I piled my belongings on my '83 Virago, and I turned the choke to full. Bigger than trace amounts of doubt raced through my helmet-head as I rode across the Susquehanna River. I had no clue how long fate and motorcycle mechanics would allow this trip to last, but it was time to find out.
The first afternoon my battery died after filling up at the station. The next morning, after the third jump, I found an Auto-zone, and installed a new battery. I was in Ohio. I bought a spoon at a Goodwill and I told the cashier, "this will make eating a lot easier," and it did.
I learned that the riding experience and level of enjoyment depended on a few key variables: 1. the weather 2. the type of road/traffic 3. the scenery. With my 2006 road atlas I searched for old highways across the forgettable middle states. Every night I looked for woodlands, fields, parks, state forests or national forests to quietly rest. I have adequate experience in the art of stealth camping and I believe I have mastered it. Being on a roadbike made it more difficult, but presented me opportunities for creative camping. With a combined total of 4 weeks on the road, I camped every night, paid for only two campsites, and was never caught poaching a site.
