Okay, the time has finally come; time to talk about something my husband and I have been planning for a long, long time. Well, what seems like a long, long time anyway. But first, let me give you a little history in the making here. My husband (Eric) and I met almost 6 years ago now in New Port Richey, FL. We were set up by his ex boss and coworker, but we actually worked together in the same hospital for about a year. Though we didn't exactly hit it off right away, per se, we did befriend each other due to our mutual interest in motorcycles and scooters. I had recently joined a "scooter gang" called FU OPEC before meeting Eric with a few friends of mine with a goal in mind to boycott the fuel industry as much as I possibly could. This is of course when fuel prices were initially skyrocketing, and Eric had the same thing in mind but with a special interest in the BMW F650. We ended up studying for, and taking our motorcycle license tests together. This is how it all started.
Soon after meeting Eric did I realize his passion for traveling, and so we've spent almost six years together traveling the world. Well, 12 countries within this rather large world, that is. We've had a fantastic 6 years together so far and each trip we've taken together has been just as exciting, thrilling, and unique as each trip before it. Though, we've always had something else planned in the back of our minds. Something Eric had been planning since he bought his BMW in 2008. I wont pretend that this was our idea in the beginning, at first I thought Eric was mad for wanting to drive his motorcycle down to South America from San Diego all in one trip. However, soon it became a goal that we both had come to love. And so, we've been planning our trip to South America, taking the Pan-American highway all the way down to Ushuaia, and buying miscellaneous items for motorcycle gear along the way.
Originally, we had planned to move from FL to San Diego, work a couple of years, save some money, and then quit to go on this long journey we had planned. That plan suddenly fell through when Eric's job took a turn for the worst, and we ended up losing a large sum of money which inevitably postponed our motorcycle plans. Instead of taking the Pan-American from San Diego, we thought, we would move to Biloxi, MS, work for two years, make back the money lost, and then take the Pan-Am from Mid Mexico instead. Well, that plan mark two years ago in February of 2014. So, here we are in November, just a few months away from our set goal, and we find ourselves making some rather exciting choices.
First of all, Eric's career field of choice makes it rather difficult to up and quit, like maybe you or I would do. However, Eric put in his notice to leave the group last month, which essentially gives his job 3 months notice. His group did not take his departure well, which put us in a difficult situation for a few weeks, but we ultimately decided to do this trip no matter what happens, who is unhappy about it, or what bridges we burn along the way. After all, this is our trip, right? When all was said and done, his group decided to accept his request for time off, dependant upon a new hire which could take an indefinite amount of time. This is both good news and bad news for us, however. On one hand, we know the group is looking for a new hire, but on the other, that new hire could take months to hire, and get in to fill Eric's position. After a long contemplation regarding when we should leave for our trip, not knowing when the new hire will actually start working, Eric and I decided to stop planning, and stop waiting, and just go for it. After all, haven’t we planned for long enough?
So here we are, in November of 2013, and we finally have a departure date for this long coming trip we've planned. The date: January 27th, 2014!! While our set in stone plans are not exactly ideal, they are set in stone, and to us that is all that matters. Eric currently works 5 days on and 5 days off, a set schedule that he has had for the past two years. Throughout this schedule, we've traveled to Europe a few times, Asia once, and back and forth across the U.S. Our 5 days off gives us sometimes only 3 days of vacation time, depending on flights and other travel times, however we've learned to make the most of it and have especially learned to cram as much as we can in just 3 days, which actually has left us with many fulfilling trips thus far. So, we decided until Eric's position is covered, we will start traveling down to Mexico, still working 5 on and 5 off, for as long as it takes to hire a new employee. Our plan is to travel 5 days at a time, leaving our bike at hotels, guest houses, or hopefully with friends that we meet along the way when we have to fly back to work for 5 days. Traveling this way could very well be exhausting, however, hopefully it will be of short duration while Eric's group looks for his replacement.
Together, Eric and I have done a few bike trips in the last few years. Our first bike trip was shortly after we met, and finally "got together". We drove Eric's BMW and my 150cc scooter down to Miami from New Port Richey, FL. This trip was not easy on my little scooter, but it was a fun, thrilling experience for the both of us. After all, this was the first semi long trip Eric ever took on his BMW. Shortly after this we moved to California where we took a couple of short trips on the BMW; quite a few weekend trips to Baja, and a week long trip from San Diego to Tahoe and back. While Eric rode cross country from FL to San Diego on his move, traveling north along the way, the longest trip we've gone on together was from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas where we there got married, and then back up again. This trip lasted two weeks time and was the start of our (or at least my) heavy planning for our trip to come.
Our first trip together, the Lifan 150cc and the F650.
Our first motorbike trip to Baja, driving down to Ensenada for the night.
On our way down to Cabo to get married!!
While I thought long and hard about buying a bike for myself to ride down to South-Am on, we decided on taking only one bike for logical purposes; to save money on gas, but also because one bike is easier to store somewhere rather than two when we will need to travel back home for work. While I do find myself somewhat bored on the back of the bike during long trips and occasionally fall asleep, I also find that riding as passenger allows for great photo and video opportunities. And though Eric has accidentally dumped me off the back of his back not once but two times now, riding as a passenger allows for better conversation through our radio helmets.
So, here we are, 12 weeks away from our departure date and finding ourselves patiently waiting for that time to come. We will be leaving just a few days before our anniversary, heading back down to Mexico where we originally tied the knot. For me, spending our anniversary reliving our wedding/honey moon experience could not be spent in a better way. Until then, we have a few smaller trips to go on, need to figure out exact packing essentials for our journey, and start tracking specific desirable destinations before heading out. Until then...
Soon after meeting Eric did I realize his passion for traveling, and so we've spent almost six years together traveling the world. Well, 12 countries within this rather large world, that is. We've had a fantastic 6 years together so far and each trip we've taken together has been just as exciting, thrilling, and unique as each trip before it. Though, we've always had something else planned in the back of our minds. Something Eric had been planning since he bought his BMW in 2008. I wont pretend that this was our idea in the beginning, at first I thought Eric was mad for wanting to drive his motorcycle down to South America from San Diego all in one trip. However, soon it became a goal that we both had come to love. And so, we've been planning our trip to South America, taking the Pan-American highway all the way down to Ushuaia, and buying miscellaneous items for motorcycle gear along the way.
Originally, we had planned to move from FL to San Diego, work a couple of years, save some money, and then quit to go on this long journey we had planned. That plan suddenly fell through when Eric's job took a turn for the worst, and we ended up losing a large sum of money which inevitably postponed our motorcycle plans. Instead of taking the Pan-American from San Diego, we thought, we would move to Biloxi, MS, work for two years, make back the money lost, and then take the Pan-Am from Mid Mexico instead. Well, that plan mark two years ago in February of 2014. So, here we are in November, just a few months away from our set goal, and we find ourselves making some rather exciting choices.
First of all, Eric's career field of choice makes it rather difficult to up and quit, like maybe you or I would do. However, Eric put in his notice to leave the group last month, which essentially gives his job 3 months notice. His group did not take his departure well, which put us in a difficult situation for a few weeks, but we ultimately decided to do this trip no matter what happens, who is unhappy about it, or what bridges we burn along the way. After all, this is our trip, right? When all was said and done, his group decided to accept his request for time off, dependant upon a new hire which could take an indefinite amount of time. This is both good news and bad news for us, however. On one hand, we know the group is looking for a new hire, but on the other, that new hire could take months to hire, and get in to fill Eric's position. After a long contemplation regarding when we should leave for our trip, not knowing when the new hire will actually start working, Eric and I decided to stop planning, and stop waiting, and just go for it. After all, haven’t we planned for long enough?
So here we are, in November of 2013, and we finally have a departure date for this long coming trip we've planned. The date: January 27th, 2014!! While our set in stone plans are not exactly ideal, they are set in stone, and to us that is all that matters. Eric currently works 5 days on and 5 days off, a set schedule that he has had for the past two years. Throughout this schedule, we've traveled to Europe a few times, Asia once, and back and forth across the U.S. Our 5 days off gives us sometimes only 3 days of vacation time, depending on flights and other travel times, however we've learned to make the most of it and have especially learned to cram as much as we can in just 3 days, which actually has left us with many fulfilling trips thus far. So, we decided until Eric's position is covered, we will start traveling down to Mexico, still working 5 on and 5 off, for as long as it takes to hire a new employee. Our plan is to travel 5 days at a time, leaving our bike at hotels, guest houses, or hopefully with friends that we meet along the way when we have to fly back to work for 5 days. Traveling this way could very well be exhausting, however, hopefully it will be of short duration while Eric's group looks for his replacement.
Together, Eric and I have done a few bike trips in the last few years. Our first bike trip was shortly after we met, and finally "got together". We drove Eric's BMW and my 150cc scooter down to Miami from New Port Richey, FL. This trip was not easy on my little scooter, but it was a fun, thrilling experience for the both of us. After all, this was the first semi long trip Eric ever took on his BMW. Shortly after this we moved to California where we took a couple of short trips on the BMW; quite a few weekend trips to Baja, and a week long trip from San Diego to Tahoe and back. While Eric rode cross country from FL to San Diego on his move, traveling north along the way, the longest trip we've gone on together was from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas where we there got married, and then back up again. This trip lasted two weeks time and was the start of our (or at least my) heavy planning for our trip to come.
Our first trip together, the Lifan 150cc and the F650.
Our first motorbike trip to Baja, driving down to Ensenada for the night.
On our way down to Cabo to get married!!
While I thought long and hard about buying a bike for myself to ride down to South-Am on, we decided on taking only one bike for logical purposes; to save money on gas, but also because one bike is easier to store somewhere rather than two when we will need to travel back home for work. While I do find myself somewhat bored on the back of the bike during long trips and occasionally fall asleep, I also find that riding as passenger allows for great photo and video opportunities. And though Eric has accidentally dumped me off the back of his back not once but two times now, riding as a passenger allows for better conversation through our radio helmets.
So, here we are, 12 weeks away from our departure date and finding ourselves patiently waiting for that time to come. We will be leaving just a few days before our anniversary, heading back down to Mexico where we originally tied the knot. For me, spending our anniversary reliving our wedding/honey moon experience could not be spent in a better way. Until then, we have a few smaller trips to go on, need to figure out exact packing essentials for our journey, and start tracking specific desirable destinations before heading out. Until then...
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