Final Thoughts

OK, it's over.

All the dreaming, the planning, the pouring over maps, the preparation of the bike and ourselves, It's all now behind us. People keep asking me how I feel, and is my butt sore?

Well, first I think it's natural to experience a feeling of disappointment when it's finally over. Kind of like that old Peggy Lee song, "Is that all there is, my friends, is that all there is?" But there is also a warm feeling of accomplishment and pride that you did what you said you were going to do.

Then there are the memories of places you had never seen before, and people you had never met. Places that are so stunning you find yourself looking from one vista to the other and saying, "Damn, that's beautiful!" An, trust me on this, there is no better way to see them than from the back of a motorcycle.

What about America? Did we find any answers about "What's America really like? No, I don't think so. I think you pretty much find what you believe. I've always believed that most people are friendly and we found friendly people. I have a hunch that if you expect to find unfriendly people, they'll be there. This is my third long trip around parts of the U.S. and I keep finding friendly people. Go figure.

It does seem that many of the small towns in America are struggling. We saw a lot of businesses boarded up and many little "hole in the road" towns, as one person in South Carolina called them, seem to be on the verge of becoming ghost towns. I hope I'm wrong about that, but we passed through some places that looked like, if a couple of more people moved out, they would just be a cluster of homes, not a town.

What stood out was the diverse and spectacular scenery. The dominant color east of the Mississippi is green. The dominant color west of that great river is brown. And every state has some areas of beauty, no matter how desolate or desert stricken they might be. They are all worth a visit. Well, at least once.

Prettiest state? There are lots of pretty states but we enjoyed Pennsylvania and Tennessee. British Columbia, while not a state, was very nice also. Which one was the ugliest? Well, we didn't see any really ugly states but western Kansas, with its winds, has to qualify as our least favorite. Our biggest disappointment had to be missing the Blue Ridge Parkway. The weather just wouldn't cooperate. But you know what? I will ride the BRP again, and that's a promise to myself. What was the most enjoyable moment? Well, other than seeing friends and family, it had to be visiting the Gettysburg battlefield. We need to take our children to see these places so they will understand the tragedy of a civil war. We must never let that happen again.

Gas: I still can't figure out why gas in some small towns in the east can be 40 cents cheaper than in the California Bay Area, when we have several oil refineries all around us. I think the cheapest we paid was $1.39 in Georgia, and the most expensive was $2.29 in Nevada, at the end of the trip. And that's another thing, how can gas fluctuate 90 cents in two months? We averaged 39.87 mpg for the entire trip.

Food wasn't much of an issue. Most motels, even the cheap ones, have some variation of the Continental Breakfast. This usually consists of some pastry (donut, sweet roll, bagel, etc), cereal, and fruit. Some even have waffle-making machines that are kind of a kick. We would grab something to eat at the motel depending on the quality and quantity of what they had. If breakfast was big enough, we often skipped lunch and had an early dinner. If we got into a motel early, we tried to walk to someplace close for dinner to get out of the motel room. We didn't eat as often as we did when we were home but then again, I usually ate more than I should for dinner. I didn't lose any weight.

Lodging: It seems everyone now agrees on what a motel room should look like. You come in the door and there's a bathroom on the right or left with a closet or hanging place for clothes, on the right or left opposite the bathroom. Straight ahead are one or two beds to the right or left with a counter holding a TV just opposite. Sometimes the bathroom is in the rear of the room but the layout is basically the same. This is pretty much true no matter how much you pay; the only difference seems to be in the size of the room, they often throw in a chair at the end of the room, and the quality of the furniture. The newer ones have connections for laptop computers, which we usually looked for. Had I been by myself, I think I could have saved some money here but I wanted Linda to have a nice place to stay since she was kind enough to agree to this foolishness.

I also figured out that two months is not enough. I know that's going to be a disappointment to those who want to do a trip around the U.S but think about it. If you could only spend a week in each state, you would need 48 weeks to see them all. You can't see the whole state in a week. So what you get are impressions of a state. Your impressions of the state are really of a specific road, at a specific time of year? If you ride on the other side of the state, on a different road, at a different time, you see a different state. Hell, even riding the same road in the opposite direction is different. But that's all right. That just means there will always be something new to discover.

When I was a kid, my dad used to drive back to Missouri and we would always go through Wendover, Utah. I remember thinking that Utah was one of the ugliest places on earth. Who would want to live in Utah, and why would the Mormons say, "This is the place?" Well, because Utah is filled with spectacular scenery. From Zion, to Bryce, to Arches, to the Wasatch Mountains, Utah is beautiful, and Wendover just happens to be where they located the armpit. I would never have known that if I hadn't gone back and visited other roads in the state. No, I'm afraid two months is just not enough, but it's a good start.

I'm also asked if I would do it again? Of course! But I'm not sure my wife would. Since I've been married 37 years, we're working on a plan to please both of us. I think I'm going to buy a motor home and trailer the Goldwing. That way, we can sleep in our own bed, and use the motor home as a homebase while we explore the surrounding countryside on the motorcycle. We've met two couples that were doing just that and it seems like a good idea.

OK, I understand that most of you aren't retired and can't take a month off and surely not a year, but you can take small bites of the apple. If you have two weeks, plan a two-week trip. If you're going to fly somewhere, rent a motorcycle. Ship your bike back east (or west) then fly out and ride back. Stay with friends or family who have bikes and ride on the back of theirs, if necessary, but you can make it happen.

I met a 72-year-old lady who hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada over twenty summers. Now most people would have just said, "I could never hike 2650 miles," and feel sorry for themselves because their life is so boring. Hey, she only hiked 10 miles a day for two weeks each summer. She said that she looked forward to each summer because she new she had a goal to complete the trail. If that 72 year old women can walk 2650 miles, I'm sure you can find a way to ride your iron stallion wherever you wanting to go. I want to see you get out on the road. If you really want to go, then find a smaller way to do what you want to do. As the saying goes, "If the wind doesn't blow, row!"

Our longest day was 473 miles of freeway riding and our shortest was about 75 miles. We averaged about 238 miles a day for the whole trip. That gave us time to get off the bike and to stop and take pictures.

Oh yeah, keep a journal because, you will forget or get confused about where you were when you saw that deer, or bear, and it will also prevent arguments with your wife who, most likely, has a different memory. And of course, take pictures. You don't have to be Ansel Adams. These will be your memories for your enjoyment. You never have to show them to anyone if you don't want to. Take pictures.

As most of you know, I just turned 60 years old, this summer. Well, I'm here to tell you that riding over 11,000 miles for 60 days will make you sore. My hips and lower back ached at times to beat the band. I found myself taking Advil in the morning before the ride and in the evening before I went to bed. I don't know if that's true for everybody because I've never read about it in the motorcycle magazines, but it was true for me. Take the Advil along just in case. Better living through chemistry. Well, at least, more comfortable riding.

I'm sure I will think of other things but that's enough for right now. If you are one of those who followed us on our trip, thanks for being there. If you've just stumbled onto this site, I hope it motivates you to take your own ride. If the pictures sparked your desire to go out and see these places for yourself, then I'm pleased.

Now go chase your own rainbow! Well then, at least start the planning! Go on…..get up from that computer and go….. now!

Next Trip: We're heading for Maui, Hawaii the first part of October. I'm going to rent a Harley and ride around the island. Be sure to drop back for the stories and pictures. Coming to this web site soon!