Final preparations

Tonight I packed up all of my gear and mounted the various bags onto my bike. While I was doing so I wrote down all of the various items I will be taking with me. Here is a big list of all my gear. Lets see how much of it actually survives the entire trip:

• Black Canvas Shorts
• 4 white undershirts
• 2 Diego T's
• Stonecutter T-Shirt
• 4 Pairs of socks
• 4 Pairs of underwear
• Black nylon shorts
• Board Shorts
• Floppy Hat
• Adidas pants
• Sandals
• Book: It's not News, It's Fark
• Ducati Monster owners manual
• Pad of paper and a pen
• iPod and charger
• cell phone, charger and link cable
• Laminated maps of Washington, Oregon and Northern California
• Various printed maps from Google Maps
• Insurance Paperwork
• Motorcycle Registration Paperwork
• Mag-Lite
• Wire Cutters/Strippers
• Pliers
• Philips Head screwdriver
• Standard Head screwdriver
• Folding set of metric Allen wrenches
• Fixed set of metric Allen wrenches
• Zip Ties
• Spare wire connectors
• Spare fuses
• Can of Chain Wax
• Extra quart of 20-50 oil
• Small spray bottle of 409 (for cleaning my face shield)
• Small towel
• 2 shop rags
• Bottle of Aloe Vera
• Bottle of Sunscreen
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Tire Pressure Gauge
• Bottle of Ibuprofen
• Lighter
• Chap Stick
• Toenail Clippers
• Gerber Multi-Tool
• 2 Pairs of Gloves
• Helmet
• Sunglasses
• Riding Jacket
• Reflective Orange Vest
• Riding Pants
• Riding Boots
• Ducati T-Shirt
• Backpack with water pouch
• Sleeping Bag
• Spare headphones
• Pocket Knife
  
• $200 cash
  

Packing

Last night I got out all of the stuff I want to take on my trip. I spread it out and took a picture, just for shits. Anyway, I've got maps, tools, clothes and all kinds of stuff. In the picture you can see the two bags I've got on the left. The larger one is a tail bag that sits on the passenger seat on my bike. I can strap my sleeping bag right to the top which is very handy. The other smaller bag in front is my tank bag that straps to my gas tank. It's got a large clear plastic pouch on top so I can place maps in there and be able to look at them while I'm riding. Packed it all up and everything fit with room to spare! I was able to bring a couple extra clothes and even some more tools. I'm going to put up a final list of gear sometime today or tomorrow. We'll see how much of it comes back with me.

Stupid Fuse!

So I picked my bike up from the shop the other day for it's 12k mile service. When I got it back the service techs told me that the horn and my brake light weren't working. Not only that but my tires were getting down and should probably be replaced soon. I went home and started poking around with my Volt-Ohm meter to try and isolate the problem with the light and the horn. I didn't think it could be a fuse because the rest of the tail lights worked just fine. But after checking the fuse box I noticed that the same fuse controlled both the brake light and horn! Popped in a new 25 cent fuse and everything worked again. Now, I take full responsibility for my own idiocy, but don't you think that a trained tech should be bright enough to recognize this? Wouldn't he already know that a fuse controls those two things and if they both go out take the 30 seconds to look? It was already in for a major service! This shit really pisses me off. And why did they tell me about the tires as I was picking it up? Why the hell didn't they call me that first day they looked at it and told me about that so they could order up some new ones and get it taken care of? They would make some money, and I would get the new tires I need. Morons. So today I called over to the other bike shop in town where my friend Erick works and they have the tires that fit my bike. So he's going to do me a huge favor and get them installed for me today so I can have a fresh set of tires before I head down to California on Sunday. Thanks man.

Route Home From California

Day Four Route
Day Five Route
Day Six Route

Day Seven Route

Route to California

Overall Route DownDay One Route
Day Two Route
Day Three Route
Route Through Yosemite

New Road

Today I went out for an afternoon ride around Kitsap and I found a new road that has become one of my very favorites! I was cruisin down one of my regular back roads when I passed a road I had gone past many times when I decided to just hang a left and see where it led me. Turns out Ettendahl Pass Road is fantastic. Nice country road in the woods where I could keep my speed through most of the turns. The best part is that it's actually through woods instead of through clearcut areas like most of the roads I know. Anyway, here are a couple pics I took this afternoon.

Lists...

So I've kept a few lists of all the shit that I'm going to be taking with me on my big trip and I decided to share. I'm notorious for forgetting shit if I don't write it down, so this is my official list of crap. I'm sure I'll have to adjust it over time.

Tools, Gear, etc

• Metric Allen Wrench Set
• Phillips Screw Driver
• Flat Head Screw Driver
• Pliers
• Wire cutters/strippers with extra connectors
• Multi-tool
  
• 2 Shop Rags
• Chain Lube
• Extra Oil
• iPod with charger
• Cell Phone with charger and link cable
• Advil
• Tooth Brush & Tooth Paste
  
• Maps of Washington, Oregon and California
• Printout of route as planned on Google Maps
  

Camping Gear

• Board Shorts
• 2 Deigo Tees
• Sandals
• Sweatpants
  
• Floppy Hat
• Cheap Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Chap Stick
• Sleeping Bag

Travel Clothes

• 4 pairs of socks
• 4 pairs of underwear
• 4 white undershirts
• 4 random T-Shirts
• Riding Pants
• Boots
• Riding Jacket
• 2 Pairs of Gloves
• Helmet

Gear

So my brother was questioning how the hell I'm going to transport all my shit with me when I head down to California in a couple weeks. And ya know what, that's a good question. I've spent a fair amount of time getting everything organized, but I haven't really put up any information about it. So, now you get to read about all the crap I'm taking.

First up we have a pic of the entire bike. You can see the tail bag on the back with my sleeping bag on top. I can attach it with some bungie cords, but they just aren't shown here in the picture. Up front we have the tank bag (sitting on the gas tank of all places) with my helmet on top of it, and then my backpack draped across the seat. The backpack is pretty small so hopefully it doesn't hurt my shoulders too much. It's also got a water bladder in it and a small hose so I can drink water on the go. That'll come in handy when I'm going across the fucking middle of nowhere.

Here is a close up shot of the rear tail bag with the sleeping bag bungied to the top.
And a closeup of the tank bag. It's got a nice large clear pouch on top where I can place maps so I know where the hell I'm going.
The backpack
My helmet and two pairs of gloves. These are the two pairs that I'll most likely be taking with me. I have like 5 pairs total.
And lastly my jacket. It's nice heavy leather with extra armor padding in the shoulders, back, and elbows.
I've got a pair of new riding jeans on order which should show up in the next day or two, so I'll put up some pics of those when they show up. I'll probably also get some new boots.