First Things First

For the past few years from the time Colin and I were dorm mates we had the saying that we were not box-able people and that we had an appetite for adventure. At some point freshman year at the University of Massachusetts Amherst we had the idea of having ourselves a motorcycle adventure.

Five years later we have made it happen!

This summer both Colin and I have been preparing for this trip, getting two 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 dual-sport motorcycles, Caribou luggage racks with 35 liter Pelican cases, riding gear, and travel books, Frisbee, etc.

This summer I was waiting tables on Nantucket Ma at DeMarco Restaurant with amazing people, and at The Boarding House with not so amazing people. I also rented a house and played landlord.

Colin working at the one and only Wheelworks bike shop. With this background he is the mechanical genius in the relationship.

For the past month since I have left Nantucket I have been traveling and getting used to the motorcycle like spending time in MA, ME, NH, VT, CT, NY, PA, and NJ and have put about 3,800 miles on the bike.

For a bit of history for those of you who don't know our friendship, Colin and I have known each other for a very long time, before I can remember. We went to school together in Lexington Ma at the Waldorf School. Though we didn't know it at the time we had much in common including our spirit of adventure. Because of our parent and their love of Vermont we attended the same festivals many years in a row called Bread and Puppet held in Glover, Vt.

Our true friendship and deep connection started with the introduction of the Waldorf after school ski program started by Colin's father David. On Thursday afternoons a school bus full of hooligans would head to Wachusett Mountain Ski Area. We soon became skiing buddies due to our skiing abilities and good looks.

We started a band with Adam Curtis in Colin's garage, I went to more proms at Colin's High School than he did because of his professional mountain bike career.

So one little story, right after we got our brand spanking new bikes Colin took me off-roading, not like dirt and mud off-rroading but like stream bed loose rocks steep grade off-roading. I, of course with my lack of experience, dropped the bike multiple times while Colin maneuvered expertly scratching up the brand new paint job. I can only aspire to ride like Colin.

After high school we both took some time off from our studies. Colin took two years off, living in the Boston area as well as Durango, CO for a short time. I took one year off to hitchhike around New Zealand and Australia. Freshman year of college we roomed together and hand to much of a good time. This is when we had the great idea for a motorcycle trip...