Introduction

Greetings,

I’m glad to have the opportunity to start journaling. I’ve always envisioned keeping a journal, but always seemed to lose interest in a paper version. Always having access and constantly being plugged in to modern technology, I gave the go ahead to an online platform that I thought would make it easy for me to journal more.

The reason I decided to start this website was through the newfound anticipation for the year 2022. In the early spring, my time in the United States Navy will be coming to an end and I have made the decision to take some time off before moving on to my next venture in life. During this time I will be taking off on my motorcycle with a loose itinerary with the main goal of becoming lost. I’m not sure where I’ll end up, but as long as my passport is valid and there isn’t another pandemic, I should return alive.

Over the course of a few deployments, a very occupied schedule, and finishing my bachelors degree, I’ve been able to build upon my savings and give myself a nice safety net before having to find new employment. My next opportunity for exploration and leisure is going to happen- I am going to make it happen! Getting to this point hasn’t been easy though. Over the years I’ve had found a passion for outdoors and more specifically motorcycles, but never had the opportunity to explore; at least I thought I didn’t. What I had found out was I was making excuses and procrastinating.

After my first deployment in 2018, I returned to my home in Virginia with debt paid off and money in the bank. My roommate at the time overheard me talking about getting a motorcycle and scouting out some trails. Being spontaneous the way he was, he went out and bought a dirt bike before I even considered spending the money on such a thing. Luckily, that was the energy I needed to push me into buying a bike. The bike I chose was a great bike that I had for a little while and it was the starting point to my new found adventures around the Chesapeake Bay.

My first dual-sport bike: 2013 Honda CRF250L

Not a year later, and I was already back on the same ship for deployment number two. After an extended deployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, I returned home and I told myself that I would make every attempt to start doing more- anything! Just take chances and never say “NO!” As disabling as COVID-19 was to the world, I was able to see the positives in what it did; it changed the mentalities of many individuals, and there were many realizations about life that many hadn’t considered before. More people became aware of the possibilities of taking more leisure and rethinking our 9-5 lifestyles.

Over the course of the next five months before I separate from the US Navy, I will be posting about my journey through every process: planning, organizing, budgeting, modding, upgrading, and anything related to my upcoming trip. This will be a log that I can one day look back on and see my progressions through such a neat task I’ve assigned myself in this life. I have high hopes of taking these journal entries and eventually putting them in print form for my friends, family, and all others to see and share.

Cheers