The rather ugly weather forecasts for tomorrow notwithstanding, I’m making final preparations for the ride north. The pet carrier and the rear-seat bag have been fully packed. The goldfish has been taken to the neighbors to feed while I’m gone. The newspaper and mail delivery have been suspended. I even turned off the power strip for the workstation at the day job.
I decided to take another change of clothes (shirt, underwear, socks) so I could get by doing laundry just once instead of twice. That overstuffed the pet carrier, however. Rather than cramming the extra items into the bag, I’ve taken the towel and the shorts and stuffed them into an old pillowcase, which I’ll strap (along with the tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and pillow) on the rear rack.
I’m still debating which sleeping pad to bring. My original plan (which I’ve done on my practice runs this year) was to use the same hard-foam pad I’ve taken backpacking. But I also have a thicker and softer cloth-covered pad that I was given by my family at one point. Unlike backpacking, I can afford the extra volume it takes. And I think it’ll be more comfortable. But it isn’t as durable or waterproof, and I’m not sure how well it will do padding me from stones. I’ll decide tomorrow when I strap it all on the scoot.
The weather tomorrow does look fairly dire. Depending on how bad it is, and how long it looks like it’ll take to blow over, I may delay my departure until later in the day (e.g. noonish). Or I’ll gear up and ride through the downpour. But either way, I’m doing it.
