If you’ve been following me on twitter, you know that I spent this past weekend up in Washington at an all-women’s adventure riding camp organized by Puget Sound Safety Off-Road.
PSSOR offers adventure riding camps a few times a year, and they’re co-ed, which, being a motorcycle event, usually means a sausage fest. Hey, it’s the truth and you know it. Anyway, the women’s only camp was instigated by a couple of gals on ADVRider, both of which I happened to meet last year at an ADV event. The first announcement about this one-time-only camp was way back in February, and the idea of attending this thing felt like an impossible dream as I had just blown a sizable chunk of cash on SV650 part deux. But thanks to the miracle known as the credit card, I made it happen.
The camp itself was a two-day event on Saturday and Sunday, but the grounds opened a day early and closed a day later due to most of the participants traveling great distances (Oregon, California, BC, Alaska) to get there. I planned to take Friday and the following Monday off from work so I could ride up on Friday and back on Monday.
But first, I had to pack.
Yes, the packing post-it note really exists! Not only did I have to pack for solo camping, I had to bring my dirt helmet and my mesh jacket. Still, I managed to make it work.
Just before departure:
Due to some prior social commitments, I wasn’t able to pack until Friday morning. I finally rolled out of town around 11:30 am, but I wasn’t in much of a hurry because the camp gates weren’t going to open until after 4pm.
I chose to slab it up I-5 until I reached Centralia, WA. Then I took state routes through Yelm and up to Roy, where the camp was located. I was one of the first few to arrive, so I pitched my tent and waited for the others until it was time to head to the meet-and-greet dinner planned for that evening.
Dinner is served:
We filled two big tables between the gals enrolled in the course, the camp staff, and other ADV folks who showed up for the meet-up.
After a nice walk back to camp to work off the hearty vittles, we gathered around the campfire for the most important part of a women’s gathering: the wine and chocolate!
I headed to my tent shortly after 10pm so I could get a good night’s rest before the next day’s excitement. Here’s a sneak peek:
The Latest
Recent Comments
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Is the camp dedicated to off-road training and events and were there other things going on at the same time? Seems to be a really nice set up. And, nice list. I tend to bring too much junk. What did you use to contain everything tied on top (tent, sleeping bag, thermarest, helmet, etc.)? What other things are packed and not listed like tools, spare parts, rain gear?
Thank you for sharing your adventure. I’m looking forward to the next post.
Is that a tablet computer in your tank bag? I couldn’t tell what was going on. An iPad? I mean, that’s brilliant. Looks like you had a blast.
@RichardM: You camp on-site, and spend two days doing on-bike training exercises with a few off-road related workshops in between. It’s not a rally or whatever.
The tent was strapped to the bike on its own since it has its own storage bag. My sleeping bag, air mattress, dirt helmet, camp chair, jacket, etc were all in the big red dry bag you see in the picture.
My riding gear is GoreTex, so rain gear is unnecessary. A basic tool roll is in one of the saddlebags. Spare parts? Geez, what do you think I’m doing, riding to Afghanistan?
I only bring the bare minimum in tools. Everything else can be fixed with a credit card.
@David: No, but that would be awesome! The lid of the tank bag has a large clear pocket you can slide maps and papers in to. I used to carry a netbook, but I’ve been leaving it at home now that I have an android phone.
I am so jealous! And so looking forward to hearing all about it! So, was the women only camp a one time deal? That sucks. I was already making mental notes and plans for the next one.
@Allaina: Don’t despair! Based on the turnout, the sheer amount of awesome fun everyone had, and the lengthy waiting list, there’s a good chance that this will become a semi-regular event.
Afghanistan? Maybe not. I think since I do just about all the care and feeding of my old bike, the concept of paying someone else do repairs never even entered my mind. I even carry spares for running around Fairbanks and make a point of using the bike toolkit to do all repairs or maintenance.
Weird behavior…
@RichardM: There’s no right answer here. Personally, I know the limits of my mechanical expertise. I know I won’t be able to fix the vast majority of issues that could possibly happen to my SV, so I carry the tools to cover the things I can fix. It doesn’t add up to much, alas.
Way to go, Miz Bolty!
I’ve been cheating a bit and reading the thread for a while. It looks like everyone really had a great time and came away with a lot of knowledge for their back pocket. Looking forward to the rest of your adventure unfolding here!