Youth is wasted on the young...

It's winter, it's cold and I haven't ridden my motorcycle in over a month.  I'm starting to have withdrawal symptoms.  Here I sit, looking at a map of the United States on Google's mapping tool, planning a cross-country trip.  But, not for me. 

My son plans to relocate to LA soon and is going to make the big drive across the country.  Of course, I'm envious, as I'd like to be riding shotgun or, better yet, following along on my bike.  As I sit here, my ankles freezing below my desk, I think about all the possibilities there are on that big map.  He could blaze across the interstates and minimize his travel time and expenses or, he could wander the back roads, see the REAL country and meet people along the way.  From experience, I know that the second option is the more gratifying one.

Me and Ms. Rocket are just back from a short vacation in Florida.  Bad timing weather-wise, but certainly a lot warmer there than here in New England.  I saw lots of bikes out and thought about taking some pix but, since I was driving, I didn't have much of an opportunity.  Besides, whenever I heard a squid scream by on a sport bike, he was gone before I could even get my phone out of my pocket!

A trip to Florida will surely make one feel old.  Several restaurants we stopped at offered senior citizen discounts to anyone aged 55+.  Seriously?  I know it's just a marketing scheme to drive more people through the door but, personally, I don't consider myself a senior citizen.  Hell, I barely consider myself an adult, but accept the fact that I may be considered middle-aged, whatever the hell that means these days.  What happened to "60 is the new 30"?

I was fortunate enough early on in my career to get to travel to some great locations.  I always tried to get a fun rental car and make the most of every visit.  There are so many places that I'd love to revisit:  Duluth, MN, Lynchburg, VA,  South Bend, IN, Phoeniz, AZ, just to name a few.  Some of the places I visited for work became vacation destinations for us, like Nova Scotia.  I could go there again and again, and not only in the summer.  Halifax is a great city and I have even been to Cape Breton in the midst of a blizzard!  So much fun on that trip.  I was young and my liver was strong then.

All this talk of traveling has got me wanting to peruse a real (paper) map and start planning.  I think a few road trips are in order this year.  So, let the daydreaming begin.  As my fellow rider Ken B says, you have to put a stake in the ground. I'll do some map reading over the next month or so and try to fit a year's worth of riding into a few sunny months.  All right my friends, I hope you are well and inspired to dream a little before the season is upon again soon.  

A low, slow wave,

Joe Rocket