Yeah, you know, towing plans.
So, as mentioned elsewhere on the board, my wife had a little get off in some sand on her F 650 GS Twin. The bike was not rideable. We had obtained the Allstate KOA RV plan that is supposed to cover you anywhere and get you to "the nearest repair facility."
The get off occurred on the way on to Chaco Canyon (now called Chaco Culture NHP) on the NPS strongly preferred and advised route. County Rd 7950 to be exact. The road could have generally been described as a well maintained graded and graveled all weather dirt surface. However, there had been high winds in the area and a dust storm. We were about 3 miles into the dirt section when we encountered wind blown sand and Sharon went down. By the way, the road is now, after 4 more days of dust storms, covered in deep sand.
This is not the place to discuss the how's, why's wherefore's and lessons learned. I just wanted to give you the setting and general circumstances. To clarify for those who may not be familiar with the area, we are talking about a remote desert location. Morning weather was moderate, but high winds were due again in the afternoon, and it was getting warm.
Remarkably, and likely due to the fact that by chance we ended up on a high ridge, she had a cell signal. I, with the same carrier, had none. Kudos to RIM and the Blackberry. Samsung, not so much. We called for a tow. After giving our call back number, we spent a long time on the phone. I really couldn't say how long, but over half an hour. They wanted our address. Uh yeah right. Finally got the guy to look up Chaco on the web and see the NPS preferred route and figure out where we were. I think he actually had it right. Then he wants to know where we want to go. I say Farmington, NM thinking there will be a cheap hotel there. He needs an exact address. Uhhhh, yeah, right! Finally, after discussion, I say ok, either the BMW dealer in Grand Junction or Albuquerque will be the nearest qualified repair facility. He needs an address. Uhhh, yeah, right. Sharon pulls out her BMW MOA book and finds the addresses. We give him the address for Grand Junction. He agrees to tow us there. He puts me on hold to arrange the tow. Click. 20 minutes and no call back.
We call again. Another long call. Basically start over. Go back over everything. Uhhh, Grand Junction is too far. We will not cover a tow of that distance. Well where will you tow us? Farmington would be fine with us. Click. No call back.
Yep, Allstate KOA left us stranded in the desert. Never asked if we had water or shelter or anything. Lots of show about getting a call back number, all for nothing.
We were fortunate that a Native American couple with a pu came along, and with another helpful motorist, we were able to load the bike in and get out of there. FWIW, I will be relocating my top case to allow re-installation of the pillion seat, as I could not have carried Sharon.
In any event, we are rating the Allstate KOA RV an epic fail.
As well, on a separate note, in planning for the Whitehorse/AK ride I had just reviewed the plan to make sure it covered Canada. I was not able to find any mention of geographic area of coverage in the documentation. Just says "anywhere." So I called. Interestingly, I was told that ALL of Canada was included, and 49 US States. All of them except Alaska. Go figure.
So, we need a new plan. One that works. Well, or do we? Your thoughts, comments, discussion?
So, as mentioned elsewhere on the board, my wife had a little get off in some sand on her F 650 GS Twin. The bike was not rideable. We had obtained the Allstate KOA RV plan that is supposed to cover you anywhere and get you to "the nearest repair facility."
The get off occurred on the way on to Chaco Canyon (now called Chaco Culture NHP) on the NPS strongly preferred and advised route. County Rd 7950 to be exact. The road could have generally been described as a well maintained graded and graveled all weather dirt surface. However, there had been high winds in the area and a dust storm. We were about 3 miles into the dirt section when we encountered wind blown sand and Sharon went down. By the way, the road is now, after 4 more days of dust storms, covered in deep sand.
This is not the place to discuss the how's, why's wherefore's and lessons learned. I just wanted to give you the setting and general circumstances. To clarify for those who may not be familiar with the area, we are talking about a remote desert location. Morning weather was moderate, but high winds were due again in the afternoon, and it was getting warm.
Remarkably, and likely due to the fact that by chance we ended up on a high ridge, she had a cell signal. I, with the same carrier, had none. Kudos to RIM and the Blackberry. Samsung, not so much. We called for a tow. After giving our call back number, we spent a long time on the phone. I really couldn't say how long, but over half an hour. They wanted our address. Uh yeah right. Finally got the guy to look up Chaco on the web and see the NPS preferred route and figure out where we were. I think he actually had it right. Then he wants to know where we want to go. I say Farmington, NM thinking there will be a cheap hotel there. He needs an exact address. Uhhhh, yeah, right! Finally, after discussion, I say ok, either the BMW dealer in Grand Junction or Albuquerque will be the nearest qualified repair facility. He needs an address. Uhhh, yeah, right. Sharon pulls out her BMW MOA book and finds the addresses. We give him the address for Grand Junction. He agrees to tow us there. He puts me on hold to arrange the tow. Click. 20 minutes and no call back.
We call again. Another long call. Basically start over. Go back over everything. Uhhh, Grand Junction is too far. We will not cover a tow of that distance. Well where will you tow us? Farmington would be fine with us. Click. No call back.
Yep, Allstate KOA left us stranded in the desert. Never asked if we had water or shelter or anything. Lots of show about getting a call back number, all for nothing.
We were fortunate that a Native American couple with a pu came along, and with another helpful motorist, we were able to load the bike in and get out of there. FWIW, I will be relocating my top case to allow re-installation of the pillion seat, as I could not have carried Sharon.
In any event, we are rating the Allstate KOA RV an epic fail.
As well, on a separate note, in planning for the Whitehorse/AK ride I had just reviewed the plan to make sure it covered Canada. I was not able to find any mention of geographic area of coverage in the documentation. Just says "anywhere." So I called. Interestingly, I was told that ALL of Canada was included, and 49 US States. All of them except Alaska. Go figure.
So, we need a new plan. One that works. Well, or do we? Your thoughts, comments, discussion?
Not when I wanted to help a stranded biker.
