The Big Trip part 1: The Route

This is it. After months of daydreaming during snowy winter days about adventures through the heart of the county, it's going to happen. Things got serious a couple weeks ago when I picked out a specific destination and a specific week. And in these past couple weeks my mind has had a hard time thinking of anything but the trip, and I've been slowly planning and preparing for it.

Originally my big trip was going to be early in the summer, and I wanted to make it to the Atlantic Ocean. My girlfriend and I went to Niagara Falls in the spring, so going east seemed less new and adventurous. I've been west many times, and I didn't think the KLR would like the wide open spaces as much as some other bikes. So I set my sights on the South. Recently I made the "Tail of the Dragon" (US129) my goal. Later I added the Barber Motorsports Museum, but that doesn't seem likely to happen.

The plan thus far is to make it to the Lansing area and stay at my girlfriend's parents place. From there I'd head to Ohio and stop at the AMA headquarters. From Ohio I'd ride through West Virginia and Virginia. At some point I would try to intersect the Blue Ridge Parkway, and move on the Smokey Mountains and Deals Gap. Depending on how I feel I would continue south to Barber of head west. Either way I would ride north along the Mississppi to my parents place in Minnesota. For there the UP would be one more days ride.

Ultimately I plan on covering a lot of states I've never been to. And it looks like there's a mess of twisty roads in the mountains down there. Sounds like an adventure to me.