Planning. Usually it’s necessary, sometimes it’s not. We’re trying to go on this trip relatively carefree and without plans, but a good route is a necessity. So far, we’ve roughly planned the first 2 weeks. Riding days should be between 150 and 300 miles a day, sometimes less if there’s any sights to see in the area or we’ve been pushing the limit the day or days before. Most nights we’ll hopefully be camping. Other times, maybe every 3rd or 4th night, we’ll be staying in a roadhouse or motel.
So far, it looks as if we’ll be heading directly north first. We will hug the coast and ride roughly 175 miles the first day to Fort Bragg, CA. After a night of camping, our first real, full day on the road begins. We’ll rise at daybreak, break camp, then head to Arcata, CA. There we have a teepee to sleep in (no amenities or anything, but hey… a teepee’s a teepee!) and will get back on the road early the next day again. We’ll cross the Oregon – California border once again on the coast, which we will hug until Coos Bay for the 4th night of camping. A long day of riding the fourth day should take us to Astoria, OR, where we will rest before crossing into Washington the next day. The fifth day will take us meandering through the beautiful Olympic National Forest, and to Port Townsend, WA, where a warm shower, hot food, and good company awaits.
After Seattle, we head East. The idea of heading further north to Vancouver and then onto Calgary through the mountains sounded great, especially because none of us have been that far north on this continent. But in the end this is a trip about the United States. (Still, we may pop in for quick bite of poutine up in Quebec.) By heading East we’ll see the backbone of America’s great frontier. This includes the Columbia River, Northern Idaho, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Tetons, Keyhole National Park, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Sturgis, Crazy Horse Monument, Mount Rushmore, the Missouri River, and much, much more. And, of course, we’ll be filming and documenting ALL of this for your viewing pleasure. Stay tuned.
