Getting ready

Building

It is always exciting when you start to get ready for something as epic as this trip.  I am getting excited, I’m leaving in 3 months!  I’ve got all the gear I need, and I’ve got my first meals in the dehydrator.  This thing is real!

As I’m writing this, the virus is still beyond out of control and I’m having to face that it might cancel the trip.  Since I’m hitting about 34 states and, hopefully, 2 countries, some of those are bound to be more out of control than others.  I am just hoping that I, and everyone else, can get the vaccine prior to leaving.  I’ve finally determined the basic route, though some roads may change, this is the general plan.

The basic route I plan to follow.

When I started planning, I didn’t put too much thought into what I would see, but after months of research, I’ve decided to see my friend in Arkansas, drive the Natchez Trace to Alabama, drive to the Cumberland Gap in Kentucky, ride the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, hit Fort Williams park in Maine, see Stephen King’s house, take the train to the top of Mount Washington, see Niagara Falls, stop for vegan pasties in Michigan, go through Yellowstone again, take photos of the T. A. Moulton barn in Wyoming, stop in Lava Hot Springs in Idaho, and appreciate Shoshone Falls in Idaho.  As you can see, the trip has gotten more ambitious over time!  I will likely never go to a lot of these states again, so I might as well see what I can without taking too much time.

Since I’ve got the basic route down, I know that the trip will take between 32-34 days, depending on conditions.  This includes a couple of times where I’ll be staying an extra day, like with my friend in Arkansas, to get Lucille serviced, to ride the train to the top of Mount Washington, and to attend a celebration of life for a family member in Michigan.  Of course, weather can change this.  It’s much harder and more tiring to ride in the rain.  Extreme cold is wearing too.  If I mistakenly eat something with dairy or meat in it, I’ll likely be sick, and that will slow things down too.  Even if I don’t eat dairy or meat, sickness can still happen.  I will play it by ear, but I think the plan is pretty solid.

Vegan Eats

Food planning is another exciting chore!  Because I’m a vegan, I’ll be making my own food, rather than dining out.  I don’t know how many days of food I’ll be able to carry at a time, so I’ll need to get a bunch of meals prepared and figure that out.  When I’m backpacking, I know I can fit about 6 days of food in the bear can and that is about all I can carry weight-wise.  While I’m debating taking my bear can, I can also put food in a dry bag on the back of the bike.  There may be places where the bear can is required, though I’ve been unable to definitively determine that, and I can bathe in the bear can as well.  The bear can is big though, and it doesn’t collapse.  It won’t get any smaller, no matter how much I eat!  Why do I need to know how much food I can carry?  I will need to send myself a resupply box, much as I would on a long backpacking trip.  I just need to determine where the best place for that will be.

What to wear

A whole wardrobe!

Clothes is something I’m struggling with, much to my surprise.  I won’t take much, originally thinking I would only be camping or hoteling and no one would really see me much.  Now, that I’ve the Bunk-A-Biker option and am planning on a small amount of sightseeing, I’ll need something to wear that is somewhat presentable.  I’m also debating on bringing something cotton to sleep in.  I usually sleep in my t-shirt and underwear or long johns, but there is something that is comforting of having some clothes that are comfortable and dedicated to sleeping in.  A pair of leggings can go under my motorcycle pants, but a big girl like me shouldn’t be seen in public wearing leggings!  Shorts might be appropriate, but it might be too cold and my motorcycle pants don’t feel all that great against my skin.  It’s a struggle to choose clothes for a month that will need to be sufficient for all possible types of weather.  I have put together what I think I’ll be taking and can fit it all in my Scrubba.  The Scrubba is a washing machine for on the go and doubles as a dry bag for my clothes.  By being able to do laundry nightly, I’ll be able to take a lot less clothes.

Everything else

I’ve gathered up lots of little things that will make life easier while I’m on the road.  Charging blocks, small bottles for soap and olive oil, all the charging cables for the electronics, a charging plug for the bike, a hard drive to store videos on, wet wipes, all manner of little things that you need to do something like this.  Now it is just making food, shipping food, practicing, and waiting.

The little things