Preparations

The International Norton Owners Rally take place next week in Quincy, CA, somewhere between Redding, CA, and Reno, NV, next week. Jim and I have had tickets and campsites rented since sometime in late January, and the time has come to head south. 

I loaded my red 1974 Norton Commando Interstate into my truck on Wednesday evening in preparation for the big adventure. Thursday morning saw me going through my checklist and making certain that I had everything that I figured that I needed to survive ten days on the road. The list is the result of my past experience of always forgetting something important even though I was certain that I had included everything that I needed. This time things would be different.

Of course, it rained on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning it still hadn't stopped. I packed the truck, did all the tasks I needed to do before leaving, checked everything once more and rolled out the driveway secure in the knowledge that I hadn't forgotten a thing this time. WRONG! By the time I reached Parksville, it occurred to me that I had left the housing and accessories to put my GoPro on the Norton. Therefore, no bike video this time, because when I checked out a housing at Best Buy the price was eighty-seven dollars plus tax and the mounting hardware was another thirty dollars. I gave it a pass, but my record of forgetting something important is still intact even after I had made an exhaustive list.

The rain finally eased up around Parksville, and the drive to Sooke was almost effortless. Jim & I unloaded the Norton and decided to do some work on it. The headlight shell and 'ears' were bent for some reason so they needed to be replaced. I had the parts so it was going to be an easy job. However, after four hours, a broken tach glass, heating the top yoke with a propane torch, disassembling the whole front end, replacing the damaged parts, and reassembling everything, the bike looked great. I can see why motorcycle repairs are so expensive. They are extremely time-consuming.

Last night I stayed at Jim's place and I was joined by his big dog, Grizzly, or 'Grizz' for short. He slept at the foot of the bed, got up several times during the night to check on me, and made all sorts of strange noises including snuffles, snorts, & snores. It was actually pretty good having him there although Jim was disappointed in his dog's disloyalty.

This morning the big task was to load both of the Nortons that we will be taking to Quincy. It may look simple, but arranging multiple tie downs so that the bikes stay upright and don't damage each other is somewhat complicated. However, the job is done, the bikes are secure, and we are ready to roll. 

The Nortons

My red 1974 Norton Interstate & Jim's 1974 Norton Roadster.

All tied up & ready to go.

Looking pretty good.

The next task was to pack up the stuff we needed in the back seat of Jim's truck. We seem to have pulled that off too, so the truck is sitting in the driveway facing the road, and ready to roll around 4:00 a.m. tomorrow. The plan is to arrive at the terminal before 5:00 a.m., check with customs and be on our way at 6:10. Then, it's down US101 to Olympia, ans then south on I-5. That's the plan anyway.

It has been a long time arriving, but this rally should be awesome with an estimated 200+ Nortons and riders of all ages, although most riders will be like their bikes - old! It should be a great time, although this time we are taking the 'Smoking Truck'. More tomorrow after we have a clearer idea about how things are going.