Day 1: May 16th
After getting the all the gear I figured would be needed for a trip around the country; cold gear, rain gear, hot gear, clothes for all climates, boots for all occasions; I then loaded the bike on the trailer with all my stuff for the first time...well if you have ever packed for a big trip in a small car you know what I am about to say. Yep, even though we moved the bike back 16" to remove the tongue weight the was still too much weight on the shocks. So I moved the most important things as far forward as possible. I then backed the trailer into the yard to see how much clearance I really had with a slight variation in the ground. Turns out I only had 4" of clearance at the front of other trailer and I needed to have a minimum of 6". Removing enough weight to raise the deck by 2" proved not difficult physically, however, the logistics and readjusting the gear I actually was going to take was painful. In the end I lost; a pair of motorcycle boots, hiking boots, second riding jacket and pants, some everyday t-shirts, two pair of jeans, spare tire mounting bracket, second (backup) tent, inflatable sleeping pad and various and sundry other things that I deemed, at the moment, to be superfluous to the gear I already had in the vehicle. Once all this was removed and the remaining item were moved as far forward as possible, I deemed the trailer clearance sufficient and hit the road. The first night, I intended to get as far as I could and most importantly beyond the typical area that I and already familiar with in the south east. Thus, I made it to Meridian, Mississippi the first night and found a room at the Days Inn. A word of caution, although the people were nice the room were sub-standard even for Days Inn, and I for one will not stay at that location again. It still hasn't sunk in that, I am going on the road...for a while.
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