cross country..

T

ttbonnie

Guest
getting restless, and thinking of touring the states for a couple of months.. gotta do some soul searching.. or pub searching.. whichever comes first.. i am thinking of every capital.. any one ever do it?? i am even entertaining the idea of 1 week at a time 48 states.. 48 weeks, or something of the like.. sounds interesting.. not independently wealthy so itd be a blue collar tour for sure..
and yes indeed all the way on my bonneville ;)
cheers tt..
 
Keith Harding

Keith Harding

Two Stroke
TT,
Do it mate - this sort of opprtunity doesn't come around every day.
And it sounds like a great excuse for a 'Bonnie around the USA' blog.
 
Flaco

Flaco

750cc
This blog will light your fire!
I'll link to the first Bonnie X-country ride but check the rest of his stuff!
This cat knows his sh_t..
http://nygumbo.com/
Start w/ "cross country 2008" on his blog, then continue!
Enjoy and do it!
(Don't do it on a bent rim!)
Allin
 
S

simpson

TT Racer
Do it.

Plan it, but not too much.

But do it.

Warm bed, cold beer, garage, and tools in Hickory, NC.

-simpson
 
jays06scrambler

jays06scrambler

Scooter
When I was a kid there was a show called "Then Came Bronson" were a guy took off and rode around America on a Sportster.In the opening credits Bronson pulls next to a station wagon with some working stiff on his way home from work.The guy ask Bronson where is he heading to ? Bronson basically replies to where ever he ends up...the guy in the wagon tells him "man I wish I was you." Reading what you are planning I feel like the guy in the wagon. I hope you go on the trip,it sounds like the experience of a lifetime. I always planned a bike ride across America keeeping off the interstates as much as possible,never got to do it,so I say go for it!
 
KingBear

KingBear

Hooligan
I agree with motomaniac. Adventures are not something you can plan, they just happen. You could plan out an awesome ride on a map and end up experiencing nothing but a sore butt and a broken down bike. Or, you could just point your bike, start riding, and have the time of your life. I would avoid the highways and stick to the roads, the more remote the better. And technology is your friend - a Garmin or smart phone allows you to get lost without being truly lost.

However, if you really want to get ideas from a map you might consider this one...
Breweries of the United States
 
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KingBear

KingBear

Hooligan
So this thread, combined with a glorious weather outlook, is giving me the itch to set out for a nice little road trip. Nothing major, three days and two nights. A couple changes of socks and skivvies, toothbrush, and some Marriott certificates (my wife has worked as an accountant at their headquarters for 25 years, my stays are virtually free), and I could just go.

Now all I need is a kitchen pass from the aforementioned wife. Hmmmmm :chin:
 
S

SleazyRider

Scooter
My recipe ...

Read "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon, and "Travels with Charley" by Steinbeck. Avoid Interstates; avoid state capitols with the exception of Helena, Montana, which is beautiful; avoid fast-food, choosing instead mom and pop restaurants. Travel alone, camping out every night and showering at public campgrounds or truck stops.

Be sure to see Bodie, CA; Needles Highway in South Dakota; State Highway 200 in North Dakota; Route 66 in Arizona and New Mexico; Going to the Sun Road in Glacier Nat'l Park; Devil's Tower, Wyoming; Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska; the Natchez Trace; Route 50 through Utah and points east ... gosh, I could go on!

You are in for a real treat, my friend. You'll never regret going, but someday you may regret not going. So go with confidence!
 
T

ttbonnie

Guest
On the way home tonight I was thinking about it more.. may not kick off till March.. might sell everything I own and just roll... Two lanes the whole way .. I am a classicaly trained chef and spent an ass load of time as an hvac technician.. a few years ago my military service ended a marriage (1st) and i rushed into a second one that has destroyed my heart and soul.. I am seriously debating between the foreign legion and this.. I ride very carelessly now .. often finding myself between semi's and cars not on purposs but just how it seems to roll.. its a pain that I rather not have but the soldier in me keeps me moving forward .. if you haven't lived it I don't expect you to understand .. I rather have returned to my children in a box than this fate I've suffered.. my statement on soul searching is ligit.. any soldier here can tell you that without a mission you feel useless.. I goto work and I perform well.. I give 100% .. after that i am alone in my thoughts .. I give a piss about the wopman that caused this..0It's the mental anguish and the dimly lit tunnel that fucks with me.. every one here knows the freedom and joy only two wheels can bring.. and my brother reminds me again and again that the reason there is no reverse on a motorcycle is because what's done is done, no turning back.. no regretes two wheels forever.. a novel concept. But just hard to swallow when my mind is crisp.
I really don't know what roads lay ahead of me. And its been fucking with me hard and one solution is to hit it head on... Assault through the objective and see where I stand when i come out.. it was a long day today and i have had a few to loosen my grip..
It beats being on the other side of the grass..
Cheers tt..
 
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KingBear

KingBear

Hooligan
TT, I Have been where you are and it's a tough, lonely place to be. I will stop short of preaching or giving advice because I know that, no matter how well intentioned it may be, it won't help. I can only say that things will get better if you hang in there and don't let the demons inside take over.

Best of luck to you.
 
dustinsleeping

dustinsleeping

Scooter
ttbonnie said:
On the way home tonight I was thinking about it more.. may not kick off till March.. might sell everything I own and just roll... Two lanes the whole way .. I am a classicaly trained chef and spent an ass load of time as an hvac technician.. a few years ago my military service ended a marriage (1st) and i rushed into a second one that has destroyed my heart and soul.. I am seriously debating between the foreign legion and this.. I ride very carelessly now .. often finding myself between semi's and cars not on purposs but just how it seems to roll.. its a pain that I rather not have but the soldier in me keeps me moving forward .. if you haven't lived it I don't expect you to understand .. I rather have returned to my children in a box than this fate I've suffered.. my statement on soul searching is ligit.. any soldier here can tell you that without a mission you feel useless.. I goto work and I perform well.. I give 100% .. after that i am alone in my thoughts .. I give a piss about the wopman that caused this..0It's the mental anguish and the dimly lit tunnel that fucks with me.. every one here knows the freedom and joy only two wheels can bring.. and my brother reminds me again and again that the reason there is no reverse on a motorcycle is because what's done is done, no turning back.. no regretes two wheels forever.. a novel concept. But just hard to swallow when my mind is crisp.
I really don't know what roads lay ahead of me. And its been fucking with me hard and one solution is to hit it head on... Assault through the objective and see where I stand when i come out.. it was a long day today and i have had a few to loosen my grip..
It beats being on the other side of the grass..
Cheers tt..
Click to expand...


Actually, not to sound cold or whatever but just hanging in there may not be enough. Sometimes "waiting" for things to get better only makes it worse.

I think you have the right idea about selling everything and getting out on the road and living life without any responsibilities or entanglements. I say do it. You will never be able to make those around you happy if you are not stoked on yourself first. A year or 2 or more on the road, on your bike, having adventures, is one of the only ways to clear your head and change your life for the better. Out there on the road it is you and only you. And that, sometimes, more often than not, is a super great thing.

I say go for it. Don't look back. And learn to be alive again. Find out who you are and who you want to be. By riding a motorcycle you have already taken that first step. Take the second step now...

You can always let people know that you are OK by keeping a cell phone with you. Or just lose the cellphone and hit up internet cafe's along the way...keep a blog about your adventures, leave notes for your kids, etc, etc.

Good luck, man.

Carpe diem.

Dustin
 
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