Optional Route Change

Daryll writes:
I finished work on August 10th and left the next day for the Horizons Unlimited Meeting in Nakusp.  150 other motorcycle travellers that have the same interest of adventure motorcycle travel.

Field of tents and bikes.

Met some old friends and made a few new friends over the few days of attending workshops and presentations. In chatting to a few riders that had done the east route of Africa, north to south, it was suggested that we look at going through the Middle East from Egypt to Jordan, Syria and Turkey to get into Europe as compared to our original plan of North Africa from Egypt, Libya and Tunisia before taking a ferry across to Europe. Alot more to see in Jordan, and Libya requires us to have a guide with us at all times while in the country, so those costs add up pretty quick. That got the wheels turning.

The day before I could leave to ride out to Nakusp, I got an email saying that our carnet documents are on it's way to us.  Damn!  Jordan and Syria require a carnet and I hadn't included these countries into our original application.  So a quick email to the CAA and Suzanne Danis and she agreed that I could return the documents and have the 3 new countries added onto our carnet; so now we have the option and can make that decision whilst on the road or before we get to Egypt and before we finalise our visas.

------ Original Route        -  -  -  -  - Optional Route 

Shake Down Trip

Angela writes:
Thanks everyone who has taken up reading our blog updates. Sorry there's nothing too exciting to report but we haven't left yet!  lol  We did however do a "shake down trip" (I call it the Dress Rehearsal) last Thursday night. We packed both bikes in under an hour and rode up to Squamish to camp in the bush, and make dinner on the new camp stove.  I'm not able to post a photo of this as I accidently deleted the 2 pics I took - I guess this was the most valuable lesson of the dress rehearsal...

During this trip Daryll decided against using his tank panniers to carry our rainsuits and bike covers as the position of these bags prevented airflow on his legs. Instead we've put this stuff in a waterproof bag and fastened it to the top of one of his existing back panniers. I decided to buy a Wolfman X-Carry All and hang it on my handlebars just to make getting at my sunglasses, chapstick and sunscreen a little easier.

This little side trip has just made me want to start the trip now as I am really looking forward to the days of riding. Since we will be homeless in a matter of days our bikes will become our new 'home".  We will lose our internet connection on Aug 28, we will depart for a journey on Aug 30 and we will post an update as soon as we can find internet again after that. Catch you on the trip side!!

Departure "Dos"

Sporting our new trip dos - hair dryers and flat irons not required

Packing List

With under a month to go, it is about time that I put this post together.  Angela is still in Ontario, however before she left, we spent some time packing her bike and making sure that everything could fit and we were pleasantly surprised.  Not only did everything that she would carry fit, but she had room to spare, which is always a good thing.  I did a trial pack this morning and found that I wasn't able to find space for my rain suit and my bike cover, so will have to re-think the placement of these items.

To put things into perspective, the image below shows what we will be taking and yes, it does look like a mess, more like an organised mess.  With all the furniture gone, we were able to lay things out and go through it a few times and found that we could take a few items out as well.

We have all of this,

that will need to go into these 4 panniers, 1 waterproof duffel bag and 1 pelican case that acts as my topbox.

Detailed Pack List:

Angela's Riding Gear:- REVIT Off Track riding suit; Alpinestars goretex boots; BMW Pro rain suit; Arai XD3 helmet; Roadgear winter gloves; Alpinestars summer riding gloves; Rain Off rain glove covers; Gerbings heated jacket with temp. controller; neck scarf, Hearos ear plugs; Bobster sunglasses; On Guard brake disc bike lock
Daryll's Riding Gear:- BMW Ralley 2 riding suit; Alpinestars goretex boots, BMW Pro rain suit; Arai XD helmet; REVIT H2O Farenheidt winter gloves; Olympia summer riding gloves; Rain Off rain glove covers; Gerbings heated jacket with temp. controller; neck scarf; Hearos ear plugs; Oakley sunglasses; On Guard brake disc bike lock

Angela's Items:- 2 x zip off pants/shorts; 1 x belt; 1 x short sleeve wicking collared shirt; 3 x short sleeve wicking t-shirts; 3 x wicking underwear; 3 x pair wicking socks; 1 x set Smartwool thermals; 1 x hooded rain jacket; 1 x Mountain Hard Wear fleece; 1 x brimmed hat; 1 x toque; 1 x black tank top; 1 x swimsuit; 1 pair Merrell sandals; 1 pair Merrell hiking shoes; 1 x wicking shorts/underwear; 2 x Anita sportsbra; 1 x baseball cap; toiletries
Daryll's Items:- 1 x zip off pants/shorts; 1 x belt; 1 x long sleeve collared shirt; 3 x short sleeve wicking t-shirts; 3 x wicking underwear; 3 x pair wicking socks; 1 x set MEC thermals; 1 x hooded rain jacket; 1 x Arcteryx wind stop fleece jacket; 1 x brimmed hat; 1 x toque; 1 x sleep/swim shorts; 1 pair Merrell sandals; 1 pair Merrell hiking shoes; toiletries

Camping Gear:- Jack Wolfskin Worlds End RT 3 person tent; 2 x Exped 7DLX down sleep mats; 2 x Asolo down sleeping bags; 2 x silk sleeping bag liners; 2 x bed bug sheets; 1 x Coleman Exponent 442 dual fuel stove; 1 x tarp; 2 x plates; 2 x mugs; cook pot with spoon and spatula; cutting board; cooking knife; 2 x fork/knife/spoon combo set; salt/pepper shaker; dish cloth; sink plug; 2 x camel packs; 2 x extra water bottles; 2 x pacsafe (one on each bike); 2 x LED headlamps; 2 x swiss army knife; 2 x cables + locks for riding gear; binoculars

Electronics:- Garmin 60CSX GPS; Asus eee 1000HE netbook + charger; WD 1TB portable hard drive; Nikon D80 DSLR + charger; Nikon 18-200VRII lens; travel powerlug adapter; multiple SD cards; Sanyo Xacti CA9 waterproof camcorder + charger; VIO POV helmet cam; Canon SX120is point & shoot camera; Sanyo Eneloop rechargable batteries + charger; 2 x Ipods; 100W power inverter

Other:- First aid kit; tripod; 1 x 2L oil jug attached to pannier; 1 x 500ml MSR fuel bottle attached to pannier; travel guides; country specific maps; journal; passports + copy; medical insurance docs + copy; bike insurance & registration + copies; drivers license + copies; international drivers license; travel vaccination cards; marriage certificate (copy); spare passport photos; expired credit cards

Tools:- vice grips; electrical tape; duct tape; electrical wire; stainless steel wire; blue loctite; gasket sealer; WD40; tube patch repair kit; ratchet & extension; wrenches (10,11,12,13,14mm); ratcheting screwdriver + bits; sockets (17,19, 22mm); tire irons; spoke wrench; 24mm tire iron combo; pozi connectors; latex gloves; tie down straps; tire gauge; air compressor; bead breaker; JB weld ; cable ties; lighter; battery jumper cables; valve removal tool; bike crutch; white marking pencil; chain lube; cable cutter; needle nose pliers; chain pulling tool; multimeter

Spares:- shifter; gasket set; misc. spare bolts; fuses; hose clamps; fuel hose; throttle cable; clutch cable; brake lever; clutch lever; headlight bulb; 4 x oil filters; 3 x fuel filter; 4 x crushed washer; turn-signal bulb; hand choke; spare front tube; spare rear tube; 1 x chain & sprocket set; 3 x spare master clip (chain); 1 x brake pad set (front & rear)

It seems like alot of stuff and I'm sure that we will try and get rid of some of these items along the way as most travellers start off with way too much "stuff".  Most of the tools and spares are stored in the various tool tubes that I have installed on the bikes, other spares goes into one of my panniers; camping gear goes in the waterproof duffel or in one of Ang's panniers; all of the electronics go into the waterproof pelican case that can also lock and our personal items in our panniers.