The Motorcycle Diaries - part III (Eve)

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

I never like the moments of anticipation in life. Right now I'm excited and nervous and the only thing keeping me from getting started on my adventure is time, only a few hours but enough that I need to check my urge to get going. My heart is starting to beat with a little more purpose but what I really need is to get a few hours of sleep under my lids so I'm fresh and ready to get an early start in the morning.

I think I have everything ready. I have packed up the bike as much as I could and I have a list of things I need to pack in the morning... things like ice and cold water that I didn't want to pack early. I'm trying to follow the wisdom, "half the clothes and twice the cash." I threw back a bunch of items I decided weren't necessary. I laugh thinking back how I had pondered taking the tripod. There is no way, I've had to drop more practical items just for lack of space, the tripod would never have made it. I'm glad I decided to leave it behind early on and save myself the headache of trying to make it fit. I have a flint in case I need it so I discarded the matches I usually bring camping. I was going to bring a pair of backup sunglasses but I think I'll just bother with the one. I did keep one frivolous item, a pair of slacks in case I need to dress up just a little.

Have I forgotten anything? I keep asking myself as I always do when I leave for a couple days. I hope I did. What's an adventure if you don't face any obstacles? I'm a compulsive planner; part of that is because I don't trust myself to handle a situation on the spot. It would be a good thing for me to prove to myself that planning can be helpful but it doesn't have to be necessary. One of my fears is that I'll run out of gas somewhere. My bike only gets around 130 miles per tank (small tank) which means I could get myself into a situation where I am out of range if I wait too long to fill up. I could go through all my routes and figure out exactly where I should be filling up. (OK, I did that for a couple locations that looked a little isolated just to make sure I don't miss it.) But for the majority of the trip I'm going to try to rely on my wits to keep my rolling and if I do happen to run low on gas somewhere in the middle-of-nowhere I'm confident I'll be able to work something out. Heaven forbid I actually have to talk to a stranger! ;-)

So wish me luck- the sun on my face and a breeze at my back. I'll let you know how it goes, I can promise it will be interesting.

KP