Heading back home

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Saturday morning I packed up and got ready to head to Windsor, ON to make the crossing to Detroit, MI. I went to start the bike, and instead it turned over slowly a few times and then clicked. Dead battery. I slowly rolled the bike out of the grass and onto the dirt path around the campgrounds, slowly built up a little speed, pulled the choke, and dropped the clutch in second gear. After a little sputtering, she fired up and I rode on out. I was hoping it was just the combination of charging the GPS and the phone, but I'd charged both overnight before and knew it was very likely my battery was toast. This was confirmed the next time I stopped for gas, after the battery had plenty of time to charge back up. From now until the end of the trip, I would be push starting the bike.

The drive to Windsor/Detroit was nice, but boring. I saw a windmill farm, but there wasn't much else to look at. Even the view of the lake was mostly obstructed by houses, when it was even close enough to see. I finally found a business or government building I drove up to so I could finally get a closer look at Lake Erie. It must be nice to live along such a lake, like having a calm ocean in your backyard.

I finally reached Windsor and crossed the bridge into Detroit. I noticed that even when in Windsor, if I told the GPS to go to Detroit, it would try to direct me back to Buffalo, NY. As with NYC, it seems like it didn't like crossing those bridges.

I took the interstates to Rock Island, IL where my cousin lives. It was a fast but boring ride, through occasional rain. When I got there, I decided to check my voltage with the bike running. It was about 14.5V which was a relief since it meant the regulator was still functioning properly. I was worried it was going to read high like 20V, indicating that not only would I need to replace the battery, but also the regulator.

The next morning I left for Wichita, KS, a relatively short ride. The closer I got, the more anxious I was to get home. Two weeks is long enough for me. Finally, back home :)

P.S. See that mower on the right side of the picture? Someone stole it an hour after I got back home. :rolleyes: I heard a noise, but didn't realize it was missing until the cops showed because someone saw it happen.

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