A solo journey of inner and outer discovery around the world. Leg by leg as the world opens up again.
Plunging right in...
In 3 days, I'll pick up my new red Honda CRF250L Rally at Lifestyles Honda in Mt. Vernon, Washington. I'll strap on my Pac Safe carryon bag, thank "Two Strokes Kurt", the sales rep, for all his great help, and ride North for an hour to Canada.
I'll cross over the border, head up to Surrey about 20 minutes away, find a place that serves blueberry pancakes, and then turn around and cross back into the USA.
Canada? Done!
Wow, talk about making God laugh.
I was supposed to be on the road heading south, cresting Northern California about now, a Pacific sunset on my right, Bob Seger and the rest of my 'motorcycle cruising' music playing in my ears.
When I look back at my previous entries, they seem comical in my determination to pretend that all was going to be OK. That the coronavirus was just a blip on the screen, that it would stop at the borders of China, that the WHO, the CDC, the European Union, and all the people that work on epidemcis, would somehow get it under control as they've done with so many before.
I was like that guy falling from the top of a 20 story building who, passing a fellow looking out his window on the tenth, yells to him: "So far, so good!"
Picking up from where I left off 7 months ago...
RTW ‘Take 1’ took several months of planning and prep. It started, and ended, in March 2020. :(
In total denial, I left Seattle on March 13th thinking I’d never see it again (we were selling the house, moving to Tucson.)
I made it all the way… to Oregon, one state away. With California closing down, a WHO certified Pandemic, a crashing economy, and a family (mine) that would be better off sheltering together than apart, it was time to accept reality. This RTW trip was over, at least for now.
The Route... Around the World any way possible, (re)starting now,
Easy does it schedule. It’s all about the journey.
Covered already: Central America (Guatemala to Costa Rica)
Leg on right now: USA, North to South, along the Pacific Coast Highway/ Highway One/ 101
Motorcycle: 2019 Honda 250 CRFL
Modifications: Larger fuel tank,, USB charger, wider seat (Seat concept), Back rack,
Issues: Squishy, low suspension. Needs better shocks for all the weight being carried. Also, crash bars and sump protection.
Well... my plan to post on a regular basis went by the wayside. I got caught up in so many other things and it was easy to just postpone this update another day, another week as it turned out.
A lesson for the next leg: Post short and frequent and forget about being all-inclusive or perfect in doing so!
The trip so far...
Seattle start, 2 weeks ago... Oct 23rd
2 days going through westernmost part of Washington state, the Olympic Peninsula...
4 days through Oregon...
[I wrote most of the post below a week ago. However, with coronavirus surging like never before, and countries going into lockdown again, I wondered whether I should still post it. In the end, I did because it still paints an accurate picture of travel on the road these days, one that despite the latest serious surge in cases, probably won't change. Obviously, if states/countries shut down, advise against travel, and things continue to worsen, my more cheery outlook on 2021 travel is seriously off, at least for the early part of the year. ]
Finished! 26 days of joyriding down the Pacific coast, from the border of Canada to the border of Mexico, and then east to Tucson, Arizona. 26 days of a journey that could be accomplished in 6.
I spent time to visit some friends, meander inland, indulge in longer multi-day stops, and even take a one-day, off-road riding course in Anza, California.
Looking forward to continuing my off and on RTW trip as the world slowly reopens. The next leg: Mexico!
I'll leave Tucson, AZ on March 21st and, I hope, get across the border at Nogales. Latest news is that Mexico's tightening up access again so fingers (and toes) crossed.
(Just replicating a post I put in Ride Tales)
In March/ April of this year (2021), I completed a long, meandering, solo ride through Mexico. From Tucson, AZ to Antigua, Guatemala. It was another leg on my stop & start quest to solo RTW*on my small, but reliable, Honda 250.* *
Absolutely loved Mexico and the people there! It's well worth a visit, a ride through, to say the least.