Trip Planning Update

I'm a little overdue in posting, but James and I have reworked the trip itinerary a bit. We made some accommodations for things like tire changes and fun detours. Instead of Fairbanks being the first Alaska stop, we'll be stopping first in Anchorage which will make for a better staging area for the change from road tires to dirt tires. Not only will it be time for some new rubber by then, but somehow I'm sure the switch to knobbies is a good decision, since 450 of the 500 mile journey north to Prudhoe Bay is dirt road in various levels of disrepair.

We've purchased a personal satellite tracker. http://www.findmespot.com/en/ So the cool thing about this is not only do we have a way of contacting people in case of emergency while we are out of cell range but we have our own web site that tracks our travels and any messages. As you can see (check it out), we are "ok" and currently, at this very moment, in Forestdale, MA. Specifically (you can see this by clicking our location dot on the map) we are located at 41.6822° N -70.5264° W. I'll try to tie the website and our blog together so we can keep everyone updated.

The motorbabies are undergoing their "farkling."

Farkle (n. or v.) \Far"kle\
The word Farkle belongs to the vernacular of the North American motorcyclist, and refers to accessories or the act of accessorizing a motorcycle. The word may be a combination of "function" and "sparkle."
Can also mean:

F.ancy

A.ccessory

R.eally

K.ool &

L.ikely

E.xpensive

Okay, back to the "farkling" process. Here's what we've got so far. There's a lot more to come and we'll keep ya updated.

James's bike:
Pelican case side panniers (luggage)
Adventure Spec crash bars, skid plate and seat luggage plate
Garmin 60 csx GPS
Marsee tank bag

Shana's bike:
Adventure Spec crash bars, skid plate and seat luggage plate
Marsee tank bag

More to come on that stuff. In addition to farkle for the bike the trip purchase list includes stuff like a video camera, travel laptop, some additions to the camp gear and, importantly, a supply of stink-resistant, wicking travel underwear. Well, there's a ton of stuff we need actually. And there's plenty of work to be done to get ready - and departure is really not that far away folks!

One of the big parts of the planning process was figuring out what we were going to do with our three dogs. I was actually stressing about it. We are so grateful that our friends Evan and Sheila will actually be coming to stay at our house for the whole time and take care of the dogs for us. It's such a relief!

The new trip route will follow this post.

Till next time....