I was in a motorcycle accident in 2005 . I broke my back,neck, clavicle and blood on my brain. Worse of all a good friend lost his life. August 06 I went on a 14,500 mile trip from Tennessee to Alaska to San Diego back to Tennessee. I'm 53 now and have been fighting depression. After watching your videos I've decided to sell my house and everything I own so I can financially support my pilgrimage. Thank you for sharing your adventures. Happy Trails!
Wow! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. There isn't a whole lot of other things to get you out and about like travelling on a motorcycle! I wish you the very best in your journey!
Brother, stay in the saddle and keep riding! I can’t tell you how much so many live vicariously thru your path to liquidate and travel!!! God gave us such an epic landscape to get out doors and go enjoy His creation, meet wonderful people along the way who want nothing but a smile, a handshake, and a pleasant conversations with stories to share. Love to hear how things have been since this post of yours a year ago...
I’m so sorry for your loss. I am glad you made it. The best to you on this new journey. I love my job, but I can retire in 2 years 9 months and 25 days (but who’s counting 😉). I hope to see you on the road.
If I had a dollar for everytime I've dreamed about taking off on an adventure... I'd have enough money to go on one! This video is very real, appreciate your raw emotion and feelings said with a smile on this.
Your description of jobs makes me realize how fortunate I have been in life. At age 67 and now retired, I can say I never spent a day hating or even disliking my job. Some days were more fun than others to be sure, but I would have regretted the day I retired but for discovering motorcycles a few years before. The key, as you mention, is having a goal. Stick to it.
New subscriber from England UK. Old biker 58yrs old. Been riding since i was 11. Father of 2 great men and 1 young boy. Just wanted you to know as a father how proud your family must be of you. Love your straight talking and honesty. Looking forward to watching all of your adventures now.
Some good information. What I would add from the position of that of a guy a year from retirement is a job is a job. They are the means to an end. I have had 2 Careers one medical and another as a result of my degree in computer science. The last was my dream job. The problem with it is if your passionate it’s hard to turn it off. I was so driven to do great things everything was sacrificed to meet the goal of “:great things “. I did great things but.... the stress of it all led to physical consequences and some other bad things. So remember balance. Motorcycles to me are a way to turn off and photography is how I capture it. I am going to try to do some video as well and that’s all new to me except for a couple film classes I took many years ago. Happy trails
It was easier for me to decide because I was so burned out at what had been my life's passion that every hour was soulfully painful. Being scared was way down on the list. I initially went out for 10 weeks and when I came back to my house (not a home) had severe post-trip depression. I realized my home was on the road. Got rid of EVERYTHING and now my goal is to move the decimal point over, stay out for 100 weeks. I appreciate your viewpoint here. More food for thought and another good video. Thank you.
I love this. Reminds me of the days when I had to stay at state parks because I couldn't afford $15 at a commercial campground. Trying to source parts and service 3,000 miles from home, with nothing but AAA maps, Yellow Pages and payphones. And worrying if I had enough quarters.
Thanks Amanda! Another great video. It was great hearing about your school experience and your personal journey, I feel like I know you much better. Post trip depression is real! You gave me chills when you mentioned what you gained from your pilgrimage, all those things you weren't planning on gaining, those things are powerful. Great video, well thought out process and well spoken. Thanks!
Thank you Tim!! I always look forward to your feedback you're always very constructive and I really appreciate that! I've also been enjoying reading your book! It's really cool to learn more about what brought you to this point in your life. We'll have to do a collab or something one of these days when I get to Arizona :)
As someone who's been working since 1982 I found your assessment of the three types of jobs to be very accurate :-) Although even a 'dream job' can become a 'normal job' after a while. But its not until the dream job ends and you go back into a normal job that you appreciate how good it was. I've found the most important thing about enjoying your work is, who you work for & with. Occasionally you can end up in a place that is just full of toxic people that will try to make themselves look good by making you look bad. When that's happened to me twice, I've walked....and not looked back, but the trick is to walk sooner rather then later, before your health is affected, which I didn't do the first time.......... Love your channel!
I’m 78 and just got my 5th bike after 16 years not riding. I am gaining skills & confidence with parking lot practice & riding twisty roads in these GA & NC mountains. My bike is a mid-size 800cc metric cruiser. Had not considered long distance travel but I see it as a possibility while I still can. Thanks for your vids.
I got back in to riding after making some hard, but easy choices when it came to taking care of my kids. Dad and I couldn't afford both for some time, so we chose the family rig, etc. We are both established in a pretty solid career now, so we been back in to riding for about 12 years now. the guys were more in to dirt. I went straight back in to street. Started small and have evolved in to week long rides. Then, I went on my longest, which was across 6 states from Portland, OR to the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Life changing experience. My thirst for distance and adventure...10 fold! My next goal is a ride across the US hitting key markers like Glacier, Zion National park, Grand Teton's, Yosemite, ...all the way over to the tail of the dragon.
If you are ever in western Ky. or southern Indiana let me know. I'm a solo moto camper in western Ky. My nephew is a Tattoo artist. I'm retied and have a lot of time for travailing and camping. I've worked over 40 some years and have kept myself healthy and now that I'm about to turn 65 I'm travailing a lot. I'm an avid hammock camper and have been a gym rat for most of my life. I'm into intermittent fasting and have adopted this way of living for the past 8 months.
Thanks Johnny!! I'll keep you in mind whenever I get to do my cross country trip! I have SUPER rough plans to do the Trans American Trail one of these days when I'm not buried under Events haha. Good on you for staying healthy so you can continue to kick butt!!
Thank you for producing this video, not many channels listen to their subscribers the way you do. Don’t ever change that. Your insight it is very helpful, many will benefit from your experiences. I know, we already have. We can’t wait for your next video. Keep up the good work.
@@tobedetermined4180 Thank you!! I am super excited about it!! haha I hope my next one isn't super boring! Someone else asked me to go over what gear I use and how I make my vlogs so that's what's coming next. :)
As the Magpie Flies I’m sure 1,000+ people agree with me that you videos are everything else but boring. Those are two very interesting topics, we in the motorcycle riding culture are always looking for, especially the how to blog videos. I’ve seen an increased number of new riders and blogging is becoming a very popular thing to do. I’ve also watched all of your videos, you had touched on gear here and there, with reviews of some of your videos. You have a talent in the way you produce them, I’m afraid to even guess the amount of time you spend on editing! Amazing! Keep them coming, but don’t rush. I believe on quality being better than quantity. One of your videos every two or three weeks are better in quality and content, that the two or three videos other channels put out a week. You are doing a fine job. By the way, Lazarus needs to be in a museum, like the way you use it as a background. Be safe
So cool!! I’m very proud of you and I look forward to your next journey! My wife and I are in the pre-stage planning of our May/June 2020 Arctic Circle trip to Tuktoyaktuk from Atlanta and back on our motorcycles. I’ve been noting your tips and videos. Your videos are very inspiring and fun to watch, much like one’s favorite TV show. So I say, “Thank you” for being who you are and what you stand for. Bravo!
Thanks so much!! That means a ton to me! I'm very excited for you and your wife that sounds like an AMAZING trip! Are you planning to blog or vlog it? If so I'd love to follow along! :)
As the Magpie Flies yes! I do plan on vlog. It’ll be my first “official” vlog. We have the bikes, camping gear. What we don’t have is all the video and camera gear for vlogging other than Sena 20 communicators. So I’m hoping you’ll do a video on your camera/video gear “how to.” Editing (which you’re great at) and what all it takes to make such videos with voice and music overlays.
@@coachron3524 That's super exciting!! I left on the Pilgrimage with just my Sony A5100 with the kit lens ( a GREAT starter vlogger camera), and a Contour+2 helmet camera (kind of outdated now but it works and is still my favorite action camera even after getting to play with some go pros), I took my tablet to transfer photos and videos to an external hard drive to edit later. I tend to edit everything After the trip is over, so I'm afraid I don't have a lot of tips about editing on the road because my laptop isn't powerful enough to edit video on (I have a big desktop computer that I edit on in Premiere Pro.) My gear is just a little different now, I still have the Contour helmet camera and I'm hard pressed to change anytime soon, most of the changes are mainly just that I have a gimble for my camera now lol I very recently upgraded to the A7rII, I have a drone now which is fun but not really necessary. I will definitely make a video about all of it! I'll add that to my to-do list :)
I wish I had watched this when I was about 20 and wanted to head for Alaska to "explore" for a while. I never did go and once the responsibilities of life started piling up I knew the dream was unattainable. No regrets though, I now have my 'mini adventures' on my weekly rides.
Mini Adventures are still awesome! I get one-two week adventures every couple months now, of course I normally use them to go back to Montana haha but it's all about perspective. Any trips into the woods or just out of the city is good for the brain!
An inspiring and thought-provoking narrative. Getting over that hurdle of losing the security of having a job is difficult. For me, I am fortunate I can do my job remotely. It is all the people in your circle, who do not have faith in your ability or put you down with negative comments. For example, "You are just a wanderlust" as being a bad thing to want to have the freedom to travel as you please. I felt for you, I understood all you experienced. I look forward to watching your journey.
New Sub, Wow...looking forward to watching your Vids/Journey. I am a fellow female rider, but didn't start riding until after retirement. I am blessed to be in the category of "Dream Job". I taught middle school P.E. for 36 years along with Coaching multiple sports. I have been riding for 3+ years and am in love. So much, I started a channel to encourage other women to ride. It's a blast-joy-thrill-adventure. I am in awe of you that you will hit the road on your own for long distance rides, props! Thanks for all your valuable advice.
YAY! Been watching your videos for a little while, welcome to my neck of the woods :P Thank you so so much :) Stoked to hear that you were in the Dream Job category!
Good stuff. Holding onto a job you hate because it provides security... we’ve all been there! But a toxic job is another thing altogether. It must have felt so good to quit.
I never thought of quitting to ride full time, mostly because I was passionate about what I did for thirty years. I'm not sure everyone has the same experience as I did; I was truly blessed to have my "dream job!" I'm glad you could get away and do this trip and it was fantastic for you on different levels, wasn't it? Now, I am retired. I read, take pictures, garden and when I can I ride! The PNW is fantastic! Marina, my partner, is a very supportive and adventurous person; when she can get away she loves to ride pillion with me. Still enjoying your videos very. much, especially when the weather is so poor!
What a great inspiration, I'm sure this will help many others. Agree with your point of setting a date and telling others. I had the "normal job" which at the start had some great perks and benefits but I guess after 13 years I was just really burnt out. It was very scary to make the decision to leave, but was the best choice for me. I've been very happy in the last year, can finally sleep like a baby at night. Planning to sell my house and then can go on a long road trip. I don't have a motorcycle but will be car camping. Thanks so much for sharing your journey. I've gone on a few solo trips and it really does change you as a person, it's very addicting.
Thank you so so much :) That is so awesome!!! Car Camping, Motorcycle Camping, Backpack Camping, it doesn't matter how you do it, as longs as you're spending time in nature that's all that matters :)
I'm so jealous...got 12yrs to earn that pension so just building the nest egg . In the mean time just want to take shorter 2 week trips to explore and find out what works for me. Love watching your channel, hoping some of your wisdom rubs off on me.🏍️🏕️
My leave date is 15th of August 2019. Im going in a car not a bike, I don't even know how to ride but I think I understand your journey. I have saved enough now and it's well and truly time to go and live. I'm leaving the supposed dream job which I have come to realise is not my calling. Wish you well in your journeys and good luck with your recovery too. I hope your channel continue to serve you well.
Great Vlog with excellent advise for everyone, @ 18 I left the UK for my American adventure and in art and photography, neither became my profession, yet I have been here ever since and now that I'm closer to retirement, I look forward to a number of years seeing this great country on two wheels. I have so many places I want to see and quite a number of motorcycle bloggers I'd love to meet to soak in the knowledge they can offer for long distance riding. I'm enjoying your vlogs has they're very entertaining, You creative side really shines through.
Just came across this, we seem to have the same mind set. I took and offer in Feb. this year and quit my job as an AT&T Engineer with the plan of motorcycle travel for the next 20 years. nice post!
All the books I've read about motorcycle trips include unexpected maintenance. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance Long Way Round Long Way Down Into Africa by Sam Manicom Under Asian Skys by Sam Manicom Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon (personal favorite) Dreaming of Jupiter by Ted Simon I truly recommend Simon as the more elegiac writer. He describes the shifts in spirit so well in simple events. Manicom is gentler. The soul-searching questions he leaves to the reader to ask, but his simple faith in people is refreshing. I mention all this largely to encourage the miles to unwind before you.
Hey Amanda. Enjoyed this video very much, ty! Sorry you endured some crap in a toxic environment. I hear you as it's an all too common problem out there. I just walked out of my latest job due an abusive man who was "training" me. I have zero tolerance for hateful, biting sarcasm and verbal abuse of any kind. I put up with and endured such for much longer periods in my younger yrs, but no more. ~You're clearly a very bright person and I adore your open honesty and your pragmatic take on things. Thanks for you and I look forward to delving into your videos more. ~~Ride safe - all ways and always. 🙂
Really awesome tips! I recently quit my job to work my dream job, was a huge risk to leave my 9-5 but it was totally worth it. I may be making less money but my mental health and happiness are way better. Congrats on the trip I’m sure it felt damn good!!
I’m from Butte , 63 in Feb. , I’ve done some fairly long rides , Fargo blues fest, Denver (family) and Banff , beauty . Thanks , I have a budding plan to take June off entirely , go east to see family in Milwaukee area then wander south for a bit .
I have had a trip planned in my head for a while. I retired a year ago and hadn't owned a motorbike in over five years... until August when I bought a 500cc ex army Armstrong. My first 'trip' will not be until next summer when I will be riding from my home in the South West of England over to the Somme area in France to visit the graves of two great uncles both killed in WW1. It will only be a two day 600 mile round trip, but it's a start. Next on the list is the North Coast 500 in Scotland, after that.... who knows.
Yeah, take pictures. My first trip was 7 weeks and all I took was a bag of clothes and sleeping bag, no tent or pad. I survived and thrived on a 1973 GT 550 Suzuki. I was 25, 38 years ago.
Just found your youtube channel and I really love your videos! I've had a license for 6 years now and never bought myself a bike. A month ago bought an indian rogue that I'm waiting to come in. Cannot wait! I wish I knew other women riders in the New England area but it's almost as fun watching videos like yours until I can get on my own.
Dear Amanda, Just saw you on Forty Times Around and had to visit you. Looking forward to catching up on your adventures. I am seriously wanting to take a trip from Baltimore to Reno in June 2020. I have been getting ideas from Tim and I hope will get into serious planning by how you do things to get organized. Thanks. Mike L.
Took a month off work to travel 7000 miles around Canada and the USA in 1980 loved the trip on my new 750cc Honda magna. From Saskatoon to the west coast, down the 101to California, then back up through the mid states, camping and the occasional hotel, great trip great memories, glad I done it, never been able to do it again, done most of Europe on a motorcycle.. Still own a motorbike but don't tour on them these days. Stay safe, don't wander off the tourist roads. Stay within the speed limits because the law are around 👍🙄
Viewed this some months back but it caught my interest again. I've come to realize I had Job type #4..... Challenged everyday mentally to succeed in a science I thoroughly enjoyed and enjoyed applying my knowledge... Guess I've lived a blessed life to have been so fortunate. Wish my parents were still around to thank them for preparing me for the working part of life.
Sometimes the simple answer is the best answer...my fear is breaking down on the side of the road so the simple answer is to get roadside assistance.$ 125.00 a year and they will pick me up anywhere I break down.
What a great video! Thanks for the tips! Having a goal in mind and a deadline really helps. I plan on finishing my degree in late 2024 and going on a round-the-world trip (Europe, Russia and the Americas) in May 2025. So far I have an almost fully prepped bike, most of the camping/travel gear and just started saving (I'll need about 15K USD). Saving that kind of money while paying rent and tuition isn't gonna be easy, but a goal is a goal!
It's really not that difficult, but it does take some motivation! "Inktober" sounds great! I completed a project called Photo a Day (PaD) a few years ago. took a photo each day for a year (I missed one day, but it was a leap year so I still got 365 on the books!), failed it the 2 prior years, but it was a fun experience. Ride safe!
Excellent video and very well presented. So much of what you said really rang true to me, the types of jobs, the fear of quitting your job, especially when you're a risk averse type of person as I am, needing to know where I'll be each night is very me. I'm not sure I'd quit my job to go adventuring on my bike but you have made me realise that I should commit to the trips I have in mind and when the time comes just go, rain or shine. Here in the UK we're not blessed with great weather and empty roads, quite the opposite in fact, so I tend to wait for some good weather to turn up. Anyway I'm now gonna subscribe to your channel and enjoy your trip round Montana 👍👍👍
First - thank you so much for sharing! Your realistic and frank take on living on the road is insightful and invaluable. Second - I've found that the "normal job" can quickly become the "bad job". My biggest tip for everyone is NEVER CHASE THE MONEY. No amount of money is worth your misery. I have always been a home body, but watching the pilgrimage and hearing your enthusiasm has me wanting to travel! :)
I realize it may have been confusing when I mentioned that Normal Jobs pay you a living wage, like that was the only thing that made it "normal". I mean that the environment is healthy, you get benefits and are treated fairly, and your co-workers aren't all awful (one or two annoying people doesn't make the whole job bad). They may ask you to work overtime every once in a while but it isn't without reason. If the environment isn't healthy from the get go it's not a normal job. XD. There's a difference between monotony and being manipulated. But there are things that can happen to make it a bad job, like a change in management etc. I'm glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for always leaving insightful comments! I think that being away from home for 3 months isn't always for everyone, although at the very least being gone on the bike for at least 2 weeks is pretty awesome as well lol I know the boyfriend was not thrilled I was gone for so long and it was definitely a strain on our relationship but he did his best to be supportive. Once I got back everything kind of went back to normal again.
You emphasized that living on the road, as long as you did, changes you. I'm curious if your boyfriend noticed the change. Great point about the manipulation in bad jobs. The only other thing I would say about the jobs is that you should talk to the people close to you about your job and get feedback. Sometimes it's hard to identify that manipulation from the inside. I could go on and on about this, because I've had my share of bad jobs, but I will spare everyone my soapbox sermons. :p
@@thatoneguymoto That's a good question lol I don't think we've ever really talked about it. We definitely learned a lot about how we needed to communicate better so no one was assuming anything about the tone of the conversation etc. (ie Phone Calls every day instead of Texting no matter how "busy" we were, and at least one Skype call a week if not more so we could see each other/read facial expressions etc.) I know I was a lot more headstrong about my goals and what I wanted to be doing with my life. I was definitely happier (after I got over the Post-Trip Depression haha) I also gained the ability to walk up and talk to strangers with only minimal talking to myself to get up the nerve (at least better than I used to be. lol)
So we’re headed to South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota and then down to the Grand Canyon and then back home to Florida in August. So that’s the plan for this year. I would like to see us do all 48 states before I retire. Then I like to take a trip to dead horse Alaska from Key West Florida and back to our home city in Florida. Have a lot of possible future plans of course all depends on health. My wife and I are on a 2016 Honda Gold wing with a 18 ft.³ trailer all aluminum. It holds everything we need when we go for weeks at a time. And the gold wing seems to be the most reliable of bikes. We also own a 2012 Vulcan voyager 1700. It needs some love and some road time. We own a hand build Hardtail, build it back in 2009 it needs to be refurbished. Lost my want to if you know what I mean. Like seeing your enthusiasm and your gumption. Be safe and stay safe. But live on the edge.
Wow, great video and just what I needed. On my way to the USA in July for my 65th birthday to do a road trip for as long as it takes. Love the Suzuki GS I had one new in 1978 One of the best bikes I ever owned. Thanks for your story, you are very brave. keep well.
Really enjoy your videos. Great advice. I really want to go on a long motorcycle trip. About a year or more. I retire from the military in about 3 yrs so, sometime after that.
The first thing I did shortly after I bought my Harley was to start planning rides. I am _much_ better at planning than doing. But I'm settling into a rule if one to two epic trips every year. I did find out recently that taking a two week vacation isn't out of the question at work. I'd love to go coast-to-coast and back. Unfortunately, to stop along the way and sample the areas.. I'm gonna need more time. A house payment and a family to support kind of takes quitting out of the equation.
This is true, not everyone's circumstances allow for quitting, but I'm sure you agree that you don't have to live on the road for multiple years for travel to make a positive impact in your life.
Absolutely. Sometimes, just sitting on it in the garage makes a positive impact. But yeah. Every trip is an adventure. Every trip stretches us in some way... mentally, physically, emotionally. It feeds our exploring natures... even if it's someplace we've never been just down the road.
With my current situation (which the stress level i am experiencing is already on the roof and the life i always dream of), you truly inspires me of quiting my job. Even though i am a bit under the weather, my boss send out a whole bunch of works and did not even let me rest. I dunno. I might look for a better one.
Just found your channel as I am researching an upcoming road trip. I'm enjoying the videos I have watched so far, and am about to start on the pilgrimage series. (Better late than never is my motto apparently) My wife and I are taking off soon on a couple of week long trip on our bike. I think it's going to be a hell of an adventure. Good luck and stay safe on your cross country trip.
I'm guessing the 1 dislike is from your former tattoo shop mentor. Came across your video via Forty Times Around and thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely plan on checking out your other videos in hopes of traveling across the US via motorcycle one day.
Met you on that moto-camping site LOL Wow! Rancher did you say? Although that art school didn't seem like your thing, it certainly helped, I'm certain, more than you know. Formal training gives some benefit even if it's better insight regarding the path in life. $ yeah but.... Wisdom comes at a cost. Gonna check out more of your stuff for some video tips for my very lame attempt at doing some on my trip in May. You rock girl! Gotta tell ya, I call myself a Road Warrior but man you put me (and so many others) to shame.
Hearing about your life and what that tat shop owner did to you makes me very upset on your behalf. I am glad to see you have been able to move on and up. 😁
I'm 36, single again, and daughter lives with mom. I'm very seriously considering selling everything I have and taking off. My only issue is camp sites cost more for a month than a damn house !! I'd like to pull a small camper and run from cold weather in the winter . But I can't afford 1000 bucks a month to be in a camp site in Arizona or somewhere warm 🤦. But I'd like to live that way permanently. I don't care a damn about owning a house
Thank you for watching!! That is so exciting!! Take lots of pictures, and write as much down as you can, your future self (and any children or family you may have) will thank you :)
Good stuff Amanda! One really needs to consider budgeting for some sort of emergency health coverage insurance. You broke your wrist and you were lucky you were able to ride out; I had a fall last year, broke my ankle, but was also able to ride out...a buddy of mine crashed in a remote area in Colorado, suffering multiple fractures of his ankle and leg (had a Spot tracker so was able to get help)...he'll be paying off the helo ride, emergency surgery, and hospital stay for a good part of the rest of his life.
This is true. I think really the best option is to just have a special savings account just for these kinds of events. In my experience when I broke my wrist, and talking to my other friends who all broke bones this year, there are very FEW insurance companies that cover broken bones or ER visits. I've been paying all the medical bills from the Orthopedic out of pocket because he's consider a "specialist" by insurance and they don't have an option for that kind of coverage. There is helicopter insurance I know, one of my friends have it (just in case they have to be life flighted when they press the button.) There are some programs like HSA that are kind of like health care credit cards, and my work allows us to have them take money straight out of our paycheck before we get it and put a certain percentage into that account. That way I never have to see the money leave and it's there in case of an emergency. (Unfortunately I didn't have near enough in my account to cover all my bills but a little bit is better than nothing.) It's really just something we accept as a possibility when riding in the woods, and whether you plan to go with the flow or save a ton of money just in case is a personal decision.
Great video and advice. This is inspirational. I’m planning a big ride in summer 2020. It will be over 5-6wk period and about 16k-17k miles when finished. I’m hoping it’s not overly ambitious but plan to be flexible with many aspects of the trip. Your advice about taking time to take in the trip have struck a chord and I may need to rethink some of the route to allow more time to smell the roses. Thanks again. Glad I found your channel. It came at the right time.
Thanks Looper Trooper! That's so exciting! Yes! If there's anything I'm thankful for is that I really only maxed like 175 miles or so everyday of that trip. It gave me a lot of time to actually experience the landscapes I was riding through, and meet the people who really defined that trip for me. I wish you happy planning! and a wonderful trip with just enough odd things to keep it interesting ;)
Great vid! I've only got to travel in spurts like a week at a time or long weekends. I do sooo want to ride out to Cali and ride the coast. Another trip I want to take is to ride from here in Southern MO all the way to Alaska and back.
Once my kids go off into the real world my hope is to become a nomadic motorcyclist. Stay in warm climates, work odd jobs to make money to eat and maintain the bike.
My Travel dream would be something like riding from Texas to Isle of Man TT. Hope your new job is much more enjoyable than that tattoo shop. Thanks for sharing your story and tips. Cant wait till your on the bike again!
That sounds like an awesome trip! Do you think you'd ship the bike and do Greenland and Iceland too or just straight to England? Haha working at a motorcycle dealership has a lot of good parts and some bad parts, it's definitely still stressful but the rewards are a lot better than the Tattoo Shop that's for sure. Doc said I should be able to ride again in December (barring any accidental falls haha)
Total guts! I have thought about doing a trip but lack the confidence to do so. I am presently taking to many medications and also in cardiac rehab so my dream may be just limited to 2 weeks, and having another 2 weeks of meds sent to a Navy buddies home so that I can make another 2 week trip home using another route home(?)
Hey Lindsey! Any adventure is better than no adventure! Even if it's just a weekend route, or a week or two weeks! You should check out Meet the Stroops they were doing the Trans America Trial 2 up, and the gentleman has Cystic Fibrosis. They're very inspiring. th-cam.com/channels/_PHp92XsVm0XsyBe8B1u4w.html
Hey :-) my wife is short & needs some motorcycle pants with some impact protection. She is 5 feet tall. Can you recommend something? We are headed to monument valley this weekend & need something good in a hurry:-)
Thank you for sharing this, motorcycle mama. It begs the following question, though, Now that you have completed your first solo outing on two wheels, and in hindsight, what would you have done differently knowing what you know now? Thanks in advance and happy trails.
That is a great question! I think most of my regrets or things that I wished I had done differently were mainly related to camping gear. Other than that, I wished I had recorded way more than I did, I wish I would have kept a journal as well as the 'video diary' particularly towards the end when I didn't want to "talk" to the camera. Lol I also wish I would have stood my ground a little better when I /knew/ how to fix my bike and I let other people tell me otherwise (and guess what I was right, and it cost me a weeks worth of travel time). Always listen to your gut, always. I did make a little video touching on some of the things I learned (mostly about the gear) here: th-cam.com/video/zYyGmDVXqJM/w-d-xo.html
@@mr.solitude3352 I have Verizon and I called them to let them know I was travelling, and they kind of "boosted" my range of service. I don't know how it is with other providers, but with Verizon they optimize your service for the area you live in which is why when you travel you tend to not have very good service, even if people with the same carrier have great service there. So reaching out and letting them know your plans does help a lot. Other than that I didn't worry to much about it. I did have google location sharing on with my parents so my mum could always see where I was at. There were dead spots where It would loose me and make it look like I was in Browning for 3 hours or something but I always was clear about where I was going and what my plans were with them so at least one person always knew where I should be. After breaking my wrist in the woods with no service, and having to lean on a kind stranger to use their InReach to contact my parents, I am definitely saving for one of those. But that's mainly a concern for riding in the woods where you truly are less likely to run into anybody for help. I was less worried about it on slab (even some of the remote back roads I rode still had people on them) because there will always be someone who will stop and help you. It might take a while, and it might not be the first few cars you see, but 9/10 someone will stop. Other than that I wasn't too worried about having service tbh, I was using paper maps the whole time (it was one of my "Rules" or challenges for myself to navigate without my phone.)
Wow! I never knew that a carrier like Verizon would do that for you. I'm a Verizon user and will remember that the next time that I "check out" on two wheels. My lesson learned, in this same subject, is I always take a cellphone that has replaceable batteries along with 4-5 extra batteries. Most cellphones, these days, do not let you replace their battery; only a very few do. I make sure that I have one of those few cellphones with me when I venture out of uncivilized civilization.
It is a lot harder to do with responsibilities! Short trips like 3-4 Days in new places would still be worth it! Thanks Whitney! I hope your trip out west goes awesome!
I am 72 years old. My career was being a computer programmer on big mainframe computers for personnel and payroll systems for county and state applications. When I was 50 I lost my job with Idaho state retirement systems. I could not find another programming job there. When I tried applying for other jobs, I was either too old or over-qualified. I burned through my savings and retirement funds. I didn’t have enough money to buy stamps to mail an application or for gas for my junk heap car (my nice Toyota pickup had been reposessed0. I had pawned everything of any value that I owned. I was st the end of the line, my house was being foreclosed on and I would be homeless in 3 days. I was sitting on my back porch with a loaded gun writing my good-bye suicide letter. My door bell rang and there was a Hispanic dude who wanted to buy my house. We closed the next day and I threw in what furniture I had and my big ol’ water bed. That put $5,000.00 cash in my pocket. I stuffed all of my clothes in that junkheap car and drove to Everett, Washington to stay with a friend and look for work. No work there. Another friend in Olympia, Washington wanted me to come stay with her there in the state capital where a job right up my alley was more likely. I struck paydirt and landed a job as a Cobol mainframe programmer for the state of Washington Personnel system. It had great benefits and I could work there as long as I liked. I bought a small home, I saved up and paid cash for a new Kia Sedona (never again will I be in a position where my car can be repossessed). When I hit 55 I could start receiving social security payments while still working. I did that and put all of it in savings towards retirement. I retired at 71. I paid cash for my new retirement home here in Nampa, Idaho (Never again will anyone be able to foreclose on my house and put me on the street). My Sorento only has 50,000 miles on it and will last me until I croak of end up in s nursing home. I am pretty solidly set now so long as my health holds out. I just bought a new Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and love it to death. Quick and nimble around town, great acceleration (much more torque than you would expect from a 650), can cruise at 75 or 80 all day long, has GREAT brakes and looks like the big twins of the late 60s … Triumph, BSA, Royal Enfield, Norton. I will be doing a lot of touring! www.dropbox.com/s/b4sxylks147qmqg/RE%20TOURING%20NEW%20SEAT%2002.JPG?dl=0 www.dropbox.com/s/kugg3dift0w52rc/RE%20TOURING%20NEW%20SEAT%2003%20AND%20TRUNK.JPG?dl=0
If you are over 50, think five times before quitting your job!!! Age discrimination is VERY REAL. Any job with a good career path doesn't want someone who they have to invest in training only to see their newly trained employee retire soon as they are well trained! Forget finding any job with decent benefits or a decent career path! IT WILL NOT HAPPEN! And if you have an impressive resume, FORGET finding a job as a store clerk or Walmart greeter because you will be deemed as over-qualified. If you are over 50 my strong advice is DON'T QUIT ONE JOB UNTIL YOU ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER! I am happy now, with a monthly retirement income of over $4,000.00 and zero bills except groceries, utilities, Medicare and property tax. I thank God for that and consider it a miracle that I was able to do that starting from ground zero at 51 with zero savings and zero retirement funds. I have plenty of money, a great bike and nothing but time on my hands to go touring. Thank you God and thank you State of Washington for the job and retirement benefits, and thank you God for Social Seurity!
I was EXTREMELY LUCKY to find my job with the State of Washington. It just so happens that they were in a pinch and needed someone with precisely the skill set that I had. That is very rare. I broke down and cried when I got the job offer! I only had a few weeks and I would have been on the street homeless. I still had one gun and would have shot myself! I am serious as a heart attack about that!
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I was in a motorcycle accident in 2005 . I broke my back,neck, clavicle and blood on my brain. Worse of all a good friend lost his life. August 06 I went on a 14,500 mile trip from Tennessee to Alaska to San Diego back to Tennessee. I'm 53 now and have been fighting depression. After watching your videos I've decided to sell my house and everything I own so I can financially support my pilgrimage. Thank you for sharing your adventures. Happy Trails!
Wow! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. There isn't a whole lot of other things to get you out and about like travelling on a motorcycle! I wish you the very best in your journey!
OMG, Good for you my friend. Please post again and let us know how your doing and if you got a TH-cam channel.
I live in Odenville, Ala. What part of Tennessee are you in?
Brother, stay in the saddle and keep riding! I can’t tell you how much so many live vicariously thru your path to liquidate and travel!!! God gave us such an epic landscape to get out doors and go enjoy His creation, meet wonderful people along the way who want nothing but a smile, a handshake, and a pleasant conversations with stories to share. Love to hear how things have been since this post of yours a year ago...
I’m so sorry for your loss. I am glad you made it. The best to you on this new journey. I love my job, but I can retire in 2 years 9 months and 25 days (but who’s counting 😉). I hope to see you on the road.
Good video with good advice. Remember, do this sooner than later. Once you have a spouse, kids and a mortgage it gets much more difficult.
Truth!
True but you still think about it, way more often than you should if your happy with the life you have atm ;)
thats why you dont "have a spouse, kids and a mortgage"
If I had a dollar for everytime I've dreamed about taking off on an adventure... I'd have enough money to go on one! This video is very real, appreciate your raw emotion and feelings said with a smile on this.
lmao I know that feeling XD Thanks so much !
Your description of jobs makes me realize how fortunate I have been in life. At age 67 and now retired, I can say I never spent a day hating or even disliking my job. Some days were more fun than others to be sure, but I would have regretted the day I retired but for discovering motorcycles a few years before. The key, as you mention, is having a goal. Stick to it.
That is awesome!!
Great video
Wife and I did a 5064 mile trip over 10 days in 2017 out west from Indiana. Living off a bike in a tent is AWESOME.
Thanks so much Brandon! That is awesome!! Agreed, living off the bike is one of my favorite things, there isn't really anything else like it.
New subscriber from England UK. Old biker 58yrs old. Been riding since i was 11. Father of 2 great men and 1 young boy. Just wanted you to know as a father how proud your family must be of you. Love your straight talking and honesty. Looking forward to watching all of your adventures now.
Some good information. What I would add from the position of that of a guy a year from retirement is a job is a job. They are the means to an end. I have had 2 Careers one medical and another as a result of my degree in computer science. The last was my dream job. The problem with it is if your passionate it’s hard to turn it off. I was so driven to do great things everything was sacrificed to meet the goal of “:great things “. I did great things but.... the stress of it all led to physical consequences and some other bad things. So remember balance.
Motorcycles to me are a way to turn off and photography is how I capture it. I am going to try to do some video as well and that’s all new to me except for a couple film classes I took many years ago. Happy trails
It was easier for me to decide because I was so burned out at what had been my life's passion that every hour was soulfully painful. Being scared was way down on the list. I initially went out for 10 weeks and when I came back to my house (not a home) had severe post-trip depression. I realized my home was on the road. Got rid of EVERYTHING and now my goal is to move the decimal point over, stay out for 100 weeks. I appreciate your viewpoint here. More food for thought and another good video. Thank you.
You should be a life coach. This is beautiful advice, even if you’re not taking a trip! Thank you so much for sharing.
I love this. Reminds me of the days when I had to stay at state parks because I couldn't afford $15 at a commercial campground. Trying to source parts and service 3,000 miles from home, with nothing but AAA maps, Yellow Pages and payphones. And worrying if I had enough quarters.
I didn't quite my job, I became a teacher with 3 months every year to bike travel!
That's awesome Tim
Thanks Amanda! Another great video.
It was great hearing about your school experience and your personal journey, I feel like I know you much better.
Post trip depression is real! You gave me chills when you mentioned what you gained from your pilgrimage, all those things you weren't planning on gaining, those things are powerful.
Great video, well thought out process and well spoken. Thanks!
Thank you Tim!! I always look forward to your feedback you're always very constructive and I really appreciate that!
I've also been enjoying reading your book! It's really cool to learn more about what brought you to this point in your life.
We'll have to do a collab or something one of these days when I get to Arizona :)
@@AstheMagpieFlies thank you! And yes definitely, a collab sounds awesome!
As someone who's been working since 1982 I found your assessment of the three types of jobs to be very accurate :-) Although even a 'dream job' can become a 'normal job' after a while. But its not until the dream job ends and you go back into a normal job that you appreciate how good it was. I've found the most important thing about enjoying your work is, who you work for & with. Occasionally you can end up in a place that is just full of toxic people that will try to make themselves look good by making you look bad. When that's happened to me twice, I've walked....and not looked back, but the trick is to walk sooner rather then later, before your health is affected, which I didn't do the first time.......... Love your channel!
Thanks Major Tom!
I’m 78 and just got my 5th bike after 16 years not riding. I am gaining skills & confidence with parking lot practice & riding twisty roads in these GA & NC mountains. My bike is a mid-size 800cc metric cruiser. Had not considered long distance travel but I see it as a possibility while I still can. Thanks for your vids.
!! That's awesome!!
Thank you for watching them :)
Thanks so much for this.
I got back in to riding after making some hard, but easy choices when it came to taking care of my kids. Dad and I couldn't afford both for some time, so we chose the family rig, etc. We are both established in a pretty solid career now, so we been back in to riding for about 12 years now. the guys were more in to dirt. I went straight back in to street. Started small and have evolved in to week long rides. Then, I went on my longest, which was across 6 states from Portland, OR to the Sturgis motorcycle rally. Life changing experience. My thirst for distance and adventure...10 fold! My next goal is a ride across the US hitting key markers like Glacier, Zion National park, Grand Teton's, Yosemite, ...all the way over to the tail of the dragon.
If you are ever in western Ky. or southern Indiana let me know. I'm a solo moto camper in western Ky. My nephew is a Tattoo artist. I'm retied and have a lot of time for travailing and camping. I've worked over 40 some years and have kept myself healthy and now that I'm about to turn 65 I'm travailing a lot. I'm an avid hammock camper and have been a gym rat for most of my life. I'm into intermittent fasting and have adopted this way of living for the past 8 months.
Thanks Johnny!! I'll keep you in mind whenever I get to do my cross country trip! I have SUPER rough plans to do the Trans American Trail one of these days when I'm not buried under Events haha.
Good on you for staying healthy so you can continue to kick butt!!
Thank you for producing this video, not many channels listen to their subscribers the way you do. Don’t ever change that. Your insight it is very helpful, many will benefit from your experiences. I know, we already have. We can’t wait for your next video. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much for your support!! So glad you liked it! :)
As the Magpie Flies congratulations on 1,000 subscribers, so glad to see your channel grow. Always looking forward to see more of your videos.
@@tobedetermined4180 Thank you!! I am super excited about it!! haha I hope my next one isn't super boring! Someone else asked me to go over what gear I use and how I make my vlogs so that's what's coming next. :)
As the Magpie Flies I’m sure 1,000+ people agree with me that you videos are everything else but boring. Those are two very interesting topics, we in the motorcycle riding culture are always looking for, especially the how to blog videos. I’ve seen an increased number of new riders and blogging is becoming a very popular thing to do. I’ve also watched all of your videos, you had touched on gear here and there, with reviews of some of your videos. You have a talent in the way you produce them, I’m afraid to even guess the amount of time you spend on editing! Amazing! Keep them coming, but don’t rush. I believe on quality being better than quantity. One of your videos every two or three weeks are better in quality and content, that the two or three videos other channels put out a week. You are doing a fine job. By the way, Lazarus needs to be in a museum, like the way you use it as a background. Be safe
Wow! Way to put yourself out there. I really loved this. Thank you!
Thank you!! 😁 I figure I end up telling everyone and their mom this story in person so it might as well be on the internet 🤣
Hi just heard about your channel from 40 times around. Subbed!
Leaving Medical Research to travel the US. Watching all your videos. Need all the tips I can get.!! Excellent vids btw.
So cool!! I’m very proud of you and I look forward to your next journey!
My wife and I are in the pre-stage planning of our May/June 2020 Arctic Circle trip to Tuktoyaktuk from Atlanta and back on our motorcycles. I’ve been noting your tips and videos. Your videos are very inspiring and fun to watch, much like one’s favorite TV show.
So I say, “Thank you” for being who you are and what you stand for. Bravo!
Thanks so much!! That means a ton to me!
I'm very excited for you and your wife that sounds like an AMAZING trip! Are you planning to blog or vlog it? If so I'd love to follow along! :)
As the Magpie Flies yes! I do plan on vlog. It’ll be my first “official” vlog. We have the bikes, camping gear. What we don’t have is all the video and camera gear for vlogging other than Sena 20 communicators. So I’m hoping you’ll do a video on your camera/video gear “how to.” Editing (which you’re great at) and what all it takes to make such videos with voice and music overlays.
@@coachron3524 That's super exciting!! I left on the Pilgrimage with just my Sony A5100 with the kit lens ( a GREAT starter vlogger camera), and a Contour+2 helmet camera (kind of outdated now but it works and is still my favorite action camera even after getting to play with some go pros), I took my tablet to transfer photos and videos to an external hard drive to edit later. I tend to edit everything After the trip is over, so I'm afraid I don't have a lot of tips about editing on the road because my laptop isn't powerful enough to edit video on (I have a big desktop computer that I edit on in Premiere Pro.)
My gear is just a little different now, I still have the Contour helmet camera and I'm hard pressed to change anytime soon, most of the changes are mainly just that I have a gimble for my camera now lol I very recently upgraded to the A7rII, I have a drone now which is fun but not really necessary.
I will definitely make a video about all of it! I'll add that to my to-do list :)
As the Magpie Flies 😁👍🏽
I wish I had watched this when I was about 20 and wanted to head for Alaska to "explore" for a while. I never did go and once the responsibilities of life started piling up I knew the dream was unattainable. No regrets though, I now have my 'mini adventures' on my weekly rides.
Mini Adventures are still awesome! I get one-two week adventures every couple months now, of course I normally use them to go back to Montana haha but it's all about perspective. Any trips into the woods or just out of the city is good for the brain!
An inspiring and thought-provoking narrative. Getting over that hurdle of losing the security of having a job is difficult. For me, I am fortunate I can do my job remotely. It is all the people in your circle, who do not have faith in your ability or put you down with negative comments. For example, "You are just a wanderlust" as being a bad thing to want to have the freedom to travel as you please. I felt for you, I understood all you experienced. I look forward to watching your journey.
New Sub, Wow...looking forward to watching your Vids/Journey. I am a fellow female rider, but didn't start riding until after retirement. I am blessed to be in the category of "Dream Job". I taught middle school P.E. for 36 years along with Coaching multiple sports. I have been riding for 3+ years and am in love. So much, I started a channel to encourage other women to ride. It's a blast-joy-thrill-adventure. I am in awe of you that you will hit the road on your own for long distance rides, props! Thanks for all your valuable advice.
YAY! Been watching your videos for a little while, welcome to my neck of the woods :P
Thank you so so much :)
Stoked to hear that you were in the Dream Job category!
Good stuff. Holding onto a job you hate because it provides security... we’ve all been there! But a toxic job is another thing altogether. It must have felt so good to quit.
I never thought of quitting to ride full time, mostly because I was passionate about what I did for thirty years. I'm not sure everyone has the same experience as I did; I was truly blessed to have my "dream job!" I'm glad you could get away and do this trip and it was fantastic for you on different levels, wasn't it? Now, I am retired. I read, take pictures, garden and when I can I ride! The PNW is fantastic! Marina, my partner, is a very supportive and adventurous person; when she can get away she loves to ride pillion with me. Still enjoying your videos very. much, especially when the weather is so poor!
I'm glad you got tougher. Watching this makes me mad! A biker doesn't take alot of shit. It's good to see you today! Stay strong and ride.....
Hearing about that "mentor" makes my blood boil! That person is evil! Glad you got out and thank you for the video!
What a great inspiration, I'm sure this will help many others. Agree with your point of setting a date and telling others. I had the "normal job" which at the start had some great perks and benefits but I guess after 13 years I was just really burnt out. It was very scary to make the decision to leave, but was the best choice for me. I've been very happy in the last year, can finally sleep like a baby at night. Planning to sell my house and then can go on a long road trip. I don't have a motorcycle but will be car camping. Thanks so much for sharing your journey. I've gone on a few solo trips and it really does change you as a person, it's very addicting.
Thank you so so much :)
That is so awesome!!! Car Camping, Motorcycle Camping, Backpack Camping, it doesn't matter how you do it, as longs as you're spending time in nature that's all that matters :)
I'm so jealous...got 12yrs to earn that pension so just building the nest egg . In the mean time just want to take shorter 2 week trips to explore and find out what works for me. Love watching your channel, hoping some of your wisdom rubs off on me.🏍️🏕️
My leave date is 15th of August 2019. Im going in a car not a bike, I don't even know how to ride but I think I understand your journey. I have saved enough now and it's well and truly time to go and live. I'm leaving the supposed dream job which I have come to realise is not my calling. Wish you well in your journeys and good luck with your recovery too. I hope your channel continue to serve you well.
AWESOME! Doesn't matter how you get out there, as long as you get out there!
Great Vlog with excellent advise for everyone, @ 18 I left the UK for my American adventure and in art and photography, neither became my profession, yet I have been here ever since and now that I'm closer to retirement, I look forward to a number of years seeing this great country on two wheels. I have so many places I want to see and quite a number of motorcycle bloggers I'd love to meet to soak in the knowledge they can offer for long distance riding. I'm enjoying your vlogs has they're very entertaining, You creative side really shines through.
Just came across this, we seem to have the same mind set. I took and offer in Feb. this year and quit my job as an AT&T Engineer with the plan of motorcycle travel for the next 20 years. nice post!
Awesome!! :D
Someday I hope I have the guts to do this. Props to you!
You can do it! I believe in you 😊 Thank You!
@Independent Thinker lol. Most I've done is 10 days. I need less work and more ride time 😁
It hurts my soul that you were so mistreated. Im deeply sorry that happened. Life is a brutal teacher, indeed.
Thanks so much.
All the books I've read about motorcycle trips include unexpected maintenance.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Long Way Round
Long Way Down
Into Africa by Sam Manicom
Under Asian Skys by Sam Manicom
Jupiter's Travels by Ted Simon (personal favorite)
Dreaming of Jupiter by Ted Simon
I truly recommend Simon as the more elegiac writer. He describes the shifts in spirit so well in simple events.
Manicom is gentler. The soul-searching questions he leaves to the reader to ask, but his simple faith in people is refreshing.
I mention all this largely to encourage the miles to unwind before you.
Hey Amanda. Enjoyed this video very much, ty! Sorry you endured some crap in a toxic environment. I hear you as it's an all too common problem out there. I just walked out of my latest job due an abusive man who was "training" me. I have zero tolerance for hateful, biting sarcasm and verbal abuse of any kind. I put up with and endured such for much longer periods in my younger yrs, but no more.
~You're clearly a very bright person and I adore your open honesty and your pragmatic take on things. Thanks for you and I look forward to delving into your videos more.
~~Ride safe - all ways and always. 🙂
Really awesome tips! I recently quit my job to work my dream job, was a huge risk to leave my 9-5 but it was totally worth it. I may be making less money but my mental health and happiness are way better. Congrats on the trip I’m sure it felt damn good!!
Thank you! That's amazing, kudos for taking the risk and making it happen!
I’m from Butte , 63 in Feb. , I’ve done some fairly long rides , Fargo blues fest, Denver (family) and Banff , beauty . Thanks , I have a budding plan to take June off entirely , go east to see family in Milwaukee area then wander south for a bit .
I have had a trip planned in my head for a while. I retired a year ago and hadn't owned a motorbike in over five years... until August when I bought a 500cc ex army Armstrong. My first 'trip' will not be until next summer when I will be riding from my home in the South West of England over to the Somme area in France to visit the graves of two great uncles both killed in WW1. It will only be a two day 600 mile round trip, but it's a start. Next on the list is the North Coast 500 in Scotland, after that.... who knows.
That's awesome Neil! Riding to France is going to be a gorgeous ride I'm sure!
You are so amazing! I love your detail oriented planning! Thank you for sharing. Thanks for being born.
Going to start watching The Pilgrimage tomorrow, I really can't wait to see your journey!
Oh awesome! Thanks so much :)
I hope it is up to snuff lol It was my first time vlogging XD
I know this video is old, but I have not seen any of your videos yet. Will watch them all starting today. Thanks
Welcome!
Yeah, take pictures. My first trip was 7 weeks and all I took was a bag of clothes and sleeping bag, no tent or pad. I survived and thrived on a 1973 GT 550 Suzuki. I was 25, 38 years ago.
Very cool!
Just found your youtube channel and I really love your videos! I've had a license for 6 years now and never bought myself a bike. A month ago bought an indian rogue that I'm waiting to come in. Cannot wait! I wish I knew other women riders in the New England area but it's almost as fun watching videos like yours until I can get on my own.
Dear Amanda, Just saw you on Forty Times Around and had to visit you. Looking forward to catching up on your adventures. I am seriously wanting to take a trip from Baltimore to Reno in June 2020. I have been getting ideas from Tim and I hope will get into serious planning by how you do things to get organized. Thanks. Mike L.
Thanks so much for coming over for a visit Allen!
I hope you find some of my content useful for planning your trip! :D Sounds like a BLAST!
Took a month off work to travel 7000 miles around Canada and the USA in 1980 loved the trip on my new 750cc Honda magna. From Saskatoon to the west coast, down the 101to California, then back up through the mid states, camping and the occasional hotel, great trip great memories, glad I done it, never been able to do it again, done most of Europe on a motorcycle.. Still own a motorbike but don't tour on them these days.
Stay safe, don't wander off the tourist roads. Stay within the speed limits because the law are around 👍🙄
Viewed this some months back but it caught my interest again. I've come to realize I had Job type #4..... Challenged everyday mentally to succeed in a science I thoroughly enjoyed and enjoyed applying my knowledge... Guess I've lived a blessed life to have been so fortunate. Wish my parents were still around to thank them for preparing me for the working part of life.
Thanks Richard!
That's so awesome that you got to enjoy such a fulfilling career!
Sometimes the simple answer is the best answer...my fear is breaking down on the side of the road so the simple answer is to get roadside assistance.$ 125.00 a year and they will pick me up anywhere I break down.
Yesss! 🙌
What a great video! Thanks for the tips!
Having a goal in mind and a deadline really helps. I plan on finishing my degree in late 2024 and going on a round-the-world trip (Europe, Russia and the Americas) in May 2025. So far I have an almost fully prepped bike, most of the camping/travel gear and just started saving (I'll need about 15K USD). Saving that kind of money while paying rent and tuition isn't gonna be easy, but a goal is a goal!
It's really not that difficult, but it does take some motivation! "Inktober" sounds great! I completed a project called Photo a Day (PaD) a few years ago. took a photo each day for a year (I missed one day, but it was a leap year so I still got 365 on the books!), failed it the 2 prior years, but it was a fun experience. Ride safe!
Thank you! That's awesome! :) I don't know if I could do Inktober every day of the year but doing it for a month is a fun challenge 😊
I can't imagine, snapping a photo is a lot easier than creating.
Excellent video and very well presented. So much of what you said really rang true to me, the types of jobs, the fear of quitting your job, especially when you're a risk averse type of person as I am, needing to know where I'll be each night is very me. I'm not sure I'd quit my job to go adventuring on my bike but you have made me realise that I should commit to the trips I have in mind and when the time comes just go, rain or shine. Here in the UK we're not blessed with great weather and empty roads, quite the opposite in fact, so I tend to wait for some good weather to turn up. Anyway I'm now gonna subscribe to your channel and enjoy your trip round Montana 👍👍👍
Awesome video. I'll definitely be going back to watch your Pilgrimage.
Thanks so much :3
First - thank you so much for sharing! Your realistic and frank take on living on the road is insightful and invaluable. Second - I've found that the "normal job" can quickly become the "bad job". My biggest tip for everyone is NEVER CHASE THE MONEY. No amount of money is worth your misery.
I have always been a home body, but watching the pilgrimage and hearing your enthusiasm has me wanting to travel! :)
I realize it may have been confusing when I mentioned that Normal Jobs pay you a living wage, like that was the only thing that made it "normal". I mean that the environment is healthy, you get benefits and are treated fairly, and your co-workers aren't all awful (one or two annoying people doesn't make the whole job bad). They may ask you to work overtime every once in a while but it isn't without reason. If the environment isn't healthy from the get go it's not a normal job. XD. There's a difference between monotony and being manipulated. But there are things that can happen to make it a bad job, like a change in management etc.
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you for always leaving insightful comments!
I think that being away from home for 3 months isn't always for everyone, although at the very least being gone on the bike for at least 2 weeks is pretty awesome as well lol I know the boyfriend was not thrilled I was gone for so long and it was definitely a strain on our relationship but he did his best to be supportive. Once I got back everything kind of went back to normal again.
You emphasized that living on the road, as long as you did, changes you. I'm curious if your boyfriend noticed the change.
Great point about the manipulation in bad jobs. The only other thing I would say about the jobs is that you should talk to the people close to you about your job and get feedback. Sometimes it's hard to identify that manipulation from the inside.
I could go on and on about this, because I've had my share of bad jobs, but I will spare everyone my soapbox sermons. :p
@@thatoneguymoto That's a good question lol I don't think we've ever really talked about it. We definitely learned a lot about how we needed to communicate better so no one was assuming anything about the tone of the conversation etc. (ie Phone Calls every day instead of Texting no matter how "busy" we were, and at least one Skype call a week if not more so we could see each other/read facial expressions etc.)
I know I was a lot more headstrong about my goals and what I wanted to be doing with my life. I was definitely happier (after I got over the Post-Trip Depression haha) I also gained the ability to walk up and talk to strangers with only minimal talking to myself to get up the nerve (at least better than I used to be. lol)
So we’re headed to South Dakota, Montana, North Dakota and then down to the Grand Canyon and then back home to Florida in August. So that’s the plan for this year. I would like to see us do all 48 states before I retire. Then I like to take a trip to dead horse Alaska from Key West Florida and back to our home city in Florida. Have a lot of possible future plans of course all depends on health. My wife and I are on a 2016 Honda Gold wing with a 18 ft.³ trailer all aluminum. It holds everything we need when we go for weeks at a time. And the gold wing seems to be the most reliable of bikes. We also own a 2012 Vulcan voyager 1700. It needs some love and some road time. We own a hand build Hardtail, build it back in 2009 it needs to be refurbished. Lost my want to if you know what I mean. Like seeing your enthusiasm and your gumption. Be safe and stay safe. But live on the edge.
Wow, great video and just what I needed. On my way to the USA in July for my 65th birthday to do a road trip for as long as it takes. Love the Suzuki GS I had one new in 1978 One of the best bikes I ever owned. Thanks for your story, you are very brave. keep well.
Thanks Kevin! I'm stoked for your road trip!! If you go through Montana at the end of July let me know! :)
Really enjoy your videos. Great advice. I really want to go on a long motorcycle trip. About a year or more. I retire from the military in about 3 yrs so, sometime after that.
The first thing I did shortly after I bought my Harley was to start planning rides. I am _much_ better at planning than doing. But I'm settling into a rule if one to two epic trips every year. I did find out recently that taking a two week vacation isn't out of the question at work. I'd love to go coast-to-coast and back. Unfortunately, to stop along the way and sample the areas.. I'm gonna need more time. A house payment and a family to support kind of takes quitting out of the equation.
This is true, not everyone's circumstances allow for quitting, but I'm sure you agree that you don't have to live on the road for multiple years for travel to make a positive impact in your life.
Absolutely. Sometimes, just sitting on it in the garage makes a positive impact. But yeah. Every trip is an adventure. Every trip stretches us in some way... mentally, physically, emotionally. It feeds our exploring natures... even if it's someplace we've never been just down the road.
Awesome just awesome!!! I get a leave of absence or quit my job late May to ride for a month. Can't wait! Thanks for the added inspiration!
That's so cool! Take lots of photos and write everything down! Believe me your future self will thank you!
With my current situation (which the stress level i am experiencing is already on the roof and the life i always dream of), you truly inspires me of quiting my job. Even though i am a bit under the weather, my boss send out a whole bunch of works and did not even let me rest. I dunno. I might look for a better one.
I hope you're able to find something that's better for you! Your health is important!
You are a happy person and I think that the ride did you good . Good luck
AW! Thank you Michael, I think so too.
What’s a great story and amazing story telling 🙏🏼 you are an inspiration to me in starting motovlogging ❤️
Love your perseverance...full speed ahead!!! And your Art, Extraordinary!!!
Whenever I get that wanderlust, always check out your latest videos. Thanks!!
Awww! One of the best compliments, thank you Kevin!
What a badass! I wish I had the nerve to do this 👍 P. S. The Dork sent me 🙂
Just found your channel as I am researching an upcoming road trip.
I'm enjoying the videos I have watched so far, and am about to start on the pilgrimage series. (Better late than never is my motto apparently)
My wife and I are taking off soon on a couple of week long trip on our bike. I think it's going to be a hell of an adventure.
Good luck and stay safe on your cross country trip.
Great video with great tips :D, hope you heal and get back to riding FAST! (this is Stephen S. from the FB Group BTW :) )
Hi Stephen! lol haha which FB Group XD I'm apart of a lot of em!
Thank you for the well wishes
I'm guessing the 1 dislike is from your former tattoo shop mentor. Came across your video via Forty Times Around and thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely plan on checking out your other videos in hopes of traveling across the US via motorcycle one day.
lol I figured it was someone who was disappointed that I only lived on the road for 2 1/2 months instead of forever lol
Glad to have you here Barry.
I like the idea of a pilgrimage on the bike, it’s something I’m planning on doing 2019 💪🏼
Awesome!! You'll have a blast!!
Met you on that moto-camping site LOL
Wow! Rancher did you say? Although that art school didn't seem like your thing, it certainly helped, I'm certain, more than you know. Formal training gives some benefit even if it's better insight regarding the path in life. $ yeah but.... Wisdom comes at a cost.
Gonna check out more of your stuff for some video tips for my very lame attempt at doing some on my trip in May.
You rock girl!
Gotta tell ya, I call myself a Road Warrior but man you put me (and so many others) to shame.
Wow,what a vid,thanks for sharing your difficult experience,will help others to recognise if they are in bad place
What kind of bike is that behind you. This video makes me feel much better about my situation. When we're miserable we're just in the wrong place.
I just watched your video . I know it's four years old. It's a very good video I liked it
Cool vid. Good content. I'm about to quit my job and bike to the coast.
Thanks so much TorreyJ! That's awesome!
Honestly I'm depressed as crap. I just gotta get out in my own. I love your confidence. You s are such a cool human.
@@AstheMagpieFlies brain exploding yes. I get that. I like your content. You are real cool.
Hearing about your life and what that tat shop owner did to you makes me very upset on your behalf. I am glad to see you have been able to move on and up. 😁
lol Thank you I appreciate that!
You have a cool story and you are putting some nice videos out there keep up the good work
I'm 36, single again, and daughter lives with mom. I'm very seriously considering selling everything I have and taking off. My only issue is camp sites cost more for a month than a damn house !! I'd like to pull a small camper and run from cold weather in the winter . But I can't afford 1000 bucks a month to be in a camp site in Arizona or somewhere warm 🤦. But I'd like to live that way permanently. I don't care a damn about owning a house
I think you really need to watch this video: th-cam.com/video/vODEikKD8ck/w-d-xo.html
And then this one:th-cam.com/video/qcFdsziWSoM/w-d-xo.html
Wonderful. Thanks for sharing your adventures. I recently retired and am off to see North America on my own adventure.
Thank you for watching!! That is so exciting!! Take lots of pictures, and write as much down as you can, your future self (and any children or family you may have) will thank you :)
Good stuff Amanda! One really needs to consider budgeting for some sort of emergency health coverage insurance. You broke your wrist and you were lucky you were able to ride out; I had a fall last year, broke my ankle, but was also able to ride out...a buddy of mine crashed in a remote area in Colorado, suffering multiple fractures of his ankle and leg (had a Spot tracker so was able to get help)...he'll be paying off the helo ride, emergency surgery, and hospital stay for a good part of the rest of his life.
This is true. I think really the best option is to just have a special savings account just for these kinds of events. In my experience when I broke my wrist, and talking to my other friends who all broke bones this year, there are very FEW insurance companies that cover broken bones or ER visits. I've been paying all the medical bills from the Orthopedic out of pocket because he's consider a "specialist" by insurance and they don't have an option for that kind of coverage.
There is helicopter insurance I know, one of my friends have it (just in case they have to be life flighted when they press the button.)
There are some programs like HSA that are kind of like health care credit cards, and my work allows us to have them take money straight out of our paycheck before we get it and put a certain percentage into that account. That way I never have to see the money leave and it's there in case of an emergency. (Unfortunately I didn't have near enough in my account to cover all my bills but a little bit is better than nothing.)
It's really just something we accept as a possibility when riding in the woods, and whether you plan to go with the flow or save a ton of money just in case is a personal decision.
Great video and advice. This is inspirational. I’m planning a big ride in summer 2020. It will be over 5-6wk period and about 16k-17k miles when finished. I’m hoping it’s not overly ambitious but plan to be flexible with many aspects of the trip. Your advice about taking time to take in the trip have struck a chord and I may need to rethink some of the route to allow more time to smell the roses. Thanks again. Glad I found your channel. It came at the right time.
Thanks Looper Trooper! That's so exciting! Yes! If there's anything I'm thankful for is that I really only maxed like 175 miles or so everyday of that trip. It gave me a lot of time to actually experience the landscapes I was riding through, and meet the people who really defined that trip for me.
I wish you happy planning! and a wonderful trip with just enough odd things to keep it interesting ;)
I just saw that your video is 3 years old but I hope you're doing well
Great vid! I've only got to travel in spurts like a week at a time or long weekends. I do sooo want to ride out to Cali and ride the coast. Another trip I want to take is to ride from here in Southern MO all the way to Alaska and back.
its2loudyer2old I am happy to see you are still kicking! You stopped uploading videos on your channel.
Thanks. A lot of things have happened this passed yr. I do hope to be able to get back to it though.
Thank you!
Alaska is definitely on my bucket list!
Nice route through the Big Sky Country. You speak well. Hope you become an insta-star!
Thanks so much Mark! :D
Once my kids go off into the real world my hope is to become a nomadic motorcyclist. Stay in warm climates, work odd jobs to make money to eat and maintain the bike.
Inspiring content. Watching from Philippines! 🇵🇭👏
My Travel dream would be something like riding from Texas to Isle of Man TT. Hope your new job is much more enjoyable than that tattoo shop. Thanks for sharing your story and tips. Cant wait till your on the bike again!
That sounds like an awesome trip! Do you think you'd ship the bike and do Greenland and Iceland too or just straight to England?
Haha working at a motorcycle dealership has a lot of good parts and some bad parts, it's definitely still stressful but the rewards are a lot better than the Tattoo Shop that's for sure.
Doc said I should be able to ride again in December (barring any accidental falls haha)
The series was really good and I think I'm gonna watch it again. Thanks for all the tips.
Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! :3
So happy you sorted this out so early in your life...
Your future is so much more brighter than us boomers...LOL
God Speed to you.🙂
Total guts! I have thought about doing a trip but lack the confidence to do so. I am presently taking to many medications and also in cardiac rehab so my dream may be just limited to 2 weeks, and having another 2 weeks of meds sent to a Navy buddies home so that I can make another 2 week trip home using another route home(?)
Hey Lindsey! Any adventure is better than no adventure! Even if it's just a weekend route, or a week or two weeks! You should check out Meet the Stroops they were doing the Trans America Trial 2 up, and the gentleman has Cystic Fibrosis. They're very inspiring. th-cam.com/channels/_PHp92XsVm0XsyBe8B1u4w.html
Can’t believe it took me so long to find your channel:-) really loving it!!!
Thanks so much Rick :)
Hey :-) my wife is short & needs some motorcycle pants with some impact protection. She is 5 feet tall. Can you recommend something? We are headed to monument valley this weekend & need something good in a hurry:-)
Thank you for sharing this, motorcycle mama. It begs the following question, though, Now that you have completed your first solo outing on two wheels, and in hindsight, what would you have done differently knowing what you know now? Thanks in advance and happy trails.
That is a great question! I think most of my regrets or things that I wished I had done differently were mainly related to camping gear. Other than that, I wished I had recorded way more than I did, I wish I would have kept a journal as well as the 'video diary' particularly towards the end when I didn't want to "talk" to the camera. Lol I also wish I would have stood my ground a little better when I /knew/ how to fix my bike and I let other people tell me otherwise (and guess what I was right, and it cost me a weeks worth of travel time). Always listen to your gut, always.
I did make a little video touching on some of the things I learned (mostly about the gear) here: th-cam.com/video/zYyGmDVXqJM/w-d-xo.html
Thank you again. That's helpful insight. Be happy to check out the link. Any lesson learned about cellular connectivity?
@@mr.solitude3352 I have Verizon and I called them to let them know I was travelling, and they kind of "boosted" my range of service. I don't know how it is with other providers, but with Verizon they optimize your service for the area you live in which is why when you travel you tend to not have very good service, even if people with the same carrier have great service there. So reaching out and letting them know your plans does help a lot.
Other than that I didn't worry to much about it. I did have google location sharing on with my parents so my mum could always see where I was at. There were dead spots where It would loose me and make it look like I was in Browning for 3 hours or something but I always was clear about where I was going and what my plans were with them so at least one person always knew where I should be.
After breaking my wrist in the woods with no service, and having to lean on a kind stranger to use their InReach to contact my parents, I am definitely saving for one of those. But that's mainly a concern for riding in the woods where you truly are less likely to run into anybody for help. I was less worried about it on slab (even some of the remote back roads I rode still had people on them) because there will always be someone who will stop and help you. It might take a while, and it might not be the first few cars you see, but 9/10 someone will stop.
Other than that I wasn't too worried about having service tbh, I was using paper maps the whole time (it was one of my "Rules" or challenges for myself to navigate without my phone.)
Wow! I never knew that a carrier like Verizon would do that for you. I'm a Verizon user and will remember that the next time that I "check out" on two wheels. My lesson learned, in this same subject, is I always take a cellphone that has replaceable batteries along with 4-5 extra batteries. Most cellphones, these days, do not let you replace their battery; only a very few do. I make sure that I have one of those few cellphones with me when I venture out of uncivilized civilization.
@@mr.solitude3352 I just carry like 3 extra battery packs (so I can also charge my sena etc), and I do have a usb charger on the bike as well.
Wow girl, inciteful af. Thank you.
haha! Thanks :)
I love your vlogs. Keep up the good work.
Excellent story of determination. If you were sitting in front of me looking for a job, I’d hire you👍
Thank you Woody :3
Thank you for the great video and the talk.
Heard about you from her2wheels.
I would absolutely love to do this but with kiddos it makes it a bit harder to do. My plan is to do a couple days trip soon out west.
-Whitney
It is a lot harder to do with responsibilities! Short trips like 3-4 Days in new places would still be worth it! Thanks Whitney! I hope your trip out west goes awesome!
I appreciate your sincerity.
Thanks Ken!
I am 72 years old. My career was being a computer programmer on big mainframe computers for personnel and payroll systems for county and state applications. When I was 50 I lost my job with Idaho state retirement systems. I could not find another programming job there. When I tried applying for other jobs, I was either too old or over-qualified. I burned through my savings and retirement funds. I didn’t have enough money to buy stamps to mail an application or for gas for my junk heap car (my nice Toyota pickup had been reposessed0. I had pawned everything of any value that I owned. I was st the end of the line, my house was being foreclosed on and I would be homeless in 3 days. I was sitting on my back porch with a loaded gun writing my good-bye suicide letter. My door bell rang and there was a Hispanic dude who wanted to buy my house. We closed the next day and I threw in what furniture I had and my big ol’ water bed. That put $5,000.00 cash in my pocket. I stuffed all of my clothes in that junkheap car and drove to Everett, Washington to stay with a friend and look for work. No work there. Another friend in Olympia, Washington wanted me to come stay with her there in the state capital where a job right up my alley was more likely. I struck paydirt and landed a job as a Cobol mainframe programmer for the state of Washington Personnel system. It had great benefits and I could work there as long as I liked. I bought a small home, I saved up and paid cash for a new Kia Sedona (never again will I be in a position where my car can be repossessed). When I hit 55 I could start receiving social security payments while still working. I did that and put all of it in savings towards retirement. I retired at 71. I paid cash for my new retirement home here in Nampa, Idaho (Never again will anyone be able to foreclose on my house and put me on the street). My Sorento only has 50,000 miles on it and will last me until I croak of end up in s nursing home. I am pretty solidly set now so long as my health holds out.
I just bought a new Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and love it to death. Quick and nimble around town, great acceleration (much more torque than you would expect from a 650), can cruise at 75 or 80 all day long, has GREAT brakes and looks like the big twins of the late 60s … Triumph, BSA, Royal Enfield, Norton. I will be doing a lot of touring!
www.dropbox.com/s/b4sxylks147qmqg/RE%20TOURING%20NEW%20SEAT%2002.JPG?dl=0
www.dropbox.com/s/kugg3dift0w52rc/RE%20TOURING%20NEW%20SEAT%2003%20AND%20TRUNK.JPG?dl=0
If you are over 50, think five times before quitting your job!!! Age discrimination is VERY REAL. Any job with a good career path doesn't want someone who they have to invest in training only to see their newly trained employee retire soon as they are well trained! Forget finding any job with decent benefits or a decent career path! IT WILL NOT HAPPEN! And if you have an impressive resume, FORGET finding a job as a store clerk or Walmart greeter because you will be deemed as over-qualified. If you are over 50 my strong advice is DON'T QUIT ONE JOB UNTIL YOU ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER!
I am happy now, with a monthly retirement income of over $4,000.00 and zero bills except groceries, utilities, Medicare and property tax. I thank God for that and consider it a miracle that I was able to do that starting from ground zero at 51 with zero savings and zero retirement funds. I have plenty of money, a great bike and nothing but time on my hands to go touring. Thank you God and thank you State of Washington for the job and retirement benefits, and thank you God for Social Seurity!
I was EXTREMELY LUCKY to find my job with the State of Washington. It just so happens that they were in a pinch and needed someone with precisely the skill set that I had. That is very rare. I broke down and cried when I got the job offer! I only had a few weeks and I would have been on the street homeless. I still had one gun and would have shot myself! I am serious as a heart attack about that!
Awesome story! Glad you've got the Interceptor! I hope you get to go on lots of wonderful trips with it :)