Things are a little different around here ...

Sadly were going to miss the service this coming Sunday ...



...and the skunks haven taken over the campsite and forced us to retreat into our tents. We are listening to them finish all of our salty snacks ...


-- Post From My iPhone

Paired up with a brother ...

Leaving from different states hundreds of miles apart, we arrived at our first scheduled stop at essentially the same time. Jer beat me by 5 minutes. We set up our site ...


made some dinner...



and enjoyed a warm fire. All of which Jer loved ... Especially the low fat high protein turkey sausage over low sodium jambalaya rice... Jer being wild about camping is key because as this was his first night in the woods ever, it could have gone either way. And the fact that the next 30 days is really just more of the same makes it all the more important that he not freak out that the water in the shower was merely warm and not hot ... And then there's the bugs ... Thousands of Mosquitos from all the rain.... Also a non issue because DEET works as good as it's supposed to. The air mattresses were very welcome after a long day riding, but even in general, camping without one is unneccesary punishment. So comfortable! Not really discernable from any bed at home, which is magical. We just arrived at our second campsite, this one on lake Michigan right outside Chicago. Two skunks are casing us pretty closely ... Within 15 feet so we'll see how that goes! Tomorrow we'll be in Minnesota by the eve, and the day after that the Dakotas. The experience will certainly kick into second gear at that point, were both very excited about the Badlands! All for now ... Loving this ...


-- Post From My iPhone

Cleveland or Bust!

A few weeks of minimal planning outside of buying gear and broad stroking the first few days has us finally headed out west on our TBD odyssey!  5 weeks motorcycling and camping around the states should make for some interesting sights and times, and I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to take such a trip.  I'm also thankful for the animated sendoff from my family, holding colorfully crafted well-wishing signs as I rode out of the driveway in Fairfax!

Jer and I are meeting up this eve at Findley State Park in Ohio.  Sadly, I spent my first night at a motel 6 because my rain gear wasn't up to the task of its first torrent.  It started coming down pretty hard in Syracuse, and left my boots with about 1/2 inch of rain water and had to be properly dried.  By the time that was sorted it was an easy decision to skip a solo night of camping in a freshly soggy campground.  I feel as if the trip really starts today anyway, as we meet up and go west together ... but better gear will be bought today and this convenient inconvenience of a motel stay will hopefully rarely happen over the course of the trip.