There
& Back Again San Diego to San Diego, via
America!
My
Summer
2012 Cross
Country Motorcycle Road Trip July
30, 2012 - September 20,
2012
(With updates as of 08/08/2023)
Just
Another Joe (2:59)
Written by, and provided with permission
from, Dave Lincoln, Sr.
The Missing Persons Band, with - Dave
Lincoln, Sr., Lead Vocal
Pete Adams, Pedal Steel Guitar -
Steve Adams, Drums - Chris
Tuttle, Bass Guitar
Jon Graboff, Lead and Rhythm Guitars
- Rick Tiven and Richard
Thornburg, Violins
If
the music doesn't start automatically, Click
Here
There
& Back Again: San Diego to San Diego, via America!
For
those of you who might have just stumbled on to this page and
do not know me, my name is Joe Tatro (pronounced "TAY-troe")
and I'm Just
Another Joe. [Joseph Francis Tatro, Jr. according to my birth
certificate] I hail from the small New England town of Dalton,
MA, a paper manufacturing town of about 7500 residents, located
in Berkshire
County, the western most county in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
In
2010, due to circumstances beyond my control, I packed up everything
I owned, (well, everything that would fit anyway) including my
2006 H-D Road Glide, into my $500, 1993, Ford E-350, hi-top, handicap
van, (minus the hydraulic wheelchair lift that was originally
in the van) and in my home made enclosed utility trailer, that
I built from an old camper, and headed west, to move in with my
sister Joanne, here in San Diego, CA, at her suggestion.
Now,
after almost two years living in San
Diego, CA, I will be making my 1st return visit back to Berkshire
County, via my H-D Road Glide motorcycle,
by way of a good portion of America, and a little bit of Canada.
It will be damn close to, but not quite, a true four corners run.
(Then again, maybe a quick run up to Bentley's
Saloon, Arundel ME, might just be in order)
I
make no claim to be a journalist, but if you should decide to
follow along, (see how you can do this below)
you just don't know what interesting little tidbits you might
see, or read, as I make my way across the country. Hell, you just
might find yourself entertained by some photo I post, or some
other interesting nugget, I might be inclined to share with ya,
along the way.
Anyway,
as you will plainly see, by the maps I've posted below, I've done
more than just a little traveling/riding around this great big
country of ours during my life. And, no doubt, you'll also notice
that the cross country trip I'm currently planning, is a rather
ambitious one, at least for someone with my medical history. (My
close friends know what I mean)
In
fact, this will be the longest trip I've EVER made, all in one
shot, by motorcycle.
As
it is setup right now, I expect to be on the road for over a month,
riding through sections of no less than 27 US
states, along with a small section of the Canadian
Province of Ontario, and I should accumulate over well 10,000
(actually 11.800 Miles) highway miles,
from beginning to end.
The
only kicker is; due to what some might call my 'somewhat diminished'
physical condition, I don't honestly know for sure if I'll be
complete a trip of this magnitude again, or ever make another
long one, for that matter. I would like very much to believe that
I will be able to get a few more long rides in, but there is this
annoying little voice, way in the back of my mind, that keeps
telling me that the chances are slim that this will happen. So,
this may be, if not the last, perhaps one of the last, real long
rides I'll get to accomplish while I'm still above ground.
As of 8/02/2012, I have checked off the last two states
of the "Lower Forty Eight"
(OR & WA) while on this trip. Mission accomplished!!! (See My Tentative, or "Draft"
Route Map Below)
FYI:
The Google map shown below is, more or less, a "draft"
of the route I plan on actually taking. It's not an accurate
depiction of my trip. It's based on Google map locations
I've chosen, that allowed me to show the general direction
I plan to travel during the trip. Other than a few points
that I do intent to get to, nothing is chiseled in stone
here. You can definitely expect a wide number of variables
to cause multiple detours to this mapped out route as I
continue along the way. You have been warned! * UPDATE: Most of these
maps seem to have stopped working accurately. *
Unfortunately,
The Original Route Map No Longer Loads at all.
It Has Been Permanently Removed!
(Once
again, please bear in mind, this route is tentative, and subject
to change, for reasons real, or imagined. Don't be too surprised,
if at times during the trip, I appear to be a bit "off
course.")
So,
the plans are being made, and I'm working to put together the
funds that I believe will be necessary to complete this type of
extended motorcycle trip. I must say, things are looking pretty
damn good so far. If everything continues to fall into place,
I'll be leaving San Diego on Monday, July 30th, two days after
my nephew Allen
Palmer, marries his fiancé and my beautiful future niece,
Rose
Cayetano, on Saturday, July, 28th. (I should have enough
time to get sobered up by then, right?) ;-)
I
intend to try to catch up with some old
friends, and hopefully make a few new ones, as I wind my way
across this incredibly beautiful country, that we as Americans,
are so lucky to call home.
GOD
BLESS AMERICA!
Most
of my overnight stops will be in motels and/or campsites, but
certainly, if I'm going to be anywhere reasonably close to anyone
who might know me, (and still wouldn't mind my company)
I'd be happy to swing by, grab a bite, swill a beer, or three,
and borrow a cot, couch, spare section of floor, or even a small
portion of the back yard, if it's available. Hint, hint...
Hollister,
CA will be my 1st overnighter, with the Sturgis
Black Hills Rally, in Sturgis, SD being my 1st extended
layover. I plan to be in, and around Sturgis, for a few
days, before heading on east towards New
England, where I'll take my 2nd extended layover
in Dalton. I should be in the
Berkshires for about 5 days, before heading south, and eventually
back west. Other than those two extended stops, I'm not expecting
to spend more than a day, or two, anywhere else along the route.
There
are several destinations along this tentative route, that I have
specifically chosen, because of a personal desire to visit and/or
ride through certain areas of the country, that I have yet to
see in person. These include, but are not limited to, places like
Hollister,
CA, (which is considered the "Birthplace
of the American Biker") Crater
Lake, OR, Key
West, FL, and the Overseas
Highway, The
Tail of the Dragon, that little bit of Ontario,
Canada I plan to travel through, and quite possibly a few
others.
Last
summer, I received lots of feedback from several different people,
indicating that they really enjoyed following my posts on Facebook,
as I rode from San Diego, to Sturgis
and back, last summer. So, much like I did on that Sturgis
Trip, I will once again be using my
Facebook Page, (facebook.com/DieHardBiker)
to post my location, and activities, at various points, and times,
during the journey, along with lots of photos, videos, status
updates, travel tips, personal thoughts, and whatever else I feel
like posting.
Whenever
possible, I'll post brief updates HERE
also.
I
hope those of you who followed my travels in the past, will once
again follow my newest upcoming exploits, as I take this one.
And, I'm also hoping for some friendly interaction with me, by
posting, texting, emailing, or calling in,
with your own thoughts, comments, suggestions,
(I can't promise that I'll answer, or
follow them all, but I most certainly will take them all under
advisement) and just generally provide some
moral support, to this, self proclaimed, Die Hard Biker, during
my trip, which, as you have surely already guessed, has been officially
dubbed;
There
& Back Again: San Diego to
San Diego, via America
with
my sincerest apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien, and Mr. Bilbo Baggins.
In any case, that is exactly what I intend to do! I will get there,
and get back again!
Not
having a factory warranty on the the bike, I try to keep up with
general maintenance on the bike myself, with regular engine, tranny,
and primary oil changes, regular air pressure checks, and tire
replacement, cable lube, clutch replacement & adjustment,
etc. If I can, I do it myself. If not, she goes to the shop.
Over
all, she's been very good to me, with generally only minor repairs
needed since I've owned her, and I'm confident that she'll handle
this trip well. But, once again, all I can say is, only time will
tell.
And
last, but not least, those of you who know my four legged companion
Nala,
Biker-Dog RIP, especially my Facebook friends, you are probably
wondering whether she will be joining me on the trip.
So
far, that is the plan. As the time to leave gets closer, I'll
continue to reevaluate whether that stays a viable option for
both myself, and her, but as of this writing she's planning to
come along for the ride. (I'm not planning on taking her. She's
planning on coming along.)
Click
Here for Larger Image
Nala
resting at a Mississippi River overlook
somewhere north of Dubuque, IA
on our trip to San Diego.
For
those who have kept reading to this point; Thank you for checking
out the webpage. I hope to see, and/or hear from you, when I'm
on the road.
This
website is under construction. I have created it to provide
those of you who might be interested, with some background
information, personal history, basic routes plans, maps
& other information regarding a cross country motorcycle
trip I'm undertaking during the summer of 2012. I hope you
find it interesting, and will use the links included here
to learn about, and follow my journey. You
are also welcome to use the contact information listed
above to contact me as I wander around America on my 2006
Harley-Davidson Road Glide motorcycle. (if you so desire)
Thanks
for stopping by!
Note:
All travel plans are tentative, and subject to change, for
any number of reasons, real or imagined.
Copyright
2012, 2023 - Joe Tatro [Die Hard Biker] San Diego, CA
