Two weeks and counting. I bought the last of the supplies today, spare dry sacks, batteries, oil for my change before the trip and one for the change in Toronto, CA that I will store in the West Race Car trailer along with a suitcase of clothes for work. This weekend I’ll ride up to my friend Cody’s house and we will both change chains and set our preload in the rear damper. He is gearing up for his trip starting July 2 so this will be the last time we both do major work on the bikes and get to hang out before we each leave on our separate trips. I wish we could ride together for at least part of the trip but he will be coming back right as I am heading to Alaska and we will miss each other by a matter of days on the road. We have done some great trips together and it’s a shame we both decide to do huge trips this year and we aren’t even riding together. Maybe I can convince him to meet me out in Arkansas in October and we can have a Ozarks Trip 2 just like 2009. Ride Safe Cody.



The past few days Ive just been nailing down the schedule and booking campsites and just general final prep. I just changed the tires to Michelin Pilot Road 2 which are new to me. I usually ride the Michelin Pilot Powers but they just wouldn’t last long enough. The Road 2s are supposed to get me about 10k miles which should be in Seattle. I can’t wait to try them out, I might go scrub them in this weekend in the North GA mountains.






The new Zero Gravity Windscreen went on too, it really makes the bike look much better. I wasn’t feeling the dark tint at first, but now I really like it. Thanks again Zero Gravity!!! New chain Saturday and the bike will be ready to go. I bought a new 12v charger that has two USB ports so I can eliminate having to swap the Zune and cell charger back and forth. Now I can charge the GPS, Zune and cell at the same time. I will have to be careful how much I draw from the stator especially with the heated grips and jacket on.



The only major thing I am waiting on is my saddlebags. I had a malfunction with one on my last ride up to Virginia on the Blue Ridge Parkway and I sent them back to Nelson Rigg in California. Hopefully they make it back in time. Its gonna be close.

The last two weeks I will spend making final reservations at certain parks and services for bike maintenance. I also need to be preparing my Yamaha R1 and car for winterization as they will be sitting for some time. A suitcase of clothes and work supplies needs to be packed and driven up to Atlanta to live in the West Race Cars trailer. A box of winter clothes and brake pads need to be sent to my brothers place in Seattle for the ride up to Alaska. It all still seems like a lot left. I really just want to get up and go, today. Unfortunately its not that easy anymore, this trip has a schedule now. My freedom to roam is gone, I don’t like the feeling of being restrained but I got to make the schedule(sort of) so I really cant complain too much. It does make me start dreaming of the next trip though, one that will have no schedule, if I decide I like a place, then I’ll stay as long as I want to, then move on. There I go again, I’m about to go on a ride of a lifetime and I’m already dreaming of another one.