Solo Chick livin' a Dream: North Rim Grand Canyon loop Via Sedona

nicomama · Oct 22, 2009

So its time to pack up my Jack Be Nimble DRZ for a week long adventure loop from LA to Joshua Tree, Sedona, North rim of the Grand Canyon and back to LA through Vegas.

This is Jack while hes still a nimble son of a gun

In this shot, youll notice the Rugged Rider Sport Rack that I designed for daily cargo carry.

And, here is the Rugged Rider Adventure Rack that I designed to wrap around the Sport Rack for those longer adventure rides.

Ill for sure be putting this baby to the test this trip.

If these racks are something you might be interested in then you can check out details in the vendors forum or on my website.

Up til 2:30 Saturday night packing and jerry-rigging my new Dart Triumph Scrambler windscreen for the DRZ. It seemed like it was the closest to matching the size I wanted for just a small wind deflector that didnt take away from Jacks good looks.

Just needed to add a 3 extension bracket to attach the windscreen bracket to my new Sol Tek 8 headlight.

Whaddaya know, at midnight I find out that the headlight frame is stripped when my bolt slips from position. No worries, I jam a larger bolt in instead then hot glue it into place. Voila. I also strap down the windscreen bracket to the frame tightly with two zip-ties.

75 miles an hour out of LA doesnt seem to phase my new windscreen that I love. The wind is finally off my helmet at high speeds, and my little pencil neck can get a break.

Here's my baby in the driveway unloaded the day before...

Up early on trip day to make sure the load I ratcheted down the night before stayed put. Gotta love those ratchet straps. Peace of mind is worth the weight.

What with all the last minute fine tuning, I didnt get my butt out of the driveway until after noon. Thank heavens the first leg is a short one.

My sweet little angel Alana sees me off with my loaded DRZ...

Heres what the load looked like the day before on the living room carpet. Let you know what I wanted to toss on the trip later.

In the Wolman Expedition Duffle:

Big Agnes Encampment sleeping bag: 15 degree Climashield HL in med compression sack

Kelty grand Mesa 2

REM Big Agnes sleeping pad 20x72x2.5

Thermarest Trekker chair (fits Big Agnes pad folded in half with less air)

REI travel down pillow

In 2gallon cylinder cooler like bear canister within med dry bag:

Food

Dehydrated ground beef sauteed in onions and coconut oil

Homemade beef jerkey (yuck)

Dehydrated veggies (mix of garlic, onions, summer squash, red pepper, brussel sprouts & grated cauliflower)

Albacore in 3 oz pouches

Salmon in 3 oz cans

Individual packets mayo

Organic egg powder

Sunflower seeds

Dehydrated green beans

Homemade granola bars (toasted pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almond butter, vanilla beans, stevia)

Peppermint tea

In Waterproof Event large Compression Sack:

Clothing

Hiking shorts 

Workout pants

Hiking boots

Wick-away long sleeve, short sleeve and tank tech t-shirts (2 each)

Moto cross socks (2)

Hiking socks (3) 

Fleece wind-stopper (1) 

underwear (4 pair)

For Vegas

Black jeans

Wrinkle-free tank dress top

Small pair mule heels

Light compact sweater

Camping Gear

Jet Boil personal camp stove

Butane gas canister

Butane lighter (small, windproof)

Camping pot

Camping soap

Lexan plate/bowl

REI camp mug

Utensils

Wooden spoon

LED headlamp

LED flashlight

UCO candle lantern

Paper towels in Ziploc

In Wolfman Rainier Tank Bag:

AA lithium batteries for camera

AA batteries for flashlights

AAA maps

cables (camera, laptop, ipod, 110v power converter)

Asus EEE PC 900HD 8.9 in neoprene sleeve

External hard drive

Apple iPod Sony noise cancelling headphones MDR-NC22

Solio Classic (solar powered charger)

Olympus Stylus Tough digital pocket camera

Nikon D40 SLR digital camera

Tool Kit

Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak

Cyclefoot plastic kickstand plateear plugs

SOG multi tool

Steno pad notebook/pen

Kleenex

Chapstick

Sunscreen

extra keys (ignition and Xena lock)

Baklava

Novel

In Peakbagger Camelbak:

Himilaya Motorbike Wear rain jacket/pants

MSR XC Coldpro gloves

Fleece gloves

Hind glove liners

Slime tire compressor

Caribiners

Straps w/fastex buckles

Extra large ratchet straps (2)

Extra Cam straps with hooks (2)

Xena disc lock

Cable lock

Bungees

Toiletries

Deodorant

Comb

Travel toothbrush/paste

Travel Neutrogena face soap

Body soap (small bar in baggy)

razor and blades

Shampoo/conditioner

Hair gel/hair bands

Now on with the adventure:

Yeeha, singing the whole way to my favorite Ipod tunes in my helmet and making sure my riding buddy Lil Bobby stays right behind the windscreen.

We are singin happy tunes now that our booties are sitting on the best investment I ever made for mods on my DRZmy new Renazco seat. Boy, Chris Hickson of Renazco sure is one fine craftsman putting out top notch quality finish-work on these masterpiece seats and the best customer service to boot. Not to mention, these are the best looking and most comfortable seats on the market. My backside can attest to that.

Ahhh, the beautiful round boulders of Indian Cove campground, Joshua Tree, are within sight. Its no surprise that this gorgeous spot is the rock climbing mecca for so many climbers all year round.

I stop in the Joshua Tree Visitors center to get a flavor of the local crowd. The scent of Petchuli works on my nostrils with a 60s bang, but I dont mind, because it starts off the adventure right...being around other fun and nature-loving people. The place sells what else, but a wide array of climbing gear with a Vegan flare.

Met Dusty inside who has a DRZ, as well, back in San Diego. After a nice chat, I pulled out in search of Indian Cove campground.

I scooted past the closed ranger station and the campground full sign to be met by lots of great sites open on a Sunday afternoon despite the gorgeous weather for climbing.

Site #3

Post more tomorrow guys. Time to hit the Big Agnes. finally found an rv campground with wifi. Score.