USA South 2020 – Prelaunch Update 2

Posted on October 5, 2020 by Matthew

Keeping an eye on Hurricane Delta

Because it is still hurricane season and well, it’s 2020, I decided to check the Weather Channel’s website to see if anything was brewing that might impact my travel. Well, it is yet another hurricane in Caribbean headed towards Cancun, Mexico and then into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico….well that’s not good.

Hurricane Delta is forecasted to grow into a Cat 3 hurricane and then weaken to Cat 2 before making landfall October 9th somewhere between Louisiana and Florida. Of course storm strength, timing and path can change greatly still.

Keeping Things in Perspective

Firstly, I have the luxury of adjusting my route and timing if needed to avoid the effects of a hurricane. My thoughts and prayers for well being go out to those who live along the Gulf who do not have this luxury.

With regard to Hurricane Delta, I will not be approaching north of the forecasted possible landfall area until October 14th at which time Delta should be well to the northeast and maybe just some lingering rain and thunderstorms to contend with. I will continue to monitor the weather as stated at the start of this post….it is still hurricane season and well, it’s 2020.

Click Here to follow path of Hurricane Delta

USA South 2020 – Prelaunch Update

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Matthew

Packed and ready to go.

USA South 2020 kicks off this coming Wednesday October 7th, 2020 in the morning. Dexter is packed less my tent and a few other things (water, sleeping bag, etc) that will be loaded Wednesday morning right before launch.

Follow My Progress

Starting with my last trip, USA West 2020, I started traveling with a Garmin inReach Explorer Satellite Communicator. I started using this device for 3 reasons. 1. If I have a life threating event take place in the middle of nowhere, I can use this device for SOS response pretty much anywhere in the world without the need for cell service. 2. I can communicate via satellite using SMS text messages and coordinate help if I have a mechanical issue and to communicate with friend and family. 3. To share and record my location and journey in near real time with other.

To follow my progress during USA South 2020, Click Here to open the Garmin inReach tracker webpage.

Day 1 – Route

Here is the trip plan again for Day 1

Stay tuned for my updates, also check me out on Facebook.

USA South 2020 Motorcycle Trip

Posted on September 30, 2020 by Matthew

Kickstand Up – T Minus One Week

My USA South 2020 Motorcycle Trip kicks off one week from today on Wednesday October 7th, 2020. Dexter has some additional upgrades, main bags are packed, servicing on Dexter is done, campsites and rooms are reserved, and everything is green for launch.

USA South 2020 – Trip Plan

USA South 2020 – Georgia Move is my one way motorcycle trip starting in Ramona, California and ending in Douglasville, Georgia. At the end of the trip, I will be flying once again from Atlanta back to Los Angeles to wrap things up in California for the final move. My wife De’Andra and my son, Tristan, will fly from Los Angeles to Atlanta while I drive our embattled Volkswagen Tiguan across country (same route De’Andra and I drove our Chevy Volt and Kia Soul over this last Labor Day weekend),

I am planning a fairly leisurely pace taking ten days to travel 2,984 miles (let’s just round that up a bit and call it 3,000 miles, about half the distance of the USA West 2020 trip earlier this year), of which 139 miles will consist of riding the loop of the Twisted Sisters in Texas. 3 nights during the trip I will be staying in motel rooms and 6 nights I will be camping (the last night of the trip I will be at our new home in Douglasville). The first two nights I will be staying in motels to avoid possible very chilly nights as I will be riding through the high country of Arizona and New Mexico. I wont be staying in a motel again until day 9 in Selma, Alabama mainly just because by that time I will most certainly need to wash the road stink off of me.

Continue reading →

USA West 2020 – Day 1

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Matthew

The Start of an Adventure Starts with Planning

I had been planning for this motorcycle trip for just over a year (planning started before last years Nevada – Utah 2019 motorcycle trip, which I will be blogging about later. So much careful planning and preparation from how many miles I was planning for each day, the routes, how much fuel would need to be purchased, the campsites and the few motel stays. I created meal plans that determined how many Mountain House meals to purchase and pack, canned chili and spaghetti, Tabasco sauce, how may meals would be eating out and how many times would I actually cook. There was careful planning on what to pack for clothes and riding gear as I could experience extreme heat and cold, rain and maybe even a little snow all on the same trip. I had to plan how many days I could wear my motorcycle riding jeans before they would be too offensive even for me and thus determined how many riding jeans / pants I would pack. How many days of underwear, socks, and shirts would I need before I would do laundry on the road. And where would I do my laundry on the road, well this was planned out too. Every detail that I thought significant and not so significant was planned and re-planned before the trip was to start. This also of course included attention to my motorcycle, Dexter, as well.