July 25 & 26, 2018
I'm going to be busy for most of Friday, which is why I've been hustling to get things done. I have ticked a few more items off the list. I'm pleased that it's now quite short!
Hydration
I could probably get away with just buying a bottle or two of water along the way, but in review of the weather, I’ve decided that it will be a good thing to add some auxiliary water reserves on the bike.
Coleman 1 gallon water jug will be strapped onto the rear seat backrest, with a water line that I can attach a bite-valve to. “Redneck Engineering” at it’s finest. Nearly completed...cool; pictures!
I need to see if we have anything around here to use as insulation for this tube. The wire loom I have on the line right now (that I took a photo of...) isn't enough to do the job. I've got a retractable lanyard to put on the tube once I have it assembled.
Documentation
This whole ride is to get a certificate and a couple of trinkets proving that I’ve done this. The requirements to prove this have been explained in prior blog entries.
In another online conversation with those who have gone before me mentioned, the time-suck that is the administrative part of this ride can be daunting. Back in the day, it used to be!
For many years, there was a written log of all of the pertinent data (where, when, how much gas, etc.) needed for each and every stop made. You, the rider, completed this. Imagine the amount of time that it would take to fill this out while the ride is progressing. Some wise person then decided as a backup, taking a photo of the receipt with a decent digital camera would be good. The image needs to be readable in the event the original receipt is damaged or lost. Nearly every camera today has this capability.
Lastly, stop times lasting longer than ten minutes need to be accounted for if there’s no receipt capable. So, let’s say one needs a break, and it takes 15 minutes. A simple entry in the log documents this.
One might ask, why d’ya need to do all of this? Well, one of the tenets of the Association is that it’s the rider that has to prove they have done the ride. With satisfactory proof (and the magic behind the curtain with the certification team) a ride is then validated.
Recently, there have been improvements made to these processes that are meant to simplify some of these requirements. Some are for any rider to use, but some are for those that have already done one ride *or* are Premier members in the Association.
In a ride this complex, redundant systems are crucial. Two could turn into one with a failure, but one failure turns into zero - and you’re screwed! Solution? Multiple systems.
When the photo is taken of the receipt (see my page where I described my clipboard hack) and the odometer, per Association requirements, now how to store it?.
I’m not certain who I lifted this ingenious idea from...but it was in one of the many, many ride reports I’ve digested - here it is.
A small inexpensive photo album will retain the receipts. My wrinkle to this is I’ve added a contrasting-color backing to each folder, which contains the state and the ‘sequence number’.
In my planning, I’ve derived a value which equals the unique state number I’m in. As an example, in Nevada I must make two stops to get thru the Silver State on day one. Thus, these are stops 03 & 03a. Montana has four stops, 08, 08a, 08b, 08c. It’s a little more complex when you have to go back into a state a second time, but you get the idea.
It’s obvious to the viewer that the contrasting color makes it a cinch to verify the receipt is in the album. In order for it to go into the album, it has to be verified - location, date, time. That should be done *prior* to the photo being taken. If needed, a duplicate can be printed (I’m looking at you, Love’s!) with all of the correct detail on the receipt.
Yes, you’re using up another minute or so at each stop, but that will be time at the end of the day those tasks can be greatly simplified.
My planning also provided for log sheets that are mostly pre-printed. All I have to do is to verify I’m at the place I chose and document elapsed time stopped. A couple of other checks I've added to help me remember things to do at every stop. Finally, any written notes or deviations (place X changed to Y) can also be put on these sheets.
GoPro
I'm gonna try once again to record this event - again, as a series of still images. Interestingly, the trip in the spring I was able to record things fine. As I started feeling like crap was when I think I gave up the brain power needed to keep this going, and focused on keeping myself going.
I *know* I have but one shot at this, so getting up to 20,000 (one every 30 seconds) pictures as part of the story would be a big deal.
That's it for now. There may only be a final pre-ride blog entry, the day before I start. Thanks for reading along.
I'm going to be busy for most of Friday, which is why I've been hustling to get things done. I have ticked a few more items off the list. I'm pleased that it's now quite short!
Hydration
I could probably get away with just buying a bottle or two of water along the way, but in review of the weather, I’ve decided that it will be a good thing to add some auxiliary water reserves on the bike.
Coleman 1 gallon water jug will be strapped onto the rear seat backrest, with a water line that I can attach a bite-valve to. “Redneck Engineering” at it’s finest. Nearly completed...cool; pictures!
When I sit in the seat, the jug bottom just hits the seat. It mainly held by the two straps that I found, while searching for another component of this trip - the lanyard.
I need to see if we have anything around here to use as insulation for this tube. The wire loom I have on the line right now (that I took a photo of...) isn't enough to do the job. I've got a retractable lanyard to put on the tube once I have it assembled.
Documentation
This whole ride is to get a certificate and a couple of trinkets proving that I’ve done this. The requirements to prove this have been explained in prior blog entries.
In another online conversation with those who have gone before me mentioned, the time-suck that is the administrative part of this ride can be daunting. Back in the day, it used to be!
For many years, there was a written log of all of the pertinent data (where, when, how much gas, etc.) needed for each and every stop made. You, the rider, completed this. Imagine the amount of time that it would take to fill this out while the ride is progressing. Some wise person then decided as a backup, taking a photo of the receipt with a decent digital camera would be good. The image needs to be readable in the event the original receipt is damaged or lost. Nearly every camera today has this capability.
Lastly, stop times lasting longer than ten minutes need to be accounted for if there’s no receipt capable. So, let’s say one needs a break, and it takes 15 minutes. A simple entry in the log documents this.
One might ask, why d’ya need to do all of this? Well, one of the tenets of the Association is that it’s the rider that has to prove they have done the ride. With satisfactory proof (and the magic behind the curtain with the certification team) a ride is then validated.
Recently, there have been improvements made to these processes that are meant to simplify some of these requirements. Some are for any rider to use, but some are for those that have already done one ride *or* are Premier members in the Association.
In a ride this complex, redundant systems are crucial. Two could turn into one with a failure, but one failure turns into zero - and you’re screwed! Solution? Multiple systems.
When the photo is taken of the receipt (see my page where I described my clipboard hack) and the odometer, per Association requirements, now how to store it?.
I’m not certain who I lifted this ingenious idea from...but it was in one of the many, many ride reports I’ve digested - here it is.
A small inexpensive photo album will retain the receipts. My wrinkle to this is I’ve added a contrasting-color backing to each folder, which contains the state and the ‘sequence number’.
In my planning, I’ve derived a value which equals the unique state number I’m in. As an example, in Nevada I must make two stops to get thru the Silver State on day one. Thus, these are stops 03 & 03a. Montana has four stops, 08, 08a, 08b, 08c. It’s a little more complex when you have to go back into a state a second time, but you get the idea.
 |
| Sadly, this receipt does *not* count toward the 48 more I need to complete this ride. |
It’s obvious to the viewer that the contrasting color makes it a cinch to verify the receipt is in the album. In order for it to go into the album, it has to be verified - location, date, time. That should be done *prior* to the photo being taken. If needed, a duplicate can be printed (I’m looking at you, Love’s!) with all of the correct detail on the receipt.
Yes, you’re using up another minute or so at each stop, but that will be time at the end of the day those tasks can be greatly simplified.
My planning also provided for log sheets that are mostly pre-printed. All I have to do is to verify I’m at the place I chose and document elapsed time stopped. A couple of other checks I've added to help me remember things to do at every stop. Finally, any written notes or deviations (place X changed to Y) can also be put on these sheets.
GoPro
I'm gonna try once again to record this event - again, as a series of still images. Interestingly, the trip in the spring I was able to record things fine. As I started feeling like crap was when I think I gave up the brain power needed to keep this going, and focused on keeping myself going.
I *know* I have but one shot at this, so getting up to 20,000 (one every 30 seconds) pictures as part of the story would be a big deal.
That's it for now. There may only be a final pre-ride blog entry, the day before I start. Thanks for reading along.
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