July 9, 1997 Greensboro, NC

"Closing Thoughts"

Well, it's been a week and a half since I returned home from the trip. The mind is clear and the body has recovered. Looking back at the journey, I view it first as a great personal accomplishment. It would be impossible to fully explain the amount of mental and physical effort that it required to plan and execute this trip. By reading the ride journals, you might start to understand. Our pre-trip planning proved to be excellent as we had everything we needed with us. We were prepared for almost all foreseeable situations carrying tire repair kits, strobe lights, cellular phone, first aid kits and various parts and pieces that might be prone to failure. Everything worked fabulously. What we couldn't possibly prepare for was the physical and mental demands that would be placed upon on us. I felt that mentally I was ready for anything as excitement clouded reality. Physically, I'm in pretty good shape and just thought that I would take it as it comes and deal with any problems along the way. I'd been on many trips with my GTS before and knew what had to be done to make myself comfortable. Heli-bars and a Corbin seat make this bike ready for long days, but twenty one 400+ mile days in a row are rough even if you could spend them on a couch!

The places that we visited and the things that we saw were simply incredible!! The friends that served as hosts along the way were extremely gracious and made our trip a success. At times we were in desperate need of a garage to work on the bikes and the timing for those stops was always perfect. Gooz, Eric, Don & Beth, Mike & Melissa, Mike & Keary, the Andersons; we thank you!

Of all the states we visited, Colorado stood out as the best for motorcycling. Montana, Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, and Wyoming we also impressive. Some thoughts that still stand out strongly are: A man named Jim, ugly Yellowstone, the fabulous Cascades, Glacier, Grand Tetons, Poudre Canyon, Yosemite, photographing my speedometer at 120mph(I know, totally irresponsible), Rt. 120 Tioga Pass out of Yosemite and STAR '97. Some questions have been asked recently pertaining to the trip so I'll now take the time to address these.

1. Was 21 days too short a time to cover that many miles?

Absolutely! 8650 miles in 21 days is craziness! We could have spent all 21 days in Colorado alone.

2. Why did Dave bail and leave you alone for the final leg? After so many miles it seemed an odd decision.

I've been asked this question by several people including my wife, but it's really never crossed my mind. By the time we had reached Lake Eufala, OK for STAR '97 the trip was pretty much over in our hearts. We had no more destinations other than home and Dave didn't really want to waste a day sitting in Oklahoma riding unexciting roads. By the way, Dave covered the final 1100 miles in ONE day!! I'd say he was tired and just wanted to get home. I couldn't imagine having a better riding partner for the trip. Think of it....20 days together day and night, night and day. We never had one disagreement and always supported each other. This type of trip is NOT for one person to take!! Thanks Dave!!

3. Did you need more rest days between 700 mile days? Maybe the next time, trailer to Colorado, park it, then ride and trailer home?

We simply needed more rest days, period. The seven hundred mile days weren't too bad really. It was just the repetitious day after day of 400+ miles that got to us. It certainly would have been more practical to trailer the bikes to Colorado and ride from there, but when you're doing a 21 day motorcycle adventure, it just sounds better to say that we did it all on the bikes. I guess you could say that our egos got the best of us in this case.

4. Wife still love you?

Of course! Marci was a trooper during this trip and I can't imagine that many other wives would have let their husbands run off for 3 weeks just 4 short weeks after the honeymoon. She's taught me that not all angels have wings.

5. Different bike next time?

I don't think so. The GTS offered a wonderful balance of comfort and performance. A little bit more range on the gas tank might have been nice, but the GTS and I are perfect together. I don't like the larger sport tourers. The smaller bikes, even if equipped with Givi hard luggage don't offer the safety of ABS or the reliability of EFI.

6. How were you able to upload the stories and pictures to your homepage during the trip?

I carried in my hard luggage a laptop computer and Casio-QV30 digital camera. At gas stops I would take notes on a memo pad about the sights that we'd seen as well as the thoughts and feelings that I had. Once we checked into a hotel, I'd pull out the laptop and write up the day's story. Next I'd download the pictures from the camera to the laptop and dial into my ISP to upload everything. It usually took about 1.5 to 2 hours a night and it certainly added to the strain of the trip, but now that it's all over I have a perfect record of my once in a lifetime trip.

7. What kind of experience do you have in motorcycling?

I started riding just 6 short years ago when I lived in Frederick, MD. My first bike was a '91 Honda Nighthawk 750 which was soon followed by my Yamaha GTS1000, '95 Ducati 900SS, and '80 Honda CM400T(my wife's bike). I've ridden approximately 80,000 miles in those six years which is a good bit of riding but by no means huge. I've attended the Beginner and Advanced training classes offered by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and six of Reg Pridmore's CLASS sessions. Knock on wood, I've also never had an accident on a motorcycle, but realize that this is blind ass luck and just a matter of time. I wear an Aerostitch Darien riding suit which prepares me for that fateful day, but hope to never put it to full use.

If you have any more questions, feel free to contact me at khawkins@gbncmail.ims.att.com

In closing, I'd like to thank everyone who followed our trip from day one. Knowing that you were reading these reports and keeping track of us kept us going. I almost felt obligated to keep the stories coming as many of you couldn't wait for the next posting. It's been a blast since last January when we started planning for this trip and I'll never forget the moments. Motorcycling has continously added joy to my life and will no doubt continue to do so. If you already ride a motorcycle, you know what I talking about. If you don't, you might want to consider giving it a try. Contact the Motorcycle Safety Foundation or inquire about riding courses through your local shops. It could be a move that changes your life!