Left in Albuquerque

I suppose there are two camps of folks--the planners and the non-planners. Some are planners out of necessity because it's the most efficient use of limited vacation time; Some are planners because it's much like writing a chose your own adventure book. You can write and rewrite the ending as many times as you want all while entertaining your mind's eye. And for some, planning is those things as well as deeply ingrained in your persona. While I am under no disillusion that you can control fate or destiny, all other facets are up for grabs.

In the deep of winter, I peer out the window. Sigh, there is apparently PLENTY 'O time to noodle though this 4,000 mile evolution.

We used these ideas to frame the ride:

• Depart MD
• Split the TAT into 2 sections
• Aim for off-season travel
• End somewhere on the other coast/ocean

It seemed sensible enough to depart late May and win a bonus day off with Memorial day holiday. Since we have already rode much of the Blue Ridge mountains to western TN, it was a double bonus that we can just slab to save time and it pick it up there. We fly home and store in Denver the bikes till the late summer, and then finish up to the West coast.

Then we got greedy. What if we took the southern route to LA, then competed in the AMA sanctioned Dual Sport Ride LA-Barstow-Vegas? Now acting like a fat kid on a lollipop, what if we stayed in Las Vegas for some training over the winter with Jimmy Lewis? And then what if we rode down to Cabo the following winter?

It's seems that our good idea fairy needs to be put back in her proverbial box. She has used every ounce of funding and leave allocation for the next 3 years. I look at the map and realize that I should have turned left in Albuquerque!