Scouting Mule Deer with a Not very Good Up-date

[L. E. Carroll]

Not hunting but doing some serious deer scouting as I enjoy a great 2 Week SOLO Motorcycle Vacation on the new Triumph. This particular route was picked to visit some of my favorite Mule Deer hunting area in Central and Eastern WA. on my way thru Idaho and into Mont. to tour Glacier National Park...

Mid 80's thru very high 90"s lots of Sunshine and very low humidity... Pretty close to heaven and will get even closer as I ride the Road To The Sun in Glacier Park.

Gene

[flightattendant100]

Some gorgeous country that Glacier Nat. Park!!

[vixenmaster]

Sounds like a great vacation

[xcaliber]

Sounds great, ride safe Gene, and enjoy!

[L. E. Carroll]

Today, Thursday, while driving thru a small tourist kind of town of about 3000 called Soap Lake in Central WA, on a two lane state highway, It happened.

I was following two other 4 wheeled vehicles in a 45 MPH zone.... One farthest one ahead clears an intersection while a car on the right at a stop sign sign waits to turn out left cross our lane and make a left in the opposit direction we are traveling. The second vehicle ahead ( the one right ahead of me ) vears over slightly and enters a right turn lane with turn signal on and commits to turning so a ...... You guessed it a young lady sitting at the stop sign figures the coast is clear and juts out in front on me them sees me and stops "Frozen" almost taking up my entire lane

With a car aproaching in the other lane of the two lane highway, I have very few places to go or room for error... All I really needed was about 1 more inch to clear her car but NO ! I took off her lisense plate and bracket as well as breaking some of the plastic below her bumper portion and part of the passanger side plastic up front...all while attempting a controlled stop and keep the bike up-right, while trying to avoid going airborn over her hood.

The rubber foot pad gets torn off of my right foot running board, and the rather substancil brake lever and pad get shoved and twists around above the running board and jammed preventing any type of rear brake action... it also scuffed the brand new right side saddlebag as it was dragged past the front of her car, but not too badly... Probably only I know its scuffed as I was the one trying to restore it after the incident.

I then had to drive it with a front brake only for about 22 miles to a small Honda Shop in another small Central WA town by the name of Quincy.... The guys there were GREAT ! knowing I was 300 miles from home with most of a 2 week vacation remaining, they got to straightening my new bike out... they had to use care as they are a honda shop and this is a new Triumph, so if something breaks rather than twists back close to origional shape, they have no replacement..

Happily the bike looks close to new again and the break and break pedal function smoothly. After about 45 minutes they looked up and said that was about a good as they could make it... They got the running board back in place and "firm" along with getting the rubber pad re-attached to it... So I'm road ready for tomorrow...

I then asked the MAGIC QUESTION, "What do I Owe You Guys" they look back and forth, then at me and say "You Have Had Enough Bad Luck For The Day, so it's on us Ride Safe". It was hard for me to believe but true....There really are some great people out there that we are not even aware of...

As for me, I don't know how I kept the bike up during and following the slight impact, nor how I failed to get a mangled foot or worse injuries? The girl did agree to call the State patrol so a report could be taken...... He sited her for "Failure To Yield the Right Away" and so stated on a form for my insurance co. So hopefully all will be good when I return back home and her ins company will pick up the tab with no deductable costs due from me..

Gene

[vixenmaster]

Gene i hate to hear that has happened n so early in yer vacation. Thats the reason i sold my 1983 Honda V45 Magna back in 1985. A drunk driver acrossed the line hit me n left me in the ditch on a hit n run. They never found the pickup truck nor driver. My insurance had to pick up the tab, but still today ppl. don't look fer Bikes!

[xcaliber]

Glad you're OK, could always fix the bike Gene.

[robertyb]

Glad you (and the bike) are OK Gene. Drive safely and remember it is the other fools on the road that will get you.
There are some really nice folks out there. Happy you met a couple of them.

[GrassyKnoll]

Glad to see you are ok.....

[sproulman]

Glad to hear you are ok..I wear bright shirt now too many do not look for motorcycles..I have had people texting come right accross line at me and I looked in mirror and they are still over line behind me...

We had mother and fawn cross road..I told the Harley guys they DRIVE TO FAST while on paved mountain rds...I stay wayback from them and drive speed limit..What did they do they hit fawn..I was mad as h ....

I have Honda 1100 shadow and its not like big Haarleys that can cruise at big speeds comfortably I have to take it easy or its rough on road and more noisy not as smooth as big harleys..

But every wreck I see is mostly harleys and I do not believe its because there are more harleys than the other brands it higher speeds they are crusing at ..
They just drive to FAST and today doing that you are going to get in wreck or hit deer etc....

[W.Miguire]

Glad to hear you are ok and you got your bike back working . just be careful. have a nice trip and watch out for the other guy.
W.M.

[Waif]

It is fortunate you are intact.
While I miss runnin an iron horse, I don't miss having to drive like I am invisible.
At least you don't have to worry about that first scratch any more....

Stay safe and enjoy your run with a continuation of two wheels down.
Those fine folks at the Honda shop deserve a Christmas card.

[Hi5]

What a marvelously kind and generous thing those fellows did at the Honda dealership.

The first impulse might be to trumpet the name and location of their dealership. They deserve positive recognition, and that's for sure. The problem, however, might be that then every Tom, Dick, and Harry would expect everything from them to be free.

From one rider to another, I hope the rest of your trip is so safe it's almost boring.