One Last Ride

Well, with a high of 45 degrees yesterday I decided that it was time to get the motorcycles ready for winter. So I took them both out for one last ride, filled and added Sea Foam to the tanks, drained the carbs, and today I will prop them up in the back of the garage and count the days till March (while I am also counting the days till March).

Despite the chill, it was nice to get in a longer ride than I have been getting just commuting. But, it also filled me with the desire to just hit the road. Keeping my wanderlust suppressed was also not helped by this (linked by Scott a few weeks ago, and just noticed by me yesterday). There are some great stories and photos from this guy's cross country trip. I liked the numbers from his journal:

30 days
9,910 miles
221 gallons of gas
2 rear tires
1 front tire
1 big scary bear

While not as ambitious as Emilio Scotto's ten year ride twice around the globe on his 1980 Gold Wing, or even Obi Wan's Ewan's Long Way Round, it is still a big trip, and I cannot think of a better way to see the country. I'm thinking pack the bike, bring some Kerouac to read, head northwest out of Minneapolis and follow Pirsig. Hmmmm, I wonder if my brother ever figured out a way to attach a child seat to the handlebars... Er, I guess it may have to wait a couple of years. I'd need a better saddle for a long trip anyway. What I would love to do though is this. The lower 48 I could solo, but for Alaska, some support might be nice.

Damn, is it spring yet?