During the riding season I usually find a place to go, know its location and general direction, and the in-travel route is decided by, �Left, right, or straight. That direction looks interesting.� Maps are eventually used as after 300 miles of aimless riding it�s always good to figure out where you are and how to get to the destination or home before the next morning. But I survived this winter by planning the coming riding season.
The first step is finding destinations. My destinations vary from events to just riding though an area, like the Adirondacks. Surfing the net for destination guides, event calendars, baseball schedules, car shows, and motorcycle races and rides. As Spring nears more groups advertise dates of events and I can start to look to see which weekends are over booked and which are free. Of course , there are never enough weekends and I know there won�t be any free weekends by the time they roll around. There is always someplace to go or someones ride to do. After filling the calendar it is time for the maps.
I thought I�d never say this. After this winter I�m sick and tired of plotting out rides on maps. After planning this years 12,500 mile, four corners, dual coast to coast ride and half of next years 17,000 mile, 49 state, national park trip with my good friend Rand McNally I became very weary of adding the 23, 15, 8, 17, etc., etc. between all the little red triangles. And often those triangles like to hide. I find a triangle, find the mileage number, find another triangle, and realize that the four inches traveled on paper is much further than 22 miles of asphalt. After spending the next ten minutes scanning and squinting to find the little, missing, blankity blank, red triangle it didn�t take too long to realize computers are good for some things. It may be time to enter the 21st century and buy one of the map cd�s.
In planning routes there is always the battle of miles and time. Us motorcyclists like to live the phrase, �It�s not the destination, but the journey.� Naturally I prefer the two lane highways to the superslabs. The highways are a much more enjoyable ride, but for safety they�re better taken at slower speeds. The superslabs get you there faster if you don�t mind a boring journey, which, since I am employed and not independently wealthy (again, time to start playing the lottery) is sometimes a necessary evil. I�m always trying to see in the map the perfect compromise. That red line that doesn�t pass through many towns and has a view you can only appreciate at a relaxed pace with the open sky above your head.
Well, a few warm rainy days to wash away the salt and there will be no trace to remind me of the winter blues. Ride the routes, fill the open weekends with destinationless rides, and see a little more of America from the best seat on the road. Aaahhhh, it�s spring again.