tour reports » 6000+ miles since April

I’ve been going through a painful divorce and a lot of the time I used to spend with my children I now spend on my RS. I know.. pretty depressing. Fortunatley my therapy is helping immensely.
On May 25 I took off to Virginia Beach from Western Mass. About 650 miles. I came to love cruise control, first bike with it. It allows your right hand to be free which is the best part. When I started it was about 55 degreesF and in 10 hours it was about 85F.
I took a route through through Washington DC which I could see the capital building from the highway. I had no interest in hanging out.
The whole ride I used my Apple maps and ear buds that fit really well. The maps were very interactive telling me which lane would have an accident or that the route I am on is still the fastest route available. It would show traffic far ahead and the time would adjust automatically as the traffic would back up in certian cities.
As I got closer to the beach traffic got pretty heavy. The liquid cooled is nice in traffic compared to watching the temp climb on my 2000 gs.
The beach was too hot for my northern feet but I forced myself to enjoy it.
My cheap hotel was interesting. I asked for a vending machine to get a drink when I got there. I was pointed outside to around the corner where not only was the vending machine broken(not even lit up) but I witnessed a pizza get delivered by a guy with a handgun exposed on his side. I have guns don’t get me wrong, but if your job has you armed with a gun which is probably worth more than a months wage maybe you should rethink your profession! My deadbolt on my door had been forced off several times by the amount of screw holes in the door frame. I wondered if my things would be there when I got back?
This ride was to stay moving and not to be idle. The next morning I set out to a large National forest in West Virginia the Monongahela. The roads through Virginia were kinda shrouded with trees and you couldn’t get much of a view but it was nice and green. At one point I went by the NSA exit off the highway which was guarded with just road cones. I sure they had many other levels of defense to follow. There were also a lot of military sites and things to visit if that your thing. As I got closer I happened by the Shenandoah National Park exit and the Blue Ridge Mt.Parkway. If you haven’t heard of these, they are roads maintained through the mountains for hundreds of miles with no commercial vehicles and little to no speed enforcement. The roads are filled with hair pin turns and beautiful views and one out of service gas station. This was an awesome ride! I came into Skyline Drive about half way up. I didn’t get to ride the Blue Ridge mountain Parkway but I have many years ago and it would have carried me further from home. I strongly suggest the Parkway and Skyway to anyone in that area. The gas was an issue as I had to leave the park and find a station, don’t loose your receipt for the park entry... it gets you back in.
As I made it through I decide to go to the Catskills of New York and camp with my mosquito net hammock in deep forests about 3 hours from home. I would complete my journey the next morning.
As I drove through Pennsylvania I must warn all riders of the states over population of deer. You can smell rotting carcass for hours. Every mile there must have been deer parts or gut pile somewhere because of the smell. I would not recommend night riding especially. When I got into the Catskills it was late..like 11. I wasn’t completely prepared i must admit, it was 90 degrees the day earlier and now it’s getting to about 50 and all I have is my riding suit. I like to rough it a little it makes you feel alive! But.. when I woke up at 1 am cause I was cold, I had to start a fire. This wasn’t so bad and It warmed me up to fall asleep and wake again three hours later to put more wood on the fire just to get warm enough to sleep again.ha. The next morning I stopped for a good breakfast and enjoyed the rolling green Catskills as I headed torward home.

Nice areas to ride...especially the Catskills. Sorry you're going through a rough patch. Motorcycles have always been my "go-to" therapy, also. When I lived in Newburgh, NY, my commute to the Military Academy at West Point took me down the Storm King Highway. It was pretty much impossible to be depressed after riding that stunning piece of road (photo below).

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Sounds therapeutic. Enjoy and thrive.

Sorry for what you're going through, but this sounds like a very good way to keep yourself busy. Good luck with the tours etc.

Sorry to hear that you're going through some tough times, but you're approach is spot on. Get the bike and a buddy and hit the road. We would need a lot less therapists if more people just hashed it out with asphalt and their mates.