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The tax bill changed my business dramatically and not for the better. It looks like I’m going to have time to do a dream trip this year.

All this is tentative (both plans and even the trip) because work could pick up or I have to cut short or change my mind.

I’m thinking of taking a month or two off this summer and ride. I’ll carry my laptop and work from the road as needed. I’m sure I’ll have to spend a day or two working from a motel. I might even have to fly to a meeting from the road.

Originally, I thought of riding to Alaska and back but that would be almost all blacktop and that didn’t appeal that much.

What I’m thinking about now is following the Lewis and Clark route or Oregon Trail west. Visit a niece in San Francisco for a few days and then take the TAT to New Mexico and then the Santa Fe Trail home (or do the trip in reverse). I would have time to visit historical sites and museums as well as side trip as I please.

I hope to leave around July 1.

Anyone have any thought or comments? Is there a route or place I should consider going instead of what I’m considering?

No experience with any of these, but they have struck my fancy in the past few years of plotting (and riding) a giant Western loop ride. I have Garmin files for all that follow that I have downloaded off the net ... 7-10 years old at this point.

Oregon Backroads Discovery Routes: http://www.oohva.org/

Pacific Crest moto route: A few years back read a report of some DS motos that did this. Parallel to the hiking trail. San Diego to Bellingham.

Continental Divide moto route. Again, parallel to the hiking trail.

TAT.

Trip from El Paso to Moab to San Francisco by East Bay Dirtbag on AdvRider.

TAT with a laptop? You just doing parts and coming back to get it each day? Mail it ahead?

You could if you just a got a small 14" $350 throw away & put in a real true SSD and kept your real work backed up on the flash drive, and just didn't really care if it puked, go to local BestBuy, get another...you got your flash. Beating the snot out of a mech hard drive is not a good idea even off. That screen flexing either. I ride with mine home via gravel in the summer but the gravel in both Cass Co's is pretty easy. I wouldn't take it out on the stuff I like to ride. But its my livelihood so I am paranoid about it.

I have never had a problem. I use a case that is made to handle the roughest conditions.

Sorry to hear about the business side of things, but kudos to you for thinking about taking that trip!

It probably would not work because of the timing and the heat, but I was in Death Valley about a month ago and I was amazed as there was more to see than what I would have thought...

I like your idea bout trying to follow some historical trails, it sure would keep the travel interesting with all the historical markers and sites that must be along the way.

One door closes another one will open. But before it does, I want to take a nice long ride.

Cannonshot did a Pony Express ride about ten years ago starting in St Joseph MO all the way to Evanston, Wyoming. http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/c ... wy.388256/

Might want to hit him up to see if anyone has ridden this route in awhile. Maybe connect it to the Heart of the West route or something else. So many options out there. Good luck

So many options is right. I can’t go wrong.

Idaho is on my bucket list. The Idaho BDR has to be some good stuff!
https://ridebdr.com/IDBDR

As for laptop, Creekside is correct, but laptop along for the ride is doable. I rode 5 days of NM BDR and then 8 days through CO, NM, and ID last year with my "throw-away" Lenovo Thinkpad. It's a rough & tough little guy. As Creekside says, SSD HD is probably imperative. I do think newer spinning discs have a feature that "parks" them when turned off, but I wouldn't want to try it on rough roads for 1,000 miles.

I simply put my Thinkpad in a mostly water-proof neoprene case then carefully positioned it in the middle of my giant dry bag that contains my camping gear.

You just have to be willing to accept that you may destroy the laptop. That includes making sure there is not any "I can't live without" data on it, but that is true of a computer sitting "safely" on the desk in your home or office.

those ssd's boot in like 7 seconds. Nice for the coffee shop. anyway enough on that

that trip sounds cool! jealous.

and the darkest hours of my career have always been followed by the best. The best thing that ever happened to me was having my boss flight out and tell me I was "on the list" when I took a move to San Francisco to hide from the layoffs. Wife was hysterical, just moved, new baby, 2000 miles from KC. I was in total fear of having to take a paycut and worried that working for the gov had ruined my job skills (like that never happens ). Instead I got the opposite and wound up with a 100% pay raise in a few years, way better job skills, and a horde of contacts that mean I'll never fear for work in the long run, short run sure its scarey. Best thing ever. F'm. Last time I lost my job we moved to Orlando and just hung out until someone called a month later.

Link up as many bdr's as possible. Bring the Spot but ditch the laptop and just live!

If I want to do a trip like this I have to bring a laptop or iPad. I have to get work done while traveling.

Damn, work is getting in the way. I may have to ride a couple weeks, leave bike and fly home and then fly back and continue.