Somewhere in Baja California, Mexico, along Route 3. Photo Credit: Anton Fulmen
baja route 3
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Monthly Archives: July 2008
bike upgrades
after three motorcycle trips, I’ve decided to optimize my experience, with cash!!!
- throttle lock (poor man’s cruise control so I can rest my right hand)
- sheepskin seat cover (mexico was hard on my ass, this weekend wasn’t so bad…)
- tail tidy (make the bike look clean when all the bags aren’t on)
- sw-motech bracket and a Givi E52 topcase (some real storage on the bike)
- a new tankbag (even more storage)
- ram mount for my old garmin gps for navigation
sunrise over the heart of darkness
Sunrise over the Heart of Darkness
Fourth of Juplaya, 2008, Black Rock Desert
Our (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
anattadoll, bearandbobcat, and my) camp this morning at sunrise.
things I learned from my first week-long motorcycle tour…
(a) everything takes longer with four people
(b) make sure people are paying attention when you propose meetup-points
(c) I need a more comfy seat for the bike
(d) don’t eat the fish taco’s at “El Fenix” unless you already have food poisoning (two of our group got sick, I didn’t because I was still recovering from food poisoning)
4th of Juplaya packing list…
I’m thinking of heading off to the playa on the bike for the weekend with a couple other ranger friends…
I just ordered a butt pad for the seat, throttle locks, and a new rack for a top-case, all things I could have used for the Mexico trip… but they won’t be here in time for this next trip. 800 miles on the bike for a couple of days in the dust… why am I even considering this?
proposed packing list:
- water, 2gal/day (Jezz & Jess bringing up)
- dehydrated food in a bag / MREs
- energy bars
- trail mix
- tent + footprint
- sleeping bag
- tiny sleeping bag pad
- 1 pair army pants
- 2-3 t-shirts
- 3-4 shorts
- 4-6 pair socks
- dust mask
- goggles
- hat
- sarong
- sweatshirt
- sandles
- riding pants (no liners)
- riding jacket (no liners)
- sunglasses
- phone
- ipod + headphones, book?
- toiletries bag & drugs
- solar charger
- headlamp
- suntan lotion
- chapstick
- flat fixer
- tool kit
- camelback? (ugh)
- garbage bag
- ziplock bags
- camping silverware & plate
- naglene bottle or other mug for drinks
- first aid kit (tiny)
- small baby wipes
- hand/foot lotion
- vinegar
Nice to have if taking something bigger than bike…
- rebar tent stakes, and hammer, and puller
- camp chair
- coffee
- booze & lots of beer
- camp stove & mess kit
- ice chest & ice
- duct tape
- solar shower
- more shade
- gps
- ham & frs radios
Entry update post-trip:
Next time, do not bring:
- solio –it sucks, get a better solar charger, maybe one that does AA batteries?
- ham radio
- so much food — only ate one to two meals/day
- fewer shorts and socks
- vinegar — foot lotion works fine
Next time, bring:
- figure out a clean way to store/hold bag liners et al if the back of a car isn’t available
- don’t go motorcycle camping on the playa, just use a damn 4×4 next time
- more booze, more beer
- guns
- shade structure for tent
- camp chair
- snow-peak micro camp stove
- army style tent stakes (optional)
- corkscrew?