Planning The Vacation Of A Liftetime. Summer 2018

As the first snowflakes of the season gently drift past my window, my thoughts are already on warmer days to come. With the arrival of the colder weather, I've spent the last few days indoors and planning what could be the vacation of a lifetime. A vacation I've dreamed about since my teenage years may soon become a reality before The Dood's fiftieth birthday :)

If things go well, I'm planning on taking a cross country motorcycle trip from Buffalo NY, through the mid-west to the Pacific Coast Highway in California then back along the south-west on my return home. I've pretty much gotten it in my head that I want to do this now, and I've already began shopping for equipment and trying to put together a budget for everything that I'm going to need. At this point the only thing I foresee stopping me is some unforeseen health issue or finances.

Here's an image of some of the scenery I hope to experience along Pacific Coast Highway in Southern California. Image presumed to be in public domain and downloaded from WikiCommons.

Some of the first kit I purchased was for cooking. I had to start somewhere and I just wanted to get the ball rolling so I took a ride down to the local army surplus shop and purchased this little can opener I'm holding in the image below. The following week I ordered the backpacking cooking set shown behind the can opener in the picture. Hey, The Dood likes to eat so why not start with food items :)

As far as finances are concerned a lot of these plans will be centered around how well the altcoin markets do over the next year. I have a nice chunk of money already put aside for this project, however, if the cryptocurrency markets turn for the worst or there's a serious crash or something weird happens in the cryptosphere , chances are I'll re-think my idea of vacation money and possibly use it towards something more practical. The way things are going now however, it's all systems go!

With that said, don't get the wrong idea, although The Dood had a great 2017, he's not made of crypto. So frugality will be essential to pulling this off. I plan on camping on state land, and cooking my own food as much as possible. I'd also like to document this for other people who may be planning a similar adventure. Honestly, I'd love to see how affordable traveling the country by motorcycle actually is. I'm thinking along the lines of budget backpacking on wheels!

The only other obstacle I see outside of finances is health. The Dood's almost fifty and although fairly healthy, back aches, arthritis and other issues could prove problematic. I've began dieting, losing weight and exercising regularly. I also plan on starting a stretching regimen or yoga to help strengthen my back and limber up.

I plan on putting aside 3 to 4 weeks for this vacation. This way I can travel at my own pace, stop when I'm tired, and not overly fatigue myself. If things don't work out after I take off, or the experience proves to be absolutely miserable, I can always turn around and head back home. Honestly though, The Dood's planning on seeing this through!

Throughout the beginning of the spring and summer of 2018 I plan on taking a few mini vacations around the New York state area to act as test runs. I'll be able to test my equipment, and also make an honest evaluation of my health and stamina. It's going to be interesting to see how my body reacts to riding several hours a day on a motorcycle, and living out of a tent. If all goes well I'll embark on the main journey towards the end of the summer and head out west.

So I guess I'll be blogging regularly about preparing for my trip. I'll still be posting occasionally about crypto too. As things come together I'll keep you all posted and I'm really looking forward to sharing some adventures with you guys over the spring and summer of 2017. Happy travels and happy trading everyone!