Hum, Two Forgotten States

It seems that I've already forgotten two states: Rhode Island is between Massachusetts and Connecticut and Alabama is between Florida and Mississippi. I'll try to be more accurate in the future!

Two Months To Go

This is my first post to this blog. The reason that today was chosen to kickoff this blog is that two months from today is the planned departure date for A Lap Around America. Here is a brief outline of the plan:

1. Load my motorcycle for a six week trip including all camping gear,
2. The plan is to leave Saturday morning, May 14th. Friday, the 13th, is graduation at LSC-Kingwood and I don't have to be back until July 14th (more about the July dates later!)
3. This trip will basically be a clockwise trip around the contiguous 48 U. S. states.
4. Ride from Kingwood, TX to Galveston Island. Turn right and follow the roads through Texas closest to the Gulf of Mexico until I reach the Mexican border.
5. When I reach the Mexican border (actually South Padre Island-an island off the Texas coast), turn right again and follow the roads closest to the Mexican border until I reach San Diego-Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
6. Turn right again in San Diego and follow the PCH-Pacific Coast Highway up the West Coast of the U. S.-California, Oregon, and Washington-until I reach Cape Flattery, Washington.
7. Make another right turn (I told you it was a lap, didn't I?) and follow the major roads closest to the Canadian border and, get this, head for Maine through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
8. Make another right, and head on the closest roads to the Atlantic coast South down the East Coast to Key West, Florida through Maine, New Hampshire again, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York again including New York City, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.
9. Getting to Key West doesn't mean a right turn, but rather a U-turn back up the Keys to the mainland and then North up the West Coast of Florida.
10. Following the roads closest to the Gulf of Mexico through Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and back to the start point of Galveston, TX.
11. Considering the time constraints, the summer of 2011 may be A (HALF) Lap Around America. If this is the case, the trip will stop about half the way around in either North Dakota or Minnesota where a direct route back to Texas will follow. IF this happens, the summer of 2012 will be a counterclockwise trip from Galveston to Key West, North up the East Coast, an Westward trip from Maine back to the 2011 stopping point, and then a straight shot back to Texas.
12. As currently planned, the borders and oceans will always be off my left shoulder. Should the decision be made to only complete half of the lap in the summer of 2011, the oceans and borders will be off my right shoulder in the summer of 2012. We'll see.

The primary consideration for this trip is SAFETY. I DO want to return to my Bride for the trip to Maui in July for many more happy years together. Safety looks like this: There will be little or NO riding at night, little or no speeds above 60-70 mph, and extreme concern for safety in every environment. No risks will be taken and this is NOT a trip associated with speed. The only Interstate highway riding will be when there are no other roads so I'm hoping that most of the cruising will be of the 55-60 miles per hour variety.

Well, that's a mouthful for now. I'll be posting more as we get closer to the X Date. Some of the things will be how I have prepared myself mentally, physically, and bikewise so stay tuned! You may have a few questions about the trip and I'll do my best to answer them. Mike