Took BigRed In to get new rubber, rear break pads and a tune up. I can feel this bike is as ready to leave as I am. She is purring.... I can only imagine what it will be like that last week. I'll be bouncing off the walls.
Note to self: Next time plan to end the planning closer to the start of the trip.
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It's starting to dawn on me that this trip is about to happen. I'm starting to feel a little of the nerves that come with the anticipation of being only a month away from leaving on a great adventure. My mind is whirring with mental reviews of plans and thoughts of long lonely pieces of blacktop and the excitement of seeing all the new and exciting places.
I find myself thinking of hypothetic plan B's. The what ifs, of what the weather might be like. Where do I go if the weather gets severe? The thoughts about being away from home for 8-10 weeks and not sleeping in my own bed. Like all challenges, there will be parts of this trip that won't be easy, but I think that if it was easy, everyone would do it. With all that, I also think about all the wonderful things I'll get to see. Places I've only read about. Seeing 3 Oceans (Pacific, Gulf and Atlantic) in one trip. Presidential Birthplaces and Cemeteries. Civil War Battlefields, the National Capitol, The WWII and VietNam Memorials. Eating all kinds of regional foods. Southwestern, Cajun, Southern and Maine Lobster in Maine. The people I will meet. Some face to face for the first time. Co-workers and Internet forum members who have all opened up their homes if I happen to pass their way. All I can say now is "WOW!!!!" Its so close. Watching the news of all the tornado's in the SouthEast and MidWest has been a little unnerving. With T-minus 44 days and counting I keep hoping that the last few days of storms are the apex of the tornado Season. Of course the Weather Channel has assured me that Tornado Season is just starting and in fact is early this year.. WONDERFUL!!!!.....
I've got to think and get in the mindset, that my route will get modified by weather more than curiosity. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of rain gear and I expect to get rained on. Tornado's are another issue. I keep hearing people tell me that they fear Earthquakes. Let me tell you I'll take a 6-7 point earthquake every 10-20 years over the yearly migration of F-4's searching out mobile homes to distroy, any day.... There was a time when 4/15/2012 seemed so far away. So many days to plan and pack and contemplate what the adventure would be like. Now, with 45 days to go, it's like seeing the first morning light on the horizon realizing that the Sun is just about ready to light up the day.
With only a few minor things left to do before it starts, time seems to have slowed down. Days now are starting to drag and my anticipation level grows higher. The only concerns I have now, are the ones I've always had. Weather!!! Leaving mid April and riding the South and SouthEast during tornado season has always worried me. I have a nice collection of rain and waterproof gear, still, its the severe storms that plague my mind. I remember in May of last year, riding back from Durango, Co, listening to the news about the tornado's in Joplin, Mo and Tallahassee, Fl. and hoping then for a calmer spring in 2012. The weather will be what it will be, and I have some gadgets that should help in staying out of trouble. My GPS with XM-weather and Traffic should help to keep me posted as the trip progresses and help me avoid riding into something dangerous. The fact that I don't have a timeline to go by should also help if I have to hole up someplace until the weather clears is a comfort. That all being said, I'm excited like a kid waiting patiently for Santa Claus to arrive. I wonder what that day will be like. So far I wouldn't change a thing. |
AuthorTim Stubbe AKA Archives
June 2013
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