The bikes are gone!

He has our babies!

The window for the pickup started last week but I had to be out of town.  I packed my bike and left it at Ryan's so he could load it on my behalf.  

However, the pickup wasn't made until yesterday.  Nadine and I loaded the bikes on Ryan's behalf because he was out of town.  

My bike was easy, I just rode it right up the ramp and we strapped it down. 

Ryan's bike was a different story. 

I don't think I've ever sat on it before and I was really surprised by the way my legs dangled like a little kid's.  Between the height of the seat and the width of the seat I was too short to comfortably maneuver the bike.

Nadine and I ended up walking it under power together to the back of the trailer.  We tried to walk it up the ramp too but it was very precarious because we had to not run into my bike while also not dropping Ryan's bike or falling off of the ramp ourselves.  There was no way this was going to work.

We tried to see if Ryan's neighbor was home and able to help, but he wasn't and we were at a total loss as to what to do. 

The truck driver had a come along winch that we ultimately used to pull the bike up the ramp while Nadine and I kept it from falling over.

The whole process took about 90 minutes.  The truck driver was super nice and very helpful. 

I can't wait to see him in Anchorage!

Success!

Gettin' packed

The bikes will be picked up soon and since I will be out of town for the next several days I needed to get packed early.  The plan is to get things loaded and then leave the bike at Ryan's house in case the shippers arrive while I'm gone.

Space is an issue but a lot of things need to go.  Experience tells me "I don't need it" but the itinerary says "bring it."  Ugh.

This is one of those times when all of the "space saving" tips really come in handy.  The biggest thing I tried to keep in mind while packing is that minimalism is good, the bike still needs to be comfortable and handle well.


Step one, "StuffBoxxes."
The panniers are just big buckets bolted to the side of the motorcycle and they are like any other trunk.  Super easy to fill up with junk and loose odds and ends.  These stuffboxxes are just thin walled plastic boxes that fit nicely into the pannier and allow you to better organize things.

Step two, compression sacks.
It turns out that a lot of things that take up a lot of room will compress quite nicely in the right compression sack.  My sleeping bag is stored in a bag that is 30" long and 13" in diameter.  This, plus a small down blanket, will fit in a sack that measures about 14" long and 8" in diameter.  You just don't want to keep it like that for long.

Step three, the campsite.
You need a tarp anyway.  The greatest thing I've picked up for my campsite is to get away with all of the bags and things and make a campsite burrito.  With this package all I need to do is put my kit on the ground.  Once unrolled my tarp is tent-ready and while on the bike it stays waterproof.

Tarp, tent, stakes, cot and chair.

Campsite burrito complete!

Step four, luggage.
One of the things that is different packing for a motorcycle trip than a regular road trip is that you want your bags to be waterproof.  I have a 70 Liter waterproof roll-top duffel bag that is going to store my clothing and other things that need to stay dry.  This is the biggest bag I've got but I think it's going to be easier than having several small bags like I have done in the past.

The one problem with this bag is that it spans the entire width of my bike.  This means that access to the contents of the panniers will require removal of the bag.  I decided that it will be a necessary evil because it makes storing everything so much easier.  

Time to load up!

I tried to leave a little space in each bag because I know eventually more will be going in.  I feel like I did a pretty good job with this.  I also think, considering that this is the stuff that I will have to live off of for 100 days, that it made a very reasonable pack.  

Packed bags

Loaded and ready to go!

Oh, and in case you were wondering what exactly I thought I needed to pack...  HERE IS THE LIST.

Noticeably missing: Camera gear and other electronics. I plan on carrying this stuff with me on the airplane.

Tire change

It's amazing how many details there are and how little time there is to get around to it.  Today Ryan and I changed my front tire to match the rear because it'll be a good ideai to have more aggressive tread for the Dalton Highway.

Ryan's new bead breaker made the job so much easier it is ridiculous.  What took us 30-45 minutes on previous tire changes took us just moments this time.  Having the stand made removing and replacing the tire much easier too.

Only real issue is that we had to do all of the work twice because the fist time around I put the tire on backwards...  Even with doing the job twice it was our fastest and easiest tire change yet.

Super huge thank you to Ryan and Nadine.

Oh... And Sarah was sewing something:

I am not tall

You may not this: when you ride a motorcycle for a long time your butt gets sore.

Solution:  Nadine got me one of these magical gel pads.

It's big.  It's bulky.  It's wonderful.

You may also not know this: I am taller on the inside than I am on the outside.  The pad is wonderful but it makes it difficult to put my feet on the ground when the bike comes to a stop.

Solution:  Make the seat more accommodating.

It took some time but I got my technique pretty well figured out.  To buy back some height I shaved the foam down.  From about half an inch in the front and sides to a little more than an inch in the back.  

Before:

After:

It may not look like much but I promise the difference is huge.  

After after: 

Damn, that looks comfortable.

Seat re-covered!

Sweet mama, check that thing out!

That’s the seat for the ol’ V-Strom. It was getting to look a bit worn, and it had developed a busted seam, letting water into the foam when it rained.

I wasn’t looking forward to 20,000 more miles on that thing and was looking at repair options when Sarah swooped in a gave me an awesome birthday present: refurbishing the seat through a friend at work. When I dropped the bike off for a tune up at Reno’s, I brought the seat home and delivered it to her. She presented it to her co-worker, who spent about a week with it. When it came back to me, the bones were the same, but the leather is all new and looks excellent! Can’t wait to get the bike back and feel the cush under my tush!

Speaking of cush for the tush, now I need to sort out how I'm going to affix the Portable Purple^® Cushion I got back in October for ultimate comfort!

 

First Aid & Survival Kits

First Aid Kit

With every long trip I take I realize I am bringing so much more stuff than I need.  With each successive trip I have brought less and less and half of the items still go untouched. And it's such a pain in the ass to haul everything around!

It is a constant battle of too much or not enough and this first aid kit is no different.

That being said, with a paramedic wife and a newly minted wilderness first aid certification, this is the largest first aid kit I've ever packed.

1. The pack itself is actually two small MOLLE packs snapped together.  
2. NOLS Wilderness First Aid Pocket Guide
3. Band aids
4. Alcohol wipes
5. Larger sterile packs, sponges and pads
6. Bandages
7. Tincture of Benzoin
8. Sterile flush
9. Gloves!
10. Various tapes and adhesives
11. Swath/sling
12. Tweezers
13. Steristrips and butterfly stitches
14. Moleskin and 2nd skin
15. Shears
16. Various medications

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, feel free to let me know!

Survival Kit

When Nadine and I attended the survival class a few months ago we picked up some good tips about how a survival kit is different from a first aid kit.  First of all, it should be small.  Small enough that you can always carry it.  If it is a hassle it'll be easy to reason not to bring it.  Second, it should just have the essentials and items that serve multiple purposes.

1. 2008 International Juggler's Association pocket knife
2. SOL emergency blanket
3. Waterproof matches
4. Lighter
5. Flint and striker
6. Kindling
7. Bandannas
8. Whistle
9. Glow stick
10. String
11. Flashlight

Who really needs a Yellow Fever vaccine anyway?

Yesterday, April 4th, Ryan and I had the opportunity to get caught up on the vaccines needed for the trip... Mostly.

We met in the afternoon at Travel and Immunization Clinic of Kansas City in Overland Park, KS.  After my brief confinement in a stairwell to nowhere, I found Ryan here...

... Where he had already got to know Beth Driks, RN.  Seems I am always fashionably late.

Beth, who is very well traveled herself, met with us together to review concerns and recommendations for the trip.  She reviewed maps for Malaria all along the route and was not greatly concerned.  (Though she did recommend a mosquito net and insect repellent for a couple of particular places.  And, for future reference, Malaria mosquitoes are early-evening mosquitoes.)

Hep A, Hep B, Typhoid, Tetanus, Rabies and Yellow Fever were the official recommendations.  She also gave us a prescription for traveler's diarrhea.  Some are required to cross borders, some are just smart to have. 

Turns out, there is a shortage of Yellow Fever vaccines, a critical border requirement, and we were unable to get the shot at this time.  Beth gave us a tip for where to get it and there will be an update in a later post.

After electing not to get the Rabies vaccine (at >$300 per shot for a series of three shots) this is what my tray looked like.

 And this doesn't include the Typhoid pills sitting in my refrigerator.

One step closer to putting together everything we need for this trip, I am feeling successful!
...
...
...
Except, speaking of not getting the rabies vaccine, this is what I found getting ready for work the next morning:

a young raccoon greeting me through the doggy door!

 

ANC tickets purchased

It's taken us awhile to get to this step, but we've got our tickets from KC to Anchorage: purchased and paid for. We'll fly late on 7 May, probably slumber in a hotel, and be ready to pick up the bikes on 8 May. When we talked to the shippers previously, we set a deadline of 11 May for the bikes to be in Anchorage, but we're hoping they'll be ahead of schedule. We'd like to have the option to start off earlier if the weather is cooperating.