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Tomorrow (Wed. 06Sep2006) I’ll leave my house near Phoenix, AZ and ride to San Ysidro, CA, the first "corner" of the "USA FOUR CORNERS", a ride that is sponsored by the SCMA (Southern California Motorcycling Assoc). I'll spend the night there in the most southwestern part of our country at the US/Mexico border then set sail Thursday morning for a trek that will be over 7,000 miles and, if all goes well, I'll be eating *real* Key Lime pie in Key West, FL in less than 21 days. Woo-hoo! First, let me say a few things about this journey before I begin.... I am NOT trying to set or break any records, nor I am trying to prove anything to anyone, including myself. I'm also not trying to "discover who I am," though as with any journey I will undoubtedly learn more about the internal and external. I can't quite put in words at this point why I'm actually doing this ride except to say that I just need to. I'd be happy to arrive safely on the last day if it meant I did more than just superslab (interstate) and that I was able to take detours along the way. Could I run this at "rally rate" (like the Iron Butt's 11 day, 11k mi Rally)? I don't know. I guess if the boogieman was chasing me or such I could, but mainly I simply have zero interest in arriving a destination 7,000+ miles from the start with basically only memories of green exit signs and the inside of motel rooms. I decided that if ran this ride in a direct route and "spirited" pace that I'd finish with a great deal of regret. Yes, this particular ride is supposed to be about the destination (the 4 corners) though for me it is going to be about the journey. If I don't make the 4th corner (Key West) in time then, well, I don't make the corner. I'll probably have a darn good reason why I didn't make it. If I get tired or lost or distracted then so be it. I *am* going to "stop and smell the roses." There is only so much time in this life to do otherwise in my opinion. So, I'm going to take pictures, ride Scenic Byways, add stamps to my National Parks Passport book, and enjoy visiting with folks, strangers and friends alike, along the way. Oh, and I’ll be reporting about my journey as it’s in progress (given I have internet connection each night!). That brings me to the planning aspect of this journey.... earlier this summer I blocked out time to do this "lap around the country" though I haven’t done any real planning/routing since, well, I was too busy riding other places! I returned less than 2 weeks ago from being on the road for 50 days straight. Just 5 days ago I began planning this solo ride. Yes, 5 days. After looking at potential arrival timing of certain places (specifically Seattle & Montreal) I decided to push my departure back a day (officially starting Thurs 07Sept) so I can hopefully arrive on a weekend day instead of fighting Key West inbound traffic. I've chosen to run it "clockwise" (CA-WA-ME-FL) due to various factors, mainly weather... aside from the northern section getting colder and the possibility of snow (a friend reported hitting snow while in MT this past weekend), going clockwise will allow me to keep an eye out on severe weather down south and adjust my pace accordingly. Plus, when I'm done eating Key Lime pie I can go back up to Chattanooga, TN and visit the 83yr old family Matriarch who can see for herself I'm in one piece. My ride will be 7,000+ miles from the 1st corner (San Ysidro, CA) to the last corner (Key West, FL) and I'll likely exceed 10k+ miles by the time I get back to AZ. That means my trusty DL1000 V-Strom will eclipse 50,000 miles during this trip and reach such mile marker in less than one year of ownership. Since I live on the left coast (AZ/CA) I've decided to push harder in this area to allow more time to explore in other regions. Assuming no delays, I'll be detouring a bit in the northern sections of MN (International Falls/Voyageurs National Park) and WI (Bayfield/Apostle Islands National Lakeshore). Hopefully I'll also get to spend an extra day with my friend and fellow Stromtrooper "oldgoat" in Montreal and also a full day in Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor, ME. By the way, for those who might be confused, a "Stromtrooper" is a Suzuki V-Strom owner who is also a member of an internet forum located at, would you believe, www.StromTrooper.com. Since joining the forum last year I have made many "Stromtrooper" friends and have been fortunate to meet quite a few during my extensive travels this summer. I will likely reference them throughout my jaunt. Anyway, about the Four Corners ride itself, a common question I’ve been asked over the last few days aside from "Are you completely nuts?" is "What are your concerns?" My answer is that weather is always an issue in multi-day treks. I'll leave in 100+ temps and quite possibly could see the mercury drop below 40 along the route. As far as the bike goes, I'd say tires are my biggest concern since an irreparable tire would cause a big delay; finding my exact tire nearby would be tough even if I was near a major city, and it could take a few days to get a tire shipped to me. I really don't have too many concerns beyond those. I believe in myself and I certainly believe in the motorcycle I’m riding thanks in part to Jim, my good friend and "super duper master mechanic extraordinare." I wish I had the time to individually respond to every email and the well wishes that I've received but my time and energy has been saturated in preparing not only for the journey but also for being away from my house for another month. To my friends, family, and fellow Stromtroopers, please know that I truly appreciate all the support and can't thank each of you enough! I’m ready to SEIZE THE JOURNEY! AGirl
DAILY RIDE REPORTS
Day 0 - Ready to begin at San Ysidro, CA - FIRST CORNER!
Detailed Map Of The Entire Route (compliments of CraigCentral.com)
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