...and so it began.
Why?
In reality this trip is rooted in a decision I made thirty years ago, where I passed up an opportunity to travel for a job I wanted. Something I have regretted, not travelling had become the itch I could not scratch.
Life being what it is, thirty years, five kids, a few mortgages, and a divorce have all come and gone. I now find myself in a position to be able to travel, time and finances are covered.
I am doing it because I can...
I have a rough timetable based on the weather, start south and head north!
Peppered with some events at certain times. Remember that events can be tourist attractions too. For example, at the start of May I shall be whooping it up with the good ol boys watching NASCAR at Talladega, then at the end of May I will be finding myself in Indianapolis. watching the 500. Now there will be two and a half weeks for me to make the 550 odd miles between the two events, and I will have all that time to poke around that general area. I will fine tune the details between these "events" as I get closer to them and get some local knowledge on roads, attractions and places to stay. It is a sort of half way between a "wing it" and a "set itinerary".
I want to do the ride up to Alaska and back during the small weather window in the summer there. The trip from Seattle to Anchorage is around 2,500 miles, I have allowed myself 10 days up and 10 days back, I am not going to bust a gut getting there or back, on 600 mile days you don't get to see much. In calculating times and distance I have worked on averaging around 50 mph while travelling. This might sound low, but it is a pretty realistic figure, remember I will try and avoid the super slabs as much as possible. Six hours in the saddle is a fair days ride, and by my math, it is around 300 miles. I think my 10 days is fairly realistic.
Ok, the bike...
A Bonnie. About the bike, I know it is sentimental clap trap, and there are much better bikes to do it on but it sort of has to be a Bonnie, it just wouldn't be right otherwise. I will be towing a small cargo trailer behind the bike. I would rather tow 200 lbs behind me than strap a hundred on the bike and wrestle it around. I have been through the trailer versus put it on the bike argument too many times to go through it again, it is set in stone, I am getting the trailer. The sheer convenience of it is hard to ignore, if I am travelling to a destination and there is a nice two hour twisty ride on the way, just find a secure spot for the trailer, unhook it off the bike and go ride the twisties unencumbered. Return and put it back on, and you are ready to roll again in two minutes.
I am still at least a fortnight away from flying out, have to pack up my house and tie up all my loose ends.
Getting excited though.
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