Wanderings and Musings

“My Great American Journey” is a bit of an presumptuous title for an article, but it fits fairly well with the journey I’m about to undertake. I’m leaving home June 2nd and the road becomes my new home for a while.

First a little back story: I fell in love with the Suzuki Hayabusa a few years back and knew I had to have one for my very own. (”I’d love him and squeeze him and call him george.” for the Bugs Bunny fan in all of us) Even back then while I was just dreaming, I was imagining taking a trip on my motorcycle around the United States; Exploring the country, seeing places and things I had only read about, meeting people from all over…. Ever since that moment, that dream trip has been in the back of my mind, simmering, waiting to become reality. And that moment of reality is now quickly approaching.

In January, I formally left my Software Engineering position at a local company to pursue my dreams of seeing the world. I’d accumulated some money and figured if I lived frugally that I could spend around 6 months traveling. Off I flew to Belize, Costa Rica, Florida, Thailand, and a camping trip to Yosemite with my daughters. But there was still this dream trip kicking around my thoughts…

One thing I’ve learned after owning my bike for 3+ years is that I just love being on motorcycles! I can’t seem to get enough. Even when my body is tired and aching I still want more. I mean there aren’t many other riders that I know of who have spent 14 hours in the saddle with stops only for gas and bathroom breaks, going just under 1100 miles all in the name of fun.

And yes, if you calculate the above numbers out… I was exceeding the speed limit for a little while during that trip…

But a journey of 12 thousand miles in about 5-6 weeks? That seems a bit on the masochist side of things even for me. Which I guess it is in a sense. It’s an opportunity to push myself. To really see how far I can go outside of my comfort zone both in riding that much, and in having to live extremely simply for that amount of time too. I mean think about how much “stuff” you can take on a sport bike… not much. I’m going to be limited to a small amount of personal gear (See my posts Travel Lightly Part 1 and Part 2), a small amount of camping gear (Ultralight Camping Gear), and some basic food and water supplies.

I’ll be sleeping at camping sites I locate, or maybe even just along the side of some road if need be, but I’ll also be attempting to do more CouchSurfing on this trip. Allow me to digress a bit and tell you about the wonderful world of CouchSurfing. Other travelers or like minded people put up their couch or extra bed to similar travelers. It’s not about getting a free place to sleep for the night, it’s about meeting and connecting with other people in this world and experiencing life for a moment from their point of view. My first CouchSurfing experience was in Costa Rica where I stayed with three different hosts and all were outstanding people. I then attempted to CouchSurf in Thailand, but didn’t have any luck finding a host on short notice, but was able to meet up with fellow members and spend some time with them. It is a really fantastic way to travel. You’re not sequestered away in your small hotel room, wondering what stuff you’re missing, but have the opportunity to make connections with interesting people and they may help you find local treasures that you would have never found on your own. End digression

You might be asking where will I be going? Well both to help myself plan what I’d like to do/see, and to help others who are curious to see my route, I’ve created a personal Google Map (click here or on the image below to see it) that shows the current route and some of the destinations I hope to see. You can zoom in and really get a good view if you want.

My plan is to also update the map as I am on my journey to include photos and tidbits, along with writing about those adventures and photos here on this site. This will be another test of sorts. Can I journal every day and strive to make each day so exciting for me that reading about it will bring you back for more and more? I also hope that by me striking out on a path that some would consider a bit out there, that you will question the path your life is on… are you living the life that you truly want to live?

This is an evolving plan. So maybe you can help me!!

What I’d like from you the reader:

• Suggestions on great places to see that I may be missing.
• Suggestions on route changes for the best experiences.
• Let me know if you ride, and would like to join me for part of the journey, just the day, or show me a great local route.
• Let me know if I’m passing through your area and you would like to extend your home to me for a good nights rest or a meal. Keeping in mind that pinning it down to an exact date will be progressively harder the farther out on the trip I get.

My email is wanderingsandmusings@gmail.com so please contact me there or by comment below if you have any thoughts or suggestions or would like to help me out on my journey.

All my best to everyone out there!!

Tags: Motorcycles, Travel