Today I shopped for some last minute toiletry items, all miniature, to save room in my kit. Boy that adds up fast! I guess the convenience fee was more than I expected. Maybe I should leave some of this crap home. Probably the most expensive was my meds. Not that I am "on" anything per se, but at my age, I need allergy pills, zantac, Motrin, etc. to make my days a bit more peaceful. No, NO VIAGRA! It's all good, in the wood department, thank you. [See, you guys always think I GO THERE but now, I need to make these pre-emptive strikes before you comment. Feh!]
Some new Teva's rounded out my purchases today. Our resident gypsy poet swears by cool feet and pony tails. I wonder if he has any magic for our ride?
Last weekend we camped, if you saw last week's post and I got to try my little portable sling stool. Not bad but with no back rest you really can't relax in it. I'll swing by the Rapid City Wal Mart and buy a camping chair and worry about it on the way home.
Jerry stopped by tonight to borry our hatchet and dropped off a couple of ears of kern. Local kern. Can't wait for dinner. Will have that and some fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil. Mmmmm!
He's practically giddy now that his Hog has just been serviced. Whoa! Hold on. I mean he just got his bike back from getting service.
I trust our trip across America will end better than theirs did...
There are last minute preparations that need to take place this week. It's sort of nice that my teen-aged son is away right now otherwise, I would feel like I am ignoring him as I scurry about. My spouse understands and we've had plenty of free time together this month. Trips to the fabric store, etc. Good times, good times.
The Honda saddlebags lost some snaps. I hate these bags when I compare them to what I had. My biggest issue, as I've ranted before, is the they aren't watertight. The fact that these expensive Honda Accessories lost all of the snaps on one side just pisses me off. Of course, I am out of warranty on them. Now, I will try to get them fixed locally, if possible, before Saturday. I may add some Velcro front and back to help keep them closed.
So, I've started to pile shit up, in a sort of staging area. I've really got to think about how I am going to fit all this. Jerry packed enough clothes for a week and I guess I will do the same. I have a very strong feeling that I will endure two weeks of soggy jeans and smelly tee shirts. I have some very large ziploc bags that I will start to load clothing into. All of my camping gear is already in place.
It's the little details that I am worrying about. Duct tape, electrical tape. Kleenex as emergency TP. Batteries, my visor tint strip, if I can find it and my Therma-rest sling to make it into a chair, also MIA.
My new tires are on and the 8,000 mile service done. Fresh plugs and oil and a valve adjustment to boot. I used that as an excuse to ride to Hampton Beach solo on Tuesday night and had a perfect moment. I arrived at the beach by 7PM with the sun just beginning to set. There was a Beach Boys cover band on stage playing beach oldies. I had a bite of pizza and a bottle of water before pointing it home and racing across 101, blinded by the setting sun. Still, it was a very good ride.
Here's a shot from my phone's camera:
Sorry for the scattershot babble. I have lots to do an no time to edit, except on the fly. You can follow me on Twitter.com or just keep an eye on the Twitter link at the top of the blog. You should be able to see 2-3 posts before they drop off.
I'll take copious notes and shoot more pix and post it all in a post-ride blog post. That one will take me some time!
For now, ride safe and wish us well. I wish you were all joining us on this ride but, maybe another year? It only took us about 5 years of planning! Ha-ha!
I'll try to Tweet at least once a day, more if my phone charger can keep up. Until then.........
A low, slow wave (on my way to Sturgis),
Joe Rocket
