That was fast!

My Vespa?  Well, sure.  But, Joan's Xmax is faster.

Another hot one in the Black Hills, and the morning started with gusty winds again.  No, that wasn't forecast.  We had talked about getting out early for a ride, and going north.  We decided to wait out the wind (since the weather weasels missed the actual wind, they were now predicting it to ease up by early afternoon.  And then another chance of thunderstorms.

So, "the window" of getting in a ride is narrowing.  I got the scoots out and ready; it was already in the upper 80s; still breezy, but not where it would make riding unpleasant.  We decided to leave our mesh coats behind...

We didn't even get out of Hart Ranch when my phone rang.  I stopped, pulled off my helmet, and answered the call... it was from Doug, the RV service guy, and I was hoping to hear when the part for our toilet would be in.  "Hi, this is Doug from Travel Tyme - we have your pedestal in.  Can we come by this afternoon to pull your old one and install this one?"

"Absolutely!  I have been 'holding it' for 4 days (joke), so you tell me when works for you and we will be there waiting."

"Is 2:30 good for you?  I don't want to mess up your motorcycle ride."

"2:30 is perfect.  We'll see you then."

We decided to make this ride shorter so there was no issue with being back in time.  Leaving the Ranch...

The good riding starts immediately.  A few miles down the road is one of my favorite views here...

On with the ride...

That road sign ahead in the above photo lets you know there is a 15% grade ahead.  More on that in a bit.

We rode a few more miles, then turned around to take the same fun roads back.  This route is south, but not on the main roads to Keystone and Mt Rushmore.

And then, up that same 15% grade...

Yes, there is some vertical building in that cloud on the far side of the hilly horizon.  This hill is about a mile long pull... you get some idea of the power and torque of your vehicle.  We both started the climb at around 45mph.  Midway up the hill, I had the Vespa throttle pegged, and I was starting to lose speed; Joan's Xmax held 45 all the way up the hill, and she had throttle to spare.  At the top of the steepest part, I was down to about 40mph.

Yes, I am OK with the performance of my scoot.  Joan is OKer with hers.  ;-)

We were home in time to change out of long pants and get some ice water.  The temp was now 93º.  I took the ladder out and checked the top of the coach, now that it is dry and sunny... other than that one vent, everything on the roof looks OK.  We found a couple more pings on the car.  Back into the air conditioning, and I started to download the photos here.

At exactly 2:30, there was a knock on the door.  Doug and his son were here and ready to get the job done.  They removed the toilet, took it outside to take the pedestal off, put the new pedestal on, reinstalled it, and checked for water function and no leaks.

Less than a half hour.  They know what they are doing.  The price was reasonable.  They are both friendly and professional.  A very positive service experience.  Two in a row!  (This one and the service on the Vespa in Austin.)

We can poop with convenience once again.  Not to be taken for granted.

When the vent cover comes (due Wednesday), we'll replace that and get on with enjoying our time away.