Day’s distance: 226 miles
Total trip distance so far: 7,175 miles

Today’s goal was getting to Sioux City to meet my friend Charles and to get a replacement part for the motorcycle installed.

To avoid most interstates, I chose to take Hwy 44, or the Western Skies Scenic Byway. For the most part, it parallels I-80 but is two lanes and carries much less traffic.

Hwy 37 was used to connect with I-29 for the final leg into Sioux City.

Before checking in to the hotel, I stopped at BAK BMW, the dealer here in Sioux City. The part ordered the day before had arrived and they scheduled time to install it immediately upon my arrival.

The part being replaced is the left combination switch. Fortunately, it was covered under the extended service agreement I purchased. That saved me roughly $550 in parts and labor.

The team at BAK BMW, Dave, Danny and Chris, were all super friendly and talented. They had my switch replaced quickly and Dave managed the communications with Zurich, the company supplying the service agreement. Danny noticed my rear tire was worn down to as little as 3/32″ and cautioned its use too much longer, especially in the rain.

I took off to the hotel and was pleasantly surprised at the luxury of my room, a suite, with a jacuzzi tub, a separate walk-in shower, separate living room and a beautiful view of the Missouri River out my windows.

I met up with Charles for drinks and later dinner. It was a relaxing evening and pleasant reunion.

I’ll take tomorrow as a day off. I’m looking forward to seeing a little bit of Sioux City and hang out until the afternoon when the company is launching our latest product.