California Camp Trip

[alanmcorcoran]

I had the spare key - learned that one before . Not sure when the next trip will be. Possibly October - might have some days off from my project in there. Death Valley/Nevada is a possibility. Be cooler then.

[3-D Video]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Riding is more fun than camping. Plan accordingly.

Alan. I have taken my "quadracycle" to several events put on by the International Brotherhood Of Motorcycle Campers (http://www.ibmc.org/). You might be surprised by how much fun camping can be

[alanmcorcoran]

Thanks for the tip 3-D. I might sound like a novice to camping, but I'm actually a reasonably experienced outdoorsman. I was a Boy Scout and earned all the major "merit badges" and have done many weekend and weeklong camping trips with my kids. I've done backwoods hiking in Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Rocky, etc. I have also done many weeklong and a couple of monthlong RV trips, which, is more akin to driving than camping, but competes for many of the same resources.

The problem I have with camping is mostly the other campers. I go outdoors for the quiet of nature and in this I am in the minority. Most everyone else seems to go in the outdoors to play ranchera/rock music, drink, yell at each other, possibly fight, drink, burn things (other than wood), and generally behave like a bunch of drunk a-holes. Drinking and making noise is a lot of fun, and I suspect that these folks cannot do this as much at home, possibly for police reasons, so they head to camprounds where the rules are somewhat unenforced. I also don't like crying/screaming kids, car alarms, generators, and loud piped motorcycles. If there has to be noise, crickets will do. (Or maybe some hot, giggling supermodels that need help setting up their tent. ) There are still nice places to camp - but they are a challenge to find, and you still run the risk that the McAssholes will setup shop next to you with 27 people and ten cases of Pabst in a one tent site.

I'm exploring the idea of "walk-in" back country camping where I can be alone to commune with nature (and mainly eat and sleep.) But I will check out your site.

[alanmcorcoran]

3D... checked out ibmc, looks like a nice group. They say, "We have a saying in our club: "It only takes two people to make a campout." I say it only takes *one* but I'll keep my eyes open for one of their events locally. As you can tell, I'm a bit of a loner, but sometimes I find a person or group that can stand me for a day or two.

[Moedad]

Looks like you had a great ride! I agree that you should be stripped of any sort of Newbie status that may have remained before this trip.

[alanmcorcoran]

Thanks Dan. You got me off to a good start. How did your shock seal drama pan out? I see you made it home in one piece...

[Moedad]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Thanks Dan. You got me off to a good start. How did your shock seal drama pan out? I see you made it home in one piece...

I was just careful not to do anything too sudden that might involve fork dive and got home fine. I rode by the shop and showed them how it was leaking and they apologized and said bring it back next week and we'll take care of it. Took it in on Tuesday and they apologized again for the inconvenience and replaced the seals. According to the tech, the old seals were "deformed" when he got into the forks. He didn't know why :skeptical: , but how many reasons could there be? Either they were the wrong seals or they were installed wrong. At any rate, I'm good to go now.

[alanmcorcoran]

maybe Death Valley/nevada in October? Think about it. Was out today on the Geezer - I must be nuts. Beautiful day for riding though.

[3-D Video]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

The problem I have with camping is mostly the other campers. I go outdoors for the quiet of nature and in this I am in the minority.

Motorcycle camping is somewhat minimalist by nature. The advantage to an IBMC camp-out is that you can quickly find what works for you, what doesn't, and what solutions others have found… Maybe even a heads up to a few places where there aren't so many ants on the flower

[alanmcorcoran]

I might even make a friend!

Not to be too boastful, but I ended up doing pretty well with my planning and gear selection. I read a number of motorcycle camping books (mentioned on here previously) my daughter is somewhat of a backpacking expert (has actually taken college courses in it!), Moedad recommended a Thermarest air mattress (the pro lite plus is what I got i think and it was unbelievably comfortable for such a thin and light piece of equipment.) I did bring some things that I didn't use: rope for instance, but I ended up using nearly everything (except my frying pan and my two-egg holder [which was sort of a family joke]) at least once. There were some questionable items that I used, but minimally, such as my kermit chair, my Jet Boil-er and swim trunks - but when I had a use for them, they came in handy. Some of the difficulty arises when you mix different situations - National Park camping can be very different from RV park camping.

Here are some things that really performed well for me:
1) Thermarest Pro Lite Plus sleeping pad. Awesome.
2) REI Half Dome 2 Plus tent. Up in 5 minutes, down and packed in 10. Amazingly clever design.
3) Mountain Hardware ultramariner? sleeping bag. light, warm, a little too short - go for the long if you get one and you are over 5'10".
5) Mesh jacket. Scorpion Exoskeleton something or other. Fantastic.
6) Lowa Boots. Good for riding, good for hiking.
7) Teva sandals - good for everything else, even easy to moderate hiking, especially in rivers/wading. The Lowas and the Tevas were my sole () footwear for the eight days.
8) Ex Officio polypropylene underwear or whatever it is made out of.
9) REI safari convertible pants
10) T-bag Super T. Easy on, easy off, holds a S-load of stuff, rock solid at 90 mph plus a 30mph headwind. Occasional 60 mph side gusts no prob. Lots of straps to hold other stuff if so inclined. Optional Roll Top add-on for two up campers.
11) Starbucks Via instant coffee. Had the Jet-Boiler coffee press - but this is way easier and tastes nearly the same.
12) SureFire Saint Minimus LED Headlamp. Pricey, but really increases your options once it gets dark.
13) Surefire 6P LED Flashlight. You could find your keys in deep grass on the Dark Side Of the Moon with this baby. (BTW, the batteries they came with lasted the entire week and are still going strong.)
14) REI Picnic Cooler. Big enough to hold a bag of ice, an eight-pack, a steak and kitchen stuff. Small enough to sit on the pillion seat. Kept my Diet Doctor Pepper and Red Bulls icey cold in all-day 100 degree plus desert riding.
15) Kermit chair. This one is iffy. If you want to sit next to your fire, you want this chair. If you don't have a fire or don't car to sit near it, it's a big packing price to pay. It is small, lightweight well made and assembles and disassembles in under 2 mins. But it is the third largest piece of gear after my tent and cooler.
16) REI Quick dry towels. Small one as a washcloth, bigger one to dry off. Stay clean, dry quick and don't get mildewy if packed damp.
17) Toob Travel toothbrush. Nothing special, but compact, stores your own brand of toothpaste in the handle, good size.

I took and used a lot of other stuff, including a nifty camping knife, a small hatchet, leather gloves, water bottles, a waist pack, hiking shirts, camp shirts, rain gear, etc. but those are all pretty standard. The stuff in the list made me forget I was living outside for 8 days. Camp gear has come along way since I was a Boy Scout (Think leaky canvas tents that weighed 1000 pounds and set up with 2 by 2's... and Spam.)