Went for a ride out to James's (my groomsman) place last night in Leopold (about 20k's) then had to ride back in the dark and drizzle at about 12am. My first night ride on the bike was all good, a little bit squirrelly around corners because of the greasy road but otherwise OK.
So, what to pack for a 2-up camping honeymoon for 3-4 weeks? The night before our australian wedding celebration and we're still trying to find time to do any real planning for the trip. I've been looking around a few touring sites to make sure i don't forget to take anything obvious, but otherwise i think there may be a few late (Very very late) additions to the pack the morning of the trip.
Nothing a quick trip to rays tent city won't fix!
So far our list goes something like this:
Stuff to take Definite list:
2X Very Compact Sleeping bags
2X Sleeping Mats
1X Compact Single Pole Twin Tent (with small annex for gear at night)
1X Trangia Meth Stove (including bowls, Cutlery)
2X Head Torches (spare Batteries)
1X Fuel Bottle for Stove
1X Ground Sheet/Tarp
2X Heavy Duty 1ltr waterbottles
2X Lots of our Clothes (that's another list altogether)
Waterproofs
Insect Repellent
Sunscreen
Toilet Paper
First Aid Kit (including pain killers and hay-fever tablets)
Thermos
Swiss Army Knife
Lighter
Maps
Mobile Phones (and chargers)
Spare Bike Key
Earplugs
Waterproof covers for bags
Wallets/Purse
Camera (and charger)
ipod
Stuff to take subject to room:
1X Picnic Rug
Containers for food
I'm still working on it, but that's a start anyway. I guess I'm mindful that we'll be mostly riding fairly well used roads and we will be staying at caravan parks and the like so we'll have electricity and running water at most places we stay. We'll also be going through a few larger towns throughout the journey so if we need more stuff for camping etc. we'll be able to get it without too much bother.
We were having terrible trouble with the bike bottoming out on the road the other day with Bridget on the back, and i was starting to wonder if the old Shadow 750 can take the 2 of us and all our stuff.
I read a few forums on the subject, and read into the suspension set-up a little more. I worked out that i can change the suspension pre-load adjustment quite simply (with just with my hands in fact) and that if i set it higher the extra stiffness will accommodate Bridget and our gear without bottoming out. When i went to change it I found that it was set to 1, which is the softest setting. No wonder we bottomed out there on the way to tim's the other day! I've set it to 4 (out of 5) and it seems to be much stiffer, although i've still got to take bridget on it to try it out. I might have to jack it up to 5 once we get it loaded up. It was quite simple really, i just twisted it till the 1 on the bottom of the shock lined up with the swingarm, and then counted the clicks around till i heard 4. Then repeated with the other side. Anyway, i'll tell you how it goes.
Right, still got stuff to organise for the wedding tomorrow, gotta go. We'll post up some pre-trip photos on sunday.
2 comments:
collapsable back pack ..like those ones made from nylon ripstop..light fold up to nothing ..to carry water, first aid kit etc when hiking in outback
and some are fussy about pillows and getting a good night's sleep
[i sleep on folded towel as pillow even if its a little damp]
Hi Roz, Bridget here, those are good suggestions thanks. I think Jeremy has found some inflatable pillows too, although I'm thinking, like you, a folded jumper or something will do. We've three water bottles so that should cover us for that and I think a good first aid kit. Foldable rucksack a good plan :)
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