Finally pulled in the route files from my Garmin Foretrex 401 to complete the map of the route. There are some gaps, but you get the gist.
From Austin, headed west toward San Diego, up the PCH to San Francisco, then east to DC, and up to NH and Maine. Return route was south to Charleston, then west back to Austin.
Route Map
Now that I’m home and have had a chance to go through my finances, here’s the cost of the trip as I did it. The big hitters:
Hotels – 25 stays, for a total of $2,454.19
Fuel – 144 fillups, total of $894.40
Tickets – 1 (Kansas) for $159.12
Motorcycle Service – $3,041.36:
Food and Drinks – 104 different stops for a total of $4,487.00
Replacement Sunglasses – $19.99 (the Ray-Bans I lost on the trip were $283.45 when I bought them in 2011).
A few other miscellaneous costs as well. I’ll definitely be looking to bring this down on my next motorcycle trek. Hotels can easily come down if I bring camping equipment, and I can always afford to eat less (BY A LOT). It might also be worthwhile for me to gain a bit more technical know-how so that I can bring down Ducati tech labor costs.
Hope that the cost breakdown is helpful!
11 September 2014
Today is the final riding day of this trip. The trip, which was originally supposed to last only a month for the entire round trip, has taken 62 days, owing to several multi-day stops, a couple weeks worth of time in the shop, and about 31 days of actual riding across the United States.
This morning, I headed out from Brookhaven and headed for the Louisiana border over the Mighty Mississippi River. It was a nice sunny day, exactly how I was hoping I’d finish this trip.
Bridge over the Mississippi River.
Mississippi River, looking south.
Over the border on the east side of Ferriday, LA, I hit Big John’s Burgers and BBQ. I picked up a great pork sandwich, with had moist and tender strips of pork with a side of barbeque sauce, and a catfish po’ boy, which was well-seasoned, well-fried catfish strips on a toasted bun with lettuce and tomatos, with a side of tartar sauce. I would have totally bought more since it was so good, but Austin was calling me home, and I needed to be able to fit on the bike for a little longer.
Pork sandwich.
Catfish po’boy.
Continuing through Louisiana, I saw my first cotton fields up close. I also came across a number of buildings that appeared to house prisoners on work release (wearing black and white striped uniforms), and some prisoners working in the fields.
Cotton plant.
The rest of Louisiana that I crossed through was uneventful, although things did progressively get warmer and warmer. Passing nearby Ft. Polk, I ran into several troop transport trucks and HMMWVs carrying soldiers in full kit. I remember 130 degree days in Afghanistan while wearing body armor, but that was with no humidity…it must be pretty rough being stuck at Polk when it feels like walking through a pool in your gear.
I hit the Texas border at the Sabine River around 3:30 PM. It was pretty hot at that point. After crossing the river, I stopped at a gas station, where my tank was in need of some venting from the heat. I was pretty thankful that I had my mostly-mesh road armor for this stretch.
Sabine River bridge into Texas.
After nightfall, I was about one hundred miles out from Austin, when all of a sudden, while switching from high to low beams, my headlamp died. Fantastic timing, considering there was no place to really pull over (and honestly, that close to home, stopping wasn’t going to happen). Fortunately, I think the high beam bulb alone wasn’t bright enough to upset any passing vehicles, as I didn’t get a single high beam flash from oncoming cars. I was a little worried when a sheriff passed me and switched into my lane in front of me, but fortunately no issues. About an hour and a half later, I pulled into my parking garage.
Blown out low beam (top), and working high beam (below).
Back home at last.
I’m happy to be back, but already I’m sort of feeling a little sad that it’s all over. That sort of post-event sadness one gets after getting home from a long vacation or after seeing friends from far away.
At the same time, it’s nice to be back in familar surroundings. Seeing my own place, knowing that I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed, go to my usual places. It’s time for me to get back to normal life after this incomparable adventure. But I’ll be looking forward to the next one.
Thanks for following along with me on this adventure, and go on your own when you can. It is well worth the time invested.
Other shots from today:
Someone is a joker.
Back in Texas. The Duc is off to the left in the background.
Mounting of the GoPro for those rider shots.
Another view of the Sabine River bridge.
Another way to tell you’re back in Texas…these gorgeous signs. Obviously I’m not in Kansas anymore.
Reservoir and park in east Texas.
Sam Houston National Forest in east Texas.
10 September 2014
I hit a little rain today (some light showers in the morning, and sunshine rain several times in the late afternoon), but other than that it was mostly just a humid, sticky, mostly cloudy day.
Lots of fog behind me…
…and in front of me.
Could barely make out the top of this tower.
Lots of economically depressed towns along this route. One town appeared to have way more closed businesses than open ones. Couldn’t tell if I was just there during the wrong time of day or what, but many did look abandoned. There was also a professional building that looked like someplace you’d see in Pripyat.
Downtown of Roanoke, AL. All these businesses appeared to be shut down.
Scene from around Chernobyl? Nope, Alabama.
Lunch was at R and B Pit Bar-B-Q in northeast Selma, AL. Get their fantastic BBQ plate. The toast was buttery and fluffy soft inside, and went so well with the pulled pork. I was glad I pulled over for it.
BBQ Plate at R and B.
After lunch, I headed into Selma. Selma was an important city during the civil rights movement, made famous for the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.
It’s the South, so I expected to see some rebel flags (which I did – both on homes and in cemeteries), but I also saw a World War I and II memorial that broke out Selma casualties by race. I was sort of surprised to see that hadn’t been replaced or modified.
One side of the war monument…
…and the other side.
Also in Selma was the Live Oak Cemetery, full of the eponymous trees full of Spanish moss. The graves are old, and many of them appeared to be Civil War-era individuals from the Confederate side.
I saw this cemetery full of the Spanish moss-covered live oaks, and decided to pull in for some photos.
After Selma, I continued southwest, passing into Mississippi. I hit some rain, but avoided most of what looked like a major storm, only catching some light showers. I ended my day in Brookhaven, Mississippi, which didn’t have many food options. I had one spot down the road in Prentiss that had been recommended, Country Fisherman, but sadly they were only open for lunch.
That meant dinner at Cracker Barrel. Meh.
Tomorrow should be my last day. It will take me around nine hours, or 500 miles, to get from Brookhaven, MS to Austin.
Other shots:
Another shot of the abandoned professional building.
Old Coosa County Jail Museum.
A completely unnecessary MRAP in the city of Clanton, AL. They also had a HMMWV two vehicles over out of the shot.
I saw these masses of directional signs all over the South. I’m sure there’s an easier, less confusing way to lay this out.
Live Oak Cemetery.
Live Oak Cemetery.
Live Oak Cemetery.
Abandoned store with old Sprite logo.
Mississippi/Alabama border.
Looking back at a rainbow past the showers.
Country Fisherman. I keep missing out on some good restaurants due to timing.
I’ll make up for hitting Cracker Barrel tomorrow. It wasn’t terrible, I suppose.
The headboard of the bed at my hotel appears to be attached to the wall versus the bed. Interesting.
09 September 2014
There isn’t a lot to report from this day. The route was not that exciting, and I was in a time crunch to make it to Newnan for dinner with my former boss from my last trip to Afghanistan, an Army Major, and a former Kabul-based aid worker who I follow on Twitter, who serendipitously was also local to Newnan.
Mostly, the feature of today’s ride was seeing the great trees full of Spanish moss along the route. They have always seemed to me to be a symbol of the south, so between those and the humidity, I was reminded constantly of the part of the US that I was travelling through.
Spanish moss-covered tree near the SC-GA border.
I had lunch at Huddle House, a chain prevalent in the South, although I am not sure that I had seen one before hitting Georgia (which is where the chain originated). Huddle House is not exactly healthy eating…I had fried pickles and the Meat Lover’s Hot Tots.
Blurp.
Meat Lover’s Hot Tots.
After arriving in Newnan, and changing out of my gear, we headed to historic downtown Newnan for dinner at Meat ‘N Greet, a meat and bourbon restaurant/bar with a great menu, which only just opened back in February 2014. We got the 3 Fried Amigos appetizer with Vidalia onions, okra, and fries with Carolina mustard, chimi mayo, and chipotle ketchup to start. For the main course, I went for the Sweet Southern Mess – a sweet potato stuffed with pulled pork, mojo slaw, and BBQ sauce. Unique and delicious. They also have some great drinks…one that I had, the Apple Barrel, was fantastic. Bourbon, fresh apple, Original Sin Hard Cider, and a dash of cinnamon…great stuff. We spent dinner discussing our time in Afghanistan, how things changed after the Major’s unit RIP’ed out, and other such things before retiring back to his house for a few rounds of pool and Oban scotch.
The Sweet Southern Mess
I’ve got an early morning tomorrow, owing to the Major’s schedule, but that should help me get some extra distance. No specific stops planned from here on out to Austin, and so I’m hoping I’ll see some interesting sights that get me to pull over. I’ll be heading through Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana before reaching Texas, and essentially I’ll just be heading in a line southwest all the way back.
More tomorrow.
Other shots:
This bank, in Monticello, GA, looks just like Jefferson’s home of the same name in Virginia.
The road through Georgia.
Overgrown, apparently abandoned building.
This restaurant looked abandoned. I liked the decrepit nature of the sign.
06 September 2014 – 08 September 2014
Charleston, oceanside on the coast of South Carolina, is a city with gorgeous architecture, great food, and fantastic cocktail bars. It is also intensely humid, possibly due to the fact that I was visiting during the rainy season (much like the rest of the country, apparently).
After meeting up with my old friend from high school, whose place I would be staying at for the duration of my time in Charleston, we headed out for drinks in downtown via Uber (which is relatively new to the city). Unfortunately I arrived late, so we only got to check out The Cocktail Club, but it was a great introduction to the Charleston cocktail scene, and our bartenders were kind enough to provide us the names of their own recommended stops (which included The Rarebit, Warehouse, The Belmont, Proof, and The Gin Joint). The drinks themselves at The Cocktail Club were great, and the bartenders clearly knew their stuff. Solid Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs, Aviations, and other classics.
Good drinks, and a nice and dark interior, over at The Cocktail Club in downtown Charleston.
The next morning we headed to Three Little Birds Cafe for brunch, where I got a mixed berry smoothie, a crab and avocado Benedict, and their Apple Pie pancake special (I was hungry). All good…check them out.
Crab and Avocado Benedict.
Apple Pie Pancakes.
Later that day, my friend showed me around Charleston. It is such a good looking city downtown. Gorgeous homes of the super-rich line the coast. A central marketplace is full of tables of vendors hawking various artistic goods and artisinal foods. It was still incredibly humid, but it either let up some or I began to get used to it. The streets and buildings seemed like a mix of different European cities, including at least English (and probably Colonial American), French and Italian influences.
A building in downtown Charleston.
A partially cobblestoned street.
A gorgeous entryway to a residence in downtown.
The rest of the stay focused around food (go figure), and one stop for drinks.
I overdid it (no way!) at White Duck Taco Shop, which was a short walk from my friend’s place. I tried five of their offerings, including the Jerk Chicken, Duck with Mole, Lamb Gyro, Thai Peanut Chicken, and BBQ Carnitas. I finished things up with their Coconut Macaroon Pie with Salted Caramel. Fantastic stuff that reminded me of the taco shops around Austin (and having been gone for so long, I have been missing them).
Taco offerings at White Duck.
Overdoing it, but totally worth it.
Dessert. The salted caramel is such a great flavor combination.
On the advice of a friend from Austin, we checked out Tattooed Moose for their speciality – Mike’s Famous Duck Club. From their menu:
It’s said to be the best sandwich ever made! A triple decker filled with duck confit, applewood smoked bacon, & hickory smoked cheddar topped with garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato, and red onion on sweet Hawaiian bread.
So. Good. Their sandwiches also come with their sweet and spicy pickled green tomatoes and garlicky dill pickles. The Negroni I had also wasn’t bad, even though it’s not exactly a place you’d stop for cocktails. I was also considering getting the Tattooed Moose buger with pork belly, since that sounded amazing, but since we were going out for drinks after dinner, I figured that would be an unwise choice.
The Duck Club. This is what you need to get when you go to Tattooed Moose.
The last stop for me in Charleston was one of The Cocktail Club’s recommendations, The Gin Joint. Their drink menu was fantastic. You can either ask the bartenders to make you something based on two suggested adjectives (refreshing, tart, savory, fruity, spicy, vegetal, unusual, et cetera) or order a cocktail recipe off the menu (which was split up via spirit, with one section for top shelf cocktails including a $23 Orphan Barrel Old-Fashioned made with Barterhouse 20 Year Bourbon). I went with the Sleight of Hand (Random Old Tom Gin, Suze, Pedro Ximinez Sherry, Orange Bitters), and based on my waiter’s recommendation, the Gangster Squad (Rye, Gran Classico, Swedish Punsch, Fernet Branca, Cocchi Torino), which was incredible. I’ll definitely play around with those ingredients and try to recreate the drinks once I’m home.
The Gin Joint also had some snacks that sounded good too. I really wanted to try out the oysters with Laphroaig brine, but sadly one in our party had a time crunch and so we had to take off. Next time.
Some great options on this menu.
Good cocktails, good ice, good decor, good vibes.
Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Newnan, Georgia, where I will meet up with my former boss from my last trip to Afghanistan. I’ll update on that leg of the trip tomorrow.
Other shots:
The Gin Joint’s sign in downtown Charleston.
More from White Duck.
Other White Duck offerings.
Fudge in a downtown Charleston shop. Amazingly I did not get any of it, although I did have a sample of their great pralines.
I saw this at the Spice & Tea Exchange in Charleston. I’ll bet it would make a tasty Old Fashioned.
The Atlantic Ocean and Charleston, as seen from The Rooftop, a bar at The Vendue Hotel.
06 September 2014
I’ll be here in Charleston through Monday before heading on, so there will be another hiatus in reporting.
I had a little more packed into today’s ride. It was a sunny day for most of the ride, which meant I had a couple opportunities to take some photos.
The first stop was the B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake. The earthen dam was created in the 1970’s, and is currently owned and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. There are a few recreation areas there, and I saw people boating around the lake. I wanted to check out the dam facilities, but as usual the government was being a buzzkill and had it all cordoned off.
You know this looks like fun…
…but the government hates fun.
Today’s first planned stop was in Southern Pines, NC to have lunch with an old colleague and friend with his family. We ate at Wolcott’s, a fantastic southern restaurant in the downtown area. To start, I tried the melon soup, a sweet, cold, special offering which was unique and delicious. I followed that up with their Fried Oyster Po’ Boy, also great, and ended with their bread pudding. I’d recommend a stop there.
Melon Soup
Fried Oyster Po’ Boy
Bread Pudding with Ice Cream
It’s always great running into people on this trip. Everyone should be so lucky to see friends farther afield.
After lunch, I continued in the direction of Supply, NC, where I was planning on picking up the Ocean Highway, the coastal road leading to Charleston through Myrtle Beach. Unfortunately, I picked an exceptionally boring route, and there wasn’t much to see except for a church that was clearly for people who have worked for the Department of Defense.
The Church of DoD.
I didn’t stop in Myrtle Beach, but I did ride through it. I’ve never been there, but it looked like a huge tourist trap destination. Every few blocks was an outlet-sized swimwear store, painted in gaudy colors with gigawatts of lighting. There were hotels that reminded me of Las Vegas resorts, and lots of impressive themed mini-golf spots. Not my kind of place, but certainly was a nice change of scenery.
One of the many swimwear outlets along the Ocean Highway in Myrtle Beach.
One of the themed hotel resorts I saw along the way.
Many building facades were intricately done, reminding me of Vegas.
I was poured on from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, but finally made it to my destination safe and sound. I’m staying here with a friend from high school that I haven’t seen in fifteen years, and it will be good to catch up.
I will post an update detailing the days in Charleston after I head on to Georgia. Until then!
Other photos:
Two of the four cats I saw randomly hanging out at a gas station in SC.
Crossing into South Carolina.
A view of the dam from below.
A field of solar panels in North Carolina. I saw a few of these.
05 September 2014
When I left my hotel room this morning, I was a little worried. The sky was completely overcast and looked ready to downpour. Fortunately, it ended up being a dry day (other than the extreme humidity for most of the trip). The clouds opened up to let the sun in about an hour into the ride to North Carolina.
I’m beginning to wish I had put a little more work into coming up with my return route. The last three days have been rather boring when compared to the ride out. Today’s highlights consisted of riding through Spring Grove, the manufacturing hub of paper manufacturer Glatfelter. Throughout Spring Grove’s downtown I saw banners proclaiming the company’s 150th anniversary. I couldn’t help but think that the town would be going down the tubes as demand for its (probable) main industry continues to shrink.
Food today was a bit more fascinating. Lunch was at Pie Five Pizza Co., which has an interior almost exactly matching that of a Chipotle. The two restaurants are so similar that the they must somehow be related…same production line concept and all. I got a BBQ chicken pizza which was pretty good.
Dinner was exotic. Passing by Badeaux’s Cajun Kitchen, I stopped in and got the alligator and grilled frog legs. The alligator came with their homemade gator sauce, which was a thick green cheese-based dip. Whenever I’ve had frog legs, I’ve had them fried, so I was excited to try them grilled. Both the alligator and the frog legs taste somewhat like chicken. The alligator is a little tougher texture, while frog legs are similar in texture to fish. Both were great. The restaurant also had Po’ Boys, which I also wanted to try, but since I’ve been overdoing it with food I figured I’d tone it down.
I called it quits around 10 in Henderson, NC. Tomorrow I meet an old work friend near Ft. Bragg, and will end the day meeting up with a friend I haven’t seen since high school in Charleston.
Other shots:
04 September 2014
It was a near perfect day, weather-wise. Just a little steaminess in Massachusetts as I left, which was not noticeable once I started moving.
I picked a pretty boring route, though. There was hardly anything to see. A periodic historical marker, but that was about it.
The food today was pretty good at least. I hit Benny’s Pizza in Stone Ridge, NY and tried their white sausage pizza. Really good…was considering getting a second piece.
Dinner was sushi at Wild Ginger in York, PA. Great chef special rolls there. I’d especially recommend the Kiss of Fire and Super White rolls. They were delicious. I’m taking a hiatus from sushi until I get back to Austin…it’s too pricey for my (already blown) budget.
More tomorrow.
03 September 2014
Today was a great day to kick off the return trip. No rain!
To check off the San Diego to Maine box, I took a quick trip up to Kittery. On the way, my check engine light popped on. It had been doing this since I had the 7,500 mile service done. Fortunately, Seacoast Sport Cycle was a quick detour on the way. They recognized the problem from another case – apparently a dirty connector on the fuel sensor (?) was the culprit. After the cleaned it, the problem did not recur for the rest of the day.
The rest of the ride to Maine was pretty uneventful, other than numerous detours, and slow New Hampshire drivers. This brings up an interesting observation. On NH highways (especially Route 3), New Hampshire drivers blow away the speed limit by at least ten miles per hour in the 55 mph sections. However, on the back roads, they drive at or below the (much too slow) limit, which was sort of infuriating when I was stuck behind them. Out of all the places I’ve driven, NH is where I’ve always noticed this brand of driving behavior.
I arrived in The Berkshires a little late, but there was still a little light left outside as I rode up Mt. Greylock. At the summit is a World War I memorial beacon, as well as some fantastic views.
Dinner was sushi from Shiro in Pittsfield. Good, fresh sushi that I’d get again.
Down the street from Shiro was District Kitchen & Bar. While not yet officially open, they had a soft opening that was open to the public after a private reception. I wish I could have tried the food, which sounded fantastic. I liked their Old Fashioned and the Cassis Sour.
Next door was a whiskey and beer bar, Thistle & Mirth, where I was introduced to Ginger Libation, a ginger mead, from Green River Ambrosia. Fantastic stuff.
That’s it for tonight. Tomorrow I’m moving on to New York and Pennsylvania.
Other shots:
The Road 