Vermont

We passed our first few hours at home cracking peanuts and sipping beer on the back deck with my Dad. It had been an exhausting week trying to pack in as many friends, museums and sights as we could see in DC and we were ready to relax. However, the bikes needed attention and we needed to get things ordered ASAP while we had an address to ship them to. 

The slight rhythmic sound my chain had made in North Carolina had increased and had become quite worrisome by the time we made it to Vermont. My Dad has been bringing motorcycles to Stanley at Lynde Motorsports in Brattleboro, VT for years and he demanded that we take my bike there to have Stanley take a look. It was agreed upon that we would order a new chain and sprockets for my bike. My Dad also wanted lights put on to my bike to make me more visible on the road. I wanted a windscreen extension of some sort as the wind noise was really getting to me on the highway. Roel also needed to swap out his clutch plates on his bike, and given that his bike had never been imported into the States, we had to wait for these parts to come from Europe. 

The laundry list of to do’s and to order’s kept growing. 

Beer tasting @ von Trapp Family Lodge

Ben & Jerry's 'Late Night Snack' - YUM!

While we waited for parts, we did what we could, replacing our old North Face tent, which was no longer waterproof, with a new Eureka one. We took the Africa Twin up to Northern Vermont to explore the Green Mountains a bit and give our new “home” a test run. Of course, we stopped at Ben & Jerry’s for a tour and a treat. The von Trapp Family Lodge for a beer tasting. And stocked up on some awesome camping goodies in Burlington (including a plastic, convertible wine “glass”). The roads home from Burlington took us through some of the most beautiful forests and special small towns I have ever seen in my home state. The devastation from Hurricane Irene was still sadly very visible throughout  many of the rural areas in the southern part of the state.

Upon our return, we headed into Lynde Motorsports and spent a few days working on my bike. Stanley and Laura kindly allowed us to work on the concrete in front of their shop, lending us whatever tools we didn’t have to get the job done, understanding that where we’re heading and how we’re traveling, it is imperative that I know how to maintain my own bike. So, Roel taught me how to swap out my chain and sprockets and wire up new lights. 3 days and several new friends later...

1st Lesson in Motorbike Maintenance: Replacing Chain & Sprockets. Check!