Back to the Pen

"Back to the Pen" ~ Montana District Rally 2020

GWRRA Montana District Rally
By Chuck & Lesley Grimm

Well, this whole thing started on the morning of the 23rd of July.  Lesley and I met up with our good friends, the Schmidts from Chapter N in Spokane.  We showed up in chaps and riding jackets while they showed up in Frogg Toggs.  When asked why, Gary advised that it looked like rain later that day, about the same time as we were arriving in Deer Lodge.  Well, I had to disagree with him on that point and after fueling, we were on our way to Deer Lodge, Montana, for the Montana GWRRA District Rally.  The weather was clear and sunny.  I was thinking that Gary was off his rocker.  Well, time would tell.

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Region “I” Rally, Tillamook Oregon

August 16, 2017 ~ Lesley & I left Spokane and were
bound for Tillamook to the Region "I" Rally, and were fortunate enough to score an Aspen Tent camper for this trip.  If memory serves, it was a pretty day.  Everything was going well until we got to around the Tri-Cities when I realized that we had a little problem.  I stepped on the foot brake and it went all the way to the bottom.  The words that I uttered in the Intercom system would make a sailor blush.  If I pumped the brake, I could get rear brake action.  The problem came when I had to make a quick stop.  Not sure if I would have enough time to pump up the brakes, so I decided to keep the distance between us and the vehicle in front of me larger than normal.  The front brake was just fine, and it actually did a very good job at stopping the bike.  Even in a panic stop.  This did surprise me, and I was thankful that these actions were few and far between.  We stopped for the night at "The Dalles" at the Motel 6. Got checked in and got some things out for the night. I still wasn't sure what the cause of the brake failure was.  I looked under the back of the bike, and I couldn't see any brake fluid on the ground, even after pumping the brakes several times.  I checked the master cylinder and found it was low on fluid.  Well, there was nothing to be done since it was too late to see the service folks at the Honda shop. So, we decided to get some dinner and enjoy the night in a soft bed, soothing our aching backsides. We visited the folks at the front desk and asked where a good place to eat was. They pointed us in the direction of "Cousin's Restaurant & Saloon." They are within walking distance, so off we went.  Now I must admit that I was quite impressed with this establishment. This is a place to go back to for sure. If memory serves, I had "Tom's Turkey with Dressing" and Lesley had the "Home Style Pot Roast." But then again, it could be vice versa for sure. I do know that the dinner was wonderful.

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