7-31-08 Day 34 OLD RED is Dead

Old Red can't answer the bell today. We determined last night that it's not the compensator that's making noise. It's most likely a main bearing. It's running but the noise continues to get worse after we put on a new compensatoreliminator so rather then possily destroy the bike, Tom's elected to use his HOG benefits and call Road America for a tow (see pic) to the closest Harley dealer which is Great Falls, MT. From there they'll ship it home and Tom will fly. Mark & I will stick around until the arrangements are complete and then we'll head east for the ride home. Tom starts making calls and by noon he's in the tow truck heading to Great Falls and Mark & I head east. We decide to ride for a while and then stop for lunch. We get to Havre which was where we intended to stop yesterday and have lunch. The weather is in the low 80's and sunny and it's great riding as is the road. From the pic you can see the road just goes straight for miles at a time. It's either wheat, hay fields or cattle/horses grazing as far as you can see in all directions. We notice that sometimes some wheat fields are barren. We learn that these are the fields the farmers get paid by the government not to plant. We're told they make more on these then if they were planted. The speed limit is 70 and most folks do more then that but traffic is very light. We settle on a cruising speed of 75. After a couple tanks of gas Mark and I realize we are getting better mileage at this higher speed. 50 mpg vs. 42! We end the day in Williston, ND and we've gained back another hour so we're only 1 hour behind now!. We hope to be in Minnesota tomorrow. Stay tuned as the adventure continues.