2023: A Girl, a Motorcycle, and a Gypsy Soul

Riding motorcycle may seem a bit glamorous at times, but just when I start to feel "cute" while riding, reality kicks in and SMACK - a big, juicy bug, completely full of its last meal, splats on my hand. And going 70mph, he proceeds to slide up my fingers and onto my grips. Which will then be sticky for the duration of my ride. Or even worse, the bugs bigger, fatter, and bloodier relative takes a wrong turn in the bug world and crashes into the side of my face while cruising down the highway. No matter which direction it takes to slide to a hardened halt, its always disgusting. And still on my face. If said bug hits the sunglasses.. well, the only option is to try to wipe it off with either my finger or sleeve. Side note: This NEVER works. It always makes the issue way worse. And not only that, but then I have bug juice on my glasses AND my hands. And sleeve.  Roadkill. Knock on wood I can say that I have only killed a couple of small animals in the 12 yea...

I recently had a lot going on in my family life and was mentally burnt out and needed to get away to clear my head. So, at the VERY last minute (like 28 hours prior...), I decided to pack the bike and see where I wound up. I have a running list of stuff I want to see– and after some google research, I learned that Niagara Falls, one of my top “must see” places on the list, was ‘only’ 15.5 hours away, and not even 1,000 miles. After a quick check of weather, I decided I would head east to Niagara Falls.  I made good time and was determined to make it from Minneapolis to Niagara Falls, NY in a day. The trip was a breeze – aside from the tsunami over the entire state of Wisconsin. I posted a few pics on social media along my way and then received some texts. One from Stiffy, she wanted to ride this weekend and was wondering where I was headed. I told her Niagara Falls. She said, “NEW YORK”? Yes. “I will try to catch you after work”.  (She is crazy!) Another message was f...

Motorcycling is my favorite thing in the whole wide world. And camping is a great way to see the whole wide world on a budget. So why not combine the two?? Here are some of my must have things for moto-camping! REI Passage 2 Tent - compact, light, fits in my saddlebag, and has 2 poles - so I am always the first one set up at camp because its CRAZY fast and easy to do. I also got the footprint for underneath - which is FOR the tent and therefor doesn't hang out from under it. It is super breathable and the rain fly is super easy to put on. I used to share the tent - but even though it says 2 person tent.. with all the gear + me inside, adding another human was WAYYYYYYY crowded. It worked, but it wasn't super comfortable lol  ( I have the green version of this)   https://www.rei.com/product/110837/rei-co-op-passage-2-tent  I have slept on pads, air mattresses, self inflating mattresses, and yoga mats... none of which come close to how awesome, comfortab...

It's hard to believe that I am coming up on a year since I left the USA for a two month solo backpacking trip to Thailand. Or at least what I thought would only be Thailand. I was never scared to be traveling solo. I was never alone unless I really wanted to be, as I stayed in hostels and met so many amazing people from around the world, most of whom travel even MORE than I do. It was an incredible experience. Living in a 3rd world country for 2 months - taking transportation that would never pass any sort of inspection in the USA, living out of a backpack, not knowing much of the language(s), learning how to get from point A to point B and living on hope - I hope I am going the right direction, I hope there is somewhere to sleep, I hope I don't get bit by monkeys...There were times I wondered what I was doing, but most of the time I just relished in the unknown. It's a totally weird thing for me to be 100% reliant on others, but when in a foreign country, not knowing my wa...