Step 6: Alrighty – I’ve got my sizeable list of concerns, sorted out into like items. Now, I start brainstorming my way through the list to make each item either becomes a complete moot point, as in, it is no longer an issue at all – this is the best case scenario – I always attempt to make the concern a moot point first!! Or, I find ways to minimize the attendant risk associated with each item, to its bare minimum – this is the next best-case scenario!
I know as I begin to run through this process that my fearful heart will be soothed in a very large degree. I’ll realize that there are so many things I can do to game this expedition in my favor that I am capable of doing.
I keep reminding myself that I’m doing alllll of this from the safety and comfort of my living room, and that I can walk away from all this at any point along the way, and nobody (except you all needs to know the difference!! 😉)
| LIST OF HORRORS | POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS |
BIKE HEIGHT and WEIGHT
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Bike height – I want to be able to place my feet flat on the ground on both sides of the bike, or as close as possible
-check to make sure the seat is all the way down in the first place -install the low seat, which would drop it another .8” (every partial inch counts!) -have a bike shop lower the suspension to the right height before I leave -if it’s not at a safe height, the trip gets scrapped and I find a different way to bring the bike back to Ohio Figure out where my emergency flashers are and how to turn them on Bike weight – I have to find a way to be able to pick up my own bike -the panniers on this bike should help keep it up off the ground more than the other bike that doesn’t have bags – test this out before you leave -practice getting the bike up off the ground until you are comfortable doing so -if I can’t get the bike reliably up off the ground, I scrap the trip -make Bigfoot dinner, endear him to me, ask him to help me pick up my bike and fend off the wolves, sit around making S’mores over a roaring campfire together, become Facebook friends, and part ways as besties, lololol |
ROUTE/PLANNING
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Route preparation – play on Google til you’re blue in the face, lay out multiple routes, do research on the roads you’ll be on each day, the night before
Run out of gas – plot out next gas stations, have more than one next gas station to go to at a distance 2/3 of your expected gas range (150 miles), AAA card to get gas delivered is my backup, could also grab a 1 gallon gas tank and carry it with me (will get me an extra 50 miles) Unexpected gravel, dirt or back road – watch for unpaved road signs, slow down on smaller back roads, always be watching out in front of yourself, really slow down for curves on small back roads Accidentally getting on a highway – Pay attention to the types of roads you’re on in your nightly planning, plug the route into your GPS, pay attention to signs so you don’t get onto one – ounce of prevention!! If you do, be cool, stay calm, only ride at a speed that is comfortable, hug the right side of the right-hand lane, stay away from semis until you can get off the highway and plot out a new route. If I do get a highway or multiple lane road, be very aware of other driver’s blind spots, leave plenty of space and braking time in between you and others, slow down. No inn or no room at the inn at the end of the day – the night before, plot out potential places to stay, places before and after your target destination. At lunchtime the next day, when you can see how you’re progressing, making conservative plans for where to stop that don’t require me to push the clock if I run into the unexpected, and have David make arrangements for me, so I have a target destination. Riding long past my exhaustion point – see the above point. Also, plot out some potential rest places for the next day’s travels (lunch, coffee breaks, potty breaks, etc) to break up the day’s travels |
TIMING
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Don’t start planning for this trip early enough – start planning now!! Lol And, start ticking things off the to-do list starting now. Take the extra days you need in Carefree for your preparations if they’re not complete before you arrive in AZ. I have two months to plot this all out and prep.
Don’t leave enough time to safely complete the trip – I’m planning on 200 miles/day * 10 days and adding in a 10 day margin and putting nothing on my calendar that is time sensitive for 20 days (100% margin!!). I can literally take the entire month of April if I want, to do this trip, and work from the road |
WEATHER
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Weather – look at average temperatures and snow fall along your various proposed routes. Adjust to travel further south until you have a route that has a reasonable probability of decent weather. If you run into bad weather, reroute more south. Watch the upcoming weather every night for the next day and for the upcoming week along your current proposed route. Any hint of snow, head south or stay put – it’s a hard and fast rule! Also, carry your camping safety equipment in case, heaven forbid, you get stuck somewhere (water purification, extra water, space blanket, hand gun, knife, extra food, etc)
Unexpected torrential rains – have rain gear, extra warm clothes, get off the road to stay dry asap til it passes, or go find a place to hole up until is passes. Affected judgement – start plotting your escape for the day the moment you sense it, or if anything came up unexpected that risks you being on the road too long |
EQUIPMENT/GEAR
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Insufficient clothes testing – the only clothing I haven’t tested is a lot of rain (get rain gear) and temperatures below 38 degrees, or in icy conditions – don’t go out!! Lol Easy!
Insufficient gear testing – other than my Delorme InReach Mini, everything has been road tested, so I’ll test out the Mini hiking over the next couple of months. Insufficient bike testing – I rode in Ohio and am comfortable. I’m taking routes that are all back country to minimize traffic in larger towns and cities. Clothing failure – locate stores for replacements or have David overnight what I need. Gear failure – look through every item of gear on your packing list and make a plan for each item if it is lost, broken or stops working. Bike failure – Get AAA insurance on motorcycle, call AAA, call a mechanic or a tow shop or a bike shop for help. Call 911 if you’re really concerned about how isolated you are. I don’t know how to use my equipment – figure it out before you hit the road Simple maintenance, how and when – pull out the owner’s manual and study it over the next two months to familiarize myself with maintenance issues and schedules and fixes. Pick up any tools that would be routinely needed. Hole in tire – figure out how I’m supposed to fix it and what I need – get it and take it with you. Make a backup plan for what happens if you can’t fix it by yourself. Sena dies – have your ear buds with you as your backup My Garmin dies – use my i-phone for navigation. Have a schedule for updating people on where you’re at, like I used to do for hiking I lose cell service – always plug your destination into your phone because it will track you even if you don’t have cell service. Make SURE your battery doesn’t die!! I don’t have any GPS – buy a paper map at a gas station. Stop until you get the situation worked out Something disastrous happens to my phone – I ask for directions to an AT&T store or a Walmart and I get my phone taken care of. Get a new waterproof, Lifeproof case, get a phone holder for your bike and always use the straps on it so it doesn’t fall out. Get my old phone and its accessories so I have a backup? |
PACKING
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Inadequate food and water – plot out what you think you need and add 20%. Water, take your water filtration system for backup. Replace food and water used when you stop for gas, make it part of your routine. Plan to stop for lunch to refuel. Plan to stop for a coffee to get a break and some caffeine. Plan to have dinner before you crash for the night.
Inadequate clothing – Compare what you’re taking with you to the temperatures you expect to ride in, and then take a little extra. If your heated gear indicates it’s on the blink at all, plot out how you’re going to buy what you need and get it (find the Cycle Gear shop and make sure they order it in or have, order it and have it delivered to where you’re going next, have David pick it up and overnight it to me) Hypothermia – at first signs, get yourself a plan to stop for the night – don’t ever push this one!! Hard and fast rule! Too much gear – find out how many liters each of bags hold, do a trial run of how much gear I’m taking by putting it into my 20 liter backpack to see how much I’m trying to take. Pare back what you have til you have 20% extra space left over between all your luggage. Order tank bag, to give you more space. Buy a cheap bag and bungee cords and strap it to the bike. Take ratchet straps and bungee cords as part of what you’re taking, regardless. |
MISC
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Sheer terror that locks me up – stop for the night, get David on phone to talk me off the ledge, determine what is frightening me and if there’s something I can do to mitigate it (eg I’m exhausted – stay a couple of extra days and rest up). Backup plan – have David make arrangements for me to trailer the bike the rest of the way. Worst case, David flies down and I fly and we ride together or a ride back, and he rides the bike the rest of the way.
Debilitating loneliness – keep your Sena charged as part of your nightly routine, and yack your head off to all your friends and family – this has always been a viable strategy. Listen to podcasts. Call David. Reach out for support on Facebook. Use music to perk you up – have a playlist on Amazon just for this purpose. Physically too strenuous – get a wool seat pad – supposed to help with fatigue. Follow your backup plan to get the bike back to Ohio |
PERSONAL SAFETY
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Don’t have backup help – make a list of angels that can help you if you run into any trouble. Put a message out to Facebook to find friends of friends in an area to help you.
Bad people – .380, small knife in sheath in pocket of riding pants, pepper spray in outer backpack pocket, tac pen in my shirt Room safety – the precautions I already take when traveling alone I hit something – make sure you’re at the top of your game, or don’t ride. call 911 I take a curve too fast – have your map running on your handlebars, so can see the curves coming up ahead, ride conservatively I get hurt or in an accident – call 911 I get lost – stop, calmly regroup to figure out where you’re at. Ask for help if need be, cautiously. No one knows where I’m at – have a list of people who are following you on your Mini, with a plan of what to do if you don’t move in a certain amount of time, what various messages mean your angels should do, who is the lead angel, make sure they all have each other’s phone numbers plugged into their phones (see the plan Adventure Alan has for this for hiking). Have a plan for if your phone dies. I violate conceal carry state laws, get thrown in jail – do homework on this, call the hotline number we have, know your business. |
I’m always looking for the most expedient route to major life adventures. So far, I’ve only put in a couple of hours, at most, of preparation for what really looks like, from the list above, a sizable expedition! Follow along for the next step of this process. I’m going to turn the above list into a to-do list that I can start working down through. Time to crack on!! lol
Smarter-Not-Harder U 