Below you will find the full view of our 12,000 trip. The blue lines designate legs without any plans to view or see anything. Green legs are scenic and I always have something planned along the leg. Click the picture below for a full size image. Later down the rode I will break each leg down and what I plan to see or do.
Today I took the time to install the backrest that I order a week ago onto the Valkyrie. I wasn’t to sure how hard it was going to be to cut through my seat without doing damage that I could not fix. It wasn’t all that bad and the worse part was just trying to get the holes lines up in the bottom of the seat. I worked that out in due time and the whole job took me about 30 minutes. Installation look? Pretty clean and operates very smooth. I like.
The current list of things to do before we leave is getting smaller and that is always a good thing. I need to install backrest on my seat. I need to pickup Lori’s new jacket. I need to order reserve fuel tanks. I need to go ahead and make first week’s motel reservations and complete Memorial Weekend reservations. I need to find or purchase a new under armour ski mask that I use for cold riding for under my helmet. Finally make the decision on buying Mark a new helmet that is quieter, lighter, and more comfortable than my current HJC.
In the past few weeks that have passed, I have been getting a gut feeling that Lori was either getting to nervous for this trip or really deep down didn’t want to go. I just could not put my finger on it. I realized that it is going to long, hard, and we could run into a lot of obstacles. Mark has a bucket list and not much fear and I would hate to impose myself of her or anyone else for that matter when it comes to a trip like this. So tonight I just blurted out the question point blank the best I could trying not to be to insensitive. “I want you to go on this trip as I always do, but I do not want you to go just because I want to make this long trip. I want to make sure that you are not scared, intimidated, or insecure that we can do it or make it. I will make this trip alone as you said I was going to have to do when I decided to go to Alaska.”
Well that offended her that I willing to go on a vacation without her and somehow I knew that was going to happen. But inside, I feel better knowing that I at least addressed the question and gave her the power to make her own decision to go or not. Lori say’s she is going.
So all is good in the world. Now back to planning.
