Pre-ride planning

I wouldn’t say I’m a planner. I’d like to think I’m a think-fast, shoot-from-the-hip type guy. My old man used to say “take half the clothes and twice the money”. When you’re going on a trip, and I think I like that plan. Do I pre-plan? Not really. There’s some shit on a long ride that I just know I’m going to need. Here’s my short list:

• The Bike. This one is obvious.
• A wallet. You actually can go on a ride, get 100 miles away and forget you didn’t bring it. No, I don’t want to talk about it. I Like mine with a chain on it, so I can reach down and feel it 20 miles in to remember I have it.
• A sleeping bag. I have several; a zero degree, tiny little stuffer I bought 30 years ago that has never failed me, and takes up half a saddle bag. If I’m going for comfort, I’ll strap something bigger to the backrest.
• A tent. I’m not opposed to sleeping out under the stars, but sometimes it’s nice to have something around you to keep the heat in, and the cold out.
• A gun. It can make a weird situation out on the road make you feel better. Also: America.
• A leather Jacket. I’ve had a couple summer rides out in the desert where I haven’t packed one, and I wished I would have. In the desert, you can be below sea level, and then ride up to 10,000 feet with snow. Ya never know where the muse will take you. At the very least, they make a good pillow.
• Sunblock – there’s always some in my bike stash, or the wife has some in her drawer. It’s kind of a must.
• Old underwear – The best place to chuck old underwear, is in a KOA, out on the road somewhere. You’ll make room for a T-shirt you just have to have, in the text town.
• Socks. The last thing you want, is a disease called Gungus Coyote. I have no idea what this disease is, because I bring extra socks.
• A phone. Music, nav, a camera, a phone….. There maybe should be a chain for this too.
• A Map. A phone is nice, but it’s hard to get perspective on where you want to ride on a phone. A phone map is meant to get you from point A to point B. Sometimes, you need to spread out a map and see if you want to go to point C, D, E and F. Phones suck at that.
• Another T-shirt. (or two).
• Some sort of Bandana: They’re just handy.
• Sunglasses.

If you have room at this point, there are some extras you can pack, that just make for a nicer ride:

• An Extra pair of Levis. An extra pair of Levis is the difference between a 3 day trip, and a 5 day trip. Coin-op laundromats are a pain in the ass, and there is only so much of your own stench you can take.
• A swimming suit – It’s nice to find a motel with a pool that has a laundromat. Then you can jump in the pool while your 2 pairs of levis, extra shirt, old underwear and that t-shirt you bought are all getting washed. Plus, a swimming suit doesn’t take up all that much room.
• A towel.

The rest, you can figger out. Or buy on the road. It’s the beauty of a long ride.

The rest, is cake: you go see a place you’ve never seen, explore the world, watch a sunset (or sunrise) in a town you barely learned the name of. Twist a throttle, and go see a thing. You’ve got a saddle bag full of shit at this point to make life all the better.

Anything I missed?