The idea came to me a few years ago and the timing never worked, until Covid 19 (aka the Wuhan Virus, China Virus, Corona Virus….). Anyway, with a slower than normal year and restrictions on work impacting almost every business, it seemed like a great time to see the country. Back in June, 99% of work was remote or by phone and I really missed very little. My family was not entirely enthusiastic about my plan to see the country by motorcycle, during a pandemic, as a hurricane was moving north and as protests turned violent across the country, but it seemed like a a perfect time to me.
The pictures below are a few of my favorites. I hope you enjoy and think a little about the time we spent shutdown here in Fernandina. I can say my personal experiences were of towns with very little traffic and nearly empty main streets. Some parts of the country are going to feel 2020 for years and most of us really don’t know the vast impact of a shutdown. As much as we’re criticized for taking too little action or too much action, it was a fine line between public health and economic survival.
Back to a positive note, I met some of the most interesting people and had amazing food along the way. Hotels were almost empty, rates were often below 50% and I was generally treated like a king. One of my initial goals was a trip along part of Route 66. I would recommend paralleling this on 44 or just sampling portions. Closed gas stations and empty stretches make it difficult. I picked it up for a while near St. Louis and then for parts near Santa Fe on the way home. We really do have an incredible country and traveling with only a few stops on the plan is actually much easier on a bike.
