Styx In The Mud - Adventure Rider

As mentioned in an earlier post it's important to do some controlled training before diving head-long into  your first adventure ride and in late April I was finally ready for an overnight trial-run with all my newly acquired gear. To be honest, this trip probably wouldn't have happened if not for my wife who continued to "suggest" an overnight trip. Once the weather warmed up a little we selected a Friday night to take the test. Being the very first overnight with all my gear she packed up the SUV with all her stuff and a bag of backup gear for me to use should things come completely off the rails. The site we picked is one we frequent often with kayaks but this would be our first use of their campground: a small state part about 10 minutes from our house. The thinking is that if the whole thing turns into a SNAFU we can pack up and head for home. The route to get there is also a good one with gravel backroads the entire way so it will help give my equipment a chance...

It's been a few months but I finally have the majority of the camping gear ( part 2 ) and mods ( part 3 ) finished. As the date of our first ride is quickly approaching it's time to move on to the next part of the planning step: riding gear . Now, make no mistake: this is likely the most important step of trip planning and also one of the most tedious so, before beginning, a question that every rider should consider is what the most dangerous part of a trip will be. The answer, while not so obvious to most, is (in my opinion)  the squishy bit atop the bike . Yes, you, the rider are the biggest wild-card of the trip. In my years I've seen bikes flip end over end, skid down the highway sideways, bounce in and out of roadside ditches and then, with little or no effort, a handful of tip-ties and an occasional roll of duct-tape, be propped back up again and ridden home. Of course it can get much, MUCH worse but ask yourself which is stronger: the steel, aluminum and plastic t...