The narrator remarks that every Chautauqua requires a list of valuable things that can be consulted later. For this reason, he provides a long, categorized enumeration of the materials and provisions necessary for a long motorcycle trip. Surprisingly, this list includes three books: the narrator carries the motorcycle’s manual, a general guide to maintenance, and a copy of Henry David Thoreau’s Walden.The narrator wakes Chris and the Sutherlands up early, and they embark on a bracingly cold ride. When they stop for breakfast, John and Sylvia are upset at the narrator, and they insist on waiting for it to warm up before they continue. The narrator muses that their intolerance of physical discomfort is incompatible with an aversion to technology.At a stop to admire the scenery, Chris complains, asking to leave and camp out. The group decides to camp out that night.