More Detail in My Planning Process

I was thinking some people would like more detail in how I planned for this trip. I took a lot of time sitting at the computer researching stops and routes. First, I picked the main places I wanted to stop, like Yellowstone. I put that location in Google Maps to get a basic route. I then searched for gas stops along that route, trying to ensure that they were no more than 100 miles between each one. I then took those addresses and put them into a spreadsheet with notes at the stops. I made a spreadsheet for the full trip along with tabs for each day. That spreadsheet had the price of the hotel along with estimate for gas use and cost based on average mpg and price. I actually did closer to 60 mpg on the trip, I picked 40 just to be conservative. This helped me plan my cost, how much milage I would put on the bike and how much time I would be in the saddle. I included the sheet below. The route did differ from this sheet because this was just to get me started on the plan, but you can see the detail I went into for planning.

I made spreadsheets for everyday of the trip also. Those sheets had the actual address of every stop including gas stations. I used those spread sheets to make a printable map for every day using Google MyMaps. I wanted to print them up in case I lost GPS signal and cell signal, just to make sure I don't get lost in the middle of nowhere. When it came to picking hotels, I picked the hotel group that gave me the most points in the fewest stays. that way I was able to earn free nights during my trip. Maybe eventually I will learn how to camp.

The final step was prepping the bike, my gear and myself. I made a few big purchases for this trip. First, I bought an adventure style motorcycle jacket and a quieter helmet. I needed to ensure I would be comfortable considering how long I was going to be riding. I also purchased a motorcycle specific Garmin GPS, it is the Zumo XT. That thing is great, it shows traffic and weather. It warns you about sharp curves coming up and you can select adventurous routing or boring highway. It warns you when your fuel is low and helps find the nearest fuel stop. Which it was wrong about on three occasions, it directed me to gas stations that were no longer there. Which is why I was glad I packed extra fuel, lol. I also purchased a Garmin inReach mini, it's a satellite communication device. It allows you to send and receive text messages and alert authorities in an emergency if needed. I had it programmed to message my family and friends when I left the hotel in the morning and when I stopped riding for the night. It also shared my location every ten minutes to a map I shared with them, so they always knew where I was. I checked the bike from front tire to rear. I checked every bolt, wire connection and moving part that I could. I took it in to the dealer the week before my departure day to get the oil changed and have them check everything just to ensure I wouldn't have any problems. They gave me a big thumbs up and told me to enjoy my trip. Well let's just say I wish they were a little more thorough in their inspection considering I told them the milage I was going to be doing. I took a few long rides and one overnight trip to test my setup and my body for the long journey. My Mackinac trip was one of those. It was good at helping finalize my loading of the bike and fixing the audio issue I encountered with my camera.