Day 4 - 11 Aug 2007

This morning, Butch and I awakened to a beautiful day. My bike started, but Butch's wouldn't. I Let my bike run for about 45 minutes, because it always stopped after it warmed up. At 46 minutes, it stopped and would not restart. At that point, I asked the friendly motel owner to load my bike onto his trailer and take me to Whitehorse. Butch's bike still wouldn't start. About noon, Butch's bike started, my bike was loaded onto the trailer, and we left about 12:30 for the Harley dealership. We arrived at the Harley dealership at 4pm. I walked in and explained to the general manager/mechanic what the problem was, and he said that he would take a look at my bike, but that they closed at 5pm. We unloaded my bike, and by 4:30 pm he stated that he thought that he knew what the problem was, but the bad news was that he didn't have the needed part in stock, and that it wouldn't get here until next Tuesday or Wednesday. After Butch revived me with cold water and helped me off the cold floor, the GM said that there was another solution....call a current owner of a Harley that was manufactured between 2000 and 2003, and use their part. The Harley Owners Group secretary happened to walk in with a list of all the members in the group, and the GM started calling off the list those with bikes as old as mine. I believe that there were only three on the list. First one, not at home. Second one said that he couldn't because he was involved in an event this weekend. The third person said sure-I'll be right over. I was in shock, needless to say. Someone was willing to give up a part from their trusted steed to a stranger for nothing at all. Amazing. Within 5 minutes this 25 year old guy came in with his bike.
The GM put the part on my bike, and he was then able to hook my bike up to a shop computer to diagnose the problem - which he couldn't do before without the part. Turns out, the part that the GM originally thought was bad, wasn't bad at all, but it was a small electrical wire that controlled the original part. And the GM had that part in stock! About 15 minutes later, and $170.00 lighter, I was on my bike again and riding toward the motel. Amazing.
While all this is going on, Butch is talking to the 25 year olds father who followed the good samaritan over in his car so that he take him back home. It turns out that they are from the Netherlands, and has the same last name as one of our great grandmothers, and lived in the same area in the Netherlands. We are most likely related. Amazing.
One of Jeannine's favorite sayings is "There are no coincidences.....that is just God's way of micro-managing the Universe". I'm a believer in that.

We will get on the road by 8am, ride 10-12 hours tomorrow to a town called Glennallen in Alaska. 525 miles.

Things we learned today:
1. There are some VERY good people in this world-and they don't all live in the good ole USA.

2. There is no reason to get upset when plans go astray - everything happens for a reason. We just don't always know the reason-and that's ok also.

3. Where our bikes were parked last night, a bear was killed last year.

4. Yukon Territory is almost the size of Texas, yet it's population is only about 30,000 people.

5. The people in the YT are OUTSTANDING!.

6. We have been greatly blessed on this adventure thus far.

Tomorrow night we will be in Alaska......see ya then.

Jim and Butch