Time to start doing what I can to make sure I don’t leave my homies at work in the lurch!
I talked to Joe today. Laying things out, all cards showing. Going in I fully expected an answer to me asking “So, would me going for two weeks to Labrador this summer be a bad thing?” The answer I expected was something along the lines of “I’d really rather you stay here to make sure things work.”
The answer surprised me. “There’s never a good time to take a vacation. Go.”
(pick jaw off ground)
Time to really start gearing up.
From the Alaska trip I learned that one of the biggest limitations in my existing gear is dealing with the wet. Rain sucks when you have to stop, get off the bike, pull on a sweat-inducing oversuit… then repeat the process in reverse when you need to take it off. The suit I think I need to pick up is the BMW Trailguard suit. It’s a textile suit that, depending on the zippers, can either be breathable or waterproof!
UPDATE: The BMW Trailguard suit is not waterproof without it’s liner!! Be warned!
New tires are also on the docket. Most of the trip is going to be on tarmac so I’ll spoon on another set of Continental ContiTrailAttacks. They served me well on the Alaska trip and I don’t have to worry about wearing them out. I went 9000 miles on the last trip. This time will be around 5000.
Another key point is that I’ll be doing around half the milage in roughly the same amount of time. The miles and time dragged the trip down to the point of weariness. Hopefully this time around I’ll have time to smell the roses. Time to relax and re-center. Time to write. Time to reflect.
One of the side-goals is to hit as many states as convenient on the way. Why not? New England (NE = Nebraska; NE != New England) has such a concentration of states I’ll be able to scratch a whole slew off my personal list. Why keep a list? No real reason. Why do people collect spoons? Same reason I guess.
Finally, I want to thank Insurance.com for letting me take the time. I promise to to everything I can to make it easy to miss me by setting things up as well as I can.