Miscellany

The Bike:

This 2003 Yamaha FZ1 will be our beast of burden for the duration of the trip. Although not a “traditional” touring bike, we’ve read some reviews of others who have taken an FZ1 cross-country that make us confident that it’s completely suitable for this trip. The only pitfall is that we lack the storage space of a lot of the cruisers–and going two-up with twice the belongings makes it twice as hard (I’m still unaccustomed to the idea of all my things fitting into a teeny tiny stuff sack). On the plus side the bike is incredibly comfortable, and we easily went 1,000 miles in one long weekend without complaint (though I should also add that I have little basis for comparison since Justin’s other bike is a Kawasaki 636 where as a passenger I’m teetering around three feet from him on a seat no bigger than a pancake).

Justin has owned a lot of bikes but his favorite thus far has been the 636:

This bike’s got a whole lotta pulling power (which is why the previous owner sold it–just too much bike). As you can see, it even has flames painted on it. This bike tears ass even when it’s not going anywhere.

Inspiration:

Quite simply, we love Steinbeck. Until reading “Travels with Charley” I had always imagined Steinbeck as an angry, loud and passionate curmudgeon rather than a shy man (albeit still curmudgeon) who needs the presence of his poodle for company as well as for the purpose of breaking the ice with strangers. It is the subtly powerful insight of a man in the winter of his life that makes this book so moving (or maybe its just that I like dogs. If we had one, we might have found a way to bring it along, too).

I am hesitant to list this book as an inspiration since I kept falling in and out of interest with it–but it was given to Justin one summer by an Italian professor who in his youth had rented an old Ford Mustang and took it across Route ’66. Places we often think of as banal still hold a sort of mysticism for many foreigners. I remember another Italian professor of mine who many students ridiculed for planning a vacation centered around the Grand Canyon. But how has the Grand Canyon turned into the banal? In “Blue Highways,” William Least-Heat Moon visited some pretty unremarkable places but still managed to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and everyday. Jus and I always seem to be dreaming up the next exotic locale, but how much are we missing in our own backyard? Although we may not be following the same route to the same nameless places, we still plan to avoid interstates and keep to America’s scenic byways. And in another nod to Least-Heat Moon, we will be keeping our eyes open for the fabled five-calendar diners . . .

ALSO not to be overlooked: all of Mark Twain, Studs Terkel, and any song that would make you want to stick your hand out the window and drive a little faster.