THE IDEA

Those of you who followed my motor scooter trip from Jacksonville to Los Angeles know that this is just an extension of that foolishness. During that trip while in some hypnotic stupor, I envisioned this trip. Even I didn't think I would ever put it into motion. But things like that just have a way of festering in ones feeble little mind - this compelling unsatisfied urge to REALLY go Coast to Coast, Key West to Homer, Alaska. This would be truly Trans American, from sea to sea. Even thou the idea of this adventure was growing, nothing inside of me was calling me to action. Then came 9-11, 2001. This is a day that grabbed all of our attention and caused most people to do some serious reflection. I kept thinking of how I described my first trip as "The Illusion of Freedom". This "feeling" you get on a trip like this is a mixed bag. Part of the freedom is an illusion, however, what we as Americans have is real freedom. I think the essence the of American culture is this Free Spirit element. The fact that we can dream up crazy ideas and put them into action makes us free. The difference between dreamers and doers is the strength of this Free Spirit nature. The ability to not even consider the constraints, limitations and obstacles. The ability to just say," YES. Lets do it." So, saddle up your motorcycle, ride the wind and be free. You can come back to reality another day.?

So, how do you plan a trip like this? The first activity would be to do the normal, prudent things, like in depth planning. That would be normal for a trip of this magnitude. Normal would be a detailed plan: When, where to start, exactly every road to take, every turn, rest stop with nightly reservations, etc. If that's appealing, I say join a guided tour and be lead around by some social director. My plans say keep it simple. Know where you want to start and where you want to finish. Everything in between is negotiable. Just let the Spirit move you. Was that Yogi Berra that said "when you come to a fork in the road….Take it.” A very wise man.

Now I'm not saying you can't learn from past adventures and add a little wisdom from experience. If you notice under Trip Details my list of articles that I am beginning this trip with, I have included a tire gauge, sunblock45 and a flashlight. I really could have used that flashlight on the last trip and I intended to buy one everyday but would always forget. Notice that I am not taking a change of clothes this trip. A change of clothes was just being way over packed. I found that I could wash out my clothes at night and they would be MOSTLY dry in the morning. After a few minutes on the road, they were dry. When I get into an area where the climate makes a major change, that's where the VISA card comes in handy. I'll just buy whatever I need.