Trip Preparation (Part 1)

The trip is less than one week away.  One thing that had to be done was to reserve rooms ahead of time.  That does take some effort because one thing you really don't want to do is to find, at the end of a 500 mile day, is no place to stay. 

Finding a place to stay in the vicinity of major cities is not generally a problem.  But finding a place to stay, at the last minute, in say Minot, ND is a little more difficult.

We use a GPS extensively for this kind or trip.  Mine is  Zumo 550 with a connected XM device that gets XM radio, traffic, and weather.  The weather is nothing more than simple forecasts (new Zumo units have an option for higher quality displays) but smart phones can fill that gap.  You just can't get a look at the weather on the go.

Using the GPS means you have to do one of two things,  Tell the GPS where you want to go by end point or provide the GPS with a predetermined route.  The latter is the way I use most often because I can actively select "waypoints" for the trip and let the mapping program define the route. I have been on some rather unique roads using this system.  The roads less traveled would be an excellent way of summing it up.

What does it look like?

Packing

Whether you are going solo or riding two up, packing for a long trip requires some compromises.  First, you will have to stop and wash clothes.  Second, you will not be able to travel a long distance and also be able to reasonably stop for the night and wash.  So,  You plan for that also.

Generally, clean socks and clean underwear for each day.  Outer garments are not washed.  In between, some can be worn more than once.  Not all but some things that are to be packed.

Weather extremes must also be considered.  Temperatures can range from the upper 90s to the lower 30s.  Remember limited space?  So, you use layers.  First, the outer layer can also be part of the rain gear you need to carry (rain jacket and pants and shoes that are water resistant).  The inner most layer, a heated jacked liner powered from the bike.

The first and last days of a trip like this is generally on the interstate (with some exceptions).  In a car, you have many options, on a bike, you can have just as many, but being able to hear everything is important.  In my case, the GPS has the XM radio, MP3 music, and audio books.  Recently, I have primarily listened to audio books on the road from science fiction to military based stories (actually some of the science fiction is military based also).  This makes a reliable way to hear the stories combined with being able to hear the CB Radio (communications with other bikes in the group) and the prompts from the GPS are important.  I have tried several systems, in helmet speakers and in the ear earphones.  I have used several of the later and finally settled on some made by EAR Inc.  The can be worn comfortably all day and don't attenuate the outside noise so you will miss things like emergency vehicles and provide good audio for music.