Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons - Spring 2017 👊
So.. Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons happens to be the title of a 2013 Fantasy Comedy Film
But it turns out that it's fairly challenging to come up with click-baity type post titles that are not already representing something else. So... I'm going with it.
The Long Way Round
After watching that series numerous times, I was motivated to acquire an "Adventure Motorcycle" in hopes that I my life would somehow become more adventurous. An occasional weekend here-and-there actually was just that. As I evangelized the benefits of having such an amazing machine, my friend Nate also decided it was something he wanted to try. We spent a summer doing day trips on our quest for glory. Bruised (or broken) fingers, muscles and motorcycle parts had both of us smiling uncontrollably, occasionally yelling out loud at our accomplishments of tackling some terrain we thought was impossible. And much like in The Long Way Round, I kind of floated the idea of the "big trip"... looking at guided adventures on other continents - but, the idea of starting local and seeing how this all shakes out seemed to be the right path.
Our trip will certainly pale in comparison to the TLWR... but, Nate and I will embark on a motorcycle journey starting in Minneapolis, MN, traversing mid-America to New Mexico and then heading north, utilizing the Continental Divide Trail for as far as we can.
4000 miles - 80 hours of seat time - 13 days on our BMW GS Adventure motorcycles!
May 19, 2017 -- A somewhat arbitrary date was selected and it became solidified. Mostly because of the dependency of work scheduling, etc... In hindsight, this trip would have been better had we waited until mid-summer or possibly the fall season. There is a likelihood that we will encounter snow pack and unpassable roadways which we will need to accommodate if/when it occurs.
But it turns out that it's fairly challenging to come up with click-baity type post titles that are not already representing something else. So... I'm going with it.
The Long Way Round
After watching that series numerous times, I was motivated to acquire an "Adventure Motorcycle" in hopes that I my life would somehow become more adventurous. An occasional weekend here-and-there actually was just that. As I evangelized the benefits of having such an amazing machine, my friend Nate also decided it was something he wanted to try. We spent a summer doing day trips on our quest for glory. Bruised (or broken) fingers, muscles and motorcycle parts had both of us smiling uncontrollably, occasionally yelling out loud at our accomplishments of tackling some terrain we thought was impossible. And much like in The Long Way Round, I kind of floated the idea of the "big trip"... looking at guided adventures on other continents - but, the idea of starting local and seeing how this all shakes out seemed to be the right path.
Our trip will certainly pale in comparison to the TLWR... but, Nate and I will embark on a motorcycle journey starting in Minneapolis, MN, traversing mid-America to New Mexico and then heading north, utilizing the Continental Divide Trail for as far as we can.
4000 miles - 80 hours of seat time - 13 days on our BMW GS Adventure motorcycles!
May 19, 2017 -- A somewhat arbitrary date was selected and it became solidified. Mostly because of the dependency of work scheduling, etc... In hindsight, this trip would have been better had we waited until mid-summer or possibly the fall season. There is a likelihood that we will encounter snow pack and unpassable roadways which we will need to accommodate if/when it occurs.
Planning...
I have learned that planning is seemingly as difficult as the journey ahead. Nate and I both have military backgrounds - a fact that manifests itself as an obsession to try and plan ahead.. and allow for contingencies... and optimize the experience. Fortunately this planning and execution of pre-trip tasks is quite enjoyable.
Learning
To maximize the experience, I have decided to learn how to use my camera... start a blog for the trip... learn some off-the-grid cooking techniques... learn how to utilize maps and GPS gear.
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