The Mobius Trip

[DR. Rock]

can you get my helmet for me?"

"Sure, Uncle David."

[DR. Rock]

to the storage place. I tell JP to give us an hour or so, and then to swing by and pick us up and bring a gas can so we can pour what's left in our tanks into his truck.

It's 3pm. The gates to the storage place become inactive at 5pm. I know this because the day before I had stopped by to do the paperwork, pay the rent, and choose my gate pass code. That should be plenty of time to pull the tanks, drop the float bowls, and get the bikes tucked away.



We arrive at the place,



and I can't get the gate open. The code doesn't work. Nor does any conceivable permutation.

[DR. Rock]

and time is ticking. I'm going to need time to do the work. We need to get in. Once I commit to draining the carbs, we can't ride the bikes back to JP & Lisa's.

[Why aren't we leaving the bike's at their place, you may be wondering? They will be moving out of their house during some major renovations over the next 6 months and are putting most of their stuff in storage while they rent a place.]

We're leaving in the morning before the gates open again, so our options are limited.

1. Hope we can get someone to let us in. 2. Try to hop the fence and hope the code works on the inner door. 3. Tow the bikes back to JP & Lisa's and hope they can figure out how to get them back there later in the week. 4. Ditch the bikes in the bushes and hope they're still there monday.

Basically, if we don't get the bikes in storage in the next two hours, it's gonna be a major hassle.

LDF is agitated. And starts making phone calls.

[DR. Rock]

I start tearing into the bikes.



It's a brand new storage facility, and apparently they have some kinks to work out of their computer gate code entry system.

I was kicking myself for not trying it out while the office was open, but there wasn't much I could do about that now, and if I didn't get the bikes prepped for storage, even if we did get them through the gate, after 5pm we wouldn't be able to get ourselves out.

LDF couldn't understand how I could just calmly work on the bikes while not having any reasonable plan for what we were going to do if we couldn't get them into the storage unit before getting on a plane in the morning.

I don't know... I was hoping for a miracle. An 11th hour save.

[DR. Rock]

to accomplish anything by phone. She's called all the numbers listed in the paperwork I had (no answer, voicemail). Called the main office of the company (no answer, voicemail). Called the security company # in the window (no longer covering that facility, didn't know who the current security was). And had about given up.

I on the other hand, had made a very interesting discovery. The pilot jets in the two bikes were vastly different sizes:



The one on the left was from Blueberry, and marked as 25. The one on the right was from Honeybee, and because the font used to mark the size is so block-like, the 2 and the 5 are identical, except inverted. So it was size 52, actually:



So I had finished prepping the bikes for storage, and JP and Lisa show up with the kids, and he starts pouring the gas from our tanks into his truck.

"So what are you going to do?"

"At this point, I'll try hopping the fence, and using the code on the back door"

Which I attempt, and am unsuccessful, the code doesn't work back there either.

"Now what?" LDF is pacing back and forth, and has that look on her face like she has to use the bathroom.

I start walking around the facility looking for a place to ditch the bikes.

The gates lock down in about 10 minutes, at which point even if someone returns one of the 70 messages she's left on voicemail, we won't be able to get in and we're screwed.

[DR. Rock]

the bottom of the 9th and all that. Just as we were getting desperate... A guy pulls up in a car. We give him our story.

"Sure, no problem, I can get you in on my code."



We move fast.



You can see the relief on all our faces.



I didn't photograph him, and I'm not going to post even his first name, 'cause I don't want him to get in trouble for letting someone else in on his code.

But boy, were we grateful.



We squeezed the two bikes and our gear in the 5X10 unit,



And pulled the door closed on another successful Mobius leg.



See you next May, Blueberry... Sleep tight, Honeybee.

Don't worry, we'll be back next spring with fresh jets, gaskets, needles and everything else necessary to make your carburetors sing.

[DR. Rock]

So my brother has this scam worked out with his kids.

I've got to admit, it's pretty good. I totally fell for it. We drop Lisa and Francine off at the house so they can drink wine and make salsa, while we take the kids and stop at the grocery store for, well groceries.

At the grocery store, they've got these carts with cars attached to the front:



The kids love it. So we tool around the store, loading the cart up with all kinds of stuff, and the kids are getting antsy riding in the car, so they start climbing all over the top of it like little monkeys. I mean, they're really coordinated, and we're all having fun.



We get in line to pay, and JP says "Let me run out to the car and get the reusable grocery bags, you watch the kids." So I'm watching them, and I continue watching, as Lilliana, like lightning, slides off the roof of the car, while hanging on with one hand, and does a face plant, ala George-of-the-Jungle, against the side of the cart, and starts screaming.

I look down at the car roof, and clearly written in BIG letters it says "DO NOT ALLOW CHILDREN TO CLIMB ON THE ROOF OF THE CAR, YOU BAD UNCLE, YOU!" Of course I hadn't seen the sign before, 'cause it had a couple of kids obscuring it, but I should have figured anyway.

Luckily JP hears his progeny screaming, and hustles back (without the bags), and takes her from me. (yes, of course I picked her up and was trying to comfort her, duh.)

Blood is streaming from her nose, and he says, "Let me take her to the bathroom and wash this blood off, you watch Leo."

This is where I should have figured the scam was on and I was being played. I mean, who in their right mind would leave their other child with me when I so miserably failed at keeping the little girl one from harm.

So at this point, we're at the front of the line, and there's silence. "Yes, I'm a BAD uncle." I say out loud to no one in particular. I can feel the icy stares of the soccer moms in the other check-out lines piercing through my back.

"Credit or debit?" the clerk asks.

I just want out of there. I hand over my credit card.

Now, I'd have paid for the groceries anyway, but my guess is that they probably pull this on strangers. It was awesome.

Lilliana was none the worse for wear.



Sorry about that, guys. Next time I'll keep a closer eye on the kids when they're climbing on stuff they're not supposed to.

[miniroot]

Originally Posted by DR. Rock

gets a bath next:

What is it about tailpipes that just beg to be filled with water? I've taken to corking mine before asking the kids to help.

Thanks for the report so far, guys -- it's been a blast.

[kl Richard]

you can't even get into the storage unit

This talk about ditching bikes that have served you so faithfully

Anyhow.....glad to see you had another great trip, and well done, WRT the ride report I look forward to next springs ride!!!

[Questor]

Ahh.. Playing / looking after other peoples kids.
I've done that, and never been invited back.

I like kids.
I like giving them lots of caffeine, making them spaztic, and then giving them back to their parents.

At least you looked after the bikes okay.
Q~

[joenuclear]

Unattended children will be served espresso and given a puppy.

Loved the RR!!!!

Thanks

[FlagRS]

Well done Rock & LDF - I have been enjoying your journey together.
Best from Flag

[dave6253]

Aww Shucks! This leg of the RR is over... Whatever shall I spend my time reading now?

See you wine sippin', Big City, "food snobs", next spring!

[DR. Rock]

Originally Posted by dave6253

Aww Shucks! This leg of the RR is over...

Yeah, just about. I feel the same way, it's been a trip just writin' up the trip. I'm gonna knock it down, and put up a more detailed index with links to different sections in post one, and then it's route-scoutin' time for Mobius III.

[DR. Rock]

another Thanksgiving dinner, that couldn't be beat...



except this one involved salsa,



an' kids ...



an' dogs...



an' we stayed up past our bedtimes recountin' glory days, listenin' to music, drinkin' and lookin' at photos and such, and all in all it was a great evening.