18 August 2009
Cast (in order of appearance):-
Lady in a hurry with sick dog |
Herself |
I pulled into a gas station 120 miles into the day at Stewart Crossing and as I took my crash-helmet off I could hear air escaping from somewhere... guess where?!! Yep, you got it, my rear tyre! This was starting to irritate me now! Just then a woman drove up and was really pushy about me moving away from the pump. She was gesturing like crazy so I pulled over to the side. She got out and explained she had a dog in the car which was choking and she had to get him to the vets very quickly. “OK, fair enough”, I thought, but looking through the car windows I could see three very healthy looking, breathing normally and seemingly fine dogs – it was going to be a strange day.
I didn’t even bother looking at the tyre. I was so fed up with looking at flat tyres. I went into the gas station and bought a bottle of water, paid for my gas and asked the woman if there was anyone who could fix a tyre or did she have patches for me to fix it? She didn’t but did confirm that I was 220 miles to Whitehorse where I could get my tyre fixed easily! I gave up on that and wandered over to the cafe next door. I ordered bacon and eggs and asked the cafe owner, Bob, if he had anything to fix my tyre with. Bob was really nice but unable to help me. He had used the last of his patches only two days ago and didn’t know of anyone with a pick-up truck who could take me to Whitehorse either. I asked if I could pay to use his phone and borrow a phone book, both of which were given to me. Bob recommended Superior Recovery, a towing company, and I called them. They didn’t live up to their name. They said that they would be able to leave to get me in about four hours and it was a four hour drive... that old story again!! So I sat down and started eating my breakfast to prepare myself for a very long wait.
[Enter Luke stage left] This guy had been sitting chatting to the owner while I was on the phone and asked me about my tyre. I explained the whole story from the start and he (Luke) pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to give me the numbers of all the bike shops in Whitehorse along with the names of who I should speak to! He suggested I call Honda and speak to Dan – I obeyed his instructions and Dan said he had a choice of tyres for me, would hold the one I wanted, order me in an inner tube and look forward to seeing me in the morning... nice guy!
I chatted to Luke while he finished his coffee and found out that he delivered propane in a 300 mile radius from Whitehorse and that he knew lots and lots of people because of this! Thanking Luke as he left I settled into what I thought was going to be a very long wait... still, Bob said I could sit in the cafe until he closed at 6pm – it was 11am! My other option was to sit outside with the bike and look pathetic I suppose!
Not five minutes later Luke came rushing into the cafe and said, “Quick Kate, get your stuff, I’ve got you a ride!”... wow! I grabbed everything and rushed outside to see a HUGE truck parked up pulling a flatbed with a digger on it. There was plenty of space for the Red Baron but how on earth were we going to get him up to the flat bed which was at my shoulder height? [Enter miscellaneous truck drivers] Luke had rounded up a small posse of truck drivers who were willing to help lift the Baron onto the truck! I removed all the boxes and regretted filling him up with gas but there was nothing I could do about that. On the count of three up went the front wheel onto the bed, up went me too so I could steady him, another count and he was on the flat bed! Wow... these guys are REALLY cool! I jumped down and thanked them all but they were so modest and said it was no problem and disappeared really quickly. Luke introduced me to Gordo the man in charge of the truck and between us we strapped down the Baron and stashed the panniers in the diggers bucket. I quickly called the recovery people to say I had been rescued, climbed into the enormous truck cab and off we went.
Gordo, like many long-distance truckers, was a talkative chap. He told me all about his house in a village outside Whitehorse and his childhood growing up in Dawson City. I told him all about the Unimog and my travels with Oz in Africa and he explained the million dials and buttons in the cab – I’ve seen less stuff in aeroplanes! I was just very happy to have been rescued! Gordo asked what my plan was once I get to Whitehorse and, as usual, I didn’t have one! He said that I could keep the bike overnight at the truck yard and collect it in the morning. Once we arrived at the truck yard he changed his mind saying that he wasn’t so sure it would be safe – is someone really going to try to steal a bike with a flat rear tyre?? At that point I don’t think I could have cared less!! We off loaded the Baron down a ramp and this guy came out of the next building saying, “You can’t leave that here”. This was the first time that day that anyone had been unhelpful! He then said, “It’ll be damaged – you must lock it up in my workshop!”. Phew...! So after pushing it up to Ray’s workshop and emptying what I needed for the night out of the panniers he gave me a lift to the nearest motel saying he would come back and get me in the morning.
Check in for the motel was in the bar and three old timers at the bar asked me loads of questions while I was waiting for my room key. They invited me back for a beer and I decided that it was exactly what I wanted! After a shower and change of clothes I arrived back in the bar to discover that one of the guys was from Scotland and another from Northern Ireland! They had both left the ‘homeland’ over 35 years ago and the more they drunk the more their old accents appeared!! Art, from Northern Ireland, told amazing stories and had us all crying with laughter! The third of the trio was an old gold miner who spent the whole night trying to sell me his mine!! I explained my strange day and they called up Luke who joined us in the bar for a few beers – this guy really does know everyone! Suddenly this wonderful noise filled the bar and I realised it sounded just like my old Triumph, Tilly! I rushed outside to see a real dude disappearing through the second bar door but he had left behind a beautiful T120 pre-unit Triumph chop. I waved goodnight to my new buddies and slept really well.
In the morning I went into the cafe next to the bar and the owner said, “Are you English Kate with the motorcycle?”... what is it about this place?!? She said that Ray had been in looking for me and she would call him to get me a lift back to his workshop. Once there I decided not to ride the four miles on the tyre as it wasn’t holding any air at all so I phoned the recovery guys again and they were with me within an hour. I asked Danny the driver if we could stop at the motel on the way past to collect my stuff and he said, “You didn’t really stay there?! I wouldn’t stay there and I wouldn’t tell anyone I know to stay there!” I replied that I’d found it to be fine and was in the bar that night and he just gave me a look! Turns out it is a rather famous bar but not for the right reasons!
Danny delivered us safely to Yukon Honda and into the efficient hands of Dan and his staff. I told them to remove the old tyre and inner tube and cut them up! I went off for a walk for an hour and when I returned the Red Baron had a shiny new tyre and inner tube... Hurrah!! I waved the Honda staff good bye and rode into town looking for somewhere a bit less seedy and like a brothel than the motel from the night before!
A HUGE thank you to all the cast and crew of my little drama!!
Join me next time for an excellent river trip down the Yukon River.