One more sleep until we leave.

Well today we rented a U-Haul truck to use for the trip from North Carolina up to Jellico, TN. Originally I thought I'd ride the BMW for this leg of the journey since it handles the highways without any problem. But after putting the knobby tires on, I'd rather save them till we hit some dirt. That's where I'll need those nice fresh tires.

Dave, Rick and I loaded our bikes into the truck easily enough. My 'Supertanker' went in first and at that point Dave and Rick realized that one of the bikes would need to be set up across the back of the truck rather than all three lined up in parallel. The BMW GS is wide with the panniers on (as if it wasn't already). All three bikes seem secure though so no problem.

The nickname 'Supertanker' is actually based on fact. I have enough capacity to travel nearly twice as far as the DRZ 400s that the others are riding. I've brought along a piece of tubing to try in flight refueling when we get bored.

With everything packed I feel like I've started on a roller coaster ride. Can't check or repack anything now. Well maybe I could, but going over to Rick's place where the truck is parked would impose on Rick's wife's birthday. Rick mentioned at lunch that he is trying to leave for this trip on good terms so I'll just stay out of the way rather than have Rick blaming me for any matrimonial problems...

The plan is for Rick to pick up Dave and I in the morning and leave his place by 8am. The front of the U-Haul has 2 1/2 seats so I'm expecting this to be less than fun. Can't wait to get to Jellico ! David Rush is in transit from Dallas TX on his bike already. We'll meet up Thursday night so I wonder what he will be thinking of another 10 or so days on his bike after already doing 3.

Additional photos from today are in the picasa web album.