Embarked: September 13, 2014
Returned: September 28, 2014
States visited: 9; in order - TX, NM, AZ, UT, NV, CO, KS, MO, OK
Favorite state/part: Either UT or CO. The parks and the land in these states is amazing.
Least favorite: The boring plains of KS. I get their significance for our country and for making food for all of us to eat, it just isnt pretty to look at for me.
Miles traveled: ~ 4100 ass pummeling miles
Longest traveling day: 530 miles (1st day from Houston to Lubbock) followed closely with 507 miles from Las Vegas to Grand Junction
Shortest traveling day (not including layover days): St. George to Las Vegas (120 miles)
Things I enjoyed:
1. The countryside in the west is beautiful. Not as much desert as I was expecting, which was also nice.
2. The national parks that I got to see (Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Mt. Zion) were absolutely stunning for various reasons and I am glad I got to see them. Granted, I did not get to explore them as much as I would like due to time constraints. I spent part of days in these parks, and one could easily spend multiple days in a single park.
3. Traveling alone (will hit on the negatives later) was nice. Got to make my own schedule, see and do the things I wanted to do, and could stop where and when I wanted or needed to without having to worry about pissing someone else off.
4. Couchsurfing. The fact that there is this network of friendly, hospitable people opening their homes and lives to complete strangers is amazing. Add to that the fact that it gave me awesome individuals to talk to and spend some time with on this long, lonely trip was that much better. Being a social creature, I would much rather be around people than not, and this provided me that ability.
Things I wish I had done differently:
1. Tested out my seat. I feel like when the one complaint I have is my seat kicking my ass, that is a great trip (and it was). But if I had to do it again, I would do some test rides of significant distance like I wanted to, but didn't.
2. Traveled with someone/people. As I alluded to earlier, and as many of yall know, I love being around good people. I have no problem going somewhere or doing something by myself (this trip being a prime example) if I need to, but it would have been nice to have another person around to travel with not only for safety reasons but also for increasing the enjoyment of the trip.
3. Stayed West. As much as I loved seeing my friends and the city of Kansas City, there is so much more to see and do in the Utah/W.Colorado/N.Arizona area that part of me wishes I would have stayed in that general area and spent some more time in the parks and what not. That being said, I definitely do not regret the trip as is even a little bit.
Lessons learned:
1. Do a trial run or 2 before the big expedition. I knew this from Philmont days, but I didnt have/make time to do it this time and I paid the price.
2. There are great people, in all shapes and sizes, all over this planet. I have seen it time and time again in my travels and this trip just reiterated it even more.
Motivations going forward:
1. Next big trip I want to be Ozarks or Pacific Hwy. Hopefully, it will be with someone so I can learn group riding.
2. For short term trips, I want to explore Texas State Parks and what not. So I might be looking to gather my camping supplies and just take little trips to parks I havent visited before.
3. On previous trips, I took handwritten notes about the adventures. I think I will try and find those and even though they are not on a motorcycle, I will try and document them as best to my ability as it would be good to have a digital account of some of these amazing trips I have been extremely fortunate to go on, and it will open people's eyes to the greatness that is Nicaragua, South Africa and Europe.
Next to come: A photographic account of this Motorbike trip
No comments:
Post a Comment