Introduction

January 14th, the date I was supposed to have begun my new career, had come and passed. Because of sequestration, budget cuts, and government shut downs, both my Air Force Officer Training School class and the pilot training I would do afterwards had been delayed until the next fiscal year, still eight months away. Depressed and slightly disgruntled, I choose to look at the one bright side: I could now use up the 70+ days of leave I had saved. The only question was “what do I do with all that time off work?” Then I realized the opportunity I had. For years, I had wanted to take my khaki green Triumph Scrambler on an epic roadtrip, something that was more than just a weekend getaway. I started to float the idea around the office, and the only feedback I heard was that I couldn’t use all of that time off at once, but I could do one. So I picked some dates and started planning... With 30 days of freedom, I had roughly a 10,000 mile limit. It was a range that brought a lot of options, and I dreamed of going to Alaska with it. But I’d be leaving too early in the season for that destination, with many roads still closed. I poured over the map again, and noticed that here I was in Washington DC, roughly on the Atlantic coast, and I had a whole country between me and the Pacific coast. That would be the trip, to head west until I hit the ocean and then turn around.

Over the next three months I began to obsess over the trip, much to my girlfriend's annoyance. She was jealous of me and she worried for me. I bought new gear for the bike, and new gear for me, anything I thought I might need for a solo cross-country. I read ride reports and watched videos from other riders who had done similar trips or had visited areas I’d be visiting, each making me more excited for what was to come. I watched Ewan McGregor's documentary "Long Way Round" several times, and had begun to view this trip in the same light, even buying new camera gear so that I could turn my trip into a similar documentary. (His is a 9-part series, and I highly recommend watching it. It's a great adventure.)

April 13th, the day before departure, and I began to feverishly pack everything, so that in the morning I’d only have to wake up and strap the gear to the bike before heading out. I double checked my gear, making sure everything worked like I wanted it to. Satisfied, I sat down on the couch next to Alyssa and tried to relax as we watched TV together. Or rather, she watched. My thoughts were elsewhere. I was like I kid on Christmas Eve, anxiously waiting for the morning...