The saga continues

I'm back at Chateau Balough in Alma. The rain is back, the thunder is booming across the valley and I have a tumbler of Cutty Sark at my side.
The ride down to Denver was remarkably pleasant this morning. It was sunny and traffic was light and the Triumph Bonneville was actually fun to ride. It's a very basic old school motorcycle, complete with a manual choke and a fuel petcock and it was a whole lot more fun to ride knowing I didn't have far to go.
When I got to Foothills BMW, Alan told me the technician had taken my bike out for a test ride - a good sign and an indication that I'd be out of there soon.
I got a cup of coffee and hung out, trying not to nurse a grudge over having to wait overnight in a fleabag motel to get my bike work done.
When he finally tallied up the bill, Alan apologized again for the hassle. I rather pointedly asserted that 6 p.m., when the doors are being locked and the lights are turned out in the showroom is a hell of a time to find out that my bike was being kept overnight and I had to figure out where to crash and how to get there. I also noted that he had failed to communicate with the technician and that, if he had, things might have turned out better.
He went over the bill and showed me where he had deleted the labor charge for checking out my clutch. Then he asked what else he could do to make me happy. I suggested he could compensate me for my $45 motel bill, so he fiddled with the labor charges and backed that amount out of the bill.
I told him that I've spent enough time in bike shops to know that guys like him have to put up with a lot of crap from jerks and raging assholes and that I've always striven to not be that kind of customer. He seemed to appreciate my patience and forbearance and I came away feeling like they had done what they could to make it right with me. So I guess I can wear the Foothills BMW/Triumph T-shirt I bought without any remorse.
I rode back up to I-70 and headed into the mountains, enjoying the ride and being mindful that my new front tire might be a little slippery because of the release compound the manufacturers use to get the tires out of the molds. I always take it easy for the first 100 miles or so on a new tire to scrub it in.
As I approached Georgetown, I saw rain-slick pavement a mile ahead near the exit. I encountered the rain at the foot of the exit ramp and quickly rode under the canopy of a gas station where I topped off the tank and went inside for a gas station hot dog. A couple of helmetless Harley riders from Columbus, Ohio rode in and I chatted with them while we waited for the rain to stop. They were headed west into Utah and then down to Monument Valley, so I recommended Goulding's lodge and campgrounds at the north end of the valley.
I rode back through the Eisenhower Tunnel - I noticed yesterday that the eastbound lanes are actually through the Johnson Tunnel, which was completed in 1979 - six years after the Ike. I exited at Silverthorne, stopped at a coffee shop for a cafe mocha and then headed south on U.S. 6 to Swan Mountain Road and over to Colo. 9.
I ran into heavy rain as I started up Hoosier Pass, then rode through slushy hail on the highway about halfway down the pass. Not ready to quit for the day, I rode on to Fairplay for a dish of mint chocolate chip ice cream.
I was the only customer in the ice cream store as I hunkered down to enjoy my treat amid a noisy downpour and Miles Davis's "All Blues" album on the store stereo.
The rain stopped by the time I had finished, so I rode back to Alma and made it to the Baloughs' place a few minutes before the next storm rolled through.
I woke up this morning prepared to do battle at Foothills and am relieved that I didn't have to. Now I can enjoy the rest of the week, secure in the knowledge that I have good tires and working driving lights.