I have been replacing some of my camping gear with newer items that are either smaller, lighter in weight, or in better condition than my older camping gear for use on the trip. Today, a new camp axe arrived, and along with the folding entrenching tool, small sheath knife, and LED folding lantern, my new gear is pretty well complete. I am planning on purchasing a military mess kit for cooking, and a small single burner hiking stove. But other than that, I pretty much have everything I am going to need. My sleeping bag and tent are in plenty of good enough condition to use for this trip. Especially since I plan on staying in Motel 6's once we hit the Great Plains. I just can't see camping with no shade in late Summer on the Great Plains and getting roasted in the tent unnecessarily.
I am planning on using my old Navy seabag to carry most of what I am taking that won't fit in the saddlebags, and I still have a Kuryakin T Bag that will mount on the back of the bike. Between the seabag and the T Bag, I can't think of much else I will be needing to pack for this trip. The Navy trained me long ago how to fold and stow my clothes and gear effectively.
Since this is a bike trip and not a car trip, weight is a serious factor. The last thing I want to do is to overload the bike taking things I won't really need. So I will continue to go over the list of gear between now and next Summer as I get things ready to go. Eliminating the items I won't really need and lightening the load for things that I will.
Since we will only have a very few days to visit family I haven't seen in nearly five decades, I want to pack as light as possible so that I will have the option of pushing on further some days during the ride. I really would prefer not to be making 12-14 hour days, but pressing 8-10 may just be in the cards. But we won't know for sure until the time comes, and we are actually on the road each day. I just want to keep as many options open as possible. As it is, most of this trip will be made on Interstate Freeways. As much as I find them boring, we just don't have the time available to make the trip taking two-lane highways for the entire 5,000 miles plus distance. If we weren't restricted to only a fourteen-day time frame, things would be different I am sure. But it is what it is, and we will just have to deal with it.
While I have the rough route laid out, we may have to adapt it due to unforeseen circumstances that the future may put up as obstacles to be dealt with. things are in flux, and will no doubt remain so for a while yet. The fact that I am also going to be running for the Legislature again in 2022 means I've had to postpone the trip a month so that I would be here campaigning in the weeks just prior to the Primary election instead of being out of touch with the campaign during a critical time. I have faith that things will work out as they should. Whether that is how I want things to be or not, I just need to be prepared for as many possibilities as I can. Without trying to be prepared for every possible scenario, which would overload the bike and make the whole trip a burdensome adventure. I'll keep you all posted.
Catch you on the road sometime...
No comments:
Post a Comment