Well my last two trips haven’t been huge successes. I never made it to Vermont, or even the Adirondacks for that matter. My trip to Lost Nations wasn’t exactly a failure, but certainly could of ended better. For anyone that hasn’t figured this out yet… I’m pretty new to this, and really don’t know what I’m doing 🙂
I’m not new to riding. I actually started riding from the time I was able to balance on two wheels. My father bought me a mini bike at an early age, and I started riding geared motorcycles at around 12 or 13 years of age. My first motorcycle was a small 60cc Yamaha JT1 enduro. God I loved that bike. I rode it from the time I woke up till the time I went to bed. The only time my parents could get me off the damn thing was for lunch or dinner.
The Yamaha in the Youtube video isn’t mine, but my first bike was just like it only a little banged up and no lights. God I loved that bike!
Several bikes have come and gone since those days. Around the age of 17 I gave up trail bikes for street bikes. My favorite bike was a Suzuki GS750E. God that bike was fast. A freind built it for the drag strip, and I was crazy enough to buy it off him and run it on the street! Those were the days. I currently have two bikes, a 2003 Honda Shadow VT750 and a CSC TT250.
I got married in my mid twenties and moved to Las Vegas. I was pretty excited about living in a year round riding climate. Driving in that town was crazy though. About a week after I moved there, I was waiting for my wife outside an eyeglass store. I was smoking a cigarette outside the shop, and talking to an old biker who walked with a cane and looked like he was in pretty rough shape. He brought up something about his accident, and when I asked him what happened he said, “Oh, I moved here! A week after I got here I got sandwiched between two taxis, never been right since. That was three years ago!”
I took it as an omen, and decided to try and go without a bike for a little while. I had to admit, people drive like crazy in that town, and I already had my reservations about it.
I moved back to Buffalo NY about 15 years ago. I never really thought about getting another motorcycle. After a 15 year break,a divorce, and a possible mid life crisis, I decided I wanted another bike. I picked up a Honda Shadow 750 cruiser. The more I rode it, the more I remembered how much I loved riding. Small trips around the city weren’t enough anymore. I began to take long rides out in the countryside. As a young man I dreamed of riding around the country. Easy Rider was one of my favorite movies growing up. The thought of riding cross country had become a forgotten dream. Now at almost fifty years of age, the dream has reawakened inside me. I realized that if I don’t pull this off in the next 5 years, chances are it’s not going to happen. My body just wont be able to take it.
So, I’m not new to riding. I’ve done my fair share of traveling too. However, living off the back of a motorcycle with a tent and backpack full of gear is pretty new to me. As a matter of fact, up till this point, my idea of camping was to grab 10 of your buddies, a 1/4 keg of beer and a cooler full of hot dogs and hamburgers. Throw some magic mushrooms into the mix and whatever happens, happens. I also spent a lot of time traveling around the US in the 1990’s going to raves and music festivals, seeing the world through psychedelic bloodshot eyes. LOL I honestly think that nurtured the traveling bug. The more I did it, the more I wanted to see and the further I wanted to go.
Obviously with this limited camping experience, I had a lot to learn. This summer was more of a test run to see if this is something I could do, or even really wanted to do. After my first couple mini trips I realized it definitely is. I now spend a lot of time learning about backpacking, and basic survival. I’ll be posting about a lot of what I learned over the winter months. Each trip gets a little better and I learn a little more each time out.
Next summer I plan on hitting a bunch of places along the east coast. Each time going a little further. When I finally think I have this stuff mastered I’m planning on riding cross country, camping, and living off the back of my motorcycle.The plan is Buffalo NY through the Rockies, San Francisco, along the Pacific Coast Highway to Los Angeles, through Death Valley, Las Vegas, then Moab UT, and back home. I plan on trying to pack this all into a one month trip with a little sight seeing along the way
So I started a blog partially to document my travels. Partially to share my experience with freinds and family and partially for the lolz.
Lets face it. I’m no Daniel Boone. I’m learning as I go. Mistakes will be made and I’m sure some of these failures will be absolutely hysterical! Regardless, I’m sure the journey will be full of fun and laughter. Thanks for joining me on this long strange trip! Till the next adventure,safe travels and cheers from The Motorcycle Dude!