Official count down starts today - 2 weeks until wheels hit tarmac!

It's official, time is running away from me and it will be just a week on Saturday that I fly out to Boston to start the trip and 2 days later on the 12th that I hit the road.  I remember 2 years ago planning the initial stages - that seems like no time either! 

So last weekend,  I met up with kind and patient Stu at Jack Lilleys Triumph to go through some prepatory stuff to basically put my mind to rest and not waste time or worries over in America.

The chain which I was paranoid about, I think I'm OK with now - taking the right spanners and practice with Seb. Next was to make sure I knew my way around the new T100 I'll be riding to check about fitting the luggage with appropriate straps tied under the seat or side bars - don't want that Armani dress flying away in the wind!  Taking my own chain oil and engine oil so self sufficient not needing to find any on the way. Apparently I'll need to lub the chain every c.300 miles so probably every day and keep an eye on the oil - a 1 litre bottle should do the +4 000 miles. 

The house is also now looking like a Tsunami has just hit it with all the bits and pieces I'll be taking over the place -  and the serious packing and unpacking to make sure it all fits into just one small bag will start this weekend.

I've decided that the side bags I've been promised I'll get will be used for the tools and bike stuff on one side and the other for stuff I immediately need to grab like glasses, suntan lotion (yes I am allowed to say I'm having a holiday and will try and get a bronze tan - at least on part of the unhelmeted face and gloved arms!) and the whole array of maps I've bought - I'm still pretty adamant that I dont want satnav - everyone says it creates more of a problem and hey, I want to do a bit of work and the routes probably won't be direct anyway.

....
y he visto hoy que aqui en mi blog tengo muchos amigos de Espana - hola !

Really just a small world

Been getting to grips with twittering since last weekend and just can't believe how many similar minded people are out there trying to have the adventure and do their little bit back to society - thought the idea of creating some cards for the Bonneville and Amazon Fund to take with me and give out before I leave would be a good idea.

http://www.avaaz.org/en/veto_dilma_global/?copy

Amazin Amazon "Go or Bust" Fund

Thought long and hard about setting up a special charity fund for contributions while I'm on the road, to push me to finish and to promote what I strongly believe in - conserving the Amazon Rainforest.

The Nature Conservancy "Protecting nature. Preserving life"

After a lot of research, this seems like the perfect charity.  Click on the jaguar opposite.

It tells my story about my time and adventure spent in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest and what I saw to make me strongly believe we need to do something to save it.  Or click on ...

http://support.nature.org/goto/amazon.go-or-bust.fund

All contributions and messages in the guest book greatly appreciated.

And by pure coincidence, there's an even stronger link, I'll be meeting the person who helps run it on the last leg of my trip - more to follow!

p.s. and now just 1 month to go !  Touch down in the US of A on the 8th June!

Saw the Bob Marley film yesterday .... a truly amazing life journey ...

"Life is one big road with lots of signs.

So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind.
Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy.
Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality .

Wake Up and Live!"

The nuts and bolts of it is, ... every cloud has a silver lining ...

Stupidly, my greatest fear for the trip has been the thought of doing a silly mechanical necessity which most bikers would laugh at its' simplicity  ...
tightening the Bonnie's chain (with the exhausts still on!) !
And which I'll need to do throughout the trip - worst being if I found myself on my own in the middle of nowhere,  like Nevada and Utah's loneliest Route 50 pony express highway...

Nut side (can't remember my chain ever being that clean!)

Bolt side

Miracle ... I finally did it last weekend when friends, Seb and Cat, were over ...  Fear is definately the unknown.  Someone had recently said, just find a sunny evening, take a couple of beers to the bike and start practicing!  And so we did, and it was actually quite easy !
Anyway so adamant that I wouldn't forget that I scribbled down a few notes while we laughed at the stupidity of it all ...
Essential Lesson 1 - Chain Tightening Adjustments on T100

1. to open; with spanner 24 on right side push nut down anti-clockwise (with foot if needed!) to slacken until loose (hand adjustable)
2. with spanner 8 turn anti-clockwise to tighten chain on right side (slowly little by little and no more than a quarter turn on each side at a time) 
3. count the notches so it will be same on the other side
4. with spanner 8 on left side tighten anti-clockwise same distance (both sides shouldn't be much) 
5. to close; take spanner 19 and put on left bolt and put spanner 24 on right nut
6. with a hand on each spanner, each on the nut and bolt, stand between the back of the bike to tighten
7. Tighten like hell ! Pull up right hand(nut) and push left hand down on bolt until can't move. Phew! 
8. The gym is paying off!

p.s. I just nipped out while writing this blog, to see "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" - great film but wierd or what !    ... with Ewan McGregor (from longway round motorbike journeys with Charley Boorman) - knew nothing about storyline but all about a long term vision to a remote location to embark on an impossible journey of faith to prove the impossible, possible.  Great :)

Bloggin to blog from mobile phone!

Just got the phone to see if I can post blogs,photos and videos from anywhere ... looks like I can!

Yipee - GoPro here we Go !

well, stress is not the word in trying to become a "professional" travelling film editor - I almost gave up and felt like selling the gopro on ebay ! Well not quite, I know the footage is likely to be incredible and I now know I can film the footage - it's just a question of knowing how to edit it etc. etc. ...

and then I tried it on the Bonnie - not quite right let's say !