MC Raven Trip Report 1

Day 1

120.6 Miles today, 120.6 Miles total, Starting Mileage 44328.9

Mile 0

Stopped early, this being my first day in the saddle. Spending my first night at Big Stone Lake State Park just across the state line in Minnesota.

I left Jeremey’s house just before 8:00 am and was checked in and putting my tent for the first time by 11:00 am. The ride was great! A mixture of cool morning with fog and steamy roads with the just-rained moisture evaporating all around me as I rode.

Camp at Big Stone Lake  State Park

The bike was terribly top-heavy.  I stopped in Bath to fill up the tank this morning and nearly knocked it over trying to reattach the tank bag. The Additional 3 gallons of fuel up high really made a difference in the center of gravity. As soon as I’d completed setting up my camp here I set about moving all the heaviest things as low as possible in the panniers. All that time packing and weighing at home to get them balanced went right out the window. I’ll see in the next day or two how I did.  

Things I learned today:

-          My newly purchased Haines seamless underwear really helps make the ride more pleasant. My butt was sore but: waayyy less sore then it would have been If I’d had to sit on wrinkled, seamed underwear all morning.

-          My cute little MSR fold up stove works great but: I need to let it heat up thoroughly before use. Not doing so left a lot of soot on the bottom of my pot and all over the flame diffuser. Had to wash them with Camp Suds to get it off.

-          More and more I’m beginning to appreciate my riding jacket. It’s a Scorpion EXO that I bought off eBay. The variety of vents and liners allows so many options for ventilation that I always felt comfortable, from foggy 50’s to sunny 70’s.

-          As I noticed before, everyone (and I mean Everyone) is curious about the bike and where I’m going. There’s no hiding that a machine loaded with all that stuff means business!

So, in closing, today was the single longest ride I’ve done since I bought the GS in January. When I leave here tomorrow, I’ve got my eye on that World’s Largest Ball of Twine east of here on Highway 12 then, I’ll start heading south and work my way to my mother’s home in time for her birthday.