Trip Overview

My motorcycle trip this summer is a 2,050 mile loop passing through parts of Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Kentucky. My previous extended trips were around Lake Huron (2004) and to Washington D.C. (2003).

I have an ambitious agenda. Along the way I will visit friends and relatives, attend a Wert family reunion, travel the Skyline Drive, and Blue Ridge Parkway, visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, run the “Tail of the Dragon" at Deal’s Gap, attend the Goldwing Wing Ding rally in Nashville, and visit a couple covered bridges in southern Indiana.

Why am I possessed to take a trip like this on an uncomfortable seat perched between two wheels? I seriously ask myself that question at the end of the first day and during the last day; those two days are often the most difficult. Everything in between is usually wonderful, or at least enjoyable to an extent that greatly outweighs the less desirable aspects. The reason I do this is simple – I love to ride motorcycles. It is a sensuous experience – the “omni-max” view of your surroundings, the sense of speed, the wind rushing around your body, the variations in temperature as the road rises and dips, and the odors that waft into and linger a while in your helmet. Well, to be truthful, some odors I can do without!

There is another reason I do this, and I believe it has to do with age. As I grow older, I find I need time for myself, time to be on my own schedule, time to escape from the routine, time to be anonymous, and time to think and reflect. I suppose I could accomplish all that and take trips in a plush vechicle with four wheels, but doing so would deprive me of the pleasures mentioned in the previous paragraph.

I’m fortunate to have a spouse who is agreeable to my wanderings. Of course she might say, “Yeah, like I have a choice!” Furthermore, a motorcycle trip would be sheer hell for her. But I believe she understands, and is able to use these times for her own benefit and relaxation. Many thanks, Eileen. Your patience and understanding are appreciated.

I hope to maintain a daily blog of my activities. I’m not certain whether I will have internet access the first two nights, so I may have to post those blogs later in the trip. But return to this site. I guarantee there will be more posts. Please leave comments by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of each blog post.