Packing Up,
Gearing Up, Leaving
May 24, 2003
I am not going to lie to you - there was more
than a little 'fear of death' involved in this trip. It had occurred to me
(more than I wanted it to actually) that the ride from Tampa, Florida to Austin,
Texas could well be my last. I would be riding alone, on a loooooooong
stretch of highway, for a loooooong time. Still, fear lets you know you
are alive and a good healthy fear is probably the start of wisdom.
In preparation, I sent the bike to the shop
and sank something close to the GNP of a Central American country in
preventative maintenance. Oil change, spark plugs, cables, the works,
everything got touched and properly cared for. I also took some time and wrote a
letter to Tonya should I not return. Finally, I gave my manager a
call and gave him a couple of passwords (though I didn't tell him to what) as
well as some general information that Tonya might need. Truth be told -
that freaked me out pretty badly. Planning in the event of your death is
not the most fun thing to do.
As
always I packed for the trip and did my best to prepare for most of the
eventualities I could expect. Two pairs of sneakers plus a
pair of 'river walkers', enough undergarments, etc. Here you see my ride
gear itself. You see a jacket, a liner, and a heated vest.
I finally got it right, the heated vest makes ALL the
difference in the world. In previous stories you hear me speak of being
too hot, and then too cold and how it fatigues me.
I have a theory now - shivering is exhausting, even a
little shiver over 12 hours becomes a real problem. It is better to be a
little on the warm side than a little on the cool side. The other issue is
exposure. Keeping the sun and wind off of the skin has been a major PLUS
for civilization. Unlike the other residents of this planet, humans don't
have fur, or scales, or spines, or any of those nifty neato tricks to keep the
sun and wind from torching our exposed flesh until it peels right off of our
bones. Seriously, it should not be underestimated how over the course of a
day sun, wind, and cold work together to slowly wear your body down. Since
I was planning on going as long as I could, and as fast as I could, every
precaution with regard to temperature, exposure and protection would be
taken.
That doesn't mean
that getting into all this stuff would be easy. I felt, and looked, like a
spaceman visiting Earth from the planet TooMucHgear . . Hey a good chuckle at
one's own expense can be refreshing and I always say that if you can't laugh at
yourself someone else will gladly oblige you.
I had packed the bike the night before, so
all I had to do was wake up, gear up, and get out of town.
Tonya
followed me out and saw me leave. I will tell
you that I was more than a little aware of my own
mortality here - and I wanted to make sure that a) I had said all the
appropriate things before leaving (I love you, etc) b) I had all my medical and
motorcycle insurance on my person including a note saying "don't put me on life
support" and c) I was wearing clean underwear - as some voice in the back of my
head wouldn't stop chanting over and over. Here I am saying goodbye.
I took this last picture to show the time
(2:10am) as well as the mileage. It is funny, but on every trip I take I try to
keep mental track of how many hours I have ridden, and
how
far I have gone - it passes the time and let's me know if I am on schedule.
The reason this is funny is that no sooner do I get on the bike and ride off
than I forget what time I left. "Was it 2am, or 1:45? or was it
2:30?."
On with the Ride
Back to the Start
As
always I packed for the trip and did my best to prepare for most of the
eventualities I could expect. Two pairs of sneakers plus a
pair of 'river walkers', enough undergarments, etc. Here you see my ride
gear itself. You see a jacket, a liner, and a heated vest.
I finally got it right, the heated vest makes ALL the
difference in the world. In previous stories you hear me speak of being
too hot, and then too cold and how it fatigues me.
I have a theory now - shivering is exhausting, even a
little shiver over 12 hours becomes a real problem. It is better to be a
little on the warm side than a little on the cool side. The other issue is
exposure. Keeping the sun and wind off of the skin has been a major PLUS
for civilization. Unlike the other residents of this planet, humans don't
have fur, or scales, or spines, or any of those nifty neato tricks to keep the
sun and wind from torching our exposed flesh until it peels right off of our
bones. Seriously, it should not be underestimated how over the course of a
day sun, wind, and cold work together to slowly wear your body down. Since
I was planning on going as long as I could, and as fast as I could, every
precaution with regard to temperature, exposure and protection would be
taken. 
