April 30, 2005
Twas the Night Before...
ITHACA, NY -- April 30
Nothing like an extra day to prepare. That sentiment, or a quick look outside my door at the rain-soaked muddy yard, is supposed to be the consolation. With a vast wall of rain hitting the entire state of Pennsylvania, and much of New York in the deal, the prudent decision was to delay the trip until it was genuinely May.
Making the most of the time granted me away from actually getting this trip started, I've spent most of my day burning additional CDs to the new iPod (I might reach that elusive "17 gigs out of 20" marker yet after 3 weeks of furious pulling and ripping), going over luggage checklists for the 200th time, and enjoying what might be my last home cooked meal for 3 weeks.
I suppose the obligatory way to start a "trip blog" is to give a statement of purpose, a reason why I'm even doing this in the first place. In full disclosure, that is something I hope to figure out during the trip rather than before it. In the traditional list of "types of motorcyclists" they rattle off from the track racers to the dirt thrashers to the rally Harley blasters, I'd classify myself as a entry-level tour enthusiast. The idea of exploring all the back roads, small towns, diners, oddities, and frights between "here" and "there" was what attracted me the most to getting a bike. The cynical voice of reason asks, why not just do the same back roads in a car?
The answer lies hopefully somewhere between the days of planning, through the small local trips to test new gear, after hours of scrolling google maps in a virtual tour for hundreds of miles in one sitting, to the future day I'm cruising triumphantly back down NY route 79 to the house, girlfriend, cats, rats, piano, job, and mess of housework I left behind to get on with my real life. If I'm not instead exploring the vast stretches of a ditch or hospital somewhere in Tennessee.
Rather than pull from the bottom of my scotch glass for more justifications and risk writing more before the trip is even officially started, I'll close with a discussion of setup for this trip, i.e. what I'm bringing and how it fits onto the bike.
Even if safety and practicality is still king in the modern age of motorcycling, technology comes in a close second in making the trip fun, informative, and well-connected to everything -- when it's not simply clogging up your tank bag and inspiring false nostalgia for the "freedom" of being broken down with no tools and no help.
That being said, here's an exploded view of the gizmos, wires, cabling, and adapters that provide support for 20 days on the road:
In haphazard order, we have:
1. Chain Lube - apply every 300 miles or so to help prevent total chain failure.
2. Laptop - The better to document every high and low event of this adventure.
3. The motorcycle - You need one of these to take a bike trip.
4. Breathable armored bike jacket - Worn at all times no matter what the weather.
5. Polyurethane padded sleeve for laptop - 100% waterproof, but I'm still wrapping the whole thing in an additional plastic bag
6. Needle-nose pliers - Like most emergency tools and rain gear, they mostly serve to ward off the problems which only arise when you lack the gear to fix them.
7. Allen keys - A surprising number of adjustments to the seat, windshield, and other moveable parts are keyed, even on a motorcycle.
8. Battery NiMH charger - For keeping the digital camera happy.
9. Combination wrenches - See item #6. For optimal coverage of Hondas, I keep 10-12-14-17 wrapped in a tool apron which goes into the tail pack.
10. Screwdriver bits - Perhaps overkill, but take up minimal space with a modular screwdriver
11. Crescent wrench - the fabled last resort bolt-killer, but another useful talisman for warding off problems.
12. Ratchet tool - I've since downgraded to a smaller one that accommodates the bolts listed in item #9
13. Cellphone charger for my PalmOne Treo - Don't leave home without it.
14. Chatterbox two-way communicators - a bit of a space killer, but useful for the potential riding partners I might team up with for parts of this trip
15. Tire pressure checker - Most gas station pumps lack this, so it's nice to have backup.
16. iPod - I finally succombed to this marketing behemoth on my birthday this year. I am continuing to fill it even as I type this.
17. Combination screwdriver. See item #10.
18. iPod charge and USB sync cables - I sure wish more devices would have a universal USB adapter.
19. PalmOne Treo USB sync cable - I really wish more devices would have a universal USB adapter.
20. PalmOne Treo PDA cellphone - Perhaps my favorite purchase of the past 2 years, after languishing in the hell of a free motorola with cracked display, charge-hemhorraging battery, and zero useful non-phone features. This one has mobile internet access from anywhere a Verizon signal can be carried.
21. 10Base-T ethernet cable - If I had a dollar for every time I've been stranded without one with a perfectly usable ethernet jack sitting 2 inches away...
22. Helmet - A wholly useful piece of equipment that raises my chance of surviving this trip a few percentage points.
And in more general terms, it's worth mentioning:
A full 2-piece rain suit and rain overboots. Fits snugly in the bottom compartment of the tank bag. As is often said, functions just as much as a rain prevention device as an actual rain endurance device. It rains a lot more when you don't bring one along.
A view of the rear end setup of the bike. The Tail Pack is tied down with a dual layer of safety nets and contains:
Running Shoes - In hopes I don't gain 10 lbs on this adventure
The tool apron - Items 6,10,11,12, and 17 from the above list rolled up tightly and bundled with ties
Miniature sleeping blanket - For the "roughing it" portions of the trip as they come up
The saddlebags contain the wearables. I'm packing 3 of everything -- socks, shirts, pants, etc. -- to rotate as I rotate towns and hosts on my trip.
The backpack. I had a helluva time ordering one designed for actual motorcycling online. But this model, made by Eastern Mountain Sports for snowboarders, might as well be the best motorcycle backpack one could ask for. It's waterproof, has main compartment accessible from the inside (under the straps) only, nice wrap-around waist buckle with camera pouch, and wide straps to get over a bulky motorcycle jacket. The only possible drawback was that it didn't come in yellow, hence the red that clashes with my ongoing bumblebee theme.
That should just about do it for the intro notes. More to come from the actual road ... they say we might see the actual yellow thing in the sky tomorrow.
Until then, enjoy this additional Pre-trip Gallery.
--TCZ (and Diana the Hawk)
Posted by Todd at 11:42 PM | Comments (0)