Here We Go Again... Southwest 2015

I don't remember exactly where the conversation took place. It might have been in Yellowstone, as we took in the breathtaking grandeur of this national treasure. It might have been on the way down from Beartooth Pass, called by some "the most beautiful drive in America." I'm not sure exactly where we were - but I remember pretty much exactly what I said. The statement went something like this: "I want to thank you for letting us do this... for encouraging me to dream the dream of riding 48 states in three summers... for agreeing to do it with me... for not complaining about the financial investment required... I am really grateful. And I don't want you to think I expect to do something like this every year. We'll take a break in the summer of 2015. We'll do something that involves more of our family. Maybe we'll take that houseboat vacation we've talked about for so many years..."

I began researching a plan. I started considering lake systems with miles and miles of navigable shoreline. We looked at marinas that had really nice fleets of luxury houseboats. I gave consideration to renting a personal watercraft or two to give us opportunity to jet around the lakes.

All the while, I will admit that I couldn't get comfortable with the idea of not experiencing a motorcycle adventure of some sort. So I didn't say to my riding buddies, "We're out in '15." I remember getting a text message from one of them that said something about looking forward to next year. I started to respond with something along the lines of "I don't think we're gonna ride next year" - but I just couldn't bring finality to that decision.

Soon thereafter, we talked with one of our daughters (whom I shall not identify) who indicated emphatically that a houseboat vacation was not a consideration. "I feel claustrophobic on a cruise ship," she reminded us.

That was the end of the houseboat vacation idea. And that opened the door for a plan for another epic motorcycle adventure to develop.

First, Annette and I begin considering a ride south, to the Florida Keys. We've lived in Florida almost nine years (that's a world-record for us), and still have not been to The Keys. This would be an easy ride... short distance... inexpensive...

Then I began to reflect on all the places we rode over the course of the last three years, giving consideration to which of the 48 states I enjoyed most. And the southwest immediately came to mind. Oh, I love the mountains of east Tennessee - and that region of the country, including western North Carolina and north Georgia - offers some of the best motorcycle roads in the nation. But I can get there in a day, and can make that an easy one-week ride.

I gave strong consideration to riding the Ozarks, which is a region of the country I have not really explored. I even ordered the new Butler map of the Ozarks region. But the pull of the Southwest could not be denied. So I pitched some options to the others guys - and we agreed the Southwest United States was to be the plan - majoring on just three states: Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.

Three of the guys that ride with us were not part of the group when we rode this region of the country in 2012. '12 was the first of the three years that made up the 48-state adventure. We agreed that it would be nice to experience some of the nation's finest national parks with Trent, Matt, and Steve. So the big-picture decision was made, and the planning commenced. Yes, the run of epic motorcycle adventures will continue.

Of course, you can't just wake up in Arizona. Oh, we could fly and rent motorcycles out west - but that just won't do for us. So we have a long haul to get to Arizona, where the real adventure begins. Along the way, we'll ride The Twisted Sisters in the Texas Hill Country. Then hit the interstate to get us to Arizona, where twisties and elevation changes abound.

This is a screen shot of the first draft of the plan I call the 2015 Southwest Adventure. Here are a couple of "need-to-knows" about the image above:

• The  initial plan encompasses 6,884 miles, and is projected at 131 hours of riding.
• Those numbers are calculated by a mapping software produced by Garmin called BaseCamp.
• BaseCamp is a robust, feature-laded program - and is rather difficult to use. Many despise it. I was one of the despisers, experiencing multiple failed attempts to master the program before it finally "clicked" with me. Now, I can't imagine using anything else to plan our rides.
• Once complete, the route is loaded in our Garmin Zumo 665 GPS as a .gpx file - and we are guided effectively and efficiently along our way.
• The "detail" is turned down and the map is zoomed out to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire route. If I zoom into a specific part of the route and increase the level of detail, we can see much more detail, including specific stops along the way. Like this...

The projected riding around Moab, Utah, where we will spend two nights exploring Arches National Park,
Canyonlands National Park, and much more of this region we have never experienced.

This is the "first draft". While this is the route I will recommend to the other guys who will be a part of the 2015 ride, my plans have changed. Our houseboat-reluctant daughter is getting married (we're really excited about this!!) in New Orleans just before the ride begins, and there will be post-wedding / post-honeymoon celebration in Nashville (where she and her fiancé reside) after the ride - so I will be amending my route to take me to Nashville before heading home. My ride will look more like this now:

Interestingly enough, adding Nashville into the route, rather than riding through New Orleans with the rest of the guys, shortens my ride by 12 miles - to 6,872 miles. And that's if I still ride the Talimena Scenic Byway with the guys before heading to Nashvegas.  Interesting indeed. Of course, leaving the Talimena ride in makes for a 683-mile day - but I can figure all of that out in the next couple of days.

Sometime later in the weekend, I'll try to share the detailed, day-to-day plan of the ride.

So... we're riding again. To the Southwest. And I'm excited. Wish we could leave tomorrow. But more planning and preparation remains. For the trip. For a wedding and reception. For the celebration in Nashville to follow.

2015... it's going to be another year to remember, for sure.