the end of January...2009

Last summer I made a 10,000+ mile circumnavigation of the continental (lower) 48 states on my motorcycle. This photo was taken in eastern Arizona in late June ('08). The trip was (as all motorcycle trips are) a wonderful exploration of the country and some of the nooks and crannies of my soul.

Motorcycling is moving meditation. All attention is on the road and the conditions. Constantly changing scenery and circumstances are your medium. Despite the amount of information you have to process just to stay safe, after a day or two of riding, you find that more and more of what you ride through registers and sticks with you...or at least I do.

This blog will be my way of staving off the winter crazies. There is snow on the ground and ice on the driveway and I can't get out on the bike at all. I will explore some of the things that have lead me to my current fascination with two-wheel travel and share some of my experiences. Although I don't expect anyone to respond to this (I've blogged before and only my family ever caught on)...it would be wonderful if people did. I know there are a lot of people out there who are just as crazy about motorcycling as I am. Interestingly, not only are there a lot of folks who travel this way, but they are unbelievably diverse in their reasons for doing it and their style of doing it.

My current ride is a BMW R1200GS. The trip that the photo is from (and from which other photos will show up in subsequent posts) was an older R1150GS.

So here's to new beginnings. Whether this will be mental masturbation...me talking to me...or a conversation is currently unknowable. But right now, right here, in the dead of the New England winter that doesn't seem like a very important question. If you stumble upon this blog, please post a comment. Whether you are a fan of motorcycles, or solo travel, or almost anything else doesn't matter. A little communication here in the dark season would be a good thing...and if I have to carry it on with myself...okay.