48: Wild Camping, Political Unrest and Modified Bikes

January 22, 2020 Elizabeth Martin

RAW LISTENER QUESTIONS:

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Kevin: I'm looking forward to several multi-week trips over the next year or two and would like to hone my wild camping skills, which are non-existent at this point. I'm having trouble figuring out exactly how someone goes about finding a spot to camp. I live in the Northeast of the US in an urban area where there are no public lands so that contributes to my discomfort as there isn't a place I could find around here for wild camping.

I'll be heading from Boston to the Virginia Horizons Unlimited event this spring and would love to do some wild camping through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia. Mostly to get some comfort with wild camping in order to have it as an option for much longer trips to much farther away places.

So, any advice, instruction, or general knowledge that all can provide would be appreciated. Everyday that I wild camp would be a dollar amount that I can put into the fuel tank or into the bike so would definitely want to grow this skill even if I only use it once in a while.

iOverlander: ioverlander.com

Allstays Camp and RV: allstays.com/apps/camprv.htm

Campendium: campendium.com/free-camping

Fresh off the Grid: .freshoffthegrid.com/how-to-find-free-camping-usa-canada

Ultimate Campgrounds App: ultimatecampgrounds.com

GIAMaps: 4x4 map app but you can use this to find some great spots - gaiagps.com/offroad/\

The Mid Atlantic Backroads Discovery Route: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania - ridebdr.com/mabdr

US National Forest & Grasslands - US Forest Service land: (not National Parks) - fs.usda.gov

Avenza PDF Maps. Free - You can get the USFS maps through this app. The PDF maps show forest roads and dispersed camping areas - avenza.com/avenza-maps

Bureau of Land Management (BLM): Mostly in the west - blm.gov . Dispersed camping blm.gov/programs/recreation/camping

Worried about the legality? stealthcamp.com/stealth-camping-laws

TOPICS:

How to deal with political unrest:

Dealing with political unrest at a local or national level - do you think about it when you enter a country that is known for that sort of thing - how do you deal with it? What would you do?

Should you just buy the motorcycle that is supposed to do the job?

For a long distance overlanding trip, is it worth buying the ADV version of the bike you are looking at, with the thought that the manufacturers know what they are doing? Or should you perhaps save money and make or buy the modifications and adapt anything else along the way?

LINKS:

JIM MARTIN: There are more than 100 fires still burning in Australia, with about 100,000 square km burned and an estimated 1 billion animals lost. And there are a lot of organizations and volunteers working tirelessly to rescue the injured and burnt animals, dropping food for the surviving animals, caring for the rescued, taking care of their wounds, providing safe shelters, supporting them and supplying medication. These animals and their rescuers need our support. Please donate to the Animal Rescue Collective in Brisbane, Australia - by going to their website and clicking on the DONATE NOW! button. Or seek out another organization that is helping the animals affected by the bushfires - there are more out there that need our help - and please give. Every little bit helps!

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SAM MANICOM: Sadly, all of us will be touched by the scourge of cancer at some point in our lives, be it personally or through the suffering of family or friends. The work that McMillan do to support both those suffering, and their families is truly humbling! For the last 9 years, a group of motorcyclists have been completing a variety of marathon rides, dressed as Evel Knievel, in support of McMillan Cancer Care and this link will get you to where you can help them with this worthy task! April 2020 will see the guys arriving on the Isle of Man, capes and all, aiming to complete a 48 hour non stop marathon on the TT circuit! Help them to help your family and friends.
McMillan Cancer Care Fundraiser: justgiving.com/fundraising/manx2020

FINDING WILD CAMPING:

iOverlander: ioverlander.com