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LADEN DOWN AND TWO-UP
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| (Background)---this blog and expedition was started by Chris Sorbi-however, I (Cynthia) joined the expedition and helped with completing the application for the 501(c)(3) non-profit status. I joined up because as a social worker, I have a passion for the mission of the expedition (which is to ride around the world to raise awareness for world hunger) as well as for Chris :) The older blog posts up until Chris lands in California and meets me are written by him, but as I've joined him on the expedition now, we co-write the blogs. Sometimes they seem to come from just his voice but I can assure you that my hand is in much of the writing. There are many cool posts from when Chris started his ride and went up to the Artic Circle and the Dempster Hwy that you can find on-line but I won't be posting those here. I'll just be posting blog posts from when I started riding on the expedition with Chris.) We took a successful test drive in town and on freeway to see how the bike handled with the two of us and all of our gear loaded up on it, and discovered that we would have to continue to pare down our meager belongings to reduce the weight as the bike was quite unwieldy to maneuver. We also needed more air in the tires as we were sitting pretty low. At one point, with a little too much throttle after stopping at a light, we almost popped a wheelie! So we made the final kinks and tweaks to setting up the bike fully loaded for two. We only have 2 pairs of pants each and aside from our riding shoes, 1 pair of flip-flops each. This is not a fashion tour to say the least! And in practicing the art of minimalization, we follow the adages that “what’s mine is yours,” as well as “sharing is caring” as we not only share deodorant and toothpaste but toothbrush as well. For those interested, the following is what made our short list of actual belongings that we could fit on the bike. 2 sleeping bags and 2 sleeping pads 1 four-season mountaineering tent and tarp 2 seven pound bags of clothing for both of us 2 pairs of riding gloves, 2 helmets, 2 pairs of cold weather gloves, 2 riding gear sets (jackets/pants), sunglasses and riding glasses 1 skillet, 2 camping pots, 1 hatchet, 1 multi-fuel stove, 2 plates, 1 cup, 2 spoons & forks, P31 can opener, fire flint, washing sponge, Zip-lock bags, lighters 1 box mixed spices, 1 small bottle olive oil Video camera, photo camera, batteries, 10 in Netbook, chargers, 2 cell phones 2 boxes of tools, 2 microfiber towels, 1 can of Pledge, fishing pole and reel, assorted fishing tackles, can of Neverdull, oil filter, flat iron Medicine and first aid kit, 1 toiletry bag, 1 very small camp towel 1 book each, 1 journal each, 2 headlamps, 1 small flashlight, sunscreen, bug spray, and a shit shovel, toilet paper, 2 pens, maps, compass, GPS We made our maiden voyage today under a sunny sky and warm breeze. The road from Bakersfield to Barstow was windy as usual and trying to get the beast under control in the wind made for a good challenge. Cynthia is a great passenger, and we sync perfectly on the bike. We left a little late in the afternoon and by the time we got to Barstow, the sun was already setting. We were both exhausted fighting the wind so called it good for the day and settled down. The closest store was the 99 cent store and luckily the grocery section was quite accommodating. Writing some emails and dosing off to a movie capped off the night. Next stop: Arizona. |
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Comments(2)
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Soounds like quite the ride. Wow that sounds like a gruling road trip. I guess going light means sharing a lot of things. I love to ride but I like a few more creature comforts.
By: Michelle walle
, On
Thursday, 27 May 2010
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Ship it! One little trick is to ship your clothes "ground" to your destination and return them similarly. It can be relatively cheap. Or the old backpacker's trick - wash one, wear one. You're only packing one at a time. REI sells light travel clothes that dry quickly and look decent.
By: Gloria Sargent
, On
Saturday, 24 July 2010
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