CHAPTER TWO: FAILING TO PLAN IS PLANNING FAIL

 
My two major tasks in getting ready for a motorcycle trip (besides getting the lawn mowed, wash the car, and cleaning the garage….and, oh yeah, anything else that my wife adds to the list) would be to plot out my route which includes scheduling the stops and, number two is the packing.  We shall start with the routing.

I have made the trip to Michigan many times.  Back in the days of being employed I would be under the time restraint of the job.  Even though there was that minor inconvenience of being employed it did make it a lot easier to plot out a route because I would basically just get on the interstate and slam it.  I still enjoyed the ride but I will have to admit that there wasn’t a lot of sightseeing to be done.

  Also, I would do the 1,200 miles in two loooong days of riding.  When I hit my quota of birthdays and qualified to retire..…..which made me my own boss (and I have my wife’s permission to say that)……I was able to alter my routes to do more riding on U.S. highways instead of the interstate and extend the amount of time to get from Point A to Point B.  One of the criteria I used a lot was passing through towns where there was a Hooters restaurant.  This another story that I tell in a different journal but in 2003 I bought a Hooters t-shirt.  I will spare you the pain of sitting through that whole story of what happened but the end result was over the years that one purchase evolved into about 70 additional shirts from 70 different Hooters restaurants. I would stop, grab a burger (yep, can you imagine my surprise when I found out that they actually serve food at those places….I love this country), and a shirt.  By the way, ALL of the shirts are signed by all of the girls on duty at the time of the purchase.  It is hard to find one that I haven’t been to before and since I only go to each restaurant ONLY once I no longer bother to look for them to set up a route.

What I elected to do this time was to combine interstate and U.S. highways and have a semi quick trip with a bit of “slamming it” with a bit of sightseeing thrown in for good measure.  I will be leaving on Wednesday July 28^th.  My first stop will be in Columbia, South Carolina.  OK, I have to admit to you that even after making the above statement…there IS a Hooters in Columbia that I have not been to before.  So even though that was not the criteria for this stop……well, things just happen.  That will be the only mention of Hooters on this trip………..maybe!

I also like to know that I have a room waiting for me.  I learned the hard way that after riding for 14 hours and pulling off on an exit and finding no room at the inn…..any inn.  The hotel chain that I use fo
r the most part is the Choice Hotel group.  They have a large family of brands to choose from.  The hotels are generally clean and, so far, they all have had running water.  I might be a little picky but a working shower and toilet are a somewhat important to me.

I follow t
he route I choose and look up hotels and plot my stops.  I firm it up by making a reservation at each location I have chosen and I am good to go.  On this trip I will be stopping in Columbia, SC, Louisville, KY, Waterford, MI, Clare, MI, Petoskey, MI, again at Waterford, MI, London, KY, and Commerce, GA.  There will be lots of friends and family (and I consider some of the family are also friends) that I will introduce to you along the way.  My goal is that when I am done you will know what it feels like to spend the night in places like London, KY and what a great effort I put into selecting only the most nutritious products by Hostess and Little Debbie.  Prepare to have your life enriched.

Now for the packing.  For you first time readers of one of my journals let me explain how I pack.  The rest of you can go grab a snack or run to the bathroom.  A couple decades ago I read an article in a motorcycle magazine by a guy who took a week-long trip.  He said that when his clothes started to wear out he stowed them somewhere and they became his traveling clothes.  Each day on the road he would wear a set and toss them that night.  That sounded great to me.  There would be no lugging dirty clothes around and/or having to do laundry in the middle of a ride.  So, I immediately started saving worn out clothes.  When they reach the point where my wife would be saying “those things have to go” I would put them in our guest room dresser and that became my “Motorcycle Trip Stash”.  It has worked GREAT over the years.  I pack enough clothing for the number of days I am going to be traveling plus a little extra in case of an emergency.  Each morning I put on fresh and each night I toss it.  I call it the “Landfill Method” of packing.

Normally, the length of my trips are 7 to 14 days and that is pretty manageable but this adventure will be a full 18 days.  Let me tell you, the bag is REALLY full.  On top of that my saddlebags are packed as full as possible and I even had to strap an additional roll bag on top of my busting-at-the-seams regular
bag.  This is by far the most I have ever packed for a trip.  I have enough clothes for a 20 day trip PLUS a couple of sweatshirts…..I am going to Michigan after all.  I will include my check-off packing list to give you an example of what I carry.

I also wear a backpack and this is vital.  When I leave the house EARLY on the morning of 28^th I know that I will be spending two nights on the road so what I do is put two sets of clothes in my backpack.  I also carry my computer, toiletries, and some other things that I will need in the hotel.  That way I can leave the “big” bag on the bike while I am traveling.  Once I hit Waterford, MI where I will be staying a few days and I will take the bag into the hotel.  By the time that I leave there its volume will have dropped a little bit.  It will be a one night stay before reaching my kids so my backpack will carry the clothing I need so I can, once again, leave the bag on the bike as I travel that one night.  By the time that I leave Commerce, GA on August 14th and head for home the bag will almost be as floppy as the skin under my upper arms.

I am now all ready to leave.  I have put my formal request in to God for sunny and cloudless days for the ENTIRE trip.  Stay tuned to see how well that worked out.  The bike is clean and shiny.  It also has a belly full of nice, fresh oil.  The tires are relatively new and I have taken my Flintstone Vitamins.  Right now the bike is definitely loaded to the max but that will improve slowly but surely as I travel on..

So, get on your mark, get set, and……….well, Wednesday morning around 4:00…….GO!  Hopefully, I will talk to you Wednesday night from Columbia, SC (with a new Hooters shirt).  By the way, over the years people have asked me what in the heck was I going to do with all those signed Hooters shirts.  I tell them that they are my son’s share of the inheritance.  He is, understandably, thrilled beyond description.  Of course, if I keep spending money by taking these cross country motorcycle trips his share of the estate (and I use the word "estate" VERY loosely) might wind up being worth more than what his sisters get.

If you enjoyed your read give this a Like and Share.  Also, feel free to drop me a line by email at donbova1966@yahoo.com, in messenger, on my Facebook timeline, or a comment on the blog.  Lastly, if you have missed previous chapters all you have to do is find them over to the right and catch yourself up.