Another Checkmark On The List

Went to the doctor today for my pre-trip checkup and medicines. All systems nominal, good to go. Of course, the doctor is pretty sure I'm crazy for going anywhere where the country names end in "stan."  Also saw my shoulder surgeon in the hall, and he laughed and told me I was crazy too. Then he told me about his motorcycle ride yesterday. 

I've also picked up all my spare parts from The Motorcycle Shop. The list has fewer and fewer items left unchecked each day. The next three items are sorting the tool kit, the cook kit, and the medical kit. That is about a day each if I'm to get it right. Well, maybe a half day each. 

It is snowing here in Anchorage today, and turning to sleet. Not the best of weather, but not the worst. The incentive is to stay inside and work on the list!

Received my maps on Saturday

I placed an order earlier this month to buy some maps.  The order arrived Saturday, and I have now replaced the maps I gave to other travelers, and added a couple of new ones from a new (to me) publisher.

I also changed my source from just buying them on Amazon to a company dedicated to maps and travel books: Longitude Books.  And, as it turns out, they do have a presence within the Amazon monolith, but I prefer to buy from them directly.  I must add that their customer service is outstanding, as they immediately contacted me to let me know that one map was out of stock, and then verified when it would be back in stock and shipping.  That service is very much appreciated.

The day of departure is getting closer!

While walking the dog today . . .

I heard the sound of single engine motorcycle headed my way.  It was, of course, a BMW G650GS, and I wanted to yell "I have one of those too!"  But I didn't.  I need to get a ride out to the Valley and pick up the Adventure so I can get some miles logged before I head out in June.

Overland Expo West 2015

Overland Expo West 2015 is coming up May 15 - 17 at Mormon Lake, AZ, just a few miles south of Flagstaff.  I am going to attend this year, and I am really excited about that.  If you haven't visited their web-site, you should do so.  If you like to browse companies that manufacture and sell products for overland adventurers, just click on their link for exhibitors, and prepared to be stupefied.  Just about every need you can imagine can be supplied from that list, and more than a few wants as well.

When I first thought I might want to do some adventure travel, I subscribed to Overland Journal, and eventually that lead me to Overland Expo.  I have enjoyed both the magazine and the Expo, and they have informed much of what I have been doing since then.  The singular feature of both organizations is that they are staffed by people who have done what they write about.  As a traveller who dislikes receiving criticism (as opposed to thoughtful comments and questions) from those who do so from the comfort of their BarcaLounger, having not dared to venture beyond the edge of the locale in which they live, I find these two organizations to fit my values and sense of doing things rather than just reading about them.

It was at classes at Overland Expo that I determined I needed to take some details instruction in First Aid, which I did though a local company in Anchorage, Learn to Return.  LTR was an excellent training experience, and thankfully I did not need that training.  It did help me to be prepared, and that is what I strive to be.

Jim Hyde and the Rawhyde Adventure Team will be there again this year, too.  I took their beginner course in 2013 as I was preparing for this trip.  It is flat-out an excellent course, and I believe everyone who contemplates an extensive trip in Central Asia or Central to South America should take this course or a similar course.  It is both a skill builder and a confidence builder.  Their training takes what looks scary and complex and breaks it down into basic skills that are thoughtfully presented by very experienced instructors who know how to teach.

This year I am concentrating on my navigation skills, as I didn't do so well on that Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan crossing.  Uzbekistan gets very touchy about their borders, and I could have been in real trouble.  As I head to even more remote places, I need to be sharper.

I am also going to be attending some classes and seminars on my upcoming trip from Prudhoe Bay to Ushuaia, the southern tip of South America.  That trip will be in my 2008 Subaru Outback, and the preparation of that car has already begun.  But there is lots more to learn, and I am going to try and find some answers, and particularly spend time on route planning.  Travel through Mexico, crossing the Darien Gap, transiting Columbia, best times to travel, all of these (and more) are areas I must learn about before I leave.  So I have signed up for a seminar on that planning alone.  I'm looking forward to that very much.

In sum, I am as excited as can be to be going to Expo again.  It's always fun, and Meredith and I usually stay in an interesting place.  This year we are staying at the Weatherford Hotel in Flagstaff.  Looking forward to that!  We have also stayed at the La Posada Hotel in Winslow.  They have an excellent restaurant, the Turquoise Room, and I hope to get there for an evening meal on this trip.  If so, I am going to make sure we order their chocolate shuffle desert, which defies description, other than it is awesome!  The Turquoise Room windows open to the lawns and gardens adjacent to the Santa Fe railroad track, and we enjoy watching the activity out there.  Designed by Mary Colter, La Posada is a crown jewel in the Harvey Railroad Hotels, built along the Santa Fe railroad into the Southwest U.S.  Even a lunch there will impress you.

Another fun stay was at the Star Motel in Sedona, which is as 1960's as you can get without a time machine.  We both love these types of places, particularly in the American West.  At the Star Motel, we stayed in the room in the Back and upstairs.  It has a deck, and you can watch a section of the main street and all the goings on while the smell of smoking meats from the BBQ joint (an accurate word) across the street wafts by.  It is also a short walk from the Sedona Heritage Museum, which we both enjoyed.

Lots of fun in Arizona!

Travel Plans

Plans have been firming up since I received my Russian visa from David at STANtours.  I can now enter and leave Russia as needed to finish up this trip.  David is one of the most helpful people to procure visas in that part of the world, and I really appreciate his help.

As it stands now, my itinerary looks like this:

Depart Anchorage for Washington. D.C., on Wednesday, June 3.  I have to stop in Washington (also known as Sodom on the Potomac) for a ceremony at the Department of Justice on June 4.

Depart Washington, D.C. from Baltimore Airport June 6 on BA Fl 228 for London.

Depart London on June 7 on BA Fl 680 for Istanbul, overnighting at the Istanbul Airport Hotel.

Depart Istanbul on June 8 on Turkish Airlines TK360 for Osh.

Arrive Osh, Kyrgyzstan on June 9 at 0405 local time.

My jet lag will be epic, so I have reserved a room at the Biy Ordo Guest House until Friday, June 12. If I am still not quite up to riding off into the wilds, I will extend my stay a little until I am up for more adventure.  I also have to reload the bike, etc.  The folks at MuzToo say it will be ready.

From Osh, my route will lie north and east, through the rest of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and into Mongolia.  The precise route will be determined later, but that is where you can expect to see me headed.

What comes after Mongolia?  I don't know yet.  I admit I am not looking forward to riding back through Russia, so I may go on to Vladivostok, and ship the bike to L.A. from there.  Also, I may try to take the train from Ulaanbaatar through China and into Nepal, with the bike going as freight.  I have to look into that some more.  Then I could go south into India, and maybe even into Myanmar.  My options are open.  What we do know is wherever the front wheel points, that's where I will end up.

A point I must impress on readers, however, is that I fully intend to visit Issyk-Kul Lake in Northern Kyrgyzstan.  If I don't, Romaniac will howl a complaint and send lightning bolts thundering towards me.  And also realize that the reason I must go is because he decided not to.  It's a boy thing . . .