These images show how the bike will be loaded for the trip out. The tank bag will hold things like cell phone, and glasses. On top of the tank bag is a map pocket so that I have a hard copy map of my route. The seat bag contains all my camping gear, tent, sleeping bag and such. The two water proof bags on top of the panniers contain riding pants, rain gear, and heated liners. One bag contains my stuff, the other contains Rene's.

The second photo shows the Garmin Zumo550 GPS, and the SPOT satellite personal tracker. The SPOT device receives the GPS signals, so it knows my location, and it sends a signal to a satellite. The signals can be a pre-constructed message, a request for help, 911 or a regular signal to track my progress.

The third photo is of the VholdR Contour HD wearable video camera. The white part of the mount I made so I could get it mounted correctly. This video camera will be either on this mount, or on my helmet, which I also had to make the mount for. Stay tune for video.

This is the bike I will be riding. It is a 2009 BMW R1200GS. The bike is equipped with ABS brakes, ESA for Electronic Suspension Adjustment, on board computer and heated grips. I have added the two sets of PIAA lights. The upper set are driving lights, the bottom set ionized fog lights. On the engine guards are another set of high output LED lights. These lights are for visibility, so that I am easier to see. They also provide a light right in front of the bike. On the rear I have two 16 LED modules from HyperLites. These act as additional running and brake lights. When the brake is applied they will flash for 5 seconds before going steady. The panniers are BMW cases, and the top case is from Jesse Luggage. The bike is wired with a Centech panel that is a relay controlled fuse panel. I have two leads that are plugs for the Gerbing's heated liners.

This is my first blog. I am setting it up to document my 3rd cross country motorcycle ride in three years. I have kept journals on the past two rides to share my experiences with my wife, family and friends, and to go back and remember the adventures. This time I have decided to open up my adventure on a more live stage. I plan to post photos and video of this trip as I go along. I also hope to be able to link into my SPOT personal satellite tracker so that my progress can be followed in almost real time on Google Maps. I will be testing things before I leave on this trip, so until I actually leave, I will be just testing uploading photos, and video unrelated to the trip.

This trip will take me from New York State across to Idaho where I will meet with a friend for some "local" riding. That could mean anything, and I'm excited about it. We, along with a friend of his will travel to the BMW International Rally in Redmond, OR for a week. I will part their company on Sunday the 18th to head for Anchorage, AK where I will get my tires changed and pick-up my wife at the airport. This will require me to travel almost 2700 miles in four and a half days. We will then travel Alaska together for 6 days before she flies home. We will visit Denali NP a couple of times, and hopefully see the peak of  McKinley. I will then head for Dawson City, YT by way of the "Top of the World Hwy". After a night there I will head up to Fort McPherson, NW crossing the Arctic Circle returning to Eagle Plains, YT for the night. I will start to work my way back through the Canadian Rockies down to Glacier NP in Montana. I will pop back up into Canada and ride east through the Canadian Provence's.

The first couple of days I will just be shooting across the country until I get to South Dakota where I will start riding secondary scenic roads. I will go through the Bad Lands which I missed last year and take a different route into Yellowstone. Last year we left Yellowstone by way of the Bear Tooth Pass, and awesome road. I am taking a different route as the other option advised to me by a local rider who suggested the BTP or RT 14, this time I'll see what RT 14 is like. It will be hard to believe it could top the BTP. That is it for now. The trip starts July 03, 2010.