.
Armed with umbrellas and rain jackets, the soggy crew briskly walked the 5 blocks to the Museum entrance. It was a seemingly small building but the displays covered 2 floors and housed a large array of vintage motorcycles complete with a self guided audio tour and placards that described each bike.
Kevin drooled over the chromed OCC Bike Razor custom chopper, built by Paul Sr., as he admired all the detail in the tank, wheels and frame. What a piece of art! Downstairs had more vintage machines as well as a history of and memorabilia from the annual rally that hosted close to 1M motorcycle enthusiasts this year on its 75th anniversary!
Armed with umbrellas and rain jackets, the soggy crew briskly walked the 5 blocks to the Museum entrance. It was a seemingly small building but the displays covered 2 floors and housed a large array of vintage motorcycles complete with a self guided audio tour and placards that described each bike. 
Kevin drooled over the chromed OCC Bike Razor custom chopper, built by Paul Sr., as he admired all the detail in the tank, wheels and frame. What a piece of art! Downstairs had more vintage machines as well as a history of and memorabilia from the annual rally that hosted close to 1M motorcycle enthusiasts this year on its 75th anniversary!
All enjoyed the museum. As the three tourists strolled down Main St. back to the RV, Kevin lamented that this year's rally was missed, but there is always next year.
Kevin will return to Sturgis with a Harley with or without a passenger. Bucket list yet to be completed.
Onward and into Wyoming...the “Equality State”. This name was earned due to Wyoming being the first state in which women had the right to vote and hold public office.
Onward and into Wyoming...the “Equality State”. This name was earned due to Wyoming being the first state in which women had the right to vote and hold public office.
The rain lingered during the entire I-90 section of the route but did subside as the “Close Encounter” Icon (Devel's Tower) became visible towering through the clouds.
Reservations had been made the prior day for a KOA at the foot of Devils Tower. What a fantastic location! The campground had all the amenities including a nightly showing of the Richard Dreyfus film – Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind. Theresa could not get the alien melody to stop playing in her head. Kevin did another Drone Fly over as well.
Water and Electric were all that would be connected for the single night stay. The jacks came down and next out came the slides. Normally this is a non-event. Not this day. Kevin pushed the buttons inside for each of the 4 slides. The 2 rear slides were deployed first, then the driver side living room slide was next. Kevin pushed the out button. Immediately he saw the end away from him (the back) go out but the edge next to him (the front) did not go out ... he stopped. This left the entire room twisted. Kevin's next thought was to bring it all back in for realignment and diagnosis. Upon his command the slide came in to where the back aligned with the front end, but when he continued to bring the slide all the way in, a 'pop-pop' was heard from the the slide-out. This was not good. His thought was that one of the bolts of the slide assembly system had been snapped off. A similar situation happened when the Smitanic was in Hemet last year and two bolts had been replaced.
Water and Electric were all that would be connected for the single night stay. The jacks came down and next out came the slides. Normally this is a non-event. Not this day. Kevin pushed the buttons inside for each of the 4 slides. The 2 rear slides were deployed first, then the driver side living room slide was next. Kevin pushed the out button. Immediately he saw the end away from him (the back) go out but the edge next to him (the front) did not go out ... he stopped. This left the entire room twisted. Kevin's next thought was to bring it all back in for realignment and diagnosis. Upon his command the slide came in to where the back aligned with the front end, but when he continued to bring the slide all the way in, a 'pop-pop' was heard from the the slide-out. This was not good. His thought was that one of the bolts of the slide assembly system had been snapped off. A similar situation happened when the Smitanic was in Hemet last year and two bolts had been replaced.
Crawling under the bay, it was confirmed two bolts were missing from the assembly. This meant the gears to bring the slide in and out would not turn. Kevin search around in the other bay under the slide to find a bolt in the middle was missing as well as the one near the front. They removed all the items from the bay to look for the 2 missing parts. One missing part was a cotter pin that was completely sheared off and the other was a bolt that was missing a washer and nut.
It was time to make a call to Good Sam's Roadside assistance to see if a mobile RV repair person could come to the rescue. The service request was logged and there would be a call back with details of the repair schedule and contact info. In about 20 min, Kevin got a call that the repair person had been dispatched and would be there in 75 min. Knowing that the mobile folks carry only parts they need for a specific job, Kevin thought that if he would have the parts ready when the person arrived, that would streamline the fix. Theresa searched for a nearby hardware store and called to get the hours of operation and to see if they carried the type of bolts that were needed. They were open until 5:30 and yes, they had bolts.
Just as Kevin and Theresa were hopping in the Toad, the Mulligan RV repair truck pulled up. The repairman, Charles, claimed he was in the area when he got the call to respond. Kevin quickly described the issue to the young man and asked if he might have a suitable part. Charles crawled in each bay to make his assessment. In his quick evaluation, he said, “let's do this in 2 steps. First let's put the old parts back so the slides can be brought all the way in, and then we will see if we can replace them.” With Charles in the bay watching for the correct bolt position, Kevin bumped the slide motor to turn the drive arm so the hole for the bolt could be lined up. Theresa relayed instructions to help coordinate between Kevin and Charles. Charles used the bolt that Kevin found and a small screwdriver from his truck to temporarily allow the slide motor assembly to bring the slide in. As the drive arm rotated, however, the top of the screwdriver snapped off leaving the blade wedged in the hole. Ooopps! “Let's try bringing the slide out one more time and I will watch to see if the blade will clear any obstacles on a full rotation.”
After that successful test, Charles reported, “It's wedged in there pretty good and it will hold for quite some time, just don't use the slide.” Kevin crawled in the bay to see the 'temp fix'. Unsatisfied with this as a solution, he inquired if the temp items could be removed and that proper replacement bolts could be purchased and then inserted by Kevin and Theresa. Charles was very accommodating and got the temp solution removed. His Macgyver instincts took over and he made one more trip to his truck. He returned with some potential bolts and 2 self-tapping metal screws and asked if we had anything that would serve as a chunk of metal to receive the end of the bolt and act as a washer and lock nut. Theresa thought a bit and shouted, “How about a coin?” Charles replied, “Sure, that will work if you have 2 quarters?” Theresa and MJB used all the quarters on laundry 2 days ago but, thankfully Kevin had put some change in a coin container in the RV. “Yeah, here is 50 cents! (4 bits)” Charles went to work relentlessly trying to pierce a hole with the self-tapping screws into each quarter. After 15 minutes, he had one done, 10 more minutes and the other one was ready for assembly. He was pretty delighted with his plan and once again with tools, hardware and the defiled 50 cents in hand, he crawled into the cargo bay to apply the fix to one hole and then the other. Within 15 minutes, he was ready for a test. Charles stayed in the bay to watch his creative solution. Kevin cautiously pushed the slide-out button, the slide moved both sides in unison! Then upon instructions from Charles (related by Theresa) Kevin pressed the slide-in button. The slide came in and was fully retracted! Success! Charles was so proud of his 50 cent fix that he got his phone and took video as proof to a buddy back at work of this ingenious solution. Kevin repeated the test once again, with success. Charles claimed the solution was holding so tight that in his opinion, the slide could even be used for the remainder of the trek! All were very pleased with this report! Kevin reaffirmed that mobile RV repair folks are the best, because they have real road experience and know how to fix all sorts of issues.
After that successful test, Charles reported, “It's wedged in there pretty good and it will hold for quite some time, just don't use the slide.” Kevin crawled in the bay to see the 'temp fix'. Unsatisfied with this as a solution, he inquired if the temp items could be removed and that proper replacement bolts could be purchased and then inserted by Kevin and Theresa. Charles was very accommodating and got the temp solution removed. His Macgyver instincts took over and he made one more trip to his truck. He returned with some potential bolts and 2 self-tapping metal screws and asked if we had anything that would serve as a chunk of metal to receive the end of the bolt and act as a washer and lock nut. Theresa thought a bit and shouted, “How about a coin?” Charles replied, “Sure, that will work if you have 2 quarters?” Theresa and MJB used all the quarters on laundry 2 days ago but, thankfully Kevin had put some change in a coin container in the RV. “Yeah, here is 50 cents! (4 bits)” Charles went to work relentlessly trying to pierce a hole with the self-tapping screws into each quarter. After 15 minutes, he had one done, 10 more minutes and the other one was ready for assembly. He was pretty delighted with his plan and once again with tools, hardware and the defiled 50 cents in hand, he crawled into the cargo bay to apply the fix to one hole and then the other. Within 15 minutes, he was ready for a test. Charles stayed in the bay to watch his creative solution. Kevin cautiously pushed the slide-out button, the slide moved both sides in unison! Then upon instructions from Charles (related by Theresa) Kevin pressed the slide-in button. The slide came in and was fully retracted! Success! Charles was so proud of his 50 cent fix that he got his phone and took video as proof to a buddy back at work of this ingenious solution. Kevin repeated the test once again, with success. Charles claimed the solution was holding so tight that in his opinion, the slide could even be used for the remainder of the trek! All were very pleased with this report! Kevin reaffirmed that mobile RV repair folks are the best, because they have real road experience and know how to fix all sorts of issues.
With the slide issue 'fixed......,' there was still time to, A) drive to the local hardware store and pick up some spare bolts, washers and nuts in case the 4 bit fix failed down the road and, B) hike the 1 mile paved trail around Devils Tower.
The hardware store trip was accomplished in 30 minutes. All hiking items and cameras were gathered and the three explorers ventured into the National Monument. Kevin's senior pass was used to gain free entry. Boy, that was a good investment! The trail lead up to the base of the massive non-errupted volcano formation. A bus unloaded a group of folks who quickly swarmed all over the low lying rocks for the perfect photo opp. The Smitanic crew captured some boulder climb shots and then moved on to the less traveled loop around the entire monolith. About half way around, two climbers were spotted hanging from ropes attached to a midway ledge. The full circumference was made and the hikers determined that the view was significantly different every time one would gaze up. The views out into the lush valleys below were breath taking as well. It is no wonder this has been on MJB's bucket list!
The hardware store trip was accomplished in 30 minutes. All hiking items and cameras were gathered and the three explorers ventured into the National Monument. Kevin's senior pass was used to gain free entry. Boy, that was a good investment! The trail lead up to the base of the massive non-errupted volcano formation. A bus unloaded a group of folks who quickly swarmed all over the low lying rocks for the perfect photo opp. The Smitanic crew captured some boulder climb shots and then moved on to the less traveled loop around the entire monolith. About half way around, two climbers were spotted hanging from ropes attached to a midway ledge. The full circumference was made and the hikers determined that the view was significantly different every time one would gaze up. The views out into the lush valleys below were breath taking as well. It is no wonder this has been on MJB's bucket list!
Returning to the RV, Theresa noted recycling bins inside the National Park gate which was next door to the KOA. She took 2 full bags of bottles, cans and plastic and deposited them appropriately. She noted how amazing it was that RV parks do not provide recycling bins!
With fairly good wifi, the evening was consumed with blog updates, picture uploads and catching up on email. Since a route destination would next take the crew to Glacier National park, MJB checked the status of several fires in the area. The park will be called to see what affect that may have, if any, on the plans in that area.
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