Jackson Miller

Yesterday I dropped my bike off at Boswells to get the oil changed and have a few bolts replaced so that I can install the backrest. Tomorrow, I will install the backrest and load the bike down with camping gear, business attire, my laptop, and some cameras. That will be the beginning of The Epic Journey of Fall 2007™.

It started out innocently enough; instead of flying to DC I would take my bike. Instead of staying in hotels I would camp out. One night turned into two nights. Camping on the way up turned into camping on the way up and down. Doing the whole thing solo turned into meeting up with my family on the way home. What started out as a road trip has turned into The Epic Journey of Fall 2007™.

Tomorrow afternoon I am going to ride to The Great Smokey Mountains. I will camp somewhere in the mountains, possibly close to Deals Gap. Saturday morning I will get up and ride through the mountains, making my way to Natural Bridge in Virginia. I am going to try and take secondary highways through the mountains which should be a great ride. Sunday morning I will ride into DC where I will meet up with my Dad and Sister for a day in the district.

After a week of work in DC I will hit the open road again and head back into the mountains. I am not sure if I will camp or stay in a hotel that first night. I would like to camp, but I don’t want to set up camp in the dark. Then again, I don’t want to ride in the mountains in the dark either. The next day however I will ride to Fall Creek Falls. I am expecting that to be a long day.

Sabrina and the kids (and maybe my Dad) are going to meet me at Fall Creek Falls for a weekend of camping. October is about the perfect month to go camping. It is cold enough to enjoy a camp fire and coffee/hot chocolate in the morning, but still warm enough to enjoy the day outside.

So that is how a run-of-the-mill business trip has turned into what I expect will be The Epic Journey of Fall 2007™. Of course, I will be connected when cell service allows it. Hopefully I will be able to Twitter, Flickr, and blog while on he road (well, during the trip, but not while on the motorcycle).

When I get back there will be a renewed push for statzen and we should be getting close to posting pictures from the future Plato’s Closet of Murfreesboro. Oh, and I have a big presentation coming up that I may actually be creating while at a campground.