Kenworth Dealership, Lewiston, Idaho

It is Sunday, July 8th and this is where we have been sitting since Friday night at about 6:30 pm. We left Kennewick, Washington, (where I picked up the Steve McQueen Triumph) drove about 80 miles East on Highway 12 when La Jefa decided it was time once again to retire service to the trip.

This marks the 8th time she has let us down. We thought it was another coolant problem because it acted the same way it did when it quit running before. Once we looked at the coolant overflow tank and found it to be full, our heart sank realizing that we had a new issue.

La Jefa would re-start but would not stay running. We checked the fuel filter attached to the back of the engine compartment and it seemed fine (had fuel coming through). I had to ride the Triumph 10 miles back to the last town, call the towing service, then ride back. It took three hours for them to arrive and thankfully they brought the correct size tow truck. In Canada, we waited four hours for a tow, when they got there the truck was not big enough to haul us!

Every once in a while you meet exceptional people and I can tell you, our tow truck operator, Walt, is one of those individuals. Walt prides himself on having a perfect driving record with no citations or incidents with regard to his job of towing big rigs to help. Not only did he get us to the dealership safely, but he also went an hour out of his way to bring us another section of power cord so we would have electricity during our wait for the dealership to open on Monday. He also came back Sunday after reading this blog to offer his network card so I could get on-line! Walt, we love you!!!

Through all of this, I give great credit to the spirit of my aging parents, who have managed to find a way to laugh at our stranded situation. In the last two days of living in a hot, dusty parking lot with minimal shade, in over 100-degree heat, we have found a way to stay positive and eat well. We even made an apple pie from scratch using La Jefa’s microwave/convection oven, and MAN was it good! Funny how great things can taste based on your situation. We’d probably spit it out if we had made it in the luxury of our own home?

Here is the last picture you will get of “Killer” the Kawasaki KLR-650. It was a fantastic bike and I can tell you, it was hard to see it go. As you may well have guessed, this picture was taken at the dealership (Thunder Alley Victory Triumph) where I picked up the new Steve McQueen Triumph. All the crew members present, even Benz who is hard to see next to my jacket.

I did keep the windscreen of the KLR because of the memorabilia attached. I plan on framing that along with other significant collectibles as a reminder of our travels, of course, we’re not back yet! La Jefa, take us home soon, will you please?

MM