Packing

Only 9 days to go. We had packed a hundred times in our mind but this weekend we packed the bikes thinking we might have to do this 2 or 3 times to make everything fit. But wonder of wonders everything was packed the first time. Now granted there is not much room left to purchase stuff on the trip but I’m sure I can find space for a few items. I’m not sure how the rest of our group is doing with packing since they are all riding two-up. Note the little slide in rack that Don had made for the trike. This holds either an ice chest or for this trip it will hold a bag packed with clothes; gives us just a little extra space without having to pull a trailer. The next 9 days are going to pass slowly I’m thinking.

Fourteen days and everyone is getting ‘vacationitis

We had a group dinner last night to discuss our plans. We will all leave home around 5:30 AM June 10 and meet at a McDonalds just east of the Bay Bridge around 7 AM to head west. We have a list of daily ‘mile markers’ we will be shooting for in order to get everything in. Everyone agreed leaving by 6 AM each morning will allow us to cover a lot of miles before the hottest part of the day and we will be able to start looking for a hotel by late afternoon or early evening. We have added one more sightseeing stop – Royal Gorge Bridge, which is the highest suspension bridge in the world dangling over the Arkansas River. It’s only 4 miles off of route 50 so how could we travel all this way and not stop to see this? Everyone has the same plan for packing, 2 pairs of jeans, 5 or 6 shirts, a bathing suit, one light jacket and maybe a sweatshirt. I have a heated liner which I just might take too. I was concerned about prescription meds running out but after explaining to the pharmacist why I needed a double refill he was happy to accommodate. We have all stocked up on the small travel size shampoo; toothpaste; etc. Even 2 or 3 of each item in this small size is easier to pack than one large bottle. And I found a great new product, Purex has come out with laundry sheets, part of the sheet is laundry soap and the other part is softener; no liquid or powder to spill in the saddlebag. Also, I’ve been using liquid stitch to put patches on my jacket so I’m going to take a bottle with me. You never know when something will need to be mended. Liquid stitch is a fabric glue and works great. Talk about excited – some have started packing already.

Better Safe than Sorry

After getting new brakes and back tires on the trike Don started hearing a squeak occasionally. The noise happened when driving or rolling and when applying the brakes. Me being the optimist said it was just the new brake pads and just drive it. My husband, on the other hand, is the realist and he was concerned. The last thing we want is to get 3000 miles away from home and have problems. So he took the trike back to Goodyear where we got the brakes and tires and they checked and said they thought it was the wheel bearings and seal that was leaking. Well this certainly is not good! Two years ago we had Bob of Mastertech Automotive replace the wheel bearings and seal in one of the wheels but he was located in Baltimore MD at the time which is a 2 hour trip one way in very busy traffic. A quick phone call and we had an appointment for today and Bob has moved to Edgewood which is only 70 miles away and much easier to reach than Baltimore. This makes shop # 3 for Bessie. We arrived by 9 AM and Bessie was on the lift within minutes. Our fears were put to rest; the squeak is only the brakes and nothing to worry about. We have all heard this on cars at times. But now we feel so much better; no leak, no damage, no problems. If you live on Delmarva I can strongly recommend Mastertech Automotive. Bob works on cars, motorcycles and best of all trikes which not many people will touch. He actually installs the trike kits so if anyone is in the market to have your motorcycle converted call Bob at 443-372-5495. If you are traveling and find you need a good mechanic while in our area give Bob a call he is great about working you in quickly and getting you back on the road. So the whole point of this entry is to make sure when planning a trip of any length, get your machine checked and then checked again if you have any doubts or concerns. You can never be too safe.

Wash, Wax and Pack

The bikes were washed and waxed this weekend and I’m going to miss my expert helper you see here. Todd is my great-grandson, 18 months old and LOVES the motorcycles. The emergency items were packed in one saddlebag; a can of fix-a-flat, bandages (hope we never need them), a quart of oil, flashlight, tire gauge, bike tools, can of spray cleaner and rags to clean the windshield each day, sunscreen, bug repellent, a few wire ties, rain gear, binoculars, and a kickstand support (just in case we stop in soft ground).


Saturday we rode 164 miles, only half of what one day will be on this trip, and it took us all day! Of course, we spent a few hours shopping and eating with friends, so we should be able to cover a lot more miles in the same amount of time once we get started.

30 days and counting.

Service Has Been Completed

Both bikes have had their major ‘check-up’ and service. As I said the trike requires two shops; Goodyear replaced the back tires, the brakes and greased all car parts. The local Honda shop has done a full service, oil change and replaced the front tire even though it still had a lot of tread it would not make 7000 miles so better to waste a partly used tire than to waste a day or more trying to find a shop on the road.

Abigail had her full check-up yesterday and my ‘pit crew’ Derek and Bill at L&D Suzuki, went over her with a fine tooth comb. They checked the brakes, all fluids, put in new sparkplugs because it would be time to change them while we were gone. Like the trike, my back tire had about another 3,000 miles before needing to be replaced but they replaced it now to make sure we avoid problems on the road. I kept the tire and we can put it back on at a later date. I will keep the phone number for L&D Suzuki close at hand on this trip, because if I have any problems they are only a phone call away; if I’m thousands of miles out they will find a shop, call them and then let me know where to take it. Got to love those guys!

Next will be the task of cleaning the bikes. Every spring they get a good washing with SportCleaner which is a wonderful product; just melts the bugs, tar and road grime off; even cleans whitewall tires without scrubbing. Just spray it on, wait a couple of minutes and hose it off. I look for easy. Reorganizing the emergency gear that must stay in the saddlebags or trunk at all times will come next. Over the year things get tossed in and we want to conserve as much space as possible for packing.