I can't thank the folks at Ironhorse Stables enough for their hospitality, and Mark in particular for his assistance.

I separated Mark's and my tools and loaded mine and the derby cover in the back of Karen's car. Mark said to just leave his out in case I had to come back, he'd be sticking around awhile to make sure. I carefully took off up the gravel road from the Chrome Corral to the parking lot. Since it was now pretty late, Les and Ivan were going to head their ways and I would follow Wally and Lynn back east until they turned to go home. We all went to the gas station, and satisfied that everything was OK I put the derby cover back on. After promises to post "got home" when we made it in, we all hit the road.

When we got to Yellville, Wally and Lynn pulled into a parking lot and as we were saying our good-byes a car pulled up and the driver told us that the Moving Wall was coming to Mountain Home, and a run was being planned. After that, it was time to head out. Karen had went ahead to the closest gas station for a pit stop, and was waiting as I pulled up. I motioned her to take the lead. The trip back was fairly uneventful except for a few items:

The nut on the pivot of my rocker clutch backed off enough so that the pedal would stick on the front floorboard. Once I got off the road and figured that out, we were off again.

Right before darkness fell, I noticed the left fatbob didn't look just right. I discovered that the nut on the rear mounting stud had come off. I held it in with my knee and at a stop for a burger on the west side of Paragould, I looked in vain for a fine thread nut in my stuff for it. I tried the D-ring straps that held my tool roll together, but they slid off. I had electric tape, but my knee was doing a good job so far and I didn't want the gum on my paint. It never dawned on me that I could have snugged a wiretie on the stud and probably made it home without being knock-kneed.

I didn't need the burger, on the other side a Paragould I hit a buffet of bugs. Luckily the windshield took the brunt of the attack, but it looked like snow in the headlights for a few miles.

Speaking of headlights, I hadn't aimed mine yet and was surprised that it was in pretty good shape. On the other hand, one of the spotlights was doing a good job of lighting the exit signs on the bridges once we got on I155 heading to Dyersburg.

In Dyersburg we pulled in to a gas station and after the fill up for some reason the bike was difficult to start. I was about to loose my cool (well, actually I did), when along came a squid bike and the Whatzit fired right up. Karen said it wasn't going to embarrass me in front of a Jap bike.

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