100 Days 48 States - The Journey

"It is good to have an end to journey toward,
but it is the journey that matters in the end."
-Ursula K. LeGuin

Welcome to the on-line version of my motorcycle trip across America. I’ll try to do one of these each day to let you know where I am and how I’m doing. Along the way I hope to share the journey with you. I’ll tell you about the places I go, the people I meet, and the different gear that makes this all possible.

TODAY’S ROUTE:
New York, NY to North Quincy, MA: Hutchinson Parkway to Merritt Parkway to I-95 North to exit 92 to US1 to SR 138 to Newport, RI to SR 24 to I-195 to US 6 to New Bedford, MA to I-195 to SR3 to SR 3A to Plymouth to SR 3 to I-93 to North Quincy. (MAP)

THE DETAILS:
I wish I could say I woke up this morning filled with hopes and excitement, for my life-long dream of taking a motorcycle trip across country was finally coming true. But I can’t. You see, I never woke up.

I never woke up because I never went to sleep in the first place! Boy, am I stupid. It’s just about the worst way to start this thing off. But it really couldn’t be helped. I just had too much to do, much of which I never got done. Besides, you know me, I never really sleep anyway.

By 7:00 AM my friend Kimberly was ringing my doorbell. She came over to see me off and help load up the bike. A personal note of thanks to Kimberly – without her I never would have been half as ready as I was this morning. She’s been helping me prepare for the trip since Memorial Day Weekend. I don’t know what I would have done without her. And while I’m at it, I’d also like to thank Amanda Schatz, Laurie Orlando, Patty Gillespie, my Mother, my Sister, and all my friends who have been so supportive and helpful these past few months.

Walking up to the garage, it hit me. I AM ACTUALLY DOING THIS! COOL! But I’m really tired.

So we load the bike up, shoot some video of me getting ready (with the really cool Canon Elura DV Camera I’ll be using for the Travel Channel work I’m doing) and by 9:00 AM I’m ready to go. Shit, I wanted to be on the road by 7:00 AM. It’s only the first day and I’m already changing the itinerary. My planned route had me traveling all the way up the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut and then up I-91 to ride around the northeastern part of the state. But I quickly decide to trim the route and cut out the 80 mile detour to Woodstock, CT.

I get past the New Canaan exits on the Merritt, and I start to feel really tired. Man do I wish I had gotten some sleep. I remember what I’ve read about riding when you are fatigued, what the long distance Iron Butt (http:/www.ironbutt.com) riders do: make lots of little stops. I do it and it works, but I can’t believe I’m this tired and it’s only the first hour of my first day!

The weather is a bit oppressive but with the help of my CamelBak hydration system, and my Garmin Street Pilot GPS (more on this in a future post) I’m at the Truro Synagogue National Historic Site in Newport, Rhode Island by 1:00 PM. I get my first NPS Stamp of the trip (more on this later too) at the oldest temple in America. A quick tour around Ocean Drive and the mansions of Newport and I head for The Whaling Museum in New Bedford. But I get there five minutes after the Visitor Center closes! NO STAMP FOR ME.

Fortunately for all of us, and all of America for that matter, my next stop is open year round, 24 hours a day. Plymouth Rock is there for you and yours to enjoy and behold whenever you feel the desire. Yeah, you get the idea. A bunch of people standing around and looking at a ROCK! Maybe tomorrow I’ll get to watch some grass grow.

A quick run up Route 3 and I arrive safely at my sister’s house just south of Boston, by 6:45 PM. A home cooked meal, a refreshing shower and a comfy bed. I really need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is a 400+ mile day and it helps to actually be awake while riding a motorcycle.

See you on the road….

THE DAILY TAKE:
Miles Today: 299.9
Total Miles: 299.9
Time on Motorcycle: 6 hours 15 Minutes
Average Speed: 47.9 MPH
States Visited: 4 (NY, CT, RI, MA)
National Park Service Passport Stamps: 1
NPS Stamp Totals: 26 Stamps, 4 States
Weather: Hot and Sticky
Speeding Tickets: Zero (look Ma, no cavities!)

RANDOM PASSINGS:
You meet the nicest people on the highway. While on I-95 in eastern Connecticut, just past New London, I came upon a pickup truck with a couple of young lads lounging in the back. The fellows noticed me and they were kind enough to offer me one of their Budwisers. Of course since I don’t drink and drive, especially when I’m actually traveling down the highway at 75 MPH, I had to turn down their offer.