Shenandoah National Park Overnight

[Brackson]

Bike setup to go.

This was a quick one night camping trip, but carrying everything I intended to take with me on my upcoming big trip. In less than 2 weeks I am going to spend 6 weeks living off of my bike. Some of it will be visiting friends and family in the New England area, some will be traveling by myself, but 3 weeks straight will be a camping trip up and down the Appalachian Mountains with one of my friends. So that is why there is so much gear, and why I did all this for a 1 night camping trip.

So yesterday I left my home near Baltimore heading for Shenandoah National Park. I intentionally took a route that would have no highways at all. I commonly do the drive to Winchester (where my father lives) in about 2 hours. So this was going to be a much slower route.

This is where I intended to go.

This is where I actually went.

The difference is my google map printout didn't have enough detail and so I got on 663 which cuts sharply North, instead of 662 which goes South West. I realized a little while later that I was not where I thought I was supposed to be, but I have a good sense of direction so I kept wandering. It wasn't until I found myself back at the Point of Rocks bridge across the Potomac River that I realized exactly what had happened.

Realizing I was back where I had been an hour ago I gave up and went back into Maryland to head up towards US 340 (which I know better). I then went past Summit Point Motorsports Park and on towards Winchester. Alot of great roads to be driven, but I was having too much fun to stop and take photos. I need to make myself do that more often!

Once I got into the park I did take a few though.

Those were just before sunset yesterday on my way into the park.

Tent setup, and getting ready to cook dinner.

Tried out alot of new gear, and new restrictions, and I learned alot throughout the process. Overall it was alot of fun though.

Lastly, a few more images from this morning on my way out of the park.

Also, yes not only am I thinking of bike of the month I am keeping a specific photo set aside for it. I took it yesterday, but you all don't get to see it until the new contest goes up!

 

[lytehouse]

Also, yes not only am I thinking of bike of the month I am keeping a specific photo set aside for it. I took it yesterday, but you all don't get to see it until the new contest goes up!

The gallery will be set up soon :thumbup: Looking forward to your entry!

 

[major tom]

Very nice! looks like you have a primo camping set up. That's my favorite thing to do, sport touring and camping. I've done it for years! I have a set of Shad side cases like yours I have not installed yet. How do you like them? They appear relatively easy to install by reading the instructions. One question: Can you open the bags without having to use the key and are they secure to the bike in that unlocked position? Have fun!

 

[Brackson]

Very nice! looks like you have a primo camping set up. That's my favorite thing to do, sport touring and camping. I've done it for years! I have a set of Shad side cases like yours I have not installed yet. How do you like them? They appear relatively easy to install by reading the instructions. One question: Can you open the bags without having to use the key and are they secure to the bike in that unlocked position? Have fun!

For the most part I like them. And yes and yes. You can leave them "unlocked" and still have them securely attached, allowing you to latch or unlatch the lid at will. The install is easy, but you will have to extend the turn signal wires for the new further back location. I suggest soldering them since they will be exposed to the elements. I detailed the install in a thread about motorcycle camping.

http://www.600riders.com/forum/showpost.php?p=585028&postcount=12

My biggest complaint is that the cases actually push the turn signals back slightly further. It would have been very easy for them to design the frame with the turn signal extension arms 1/2 inch longer, but they did not.

Otherwise they did the job well. Any other complaints are nit picking, like they are difficult to organize since they are so large, lol.

Did you get the SH43 or the SH42 side cases?

 

[major tom]

My goodness, I don't know! What is the difference please?

 

[Brackson]

My goodness, I don't know! What is the difference please?

SH43 is what I have in my pictures, it is a 43 liter case and they have color matching top plates.

SH42 are 42 liter side cases, they do not have color matching plates and less of an aerodynamic look to them. They look like this.

Both are waterproof, and both mount to the same brackets.

 

[tejkowskit]

Good stuff! Looks like some great roads out there. I share the same problem as you with having a hard time pulling over to take pictures. I've resorted to just taking gopro videos and making sure to take pictures every time I do hop off this bike.

How did your setup go? What did you find to work successful, and what do you think you'll change? What kind of daily mileage do you plan to put on for the big trip? I'm excited to hear about that when you're done with it!

 

[Brackson]

Good stuff! Looks like some great roads out there. I share the same problem as you with having a hard time pulling over to take pictures. I've resorted to just taking gopro videos and making sure to take pictures every time I do hop off this bike.

How did your setup go? What did you find to work successful, and what do you think you'll change? What kind of daily mileage do you plan to put on for the big trip? I'm excited to hear about that when you're done with it!

If I owned a go pro I would also, I saw you talk about it in a post before and thought it was a great idea.

Setup went well. I hadn't considered items that would smell so my bear box had almost all of my gear in it. I am planning on reorganizing it to have all food items together, and all non-food items with a scent together to make that easier next time.

I also wished I had something cooler than just my sleeping bag. Its a 30 degree bag, but I found myself bouncing between hot and cold at the 50 degrees it was outside, a simple sheet would have been perfect, so I am going to look for a synthetic sheet for the next trip.

A lot of my changes are around cooking. Bringing spices, a small bottle with oil, no beef in the regular pans only in tin foil or something else disposable (too hard to clean, especially with biodegradable soap, after dark, without running water to use).

I miss my hatchet, and will probably bring one in the end. Both for chopping wood and driving stakes and whatnot.

I made some home made fire starters which were a huge success. They are cotton rounds (basically flat cotton balls, commonly used by women for removing makeup) soaked in petroleum jelly. Its perfect, every part of it burns fully, they are slightly messy but not bad, they burn for 2-5 minutes for one quarter of a cotton round (less than 1 square inch of cotton). I can fit about 30 of them in this small container (quarter for scale).

Lets see what else.

New items
-Exped Synmat 7 - Awesome, very comfortable and easy to inflate.
-REI Relax Air pillow - Comfortable, small, comes with a pillow case that easy folds up with it and makes it that much more comfortable.
-Primus Classic Trail Stove - great tiny stove, a good combination between size and and flame control, I was able to do some nice cooking with it. It runs on the isobutane fuel cells which are cheap, small, easy to purchase and easy to dispose of.

Most of the rest is gear I have had for years it was just a matter of finding ways to integrate it into the bike and the more minimalist plan. I am trying to go minimalist on everything except cooking, I love cooking and eating good food way to much to give it up for 6 weeks.

Mileage isn't really planned, we have some things we would like to see, but no specific plans. I expect most days will be 150-400 miles based mostly on terrain. We will have some long all interstate days.

I am actually pondering doing the SS1000 on the first day of my trip since I will not have to ride for a few days afterwards. I rode for about 6 hours on Friday with only mild soreness in my clutch hand (damn the clutch has a hard pull). So I suspect I can do 15 hours of all highway, and I will be leaving on June 12th so damn near the summer solstice, not really a better possible time to attempt it. At the very least the first day will be 600 miles from Baltimore to New Hampshire.

We designed the trip around the idea of being a vacation combining our favorite things together, riding motorcycles and time outdoors. So we intend to go at whatever pace is comfortable for us, in whatever direction interests us. We will ride, hike, camp, fish, and whatever else strikes our fancy. We are planning ahead for possibilities, like getting passport cards so we can cross into Canada at Niagara Falls, and listing some good roads to try and find if we end up in interesting areas, but that's as far as we have planned. There will be some stops where I can easily post and I will try and do so from my phone when possible.

I think that covers it all, if I missed anything or you have more questions just ask.

Also to anyone reading this, if you are anywhere near Appalachain Mountains and you want to join me and my friend for a leg of the ride just hit me up and we can see about meeting up somewhere.

 

[tejkowskit]

Sounds like you've got it all ready to go! I have noticed a lot of people use those fire starters and say good things about it. I have never tried it, but I'll use hand sanitizer if I'm having a hard time starting a fire lol. Sanitize hands, clean wounds, and start fires; multipurpose!

Good call on the bear box. I've only had to worry about bears on one of my trips so far, and I just hung all my scented stuff up in 1 bag. Bear box is definitely easier.

I like your idea of just picking a direction and going! If I ride alone I like to have a sketched out route planned so people know my plans/general direction, but if I do a trip with my usual motocamping buddy we'll take the wing it approach too! The best roads and experiences are found this way.

 

[Brackson]

Sounds like you've got it all ready to go! I have noticed a lot of people use those fire starters and say good things about it. I have never tried it, but I'll use hand sanitizer if I'm having a hard time starting a fire lol. Sanitize hands, clean wounds, and start fires; multipurpose!

Good call on the bear box. I've only had to worry about bears on one of my trips so far, and I just hung all my scented stuff up in 1 bag. Bear box is definitely easier.

I like your idea of just picking a direction and going! If I ride alone I like to have a sketched out route planned so people know my plans/general direction, but if I do a trip with my usual motocamping buddy we'll take the wing it approach too! The best roads and experiences are found this way.

I absolutely agree. It is also amazingly freeing to be able to choose what to do when you want to do it.

I always ask for a bear box camp site, but I carry paracord so I can also hang it from a tree or bear pole if they don't have a bear box site left. This trip there were only 3 bear box sites left so I didn't get alot of choice, but it does make life alot easier, and most National Parks and National Forests have at least a handful of bear boxes which they try and save for campers who are backpacking or on motorcycles.

Hand sanitizer probably does work well, but I carry these instead of even something basic like paper. This is my go to fire starter this time around, so that I don't have to waste alot of space or effort keeping paper dry. Also its absurdly cheap to make, and I hear they easily ignite from flint and steel which is an added plus (not tested, this last point is completely hearsay but I am definitely testing this next opportunity now that I think about it, it just sounds fun ).

After having trouble finding a site (among the 3 with bear boxes) that had a decent spot for a tent I was even more tempted to hammock camping (I remember seeing you use a hammock from one of your posts). I just cant bring myself to invest a few hundred dollars when I already have a tent and all the related gear which I have had for about a decade and is still holding up very well. I would love to hear your thoughts on it though, feel free to persuade me towards or against the hammock if you will.

 

[tejkowskit]

The hammock stuff is pretty expensive, but I actually made all my gear for it. The only reason I went toward it was it was time for me to buy a new tent so I thought it was the best time for me to try it. I definitely get a better night sleep than on the ground.

There is a pretty big learning curve to hammock camping. Set up take some practice, and there are quite a few options so you have to go through trial and error to find what works best for you. You are so close to your big trip that you are much better off sticking to your tent since it's what you're used to.

And I'm sure you've heard all the pros and cons. Pros- more comfortable, don't need level ground to set up-just 2 trees, less impact on environment, packs up very small. Cons- no trees brings you to the ground (biggest con), set up take practice yadda yadda.

It's something that would be nice if you had a friend who could lend you stuff to try since it is a pretty big expense. Really have to weigh the pros and con's and see what means most to you. I get a better night sleep and to me that's most important. And with practice setup is quicker than a lot of tents..

 

[Brackson]

The hammock stuff is pretty expensive, but I actually made all my gear for it. The only reason I went toward it was it was time for me to buy a new tent so I thought it was the best time for me to try it. I definitely get a better night sleep than on the ground.

There is a pretty big learning curve to hammock camping. Set up take some practice, and there are quite a few options so you have to go through trial and error to find what works best for you. You are so close to your big trip that you are much better off sticking to your tent since it's what you're used to.

And I'm sure you've heard all the pros and cons. Pros- more comfortable, don't need level ground to set up-just 2 trees, less impact on environment, packs up very small. Cons- no trees brings you to the ground (biggest con), set up take practice yadda yadda.

It's something that would be nice if you had a friend who could lend you stuff to try since it is a pretty big expense. Really have to weigh the pros and con's and see what means most to you. I get a better night sleep and to me that's most important. And with practice setup is quicker than a lot of tents..

Thanks for the input man. I hadn't thought of environmental impact, but I had heard the rest before.

Yup, the 2 reason my friend and I had not tried it for this trip was, Cost, and lack of trees ruins everything. We originally were planning on going coast to coast, and when crossing the country there are plenty of places without trees in camp sites. Here in the east its more uncommon to have no trees in camp sites.

I did just think of one more disadvantage to a hammock, camping with a lady friend.

Even so, I think I probably will buy the gear for it once my tent finally fails me.

 

[Ohendo]

Glad to hear your Shenandoah trial trip went well. Good luck on the monster trip up North!

 

[Brackson]

Glad to hear your Shenandoah trial trip went well. Good luck on the monster trip up North!

Absolutely man.

I leave a week from today (Thursday June 12th), and it cannot come soon enough!

I finally chose the route for the first day. I am planning on doing 570 miles the first day, and Google maps says it will be a little over 10 hours of ride time. I chose this route because it avoids all of the major cities and goes through some much prettier country. I will mostly be riding through Pennsylvania, but also I get a nice ride through southern Vermont and Southern New Hampshire before stopping for the night at my Mom's house near Manchester, NH.

I will try and post ride reports whenever I do any rides worth reporting, and I will always check the forum at least once a day (cellular internet permitting).

If anyone is in the Maine or New Hampshire area and wants to meet up for a ride in the next few weeks, hit me up on here and we can figure out a route. I am always up for a ride.