October 3, 2010 - I should be setting off on the journey of a lifetime tomorrow. I'm taking my motorcycle for a solo two week trip around the central United States. It's been a couple of weeks of preparation, but I think that I'm ready. I've had a bunch of people lend me gear and mechanically, I've gone over my bike and I believe everything is in order. I just got finished with an outer belt tour of Columbus an hour ago in the rain and dark with all of my gear packed on to make sure things are ready to go. I'm glad I did it because it showed me some weaknesses in my waterproofing.
My first destination is to visit my uncle in Lafayette, CO. It's about 1200 miles from my house. My plan is to ride 400 miles a day, so I'm hoping to make it on Wednesday but that's not set in stone. That's the beauty of the trip, I can do what I want when I want to.
A friend of mine said to me last week that a motorcycle trip isn't about how much you bring with you, but about how much you leave behind. I have really taken that to heart and it has really become my mantra.
I'm really looking forward to having some time to myself to reflect and just not have a plan.
Here's a couple of links to checklists at the American Motorcycle Association's website that I used to help me prepare:
See you on the open road. Ride on.
