Friday, May 30, 2008

Update

Even though it has been a while since I have posted here, things have been moving along nicely in my planning. I have ordered so many things on line that I now have my credit card number, expiration date and three digit verification code memorized. Among my purchases are a new mesh riding suit for hot weather riding, new riding boots, a new camera with tripod, new storage bags, and evaporative cooling vest, new riding gloves, special sleeping gear even though I am planning on staying in motels, a small, high efficiency cooler and numerous small gizmos and gadgets. I have been loading audio books on my iPod and mini disc player and I have been to AAA three times for maps. I have an appointment to take the bike into the dealership next week for new tires and maintenance to make sure everything is in good working order. I even printed up “business cards” with a copy of the route, my blog site and my email address.

My major challenge now is to pack everything to fit on the bike. This is not as easy as just throwing it in the trunk of a car or back of an SUV. I have to think about keeping things dry as well as packing efficiently.

I am planning on starting the trip after work on Friday, June 13th and riding to Homestead, Florida that evening, visiting the two national parks within 30 miles of there the next day and heading north. After Florida, the first National Park I encounter is Smokey Mountains. I have several friends and clients in that area I would like to visit before heading to Shenandoah National Park and then Washington, DC. After DC it’s on to Acadia National Park in Maine and then down to Northern Ohio and Cuyahoga National Park. My next stop will be Brookville Indiana, the small town I grew up in. They will be celebrating their Bicentennial this year and I planned my trip to be there during the high point of the Celebration. In Brookville I will be visiting with family and friends and enjoying my favorite fried chicken anywhere.

I am very much looking forward to the journey, but I also know the challenges I face. Riding the desert in the summer, rain, wind, boredom, potential mechanical problems, finding places to stay in the evenings, and road closings and construction are just a few. With each challenge comes an opportunity to learn and an experience to remember. In typical accountant fashion I have designed a spreadsheet to estimate the dates I will be at all of my stops. I have designed it so that if I change my daily average mileage, the dates will be revised. My conservative estimate is that I will average 350 miles per day. This should be easy to do if there are no obstacles to keep me from riding every day. This will not happen. I am certain there will be days I can’t ride for one reason or another. I also think on many days I will be able to ride 500 to 600 miles. Hopefully these will average out.

Join me on my journey and feel free to post your comments and thoughts here. One of my partners gave me a quote that I plan on being my theme. “If you aren’t living on the edge you are taking up too much space.”