In a dramatic break with tradition, it is not raining as I prepare to get underway! There isn’t a cloud in the sky, and they’re predicting a high of 90ºF. The heat shouldn’t be much of a problem, at least as long as I keep moving; my jacket is well ventilated, and my helmet is cool enough. The main bad news in today’s forecast is 10-15mph winds out of the south… and I’ll be riding almost due south all day. But this isn’t bad. It’s the 50% chance of rain late in the day Monday and then overnight that I’m not looking forward to, from a rain system currently creeping northward from Tennessee. We’ll see.

The scooter is fully packed, essentially the same arrangement as my previous trips: camping gear on the rear rack, clothes under the seat, reserve fuel and tools in the glove bucket, and quick-access stuff such as rain gear and camera and snacks in the bag that slings over my shoulder and rests on the seat behind me. The new tent lacks any better way to secure it to the scooter than the old one (and I’m not quite industrious enough to sew straps to the outside of the sack it stuffs into), but I’ve tied the drawstring to the rack, so if it does slide off… I’ll at least know about it.

Roughly 130 miles ahead of me for today. I’ll be heading east a little bit to get clear of the city and the busy north-south roads (US-131, M-37), then take country roads south through Hastings, Battle Creek (my best bet for lunch), Coldwater, then Pokagon. The first half of that is roughly the same as the first day of last year’s ride, but I’m deliberately taking a little more easterly route, to avoid repetition.

There’s nothing like an imminent road trip for getting around to routine maintenance. In preparation for this little 3-day ride, I’ve been catching up on a bunch of little things I should’ve done weeks ago:

• Tighten the right-hand mirror. It’s been loose, and it’s a bit of a nuisance to open it up to tighten, so I’ve been putting up with readjusting it every few days. Not any more.
• WD-40 the center stand. It’s been sticking a little when I take the bike off it. Not any more.
• Stitch up the left glove. One of the new pair of gloves I bought recently has a seam that’s coming loose. Easier to sew it up than to return them.
• Stitch up the crotch of my shorts. For some reason the seam on my best-fitting pair of shorts ripped open late last summer. Not that people would be likely to notice it there, but it’s the kind of thing that will only get worse if you don’t fix it. I now have.

I’ve put up with all of these (except the shorts) for far more miles on the scooter than I’m going to be going in the next few days. None of them would be any more of a problem on the road than they have been while commuting. But… the psychology of going on a trip gives them a tiny bit more urgency, and a deadline. And now they are done.

I’ve mentioned my new camera and my new tent, but there’s one more significant piece of gear I’ve replaced this year: my boots.

The boots I’ve worn on previous rides were originally purchased 10 years ago, when I was planning my first visit to Isle Royale. My previous pair, which I’d had for years, were hopelessly leaky and otherwise worn, so I invested in a nice new pair of lightweight mid-ankle Lowa boots, purchased on sale at Bill & Paul’s. They served me well through a couple visits each to Isle Royale and North Manitou Island, years of wet and snowy weather at home… and riding.

I almost didn’t take those boots on my first ride, up the Lake Michigan shoreline. I admit that I don’t wear boots routinely when I ride (usually whatever shoes I’ll want to wear when I get there), even though they can be important protection for your feet in the event of a fall. So I was thinking that I’d just bring a couple pair of shoes: one for riding and walking, the other as comfy spares to slip into at the campsite. But it was pouring rain when I was getting ready to set out, and I saw the folly of not having waterproof footwear.

Well, the Lowas eventually stopped qualifying as “waterproof”. Probably had something to do with where the leather was separated from the soles on the sides. Not their fault; I’d worn them hard and long. Last year, anticipating that I wouldn’t be doing a lot of hiking on the ride, I taped them together as best as I could with duct tape and used them like that. I saw the folly of that plan before I got home. So earlier this year, I went shopping again for boots.

Although I don’t have any immediate plans for backpacking, I know I’ll be doing that again during the useful life of my new boots, so I looked for boots that would be good for that, which would then be good for the light hiking I’d be doing most of, and also be suitable for riding (including in the rain). I ended up with a pair of similar Merrell boots (which importantly come in “wide” width). I’ve done a bit of city-park hiking in them, and I’ll give them a field test on my short ride to Indiana in a few days. So far they’re comfortable and dry, and I’m liking them.

Which means I’m fully equipped for 2012.