Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Mostly Packed – A Few Days to Go

The last few days have been a flurry of activity with many small tasks. One of the most frustrating was dealing with the HR folks at work who seemed to have a different answer each time I talked to them as if they were making up the rules as they went. I think everything is sorted now, but I guess we’ll see when I get back. Who knew taking a leave of absence was so difficult? I thought getting permission from my boss would be the hard part, but that was the easiest.

Other smaller things like getting extra keys made for the luggage and the lawn mowed were more pedestrian. I’m still pondering where to get my bike serviced near Seattle (new tires and oil). Any suggestions?

The SPOT tracking has been tested and seems to work. There will be a map on the right side of the site under the “Current Location” block that will show my location automatically updated throughout the day on a google map. The map will be live once I start the trip.

I have both of my side cases mostly packed.

clothes and sleeping packed

The case above is my bedroom. it has my sleeping bag & pad, clothes, shoes. and towel. The black bag (16L) has my clothes, and the yellow (11L) my sleeping bag. I don’t have a lot of room for lots of choice. Things were extra difficult with the extremes in temperature I expect low 30sF in Alaska to nearly 100F east of San Diego. I brought a mix of clothes, that I think will work well. I will do laundry often as I have on other trips.

food packed

The other side is my kitchen. It has all my food, cooking, and toiletries.

food for canada/alaska leg

I have a selection of dried food from Mary Jane Farms. I’ve been enjoying her food for several years now. I added several new varieties for this trip. I hope they taste as good as the ones I am used to. I also have my trusty jetboil, some fire starting paraphernalia, tea, oatmeal, collapsible cup, a small hatchet/knife, and a bladder for extra water. I got the larger size bladder, so it has room to bend to the space available in the case. I don’t plan to ever fill it completely to 2 gallons.

The food is to make things more convenient and to save money. I’m missing two paychecks on this trip, so I need to save where I can. Bringing it with me will be much less than going out three times a day every day. I look forward to the tasty food I will find along the way, but now I have some flexibility. I will also need to eat most of the food by the time I get to Seattle, so I have room for my wife’s stuff when I pick her up there!

I still have a couple things to do to the bike: new tires, oil change, and fixing a heated gear circuit.  I also need to pack the tent and some small electronics into the top case. I think everything should just fit.

So close to leaving! I can hardly believe it. Getting harder to sleep now. :)

17 comments:

  1. I heard today from someone driving up. They're in Fort St. John and running into snow...

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  2. Chris:

    last week they closed the Coquihalla Highway due to heavy snowfall and it also snowed in Calgary

    If you need service you may wish to have it done here at an independent shop, whom I use myself. They have "flexible" hours by arrangement. They can do it in the early evening, or even on a Sunday

    http://www.essentialmotorcycleservices.ca/

    their labour rates are much less than Shop Rates at a dealer
    if you need tires, I have purchased tires from Kevin @

    http://www.baysideperformance.ca/

    click Cdn Flag for Cdn prices. I can pick them up and bring them to EMS for you. Both places (Bayside & EMS) have tire machines and basically do it while you wait.

    If you need any outdoor supplies, we don't have any Cabellos or REIs here but we have, Mountain Equipment Co-op

    http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp

    say the word and I'll go there and pick the stuff up, whatever you need

    bob (Vancouver support team)
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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    1. thanks for the tips Bob! I was thinking about the EMS place. I Will have to give them a call or shoot them an email.

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  3. Fun!! Looks like you are almost all set to go. And you can't go wrong with your meals and jet boil. We took oatmeal with us too when moto camping. It is light, easy to make and filling.

    Continuing on what Bob said there are a few REIs just off I-5 in Tacoma and Lacey, WA.

    I don't know of any shops for tires and oil changes around Seattle but we do in Portland or Eugene, Oregon if you wait that long.

    We are in Corvallis, which is about 10 miles off i-5. Let us know if you need anything when you are this way. Company, coffee, home cooked meal, tips for good roads, place to stay (although we just have a blow up mattress for the spare room), but you are welcome.

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    1. yup, love those meals and the jetboil. I am hoping I can make it to vancouver with my tires, so portland will probably be too far.

      I told my wife, and she is excited. We've love to come visit. Send me an email, so we can coordinate the details.

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  4. Chris:

    forgot to mention that if you want service in Seattle, I have purchased from Aurora Suzuki before and they seem like a good dealer. we also visited their display at the Seattle M/C show in December and spoke to the owner and his daughter who were manning the "booth"

    http://www.aurora-suzuki.com/

    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast
    My Flickr // My YouTube

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  5. Nicely packed, that's a great idea to carry the meals and you can buy more as you go along. How about a computer? camera?

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    1. Yes, I think the meals will work out great. My computer can cameras are in the top case. I also have a small waterproof point and shoot in my pocket for quick snaps.

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  6. Good luck Chris! Looks like you're in for quite the adventure!

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  7. Watching your progress with envy!

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  8. Just started catching up on your travels. You are quite the talent at packing.

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