West by Northwest T-4.5 days

I can't wait.

It has been over two years since I've done a long-distance 2-up trip on the bike.   With buying a new house, moving, selling a house, etc. it was probably the right decision.  But, I am getting scared that if I don't start to use my Goldwing as it is intended someone will sneak in the garage some night and take it away from me.

Getting ready for the trip started weeks ago.  I am continuing to work through my goal of riding my motorcycle through all 49 states accessible by land and plan on going through Idaho, Washington and Oregon this trip.  I have a rough idea of a route planned, but nothing is very concrete.  If bad weather is encountered or terrible road conditions, we can change plans at will.  Given the time of year, cold weather is a possibility especially in the higher elevations out west.  Road construction in the rural north can be ugly as we learned in 2008 on the way back from Alaska.  I've poured over maps several times over the weeks if for no other reason than because maps are awesome and it continues to build excitement for the trip.  I've programmed the GPS; I'm still using my over 10-year-old Magellan Meridian unit which is an antique by today's standards, but I like it.  It is a great compliment to the maps which I'll take along as well.
So...route and time table are as planned as will be.

Yesterday I mowed the yard.  Much of the grass was not very long because of the ongoing very dry weather, but the chicory and queen anne's lace was getting arrogant.  A few patches of grass were surprisingly long.  It is surprising how much better the yard looks now.
We interviewed a new place to put the dogs in beagle jail.  It is hard to look at their content faces and know they'll be locked in the kennel for that long, but they will adjust.  The place they will be staying has a huge fenced yard where they can run around a few times a day which will be good for them.  I'll feel bad when we leave, but will look forward to seeing them at the end of the trip.

Today, I finished getting the bike ready.

I won't admit how long it has been since the oil was changed because not very many miles have been put on the bike recently, but all is ready with the lubricants.
Even if it rains in the first day of the trip, I like starting out with a clean bike, so the bike is washed and the suspension setup for two people.

There are still four more days of work to endure and a wake-up.  Then, head west old man.

I can't wait.