The Motorcycle Diaries - part I

I'm a pretty impulsive person, not by nature but by action. The reason I'm impulsive by action is because I'm so meticulous by nature. I plan, I analyze, I weigh... everything. If allowed to run it's course I would over-think every-little-decision and end up disappointed in the end because I didn't take action.

Back in December I decided I wanted to get back into photography, just on a whim. I started looking into cameras. I started with a price-range and quickly realized it was a little low for what I really wanted to do. So I bumped up my range and started comparing; bodies, lenses, features, quality. Finally I came to the realization (as I often do, though it's like re-inventing the wheel every time) that getting out and taking pictures was my real goal and all the analysis was getting in the way of that. Like most things in a competitive market, the differences between similar models is only important on paper, they all do the same thing essentially. Nikon, Canon, Sony (Minolta)... if there is a difference I can't tell anymore. Just having a decent camera to collect the images I have in the last six months, memories from Vail and Puerto Rico, flowers in my garden, that has been priceless. And this hobby started spawning other ideas. Once I had some decent images to hang I decided to paint my bedroom to make it into a sort of personal gallery. I started thinking about some career changes to bring a little more creativity into my everyday. maybe it won't happen but it's worth thinking about

A couple months ago I started looking at road bikes. I found myself doing the exact same thing: starting with a price range that turned out too low for what I wanted, analysing every option... but this time I came to the realization a little faster (maybe there is hope for me after all) that all this time I was spending in front of the computer screen could be spent out on the road enjoying myself. Any bike is better than none. So off I went to the Trek store across the street and arrived home with a new bike and helmet- impulsive, yes, but I haven't regretted it for a second.

And this bring me to my latest purpose: the motorcycle trip. Every summer for one reason or another I take some vacation to travel up to Maine. And every year I hop in the car and rush up on the fastest route I can find to maximize my time there. I have slept in rest stops, I have driven the whole way only stopping at gas stations. Every time I make a resolution that *next* time I'm going to take my time and actually see some of the states I zip through. Highway 95 is fast but blasting by at max speed you don't see much, and there isn't much to see. And thus was borne the plan, or more accurately an idea, an impulsive idea at that. So far this is what I know: I will take my little Vulcan 500 (one of the motifs of this particular trip is self-reliance and nothing says self-reliance like using the tools you have at hand). I will take my camera (at all costs). I will make this an adventure. The rest is to be decided. By me or by fate.