Riding America
There is romance on the road--the feel of
rubber on the pavement, the smell of a rainstorm, the cold of a mountain by-way, the
rumble of your pipes. It's also an opportunity to learn something
about yourself as well as this great country.
But what do YOU think of the United
States? Why?
Too many of us form our opinions of
America by what we see on cable news, hear on radio talk shows, read in
newspapers and magazines. We polarize ourselves by passing inane
e-mails to our friends--forwarding our thought-up-by-someone-else concepts to everyone on our
distribution lists.
But what do you know of America? I
chose to get out on the road and meet the individuals who make the masses.
What do they think? Why do they think it? All I know now is what
I see, hear and read. So I set off--Riding America.
We all have our reasons for
riding--enjoying the bike, barhopping, cruising with friends, seeing what's
out there. For me, it's the latter. That's why I undertook a
solo 10,000-mile ride across the United States. I've been many places
in the world and I took four weeks to see parts of the world I'd
never, or seldom seen.
I rode my 2004 Harley-Davidson
Electra Glide Classic that's set up for the long haul. Since the H-D
designation is FLHTCI--I call my bike "Flitsy." Call this my Electra Glide in Red
White and Blue.
My trek led from
San Diego to Astoria, Oregon. From there a ride on U.S. 30 to
Atlantic City, New Jersey. Then north to Maine, across southeast
Canada into Michigan and points beyond.
So, why do this? Why U.S. 30?
The road's there, it's places I've never been, and the highway is only one
of two non-interstate highways I found that's got the old designation and not the newer "Interstate"
name. It's one of the original transcontinental highways and that gives it a
special allure. Plus, it passes though states where I've never been, through American
sub-cultures I've only glimpsed. It was both interesting and challenging.
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