Saturday, September 11, 2010
Saturday 9/11 (The Pac Arrives)
Joe, Gerry and Rich arrived on time in Salt Lake. A little tired from having worked all week and getting up early in the morning to catch an early flight, but here none the less. From what I heard Joe did not have to throw anyone wearing a towel on their head off the plane. After all, it is September 11 and they were flying at almost the exact same time as the attacks of 2001. On the way back to Coalville we took a quick diversion to BMW of North Salt Lake. These are the folks that bailed me out on my trip to California earlier in the summer and installed my new clutch. Of course, I had to say hi to my friend Mindi who came to the door to greet us. This is right out of the old Commerce Bank training manual. "Make the customer feel special". Mindi is expecting a daughter in a few months and shared her sonogram with us. I think she is a little excited! She will be a great mom and it was good visiting with her again. These folks know how to run a dealership and they make you feel like you are visiting an old friend and coming home. The Phat Pac looked at all the toys and eye-candy, plus talked to a group of GS riders from PA that were headed to Central America. Gordy was back in the shop working his magic on one of their bikes. Mac threw his leg over a new R1200GSA and bailed on taking a test ride. Besides.. we don't have room to haul another bike back home. We traveled the 40 miles back to Coalville to unload the bikes and load our gear for the trip. Today was an easy day, as we only had about 80 miles to travel. We headed out to Antelope Island State Park which is in the middle of the Salt Lake and is only accessible by a several mile long causway. In the mid 80's this causway was under water for nearly 5 years. The lake is actually very low now and there were salt/mud flats along either side of the road. Antelope Island is home to several large heards of Buffalo, Mule Deer, Elk, Antelope, Mountain goats and large numbers of migratory birds. The lake is so salty that only very tiny brine shrimp are able to survive. It is America's "Dead sea". We initially planned to swim in the lake which is a hoot, but with the lake level being so low, it was nearly a half mile walk to the water's edge and it did not look too inviting. Plus, it would have mandated taking all of our gear off, showering in fresh water and then putting all the gear back on. A quick vote in normal Phat Pac style ended with a unanimous decision not to go swimming. We enjoyed a stop at the visitor's center and the marina and decided to find our motel for the night. All in all, a good day. Of course at dinner the stories began to flow as normal from Joe, with the rest of us having sore ribs from laughing so hard. This is a special group and we always have a great time together. I can't wait to hit the road tomorrow!
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