Wherever To Roam?

I have some ideas for a fun summer trip. This would be a trip by motorcycle, so there are several complex Jaime negotiations between here and there, but for the fun of it I have laid out several possible trips. I actually would most like to take a trip to Riverside, Iowa, future home of James T. Kirk, but I figure these slightly shorter trips might make sense for this year. Especially considering whatever bike I get will be a cheap and possibly less reliable one.


View Larger Map

This seems fun, especially incorporating Canada into the mix. (America Junior, as it is officially known in United Nations proceedings.) This would need to be a high summer trip, since I assume it'll be frigidly freezing cold.

I also like this one:
View Larger Map

It seems less adventurous, but also maybe more manageable. Still cold as a really cold donkey on Really Cold Donkey Day, of course, so it's another hot summer trip. Which is good, since I will need to camp to save money. If Jaime plans the financial portion, I may need to gather nuts and berries for food as well.

There is always an Oregon trip, too.
View Larger Map

I really like Oregon. It's kind of the Kentucky of the west, in both the good and bad ways. The people can be a little strange, and I imagine two motorcyclin' vegan bald guys (I'm planning on begging and cajoling Herc to come along) won't be changing their minds anytime soon. Especially if Herc is on a scooter and I'm on a little Honda 500. We'll look suspicious. We'll be suspicious, for that matter, though not for the reasons they probably imagine. We'll have to wear jackets with our spiritual paths printed on the back, then we'll really be suspicious! My favorite Oregon personal interaction: Jaime went into a motor lodge to ask if they had any vacancies, and the woman at the counter said "I don't have to to tell you that!" Well, no, I guess you don't. But why have a motor lodge at all? I could understand her concern if we had accosted her on the street. When you work behind the counter at a motor lodge, though, don't you get the vacancy question a lot? I have to assume.

Then there's this one, probably the most conservative:
View Larger Map

I don't know when and if and how I'll pull all of this together, but I need to make it happen. One of the reasons I'm putting it down here is to make a mental picture of how much I really want to do it. My negotiations with Jaime will involve some give and take. I need to be sure of what I want and how much I'm willing to trade.

(I mentioned to J that I was willing to really sacrifice to make this trip happen. She said "You don't have anything I want." Sadly, it's true. I'm arguing from a position of weakness.)

I think my past few years of working with the kids, and spending a lot of time with that responsibility has made me want to just be on the road for a few weeks. I like the responsibility; I need it, honestly. I like to make the choice everyday, for myself. A big trip to clear my head, and cleanse the memory of Bastyr and J's program, would be good for me. I also hope to do a big backpacking trip back east, with my east coast friends. I may even make that happen before this one, who knows. But while I have a possibly willing two wheel companion and a slim chance of making this happen, I'm working on it too.