The Road Less Traveled: Day 0 - The Journey Begins... and then Stops for a While

STARTING POINT: Winter Garden, Florida
DEPARTURE TIME: 7:47 AM Eastern
DESTINATION: Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi
ARRIVAL TIME: 4:46 PM Central
DISTANCE: 584

The journey has begun... sort of. Our real priority in these days is the wedding of our daughter Jaimee to a wonderful young man named Travis. But a motorcycle adventure has begun, as well. Here are some trip facts:

2015 marks the fourth consecutive year of these epic motorcycle adventures. In 2012, four riders embarked on a three-trip plan to ride all 48 contiguous states. In '12, we rode the Southwestern region of the United States, with the Grand Canyon being the scenic highlight of the adventure. In 2013, we rode the Northeast. Niagara Fall was the premiere destination on this journey. The summer of 2014, we set out for the far-away-from-Florida states of Oregon, Washington, Montana, the Dakotas, and much more. Yellowstone was the big deal on this 8,500+ trip of a lifetime.

After returning from the Northwest adventure, I thought we might take a break from the long, demanding, and expensive trips. Once we decided to ride again in 2015, we settled on a return to the Southwest, with our emphasis being on three states - Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. in riding the 48 states, these were my personal favorites, and there are more great cycling roads to experience than time allows us to explore.

While in the planning stages of this ride, our daughter was engaged to be married. Setting the actual dates for the motorcycle ride became dependent on a wedding date. Once that date was established, we were able to confirm the dates for Southwest 2015. The wedding date is Saturday, May 23 - in New Orleans. The motorcycle gang departs on May 27 - from New Orleans. In order to make everything work, I rode my trusty 2013 Harley Davidson Road Glide Ultra to the wedding, traveling from Winter Garden, Florida to Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, where I am spending the night with my sister. I'll get my bike serviced in Slidell, Louisiana, then meet my family in New Orleans, where the wedding celebration will begin.

So... today I rode 584 actual miles (including gas and meal stops) from Winter Garden to Bay Saint Louis on what I call "Day 0". Four of my riding buddies are from New Orleans. So as to avoid any confusion, I call my ride to meet them "Day 0", and then we begin counting days as begin to ride together. This year, I am parking my bike for 6 days after arriving in New Orleans, so a week separates Day 0 from Day 1, when we all head west together.

While the first day is usually a solo ride, this time my wife Annette, youngest daughter Lindsey, and my mom were following in a 2015 Toyota Highlander, as we are all attending Jaimee's wedding. Because my last oil change and service was only 2,000 miles ago, and because I'll be past due for an oil change when I get home, I decided to ride this first part of the trip on the current fluids and get the oil changed in Slidell, Louisiana, which is between Bay Saint Louis and New Orleans.

The ride was pretty uneventful. Most of our planned route is on motorcycle roads... like the Twisted Sisters in the Texas Hill Country (where a sixth friend from Texas will join us)... the Coronado Scenic Byway... Utah 12... the San Juan Scenic Byway, Trail Ridge Road and so much more. Some days, however, are just "get there" days... knocking the miles down in order to make the trip schedule work. Today was one of those day. On the interstate. Just grinding out the miles so we could get here for a very special wedding. As the image to the right suggests, I got a little bored after lunch. And I got sleepy. Sometimes people say, "Those energy drinks are not good for you." I always reply, "I know that. Neither is falling asleep on a motorcycle." Sometimes you just do what you have to do to survive the monotony of interstate riding. Anyway...

I rode through rain three times, but barely got wet, as all three encounters with precipitation were very brief. In this instance of the weather I encountered along the gulf coast of Mississippi, I checked the weather radar on my iPhone 6 and could see that the system creating the foreboding clouds and wind was just above the interstate, touching I-10 in this one little spot. I called Annette, who was following, using the Cardo Scala Rider G9 mounted to my helmet and said, "This weather is skirting right along the interstate. I think we might be able to duck right under it. I'm not stopping to put on rain gear. Let's see what happens." God was good to me! I hit just a touch of that rain and the skies cleared. I expect to hit rain later in the motorcycle journey, as states out west have had an unusually wet year so far - but this day, I was blessed to ride on dry roads for about 99.9% of the journey. Yes, God was good to me on Wednesday!

Annette went on to New Orleans, where she is spending the night with our daughters. I'm sure this has been a wonderful experience for them! I was able to enjoy dinner and family time with my sister and mom in this charming town called Bay Saint Louis.

I have about an hour of riding tomorrow - and then we'll park and get ready for a blessed wedding experience. I'll be back with more motorcycle adventures in a week.

Here are a few pics of Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi.