Prepared for any type of weather

Mike and I are in the final planning stages of a dream trip:  a tour through the Alps on a BMW 1200! We lived in Augsburg, north of Munich, for almost 3 years when we were first married, and we can't wait to go back. We never rode a motorcycle in Germany, although friends of ours rented a bike when they came to visit and of course had a blast. Now it's our turn!

Here at home if the weather forecast is for rain, we stay off the bike. We  have to be prepared for any type of weather on the 12-day tour of the Alps, so we purchased rain gear from Froggtoggs. It's not specific for motorcycles, but it's waterproof and large enough to fit over my motorcycle gear. Plus it packs down into a very small bag, which of course is essential when we have to carry everything with us on the bike.

Here I am modeling the rain pants. Of course they have to be big to fit over my bike pants, which already make me feel somewhat like a sausage. Just wait until you see the full outfit.....

Now I know what my kids felt like when they were little and I dressed them in their snowsuits. When they fell down, they couldn't get back up without help. Hopefully I won't fall down, but I haven't yet tried getting on the bike wearing this stuff. Stay tuned for that story.

You may wonder about the hood. Does it go:

1. under the helmet
2. over the helmet
3. neither

#3 is correct, because the Trek Toad jacket (I am not making this up - that's really the official name. Now I look like a huge magenta toad) is not designed just for those of us fortunate enough to ride motorcycles. The waterproof and breathable material is designed for any type of outdoor activity. I'm just going to hope that I don't have to move very fast or very far when I put this stuff on, because it seriously limits my mobility. At least I'll be dry!

Obviously a woman didn't design this gear, because no female I know wants to look like a magenta toad, even if we're dry while riding through a rainstorm on a motorcyle. A friend of mine always chooses form and style over function and I can't wait to hear her reaction when she sees this outfit!