NEW ORLEANS VOODOO...back at it, but still not beating Canadian MOJO !

A few blogs back, in szpinbytes.blogpsot, I wrote about the black voodoo mystique that hangs over NEW ORLEANS. A few years back, Katrina, this year, the oil spill, how bad can it get? And I then wrote that some of this black magic was spilling over on to me, computer crash, phone crash, impossibility of making phone calls from hotel room. But, eventually the power of the Canadian MOJO reared up and tied the score.
   Then, NEW ORLEANS' black magic fought back with these challenges: bike top case, could not be closed or locked, note the cord tying down the top case in the photo on the left. NEW SCORE...NEW ORLEANS 1, Cdn MOJO 0. Then, riding in near torrential downpour north of Nashville, we hit a dry section and bang, the right side hard case exploded, snapping its inner security strap, and spilling its entire contents out on to the highway. If it weren't for the fact that it was our luggage tumbling all over the highway, the way the speeding cars swerved and veered to avoid hitting our "debris" was hilarious. By the way, leather of any sort, works in a bike 'unloading' at speed. My shaving kit is a soft leather bag and though roughed up on the outside, the contents were intact and in good shape. Still, all our other stuff got strewn all over the highway and alongside. A driver pulled over, his name was DANIEL, and he got out of his car picking up our stuff off the highway and flinging it to the sides of the road to save it. Thank you Daniel! 
   Finally, as we gathered up, better to say, 'salvaged' our belongings and sized up the damage, we found we lost again. I suffer from sleep apnea and am relegated to sleeping with a CPAP machine to pump air into me as I sleep so that I do not stop breathing which is what happens with a sleep apnea sufferers. I travel with this loaf of bread sized appliance. My machine had its face mask damaged in such a way that it was rendered useless. Sleeping now would be a test of my physical fitness...lol. NEW ORLEANS 2, Cdn MOJO 0.
   Now, as we put stuff back into the case, we discovered that the 'exploding' case could no longer be closed or locked. It meant that the case shell would flop open unless held physically shut somehow. NEW ORLEANS 3, Cdn MOJO 0.
   This trip is turning out to be a real test of patience, determination, perseverance and more.

   Luckily, I pack extra things thinking bad things can happen and the black nylon strap for tying down things was perfect for tying the case closed. It worked perfectly, but my paranoia was setting in and I hunted for the nearest WALMART so I could buy a few more straps: one to double up on the exploded case, and another just to give us some security on the left 'unexploded-to-this-point' case.
  So here we are on this classy BMW R1200RT, a supposedly state of the art in German engineering, and just look at it, tied together with butcher cord and nylon straps. But it worked. NEW ORLEANS 3, Cdn MOJO 1.
   Now, Germans are no slouches when it comes to engineering. The hard case was designed so if it opened accidently, the shell opens downward but does not detach. Good thing? I don't know because as it exploded open, the grey shell flopped open and began to scrape the ground at highway speed, 70 mph. I could feel the resistance like a rudder trying to deflect the boat in a new direction. I fought it and kept the bike on a straightline until I could safely stop about a 1/3 of a mile down the road.

NEW ORLEANS 3, Cdn MOJO 2...one hard case, badly beat up, bike driver and passenger unharmed, but score getting closer.
   Arriving at the hotel and unpacking, we surveyed our damaged luggage. Underwear wet from landing in rain puddles, shaving kit bag, battered, scraped, but all intact there. But the nasal mask of the CPAP machine had its facial cushion ripped off, literally, when it rolled along the highway even though the whole machine was in a heavy nylon bag. The bag may have saved the machine for it worked perfectly when tested. But, the facial mask needed replacement. NEW ORLEANS wasnt finished with its voodoo.
  American security or paranoia is incredible. All I wanted was a replacement mask and you would think in a large city like St. Louis, MO, this would be no problem. Finding the part was the least of the problem. The supplier of the part demanded that I have a prescription for the part unless I was already one of their patients. Now, you go figure out how you would deal with that one. No amount of explaining that I was 2500 miles from home rang true with this person, no pleading, no whining, nothing. Home Land Security...you're pervasiveness is distilling down to the masses.
   But I am a CANADIAN and a phone call home to the supplier of my CPAP machine in Toronto, ended up with a verbal shrug, "No problem, we'll fax them a prescription." Explaining why I phoned just got an "I understand'" response from the Canadian operator. "No problem," was how she said the problem would easily be resolved. Bravo Cindy of Home Health Care, Canada !!!  NEW ORLEANS 3, Cdn MOJO 3...tied again. But don't let me end on a critical note about the USA. Asked if they would ship, the health equipment supplier proudly announced it would be "shipped today, with delivery guaranteed at our next stop tomorrow!" Man, that American efficiency can be flabbergasting ! But it's great when you need it.

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