The Routine

MikeO

Well-known member
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
May 31, 2002
Messages
12,150
Reaction score
198
Location
Dereham, Norfolk, today...
Although I’ve tried to keep the whole journey as loosely planned and spontaneous as I can, I’ve come to adopt a few routines in my daily travelling. I remember Ted Simon saying that his journey* was as much about packing and unpacking as it was about travelling and, unsurprisingly, he’s right. My routine has gradually come about as a result of learning, very often the hard way, that, if you aren’t careful, you can lose a lot of kit. In my case, this has included a CamelBak in Tucson, a sheepskin seat cover in Idaho and a computer cable in Virginia, to name but a few.

When I started the trip, I had no real plan as to what was going to be stored where on the bike – I’d often cart all my luggage into the hotel, then spend half an hour the following morning trying to get it all to fit back in. Gradually, however, I managed to come up with a method which made life a lot easier – quite important if you’re hot (or cold) and tired after a long day’s ride.

Firstly, I keep everything I normally need in one pannier – the right hand one. The right hand one because that’s where the ‘holster’ for my laptop is – plus the left pannier liner is very fragile after getting torched first time out in February. The left hand pannier contains stuff I need – but not right now – heated clothing, armoured jeans, winter gloves etc. Depending on the climate, kit obviously gets swapped from one side to another.

The right hand pannier bag carries:

T shirts, socks, pants, jeans, boots, wash kit, laundry bag. The bag which fits in the lid of the pannier carries all the computer & other cables and some maps, books etc.

The Tank Bag contains:

Important paperwork (registration document, passport, insurance & driving licence - I have copies or duplicate of all these documents), remote hard drive, mouse, wireless card, spare gloves, glasses, bottle opener and other essentials.

So, on arriving at a motel, put the bike on the sidestand and then ask the important questions:

Do you have:

1. Hi Speed Internet?
2. Guest Laundry (if I need one that day :D)
3. A discount rate for the military.

If the answers are satisfactory, I start taking my kit in – first trip, the tank bag, GPS and the kit I’m wearing. In the room, I switch the air conditioner to hot or cold as required, take off my helmet & jacket, then go back out to the bike. I unpack the right hand pannier, undo the tank side bags and put them in the empty pannier, lock the padlock and, after putting the bike on the centre stand, carry the gear inside – the bike’s now secure – this normally takes about 4 to 5 minutes from checking in.

Once inside, I check to see that the Internet connection works. It hasn’t in a couple of hotels and means moving rooms – much easier to do before you unpack. Assuming there’s connectivity, I download the pictures from my camera’s CF card (using a PCMCIA adaptor – very quick), deleted the pics from the card, then fit the spare battery into the camera. I put the used battery on charge. I then create a new ‘gallery’, with today’s date, on my SmugMug (on line photo-album) account and start uploading the pictures. Depending on how fast a connection I have, this can take a long time. Meantime, I put some laundry on (if required), clean my visor and helmet, and have a shower. If the hotel has an in-room coffee maker, I’ll probably use it – though the liquid which these dispense bears little relation to coffee…

I then check my emails and may spend a while replying to them. I’ll generally not eat in the evenings, preferring to have a late afternoon meal, so I’ll get a cold drink and set about writing the day’s journal whilst it’s still fresh in my mind. I’ve found that, even leaving it a day, as I often have to, I can miss some small detail which will come back to me several days later. Having 2 or 3 days journal ‘owing’ also makes it a chore to be done, rather than just jotting down some recollections. When I’ve finished the entry, I post it on the UKGSer site first, then proof read it on the screen. Inevitably, there will be 3 or 4 edits before I’m happy with it (usually typos or links to the wrong picture). Once I’m content with the version, I re-post it on ADVRider, making minor alterations (different ‘smilies’, for example). By the time I’ve completed all of that, it’s usually quite late. I may plan a route and programme it into Bettie, or just watch TV for a bit. I’ll pack away everything I can – the spare camera battery will be charged by now, so goes into the pocket of the camera case on the belt of my jacket – if I’m planning to leave early the following day, I’ll pack the computer away.

The following morning, I re-pack the bike, check the oil & tyre pressures and, every 2 or 3 days I’ll have a good look around, making sure everything is secure. I check the lights each morning ( I should also wash the bugs and crap off, but I can’t be arsed). I go back to the room and have a good look around, then push the bike off the centre stand, start up & put it in first gear…

Here’s the story so far…

8862670-L.jpg



*Jupiter’s Travels – if you haven’t read it – go and get it!
 


Back
Top Bottom