Our wheels...

The most important pieces of equipment on our trip are our vehicles. No need for me to write everything we did or will do to the vehicles in terms of maintenance and preparation. Suffice it to say, they will be thoroughly trip-worthy before we load and go. But I just can't resist showing off our bikes. 

Specs for Dennis' bike
Specs for Irene's bike

The pearly-silver one in the back is a '10 Yamaha V-Star 950 Custom touring bike. You can see it in action on the right-hand side of this blog's background photo. That's Dennis and "Peekaloo" on our way back from Mississippi. 


This fella gets a respectable 55 mpg (never mind the specs - we tested it) and will be handling the bulk of our luggage. This is Dennis' bike. It has locking hard saddle bags, foot boards, highway bars and other goodies. Weighing in at 657 lbs, I'm not confident I can drive it... yet. Actually, I'm more concerned about

What the girls say

"Azoica" -  Been preparing to leave for a while, very excited.  Been coordinating with the rest of my team, "Team Gamma". We chose "Team Gamma" because mom wanted to be "Team Alpha" and we wanted to be in the Greek alphabet, and Gamma is the strongest type of radiation :). We've been making decisions and stuff; it's pretty cool. I have my clothes picked out, a small selection of wash-and-wear type shirts and jeans, not to mention comfy. I also have my personal items picked out (personal items here meaning anything that isn't for the entire troop or clothing/toiletries), which consist of my iPod, some pencils, my journal, my giraffe plushie, and my knives. Knives are essential. Everyone will have at least one knife on their person at all times. I will probably be carrying two for every day, and an extra for when we go hiking. I'm armed and dangerous! Especially for

Early-stage prep

Since, thanks to my wilderness-loving husband, we are experienced campers, one would think prepping for the trip would be a snap. Well, yeah, it is. However, as we begin making preparations, we realize that there are some things we don't usually have to take into account. Take our dog, Bowser, for instance. Whenever we take a trip, we arrange for his care at home or a kennel. This time, he's coming with us, since he's going to be part of the girls' security detail.


Because we are going across state lines, we need to make sure all his shots are up to date. We also need to bring his rabies certificate with us, just in case. Not having it on hand is one of those little details that are easy to miss but can quickly ruin a trip and possibly

Our route... we think

After much debate and re-routing, we have come up with a plan. The route we chose takes us to or through at least 12 different National Parks, a convenient happenstance, since Dennis and I are working toward our Iron Butt badges for National Parks. 

Most of you reading this blog (yes, you!), are not motorcyclists and probably have no idea what the Iron Butt Association is, so, if you would like to know, click here. No, there are no prizes for completing the task. All you get is a certificate, a badge... and braggin' rights!

A consideration for our route planning was,

In the beginning....

I have never had the urge to write a journal and most definitely never a blog. If I want mom to know what's new, I call her. Brothers or kids? Text or email. Extended family? Facebook and, now, Google+.


Well, the days of carefree communication are gone. No, the intertubes are not clogged. No, I have not lost my cell phone (God forbid!). As it happens, I have finally decided to have a motorcycle adventure. Or, more accurately,