Pat tried out the cot he bought (I was willing but the second one was busted when we opened the box) He said it was not very comfortable and noisy when moving position and returned them shortly after.
He then purchased us a set of light air mattresses that we can put above our current self-inflating 2 inch sleeping pads. We tried these one night in our bedroom and although they too are a tad noisy when moving around on them, they did provide some degree of comfort. We figure in the tent we can put our pads and mattresses side by side and prevent them from being so wobbly.
The crappy cots that were returned
The camping mat or air mattress(es) Pat bought
I also have new gloves! The ones I had last year I ended up returning because of the inferior lining. When my hands were wet with sweat or rain, I had trouble getting them into or out of the gloves. The lining ended up getting all stuck up inside the fingers, very frustrating. Good thing I brought a back-up pair last year. These Gore-Tex gloves by Stella are designed for all weather riding. They also have a finger-bridge to prevent finger separation and reduce twisting in the event of a slide (don't want to even think about that, but good to know).
They cost a few dollars more than I was planning to spend but I chalked it up to a Mother's Day gift :)
This year for the first time, we have a Blue Tooth headset system for our helmets. Up to now we have relied on hand signals, pulling over and telepathy to communicate but we are now able to talk back and forth. Tried it out in the house but I imagine it won't take long to get the hang of the switches and volume (and how to tune out the other when you wish to!) Could be some interference with the high level of noise we get from our style of helmet (more dirt bike than road cruising style).
We'll now be able to communicate in style!
Sue's bike with the rear and side cases attached. Lookin`good!
Pat has been working like a dog the last while getting not just our two bikes ready for this trip but his first VRRA (Vintage Road Racing Assoc) event is this coming weekend at Shannonville. He has had to make sure the Norton is up to snuff while having our trip prep done and packed so he can have a smooth transition from Sunday evening on his return from Shannonville to our departure the next day at approx. 11 a.m.
A pic of Pat racing on his Norton in 2015
For our two KLR's, he replaced the 15" teeth sprocket to 16" which will mean smoother highway driving. He also checked all the brakes (clippers, pads, cleaned and greased the sliders), electrical connections, fluids, tires and pressure, etc. He has already loaded the equipment and tools he will need for this trip in the side cases of his KLR.
Pat's 2009 and my 2002 KLR ready to roll in the garage
Our camping gear is almost ready. Need to purchase a one burner stove for our campsite. Using the same cooking grill as before and we can pick up charcoal as we need it. We set up the tent today to inspect it and make sure no holes where the bugs can get in!!
Our lists of things to do this coming week keeps growing! Been through this a few times now so I am confident that all will be in place for one week from now!
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