Oh sure, I "do" things outside of this total tunnel vision, but those efforts are simply auto piloted. My brain is locked onto "the trip". Specifically, I've been "all-in" on packing and route planning. While this may seem highly anal (and it is certainly that) the issue is the unpredictability of Rocky Mountain weather, particularly in early fall, and the reality of the weight and volume limits on War Pig. So far I've seen 70 degree temperature spreads, sun, rain, thunderstorms...though nothing of the frozen variety....and I have no reason to doubt we'll see all of this and then some over a 10 day period...the start of which is roughly two weeks off.
A word on the subject of organization. My personal organization draws lots of comments and occasional snickering. My socks are organized by color, our spice drawer is in alphabetical order, my tools are organized by size and function and my motorcycle gear is neat and tidy. The old adage..."a place for everything and everything in its place" applies to my life. Some might guess that I derive some perverse pleasure from seeing things lined up. But the truth is, I find organization to be efficient. When gear is organized I can find it very quickly and rarely waste time locating things. If something is missing, I know it immediately. It is more about being in "control" than being organized per se.
A mentor once explained that "planning is decision making". And so planning what gear to take comes down to decision making about what I'll need versus what I can make room for. The problem with decision making is that Mother nature holds all the cards and she loves to bluff. So, I read the weather forecasts and make some good guesses with an understanding that perfect knowledge is simply not available. I'll plan for things to be a little worse than what's forecast, but not so much worse that the kitchen sink is involved.
Since my first objective is to stay warm and dry...I plan for cold and wet weather. My cold weather riding gear is Gerbing electric gloves and jacket, a Patagonia Nano Puff pullover and assorted buffs. The Gerbing electric liner + Patagonia Nano Puff is a killer combination that generates heat electrically and traps the heat next to my body. It provides a profoundly warm riding experience with easy temperature control. And the star of the show is the Nano Puff, a miracle of insulating goodness. Even without the electric heater a Nano Puff has kept me warm riding in the mid 30'sF.
Nano Puff's rule.
This proven system will keep my upper body and hands warm and will be covered by my Aerostich Darien jacket and overpants....which serve as the waterproof shell element. Add in my waterproof Sidi boots and I can tolerate some pretty nasty weather. I'm not really concerned, because if it gets really ugly we'll just ride it out in a Holiday Inn Express.
I'm packing a set of Butler Motorcycle Maps (the "Rocky Mountain" set which includes CO, WY, MT, ID and UT) and National Geographic maps of the four National Parks I hope to see.
My new GS tank (get yours at Hourglass Cycles like I did) bag has a generous waterproof map case on top.
Unless KC or Mother Nature think differently, I think our route will take us to Casper, Cody, Livingston, Great Falls and Kalispell going north. The reason I like those cities is that it positions us close to certain landmarks I'm interested in riding through, like Chief Joseph, Beartooth, Paradise Valley and Going-to-the-Sun. That route takes us through about half of Colorado, all of Wyoming and most of Montana. Most importantly, it takes us to Glacier National Park which has been on my bucket list forever and will also take us through Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain National Parks.
I have a rough idea about returning to Denver, but am fairly indifferent or ignorant regarding the best routes. Beyond that I really don't care.
I have tried hard to lighten the load I will be taking, reasoning that I'd rather find what I need on the road, than carry something I never use for the entire trip. I'd say the panniers are about 75% full and below the 10kg weight limit BMW imposes. I do not plan to attach anything to the outsides of the panniers, though I will leave the Rok Straps on the lids so I can strap something down if needed.
Of more concern is the Wolfman Dry bag (medium size) which will carry my clothing, computer and other personal items. I still haven't figured out what I can take and every time I look at the bag it is slightly smaller than the last time I looked at it. I think I'll over pack, carry the excess in the truck/trailer and sort it out in Denver. Since the weather will be more certain then, the task will be somewhat easier.
An open issue for me is whether to take a carbon fiber monopod and a ball head....or to take a bulkier and heavier tripod/ball head which converts to a monopod. I'll take both to Denver, use both and see if an answer emerges.
Today I cut over to my travel computer...a Macbook Pro. I also am using my travel charging system for everything electrical that I'll be traveling with...Macbook, iPhone, two iPods, an LED emergency light and camera batteries. I also have a travel system for managing photo capture and transfer (micro SD cards and reader). In the process it became obvious that I had several things organized poorly and only by using the system did the mistake surface. I found similar issues when using my camera and macbook to update this blog. I plan to use this set up full time until we leave to give the gear a thorough shakedown. So far, perfect. But the point here is to actually use the travel system EXCLUSIVELY before the trip starts...IOW, use it for real including packing and unpacking it all. The bugs will emerge and can get solved before getting on the road.
One of the reasons for a focus on packing and organization is that I plan to continue doing this blog and between writing it and shooting/transferring/editing/posting the photos there is a fair amount of work. Being organized makes the work flow smoother and avoids duplication and wasted steps. If I attempt to do daily updates, then finding faster ways of doing these things means more free time to rest, explore and wander around.
Anyway, we're about 8 days from taking off...I think KC is ready to leave and I KNOW I am. I am genuinely excited about this trip...it will be an experience to be remembered.
Next event will be the Ceremonial Packing of Truck and Trailer.
On Friday.
Decisions, decisions.
Different Subject:
Last week KC called me and invited me to come to a photo shoot at his "barn". A magazine called "Full Throttle" wanted to shoot a model draped over KC's Vincent Black Shadow. KC, Kyle and I rode to lunch afterwards and then dropped by The Shrine (this is what KC calls my shop...maybe more on this later) for a bit. It was a good chance to ride the GS loaded (well, actually about 2/3 loaded) and to play with my camera. When I say "play" I mean unpack the camera/tripod, shoot a few pictures and then repack it all so that it can weather the ride.
Here's a shot of the session photographer "Derek.
And his models....the Vincent Black Shadow.
