Swift - Starting the New Year training with Swift 1/7/13 - A long read...

Sumner to Boise and then back to Sumner...

I'm back at the Sumner terminal again waiting on a load.

I basically drove out and dropped in Boise and picked up the next morning for a live load t-calling back here in Sumner. So out and back and here I am.


The load was a live load in Nampa yesterday. My appointment was for 0930 and I got there about 0910. I stayed at the Walmart down the street about 2.5 miles away. The load I was picking up originally was an Alberta Canada load t-calling, initially, at the Spokane drop yard. I was told to wait in my truck as the load wasn't ready. The guy came out a while later and told me I would be taking a different Canada load going into B.C. because it would be ready to be loaded before the original one. I waited a while longer before they started to load me.

When all was said and done, I had 4 hours of detention pay behind me and my 14 was ticking down. When I was reassigned the B.C. load t-calling here in Sumner it looked like I could run it straight thru and take my 10 at the terminal. But, as time wore down, it looked like I was going to come up about 1/2 hour shy on my 14 of making it to the terminal. That sucked.

It was actually one of those circumstances where that newer 30 minute break rule affected my run. My 8 hour break clock was going to run up before my 14. But if I stopped to take my 1/2 hour break then I would run out of time on my 14 anyway. Basically, the way it was working out, if that 1/2 hour mandatory break rule wasn't in effect I could have run it straight through and possibly made it to the terminal last night. It might have been close with all the grades and if there was traffic on 167 or Hwy 18. But I may have made it. So I had to stop and take a 10 before I could get to the terminal.


A bachelor party I probably won't be attending...

I haven't planned out my next home time yet since I just got off this one. My little brother is having a bachelor party out east, initially in Orlando and then changed recently to Philly. It is scheduled for mid-May. I didn't think I was going to make it to Orlando for it initially as I already had this home time scheduled out here in WA and the turn around time is about 18 days at the soonest between hometimes. So it wasn't going to work anyway. But now that it is taking place in Philly, closer to all his friends and since he used to live there, I definitely won't be going. I would love to as he is my only brother and my little brother's first marriage/bachelor party. But I know if I go out to Philly, not only will I probably not find a place to park the truck, not only will I not feel comfortable leaving my truck there or nearby but I know if I go out there I will be stuck out in that area possibly. I do not want that. So I think I'm going to have to skip the bachelor party knowing that I will definitely make the actual wedding in August in Norfolk.


Motorcycle trip planning and the logistics of it all...

I'm going to have a pretty busy home time next time in Williamsburg. Since I only get out there, on average, about once every 2 months I only have a couple of visits there to get everything in order before I actually take my vacation "down south".

It seems so far off. I haven't even set a concrete date yet but I'm getting pretty close. I'm trying to coordinate the departure date with the funds I will have available, the weather, the number of tourists down there and my overall prep. I'm trying not to over prep but some of the prep is required. If I move the departure date back to Nov. 15th and considering that I get out there about every 2 months, not taking into consideration that I take time off in WA in between, I'll only get out there 3 more times at best. Dang. That's not a lot of prep considering 3-4 days each home time and one of those times I'm attending and photographing a wedding. Crap.

I have the handwritten guide to Mexico/Central America waiting for me out there along with my real (not temp) license plate, a few guide books and my maps. I have my birth certificate with me now so I can put in for my passport next time in VA. I just need to get passport photos at AAA once I'm out there. I'm on the ADVrider forum and I recently got a connection out in Virginia for a skilled mechanic. I'll have to contact him and schedule a meet up so he can go over troubleshooting and over the road repairs. Hoping that doesn't cost too much but I have to be proficient in fixing this bike myself. Actually looking forward to this as I love wrenching and I look forward to learning about the bikes mechanical bits. That may take up a good portion of my hometime right there is I have to travel some distance to this guy. Then I just need some time to actually ride the thing, maybe find some forest roads.

I'm still trying to get everything I need together. I'm looking at an English to Spanish handheld translator that's about $25. I need a Camelback water system, some water purification pills or system, a tent (found a cheap camp pup tent for about $30), a black or camo bike cover and some tools. I have to get a set figure on what insurance is going to cost me for full coverage in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. That's not going to be cheap as I did some preliminary research and I think its going to cost me about what I pay for my bike in Virginia, full coverage, for the year. Ouch. I'm going to try and get set figures on what its going to cost me for border crossings and related fees today.

Next I have to start getting copies of my documents and get some laminated. Ive been collecting some old debit cards and licenses to use for a "throw down" wallet in case of robbery or to give to a dirty cop that wants to hold my stuff to extort money out of me. I probably won't have to worry about either scenario but I want to have it just in case.

Once I get my hands on my maps and my other guide books/references I'll drag them into my truck and start making out a loose route down. I have to nail down a rough idea of how many miles I will travel every day, places that are a must see and get a better of idea of how much time I'll need to get down and come back. I also have to nail down my daily budget and border crossing budgets. I feel like I'm falling behind on prep already.

 

Thanks! I'm not sure what I'm looking for with this system lol. I've never even owned one. My knowledge is limited to knowing I might need to carry my own water on my back to drink while I'm riding. I'm starting to check into it now but I think I might need to get a water filtration system inline with the backpack. Those things are pretty expensive from what I'm seeing. The other option is water purification tablets but I don't know if they can be used other than very temporarily.

I wish I could just get my body used to their water down there and not have to worry about filtering my own water or carrying my own. I'm going to research that as well and see what I can find.

Thanks for the offer tho! I gotta figure out the best way to intake water down there.

I'm only going to use the tent as a backup if I can't find somewhere to stay. I'm not going to camp more than once or twice, if at all, and it will be more like secretly crashing somewhere. I won't be bringing other camp items such as cooking utensils/stoves/etc.

I heard the same thing about tents though. You definitely get what you pay for but I'm trying to keep this aspect as cheap as possible since I'm going to try and stay in a cheap motel every night. The tent I have been researching is this 2-man (technically but not literally) camo tent by Texsport. I

http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-1905-Camouflage-Trail-Tent/dp/B000P9GZGE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX2A3NQVgDY


It sells on Amazon and Walmart for about $28. It is as basic as can be, not much more than a tarp propped out, but surprisingly it has decent reviews on Amazon. You have to keep expectations low with it but people are saying that for the price it's a decent pup tent. Especially for what I would need it for. There are a couple of reviews on Youtube that I watched and they said it was good for the price. But it meets my criteria of bone cheap and camo.

I've thought about doing more camping on this trip but the real limitation is carrying capacity on the bike. I know at the border and possibly in the country I'm going to be asked to take everything out and unpack it all. I'm trying to keep it so I don't have a lot to unpack or untie from the bike. The other thing is room on the bike and the added camping accessories if I commit to camping more. I really want something to just put up that once or twice when I have no where to go and want to hide out in a field for the night. Pack it up and get out early in the AM before anyone else figures out I was there. I'm also trying to find a cover for the bike that is either camo or black to be used for the same stealth camping. But the camping aspect is going to be an exception rather than the rule.

 

I actually have a decent tent in my storage but its partially orange and sticks out quite a bit. I know this cheap one can be improved a little with spraying some camp dry on it. It shouldn't rain at all while I'm there if I go in November. I may see about getting a better used tent on Craigslist if I can find one that is camo. Its going to be tough to find that color tho outside of an Army Navy place or the cheap one.

 

Still at the Sumner terminal but got a load going from Kent, WA out to Billings. Originally they gave me a preplan for a load picking up at 2100 tonight going down to Portland. I asked if they had something going out sooner and got this one.

I did my pretrip already and refilled my fluids and got some extra coolant, oil and washer fluid. Changed my windshield wiper blades and made sure everything is good to go.

I felt kind of bad for this new Central driver I met at the window inside the terminal. He was just dropped off my his trainer and had no clue what to do next. He was trying to get home to Denver and had just got a load to Nebraska. He was looking for a map to get to get to his pickup here in WA and them out to Nebraska. He didn't even know about getting the GPS directions on the Qualcomm or the directions via the macro. Not sure how that happens but he was utterly lost. Tried to help him out a little bit and suggested he ask about t calling the load in Denver.

Looking forward to getting out of Dodge here pretty soon and getting back on the road. I'm hoping to make it out at least past Washington into Idaho or western Montana tonight. Shouldn't be a problem.

I got in touch with this guy that runs these moto adventure tours down in Nicaragua. He provides free lodging for motorcycle travelers that are passing through. The hacienda looks beautiful set outside the capitol in what looks like a tropical jungle. Pretty sweet for when I eventually make it down there - not this next trip tho.