So the day was upon me. I had one last client meeting and a site inspection and I was home by 1400h. I had been up quite late the night before getting all my 'road gear' together. I laugh when I think back to the simpler bike trips of yesteryear where I would only need to take clothing, toiletries and riding gear.

Now my pack list includes laptop, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iPooed (just checking to see if you are still there!) Bose noise cancelling ear buds, Hero cams and accessories, HD Camcorders and then of course the chargers and cables for all. I have everything in one big tumbleweed I call the tech bag. Naturally I forgot one flavour of cable so I had to buy an iPad charger cable my first night out. I have been watching Top Gear UK on NetFlix on my iPad for the past month and I don't think I can do without!

As has become my habit I presented a monologue about the trip prior to departure. You can watch it here:



Then I discussed my new helmet again at length, I am so proud of it. Sheesh, get over it already!



This year I also revamped my main luggage carrying system which consists of Pelican watertight cases with hardware riveted to the sides that I bungee to the luggage carrier where the pilon seat would be. Because the cases are connected by the sides it allows me to access the cases on the road as there is no bungee cord going over top. Back in the day I would access my ciggy butts that way during rest stops. I used a slightly small case as the top one, but it was too small to hold my large format map, so that was kept squashed between them, or at least that was the plan.

Now as I approach my second year of smoke freedom I no longer need that. Also the large format map I bought to replace my ill fated one wouldn't fit in the smaller Pelican so the upgrade was to carry 2 larger cases. I outfitted my Pelican laptop case to add it to the existing large case. A Ukrainian Tire run was needed to pick up an assortment of bungee cords, and I stuffed a piece of packing foam under the rack so it doesn't bounce. This is the result:



The top Pelican ended up being mostly empty, my plan was that I could put my clothing in it, which is in plastic bags in my saddlebags, to reduce the number of trips I make during loadin into a motel room. I also thought it would be a great idea to bring this enormous 1100+ page book about Winston Churchill that I have been reading on and off for a year.



I was ready to leave by 1530h having packed everything and donned my full black leathers. I was trying to determine how old my riding kit is; I think my chaps are from 1990 and my leather jacket from 1994. My gloves are quite new having purchased them on a road trip once when I lost a pair at a rest stop, in 1998 I think. Goes to show leather products really do last forever!
And so the trip begins;



And so the trip begins with a stop at Wal-Mart! Last year on my epic journey to the Florida Keys I took all 3 of my HeroCams in various mounts and found life on the road is tough on them, up to and including being run over by a dually pickup truck (See KeyWest trip). Life was ********** the SD cards, none of which would read in the cameras any more.

I stopped of at WM to pick up a new 64GB SD card, then ran out into the parking lot to test it in a camera. My plan was if it didn't read I was close enough to home that I was going to go back and ditch all of the cams and accessories, which is considerable. As it was the card read in the camera so I went back inside and bought a second one. Then I was off for real.

The purpose for leaving today was really just to get on the road, I don't really feel like I am on holidays until I am past Calgary to highway I seldom see. My plan was to stop in Nanton at The Ranchmen's Motel, a frequent stop during trips either going or coming.

I made it about 2 hours before I had to stop and take off my much bally-hooed about helmet which was crushing my skull plates! I had used the measuring guide on the iiCON website and had selected a size larger, but at the last minute changed it to the correct size. A slightly larger helmet eases breakin, but it can be painful too as the airstream pushes it against your head in various ways.

The proper thing to do is to buy it several months in advance and break it in slowly, not in a scenario where you wear it for 10 hours a day! At least removing it for 5 minutes reset the 2 hour torture limit clock to zero.

When I pulled into Nanton I still had plenty of daylight so after a helmet off rest period I decided to press on and try a new small town. I came across the Lazy J complex in Clareholm that offered motel, lounge with pizza joint attached and gas station. The motorcyclist Tri-Fecta, though now adding convenience store to the mix for an unheard of Quad-Reacta!

It was a weird motel as some rooms had exterior doors and others didn't. I asked for a ground floor walk-out if available and the guy at the desk said no problem. He even took me on a tour of the room first. Well, I got what I asked for! It was accessed from the internal hallway, but then also had its own exterior door that let out into the alley! There were no other doors on that side of the building so that room was unique.



So after a great deep dish pizza, a couple of medicinal distillations and 2 episodes of Top Gear in the mostly deserted bar I headed back to my room to turn in. As I walked through the parking lot I started to get this feeling of Deja Vu, things started to click in my head and I realized I had returned to the scene of the crime!

This hotel was directly across the road from the speed trap I got caught in last year. After, at that time, 32 days on the road having driven more than 13 000+ kms with virtual no law enforcement interactions I got caught spooling up to highway speed in a 50 KM/h zone. You can read about it in my other blog. I was a little choked at first, but eventually I got over it when I viewed it as a tax, more of a vigorish than a fine.

Got into my room and into bed and was asleep in minutes!

Day 1
Edmonton, AB to Claresholm, AB
5 hours riding time
423 kms covered