Prepping For The Outdoor Season 3

This summer will mark the second annual Vital MX Summer Tour, and it feels like I'm a little more prepared this time around. Last summer's prep went something like this...

1. Buy a trailer.


2. Throw in a toolbox, camera bag, backpack with laptop, some clothes, and hit the road.


3. Plan on buying whatever else was needed along the way.

I'd had little experience towing a trailer, and none in living in it for an extended period of time. It proved to be a cool adventure, and of course, I wanted to do it again this summer. Anyway, I'll use this space to drop in some tidbits about the summer, and will leave most of the moto-related stuff to the homepage.

This year I actually had some time to work on prep like getting the Vital MX Toyota Tacoma tow rig serviced and ready for duty (replace and service the front brakes, do a coolant flush, transmission service, and tuneup, as well as an oil change and differential service).

The adventure on that one was dropping off the truck at a dealership in Corona, and figuring that I'd just walk back to where the trailer was parked in preparation for leaving. I'd get in a little exercise, do some work, and then walk back in time to pick it up. Once I got back within sight of the trailer, I realized that...oops, in the hurry for the service advisor to get the truck in the shop, I'd forgotten to take the ignition key off the keyring, and didn't have a way back into the trailer. That also meant that I had a couple mile walk back to the dealership. About that time I also remembered a cool feature on the iPhone's Maps app, where you can map your directions, but also pick whether you're driving, walking, or using public transportation. I plugged in my start point, destination, and hit the bus icon...voila. It showed me the nearest bus stop, the schedule, and how much the fare would be.

For those of you used to using public transportation (or actually living somewhere that public tranportation is practical...So. Cal. isn't that place), this may not be that big a deal. For everyone else, it's pretty cool.