Sunday, April 15, 2012

Like a Boy Scout

When I first started this blog, I intended it to be a travel blog.  Unfortunately since I don't travel all the time, it doesn't get updated as much as I would like.  So I think I'm changing my idea of this blog into a blog about motorcycles and traveling in general.  I'm really going to try to update it more often.  Since I don't deal well with absolutes, I hesitate to give myself a deadline but once a week would be awesome....although probably ambitious.

As I type, we are getting ready for a trip out to Junction, TX to the Texas Adventure Ride (or TAR).  Mr Man is currently walking around the house muttering "ok....ok" while he gathers up electronics to be charged, bagged, and packed.  I am doing laundry (ok so my washer and dryer or doing the laundry but I helped by putting in clothes and adding detergent.)  Yesterday we changed out brake pads and tires and sat at Ihop and routed on paper maps and computers.  All of this drives home to me one of the reasons that Mr Man and I work so well together and that our marriage works so well: We both believe in the mantra "Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance."

Sometimes it looks like we have no plan.  I've watched Mr Man get on his bike and take off with no destination.  That's not the same as not planning.  Planning doesn't always involve Lists and spreadsheet and color coordinated maps.  Planning just involves a Plan.  Our last trip involved a Plan that went as follows:  we will get on our bikes and go traveling in a Northeast direction.  We want to ride around 250 miles a day with some pretty scenery.  We would like some opportunity to get of the bikes and get some pictures but that is not the focus of the trip.  We would like a burn day when we need one of if the town presents something of interest we both want to explore.  We would like to be back home with two days to recover before going back to work.  Added to that plan was the knowledge that my bike was the limiting factor for gas stops (I comfortably only have 150 miles on a tank) and that our bikes were equally matched in power but his had more speed around the corners.  That was the Plan.  It was enough for that trip.

Planning is, at heart, an understanding of expectations.  For our last trip that ended the planning.  In July, I am going to Colorado for my first two week solo trip.  For that trip expectations are only the beginning.  For our TAR trip some parts are list intensive some are not.  I'm spending no time on a packing list.  It should be simple and I've done this enough that I don't need to think about it.  I do, however have to do Laundry.  I did spend a little time on the list of things the bike needs.  It works out well because it marks items off of my to do list for Colorado.  I now have containers for extra fuel mounted and know how I want to proceed with that for the even more fuel I'll want in Colorado.  I have an air compressor for my ties and a tire repair kit.  Usually we pack and load the bike early enough so that we can look at what we've done and then unload and repack and reload....twice.  This time, Mr Man is riding in the tub as my Monkey so there is only one way the bike can be loaded....mark loading the bike early off of the list of things to do.

Now the Routing, that's serious for this trip.  We've looked at google maps to get us to Junction.  Then we've copied maps out of our Mapsco and highlighted out possible off road routes for the weekend.  This morning Mr Man took the copies and had them laminated so that if they got wet (in a water crossing perhaps) we could still use them.  Last night we took the off road routes and made the GPX files to be imported into my Garmin.  My head hurts from the routing.

And that is the sound of the dryer.  My next blog will be from TAR!  BTW, if you want to know, you can find TAR Info here

Texas Adventure Ride

1 comment:

  1. If I don't see you before you leave...have lots of fun on the trip and be safe!!!

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