Day 2. Not as far today, about 650 miles. We were up at 6:30 and on the road by 7:30, through the rest of Illinois, a long stretch of Iowa, and a bit of South Dakota. The weather was a lot warmer, but it was the wind that took us by surprise. Through the last part of the day, our bikes were being tossed around by a southerly wind that gusted to over 40 MPH. There was one stretch towards the end when we had to stop for dinner simply because it was too dangerous...

First of all, it's really hard to take a picture of yourself with a tripod and timer that doesn't look goofy, and then especially hard to do it at 4:30 in the morning. We went much farther today than originally planned, which is good because the first two days on the trip plan are boring. Nothing but long stretches of interstate. We had planned to get to somewhere in the middle of Michigan, and we blew by that destination mid-afternoon and kept going. All told,...

The bike is now fully packed, and I leave tomorrow morning early. As you can see from the picture, I have two packs strapped to the back seat - those contain my camping gear and other essentials for when each day is done. The saddlebags contain my clothes on one side and all necessities for the bike on the other side. The top box contains bags for my electronics, a small backpack for my photography gear and other essentials that I'll need when we stop along the w...

With the help of my 9-year-old son, I made a map of my route with pics we borrowed from the Internet. This will be hung in my boys' bedroom, so that my kids can follow along as I call them from the road, and we can update it with my own pics when I get back.

Practicing setting up and tearing down camp.. No other way to make sure I can do it at the end of long days riding with weary body and tired mind. Using a two-person tent so I have room to store my baggage with me for security. Making one bag of tent essentials too - insect repellents, tent lights, etc. Takes about 15 minutes to set up, and the same to tear down and pack.