A Widow's Ride

The perfect journey is never finished, the goal is always just across the next river, round the shoulder of the next mountain. There is always one more track to follow, one more mirage to explore.” ― Rosita Forbes

Last couple of months, I have been feeling restless and needing to get some wind therapy in my soul. I have some personal time off (PTO) from work that I need to take before I lose them. Unfortunately, Mark is out of them so we can’t plan a trip together. I really don’t want to sit at home and do day trips like I did last year. Working from home all of the time can bring on the cabin fever much more rapidly. So, I decided to embark on another motorcycle trip but this time as a solo rider. I have not done that since I have returned from my six months trip on some of the old routes in the United States.

Pondering on the places that I can travel to, I realized that I have some unfinished routes that I originally set to travel on in my original trips. For those of you have followed along my journey from the beginning, I originally planned on traveling eleven old U.S. Routes that crisscross the states. I have completed three of them in full, the Pacific Coast Highway and the Great Northern (U.S. Route 2) and U.S. Route 6 which is part of the Oregon Trail. I partially rode five of the other routes, Route 66, Oregon Trail, Great River Road, Border to Border and the Southern Pacific. For those who have not followed along my journey since the beginning, here’s the link to my original post about the eleven roads that I wanted to travel on. https://twowheelstwofeet.com/2014/09/04/the-compass/

Since, I live close to the Southern Pacific route this would be a good journey to take on. The Southern Pacific is the old U.S. Route 80 that used to run from San Diego, California to Savannah, Georgia, 2,726 miles long. It was also known as the Dixie Overland Highway. However, with the Interstate Highway system, the U.S. Route 80 has been decommissioned from San Diego, California to Dallas, Texas which is only 1,035 miles long. It currently runs through Dallas, Texas; Shreveport, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Montgomery, Alabama; Columbus, Georgia; Macon, Georgia; and Savannah, Georgia. The bummer part is that I only have a week to do this trip, so I decided to start at the Mississippi/Alabama state line and finish up in Savannah, Georgia.

As I sit here in the KOA cabin in Toomsuba, Mississippi, mapping out my route for the day and the places that I want to visit, Facebook popped up a reminder. It was seven years ago that embarked on that journey I mention above. No wonder I was getting restless and itching to find some wind therapy. It was a journey for me to find some peace and to rediscover who I am. A lot of has changed since I took that trip and I do not regret one minute of where I am today. I have a loving husband, Mark, who accept me for who I am and willing to share the love I have for him and for my late husband, Russ aka Lizrdbrth. How amazing that faith has chosen today to start my week long solo trip around the southeast.

I think I’ll start a new tradition, every year, I will finish up a road that I originally wanted to travel on back seven years ago. As Ms. Forbes said, a journey is never finished, there will always be a new road to travel on.