DMT - Day minus 1 - I get by with a little help from my friends

Friend #1 - Jaram

The Happy Trail frame didn't match the gas can holder and I need a last minute welding job. Jaram at Russell Welding is a fellow biker and understood the urgency. Dropped the frame off at 10am and got a call at 3pm that he had fabbed a new plate and welded it to the frame.

Friend #2 - Maureen

I had gone up to the RotoPax warehouse to pickup the gas cans last Tuesday but when I got home I found they didn't fit. Back to RotoPax today and Maureen took the time to exchange the one I had and show me a better way to mount it so it fit the Happy Trail frame. Gave me a RotoPax water bottle too so the I wouldn't get too thirsty.

All the preparations have been manic and stressful but people like this, who go out of their way to be helpful, make it seem like a world I want to live in. I should have taken their pictures to properly recognize their efforts.

Thank You So Much!

Here's what a RotoPax gas can looks like:

1.25 gallons of gas for an extra 50 miles

This the Happy Trail pannier frame with the RotoPax mount

This is how they fit together.

And this is how they look on the back of the bike. Pretty tidy!

Still with me? Here's Erika and Jason. The other 2/3rds of the Death March Tour. As you can see, packing is in progress.

DMT - Day minus 2 - Almost there

“If the joy of serendipity is one of the reasons to travel, then improvisation is how you get there” - NYT travel writer

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DMT - Day minus 3 - Where's Waldo?

I have a S.P.O.T. Gen 3 device. I have no idea what S.P.O.T. stands for. Probably the inventor's children's initials or maybe something a bright marketing type dreamed up.

What I do know is that if my butt is in a jam this is what will save it. It's a satellite GPS signalling device that works in all of the places a mobile won't. The three buttons across the bottom are for a short message, tracking breadcrumbs, and an "I'm OK" message.

Trip up to the RotoPax company

On a trip I turn it on as I begin my ride and it sends out little breadcrumbs you can follow on a map. It will also highlight the I'm OK messages. This is important because if the track doesn't move for a while and there is no I'm OK message it may well mean that I'm in the bottom of a canyon and NOT OK! I usually send the I'm OK when stopping for lunch and at the end of the day.

You can watch the fun by following this link to see my daily location updates:
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0OnYPve8m4nT54nJKqjjdfTpdYtpe3jVt
(If the link doesn't work, try copying and pasting it to your browser's address bar.)

There are two other buttons: Help and S.O.S. Help sends a request to a list of friends to check where I am and send appropriate help.

The S.O.S. button is the OMG button. This means Send Lawyers, Guns, and Money! The shit has hit the fan. It connects to a global search and rescue company that will marshall the appropriate resources anywhere in the world and come get me. In addition, they will pay for the helicopter, medical aid, and anything else required to save my sorry ass. Not cheap but better to pay up front than trying to negotiate with some yak driver in Siberia while laying under my bike with a broken leg.

If you click the S.P.O.T. home page you'll see their latest device, the Spot X. Why don't I use one of those? For the same reason I don't have a FakeBook account or an Instagrab account. This blog, for a few friends, is as social as I get. I'm going out into the middle of the desert to get away from people and enjoy some stress free peace and quiet, not carry them in my back pocket.

No offense ...

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DMT - Day minus 4 - MultiTasking

Lot's of things going on today

Got the tire back for the Rally and got it off the lift. They put a new inner tube in it so assuming it holds air this time that bike is completely ready to go.

Put the Transalp up on the stand to give it a check over and install the fork gaiters. It fell over while trying to tie it down. I'm beginning to wonder if it really wants to go on this trip.

Got the Taco checked over. They flushed the cooling system and checked all the hoses and belts. It's ready for the hot weather.

However, the A/C didn't make the cut. I'm trying to spin this as Free Range, Fair Trade, Renewable, Passive Environmental Acclimation but I'm not sure how well that will fly.

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J. Braun shared 1 photo with you

J. Braun: My friend Chip. He was an early inspiration to travel  View photo You received this mail because J. Braun shared these photos with you. If you no longer wish to receive email notifications of shared photos, unsubscribe here. Get the Google Photos app Google LLC 1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy Mountain View, CA 94043 USA

Test post from my phone

Just trying out a mobile message so I can post from my phone.

DMT - Day minus 5 - One step forward, one step back

Good News: Everything is installed and ready to go.

Bad News: The new front tire is not holding air and needs to go back to the dealer tomorrow.

Patience is the most important tool in your toolbox. This is going to be a long trip and there is no need to get excited before it even starts. This is a small setback but it is hardly fatal. I'll work on one of the other bikes today and then go for a ride. Nothing is as relaxing as pushing some air through my helmet.

Hasta mañana

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DMT - Day minus 6 - You meet the nicest people ...

One of the greatest joys of traveling is the people you meet along the way. They have stories to tell; about themselves, their ancestors, and their area.

Carmen

In a little town in Mexico I meet the great, great, great granddaughter of Juan Bautista de Anza who was the founder of the city of San Francisco in 1776. She showed me her museo that honored her grandfather and the local history. It was serendipity of course but that is what travel is all about.

I do have a secret weapon for finding these gems. It's a Fuji Mini instant camera. It produces small, credit card sized, instant pictures that delight everyone.

Daniel

I take two pictures, I give one to the person and keep the other for myself. As the picture develops we have time to chat which gives us a moment to bond and share our experiences.

In Batopilas, in the bottom of the Copper Canyon, in Chihuahua, Mexico I took pictures of mothers with their children which might be the only record they would ever have of their hijas y hijos. 

Another time I was walking through a neighborhood when I was surrounded by a bunch of young guys. I didn't feel threatened, they were just fooling around amusing themselves by acting tough. I whipped out my camera and took a picture and handed it to them. Suddenly it was, "Take a picture of me and Pedro" or "me and Juanita." A half dozen photos later we were best friends and I was assured that I was welcome in their neighborhood any time I wanted to come back.

For this trip I'm taking enough film for 80 photos. I'm looking forward to the new friends I'll meet along the way.

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DMT - Day minus 9 - Prep

So many last minute things to do and coordinate but now we have the most important item locked down - our logo!

Stickers, T-Shirts, and temporary tattoos will be coming soon!

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DMT - Day minus 11 - Packing

I'm sure there are people who are organized about packing for a trip. Regrettably I'm not one of them.

This is how it starts. Dig out everything I can find that I might want to take with me.

Then find lots more stuff and put it out too. Apparently I believe in having duplicates (or triplicates) of everything.

For instance, how many earplugs does one person really need?

And it all has to fit into the two boxes on the right with the ADV stickers. Maybe I need one of Dr. Who's Tardis boxes that are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside.

The plan is to identify the redundancies and remove them. After that it is MoSCoW triage.

MoSCoW:
Must - first aid kit, tools, batteries, toilet paper and a trowel
Should - camera, clothing, sleeping bag, camp stove and food
Could - tent, gas and water containers
Would - more tools, more food, more everything

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DMT - Day minus 13 - Very Happy Tires

Getting down to the wire with all the details that need to be checked off. Like new tires for the Rally.

This is the Dunlop 606 which is my go-to tire for off-road adventures. It is described as a 90/10 tire which means that it's designed for 90% off-road and 10% paved road. I've found that it handles just fine on pavement as long as you recognize its limits. Off pavement it digs in and holds like it was geared to the ground. Wet, dry, soft, or hard; it handles it all and keeps on going. As a bonus I find that it wears great. I'll gladly pay a little extra knowing that I'm going to get to wherever I'm going.

Sometimes bad things happen so that good things will happen which will prevent bad things from happening. Got all that?

Taking the front wheel off to get the front tire replaced was a bit of a challenge. I had to wait for the rear tire to be completed before I could work on the front end since I don't have one of those professional center lifts. After reassembling the rear end I jacked up the front end only to find that it takes a 14mm hex wrench. Something that I don't have. I have a lot of tools but not that one.

That was the bad thing. The good thing is that I was able to find a 14mm hex socket at Home Depot. It came as part of a set but I was not in a position to complain. So back home the tool worked, the wheel came off, and the dealer said it would be ready by Monday.

The bad thing that this prevented is the possible need to fix a flat tire in the middle of nowhere with no 14mm hex wrench. I never had a Honda that needed that tool and it would be virtually impossible to remove the axle without it. But now I have one! 

Somebody watches out for me and I'd really like to thank them and buy them a beer.

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DMT - Day minus 14 - Very Happy Trails

Just got off the phone with Tim at Happy Trail and he knew my problem before I got even half way through describing it. Seems that there were some bad brackets made and they thought they had pulled them all from stock but mine seemed to have slipped through.

He apologized and said that he didn't have one ready to ship BUT would send out one that wasn't powder coated to make sure my trip was covered and then send out another one that was complete when the coating was finished next Wednesday.

Everyone makes a mistake once in a while. Tim was immediately responsive to my problem and time constraint. I said that as long as it came in next week I'd be happy to wait for the right one so they didn't have to deal with it twice. Fair is fair.

This is why all my stuff is from them. Customer service! Now, if only we could get Comcast to take some lessons.

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New Improved and So Much Better

Here's the picture of the new bracket Tim sent me to show me how it's going to look when I get the mine next week.

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DMT - Day minus 15 - UnHappy Trails

Some things just work - always. McDonald's french fries. My Seiko Kinetic watch. A Chevy pickup truck. 

Until they don't.

Happy Trail gear always fit. Until this one didn't. This black arm is the rear support for the skid plate. However ...

tiny nick in frame gusset

It won't swing up into place because the frame gusset is in the way! See the tiny nick in the frame.

This is a very bad thing because the bolt holds the rear suspension to the frame. That gusset is part of what keeps the rear wheel straight and true. 

As you can see, the mounting plate is blocked from swinging up into a horizontal position to attach to the skid plate. It is not supposed to hang down to act like a scoop.

I thought about grinding the gusset for clearance but quickly decided that was The Bad Plan. The gussets prevent any sideways motion of the rear wheel. My second thought was to grind the support bracket. This is The Almost As Bad Plan. It would weaken the protection for the engine.

The plan now is to phone Happy Trail in the morning and ask for advice. 

Another day lost. Stay tuned ...

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DMT - Day minus 18 - Parts of Parts

All the bikes for the trip are in the garage. Check them over, adjust the chains and we're ready to go!

Oh how I wish that were true ...

However, this time the parts are coming in on schedule and things are looking good. Happy Trails sent the bash plate and racks for the Rally which looked great.

Jason ordered the extra mounting plate for the Transalp rack so that we could carry a RotoPax with extra fuel. The ATK has limited range and we don't want to run out so the Transalp and Rally will be carrying extra fuel.

Baja trip in 2008

However, the instructions to retrofit my older frame with the newer accessory call for drilling holes through it. Not an option since the last trip to Baja called for some impromptu welding along the way. To beat the rush and avert a frustrating problem I'm taking the whole frame to a local welder to be assembled properly. It will actually end up stronger with the plate adding strength and rigidity.

Just another item on the endless checklist of preparations. After all, if it wasn't for the last minute when would things ever get done?

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DMT - Day minus 20 - Frustration - Part 4

Stress relief. Instead of waiting for the Africa Twin parts to arrive from the UK I decided to buy another bike to prevent having the fatal problem of motolacktus. Looking around in the local ads produced a very attractive Honda CRF250L Rally. I had seen these when the first came out and thought they were a very nice modern version of the NX250. 

It has fuel injection, a 6 speed transmission, and a modern suspension. Many of the reviews dismissed it as too soft, too heavy, and too little power. If you wanted an all out enduro bike Honda makes the CRF250X. However, for a long distance adventure bike this one is perfect.

Even better, Andrew, the previous owner had already installed many of the upgrades I would have chosen like an FMF exhaust for less weight and Olins shock and fork components to upgrade the suspension and handling. A quick call to Happy Trails and the racks and skid plate are on their way. New Dunlop 606s and it's ready to roll.

I have just one small problem, the garage is getting pretty tight. Anyone want to buy a bike. I have plenty of choices to choose from.

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DMT - Day minus 21 - Frustration - Part 3

While waiting for Godot, my new helmet, a Bell MX-9, arrived today thanks to Marty at 4into1.com 

Old helmets are great nostalgia pieces but more than a couple of years old and they should be replaced. The crushable liner that cushions the impact gets wonky and the shell gets brittle. This is known as The Bad Plan.

My new one has the latest MIPS technology which means that it will take a glancing hit and keep my head from cork screwing off the top of my neck. You can read about it here.

As you can see it has a larger viewport and plenty of vents. Just what I want in the desert.

And a small reminder to ride with respect.

Now, if only I had a bike to put under it ...

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Tuesday, April 16, 2019 DMT - Day minus 23 - Frustration - Part 2

This is what I'm supposed to look like in 3 weeks

Even if everything fell jelly side up it's hard to imagine that it would all come together in time.

Maybe I need to make a leap of faith and get everything possible ready so that if the parts arrived in the nick of time it could all come together.

OR

Maybe it's time to start thinking of a Plan B.

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DMT - Day minus 24 - Frustration

These are the pictures of frustration.

A high performance exhaust system that adds a couple of (quiet) horsepower and saves 18 pounds over the stock system.

Aluminum radiators that provide extra cooling capacity for the high desert temperatures and save another 10 pounds.

All the engine parts that could be sourced here in the U.S. from the local dealer.

Three weeks to go and maybe the critical gaskets and rings will be here by the end of the month. Then it all has to go back together without any further problems.

It's a nail biter - stay tuned.

  

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DMT - Day minus 32 - I can breathe again - a little

Travel is all about planning. Or not planning. Or forgetting the details you should have planned for.

My new passport arrived today so I can breathe a little easier now that I know I can get back into the US without having to stand in line with thousands of immigrants for days or weeks on end.

The parts for my Africa Twin are coming in. The parts sourced from the US are on hand but the parts from the UK are on hold and I need to find out why. They are small but important parts like the head gaskets and the piston rings.

I'm gathering the items to take with me and laying them out. As always at this stage I'm including too many things knowing that most of them will be cut when the final choices are made.

Although I have a set of titanium camp utensils these caught my eye while shopping this weekend. The bamboo is just as light and sturdy as the titanium and I'm thinking they have more appeal to my sense of style and design. And a bit more posh?

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DMT - Day minus 35 - Two heads are better than none

The heads are back from Hord Power - YEAH !!

The valves and seats have been reworked and the heads have been resurfaced. This is going to be like a new engine in the bike.

Now there is just the waiting for the gaskets and rings which are coming from England. Then reassembly and tuning and hoping that I haven't lost a part or forgotten how something goes together.

Five weeks to go and it seems so long and not long enough.

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