So I’m a week away from starting my first Recharge, and I’d say I’m about 65% ready. Some days that’s better than I thought I would be, and other days that feels like I’m really far behind. What’s a Recharge you may be asking? Well, as some of you know I am still working at Meta/Facebook and after 5 years of working there everyone is eligible for what we call a ‘Recharge.’ This essentially is a sabbatical, where you get 30 calendar days off to do whatever you want. I’m quickly approaching Year 7, and I hadn’t been able to use my first Recharge due to a lot of uncertainty around what would be possible with COVID, moving back East, and a few other things.

So now that this is all planned, what exactly will I be doing? Glad you asked! I’ll be taking somewhere in the 20-28 day range to ride my motorcycle across the country, all while hitting as many scenic roads, national parks, and good food spots as I can. The other exciting part about this is that I’ll be doing this with my dad, as he rides his motorcycle across the country with me. I like to joke with folks that since he’s retired for the second time, he doesn’t have much else to do, and that my mom told me to get him out of the house. In reality, this is one of those bucket-list items that I’m lucky to do with my dad. It also helps that he’s bringing some cigars along on the trip, and finally got his hearing aids so he’ll be able to understand what I’m saying after a full day of riding. Here’s to less yelling than before!

It’s not perfect, but it is a lot cleaner than it was. Finally getting all the bugs, dirt, and who knows what else off after getting home!

Finally getting around to doing the final two photo dumps from Yellowstone, now that I have had time to pull them off my camera. I’m by no means a good amateur, let alone professional, photographer, but these shots really bring me back. I’m incredibly grateful for the experience to explore Yellowstone, visit new places, and see parts of the United States from a new vantage point on a bike. My thoughts go out to those impacted by the rains and floods in, and around, Yellowstone. It’s a beautiful part of the world, and I hope it’s able to recover for others to experience soon. In the slides you’ll see shots from the Canyon in Yellowstone, Lamar Valley, the hot springs, some bison, and even one shot from the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway. Stay tuned for one more dump later this week! 🙌 —— #bmwmotorrad #makelifearide #yellowstonenationalpark

Day 17. Made it home. As I mentioned, a bit shorter than expected as we needed to dodge tornado warnings, thunderstorms, and severe wind, but the bike held up amazingly well and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Now time to get out of this 100 degree heat, and grab a VERY cold shower.

Day 13 and 14 TAG TEAM! So I missed posting yesterday, and I’ll blame that on the wine that was consumed at my friend, Jenna’s, house. We’re back in action with a little combo to highlight: -The last few sights we saw at Yellowstone -the bikes saying goodbye to Yellowstone -A photo with our gracious hosts in Colorado (Thanks Jenna and Mike!) -A quick shot of my new front tire that got replaced by the awesome folks at Mountain Valley Motorsports Now we are heading back to Virginia. It wasn’t what we originally had planned, but due to the rapidly changing weather in the Midwest and East Coast, we see a window to potentially avoid thunderstorms and tornadoes, so we feel we should take it. Regardless, this trip has been amazing and I’ll share more when I eventually publish my Trip Reports on my blog. See y’all intermittently as I get home, and eventually later with a gear recap and additional photo dump! #bmwmotorrad #bmwgs1250adventure #makelifearide #colorado #yellowstonenationalpark

Day 12 is officially in the books! Here are a few more videos and stills to recap the day! Today we were able to hit: -The Mammoth Hot Springs -The Sulfur Caldron (Smelled AWFUL) -The north side of the park -Lamar Valley (MUST see!) -Took the Chief Joseph Highway back to Cody (Amazing ride) All in all, I can only say: Thank you, Yellowstone. This was an amazing two days in the park, and I have a million reasons to eventually come back. This park affords you the opportunity to sit back, observe, and reflect unlike any other place I’ve been to so far. If you can get here, do it. —— #bmwmotorrad #makelifearide #yellowstonenationalpark #bmwgs1250adventure

Day 1️⃣1️⃣ is a VIDEO day! Today was our first day in Yellowstone and WOW, it did not disappoint. From bison sightings, to more bison, to Old Faithful popping off, and more, it truly was awesome. We have another day in the park tomorrow before heading to Denver, but I’m not a firm believer that everyone should come to Yellowstone at some point in their life. Absolutely amazing to see so many different experiences and sights in a single park. Just wow. —— #yellowstonenationalpark #bmwmotorrad #makelifearide #bmwgs1250adventure

Day 10 is just about over and the highlights were as follows: -Seeing Devils Tower from far away -Seeing Devils Tower from up close -Seeing Prairie Dogs, which reminded me a bit of the It’s Always Sunny episode where they group text to mimic meerkats 😅 We are now staying in Cody for a few days outside Yellowstone. I’m looking forward to the next two days as we look to split the park in half and explore! —— #bmwgs1250adventure #bmwmotorrad #makelifearide #devilstower

Day 9 and feeling fine! From Sturgis, to Spearfish Canyon, to Needles Highway, to Iron Mountain Road, and finally Mount Rushmore, the 200+ miles we did today weren’t a lot, but they sure felt like it! It was definitely worth it to spend a full day here in Rapid City, and the surrounding areas. We are on to Wyoming tomorrow, so let’s see how things go. Let’s go! —— #bmwmotorrad #bmwgs1250adventure #mountrushmore #sturgis

Day 8 is a wrap! From Sioux Falls to Rapid City we saw a world famous drug store, lots of farm land, the Crazy Horse monument, and a bit of the Black Hills National Forest. All in all today’s 400+ miles were a good mix of scenery and riding. Looking forward to doing more around Needles Highway, Custer State Park, and riding through Deadwood tomorrow. #makelifearide #bmwgsadventure #bmwgs1250adventure #walldrug

Short day today (<200 miles) as we just said goodbye to Omaha and then made it to Sioux Falls. Gonna enjoy the afternoon to relax, do laundry, watch some F1 Qualifying, and then who knows what. Since it was a quick day, here are some shots as we left Omaha. As a kid playing baseball was a huge part of growing up. Seeing where athletes play the College World Series was pretty neat. Maybe I could have played here if I was a more consistent hitter. Or really maybe if track and lacrosse didn’t steal my interest haha!

Day 17. Made it home. As I mentioned, a bit shorter than expected as we needed to dodge tornado warnings, thunderstorms, and severe wind, but the bike held up amazingly well and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Now time to get out of this 100

As a way to commemorate this trip, I’m looking to do a few things. If you’re interested in following along, you can check out the options I’m considering below:

To keep from spamming folks on my regular Instagram feed, I will be, more or less, exclusively posting on my motorcycle Instagram feed @nova.gsa. This will hopefully be a mix of photos and stories.
I’ve updated my GoPro equipment, gotten some motorcycle-inclined mounts and will be shooting short videos on a daily basis depending on where we go. While I’m most excited for this type of content, I have never been an incredibly gifted editor, so I’d temper expectations. I’ll likely use the built-in GoPro tools, music, etc. and go from there.
Lastly, I will be doing a Ride Report (or Trip Journal/Diary) throughout. If I’m being honest here, this is the type of content I am least familiar with, and also as you can see with this blog, most inconsistent with so I’m not sure what the follow-through on this will be.

As I get ready to go back to packing, I’m both a little nervous about being on the road for so long, especially since this is (easily) the longest amount of time I’ll be traveling for, but also really at peace with everything. This is the first time since the summer between 10th and 11th grade, where I didn’t have any obligations for an extended period of time. Looking back it’s been the normal stuff: School, sports, work, and more work — All of which really dictate your schedule. I’m by no means feeling as if I’m burnt out to the point of no return, but with a lot of real-world events coming up that’ll influence my work for the remainder of the year, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited to not have to think about work for 30 days. So here’s to (hopefully) smooth travel, seeing spots like Yellowstone, and great meals over the next 6-7,000 miles.

Finally, big shoutout to folks who follow along, those of you who have opened your homes to us while we travel, and the few of you who have answered my random questions about recommendations and suggestions!

Now listening to: Pinkshift - “i’m gonna tell my therapist on you”