Freedom to Roam

A bedroll, a wallet full of cash, 10 days and a that-a-way 300 mile a day ride is what I call roaming.

Pack very light. Spend some time looking around whatever town or piece of dirt you land on. Eat meals at restaurants when you can. Ask locals for advice, slow it down a notch and make it feel like a vacation instead of an endurance contest.

I always went solo, no other bikes. I now roam with my girl on the back. Roaming also suits my passenger’s sensibilities. A happy passenger makes a happy trip. I’ll start a day or so early and meet you there.

I like to have a destination, I once rode 2 states away because I found a mysterious 2 for 1 putt-putt golf coupon from a small town in the southwest sitting on a bar. I ended up hanging a right when I saw a sign for Vegas, I think I make a good choice. Don’t promise people you’ll visit, drop in on them, on your schedule.

Personally, I alternate a night in a hotel with each camping night. Hot dogs become edible and are easy to pull off over a campfire, a natural.

The exact opposite of roaming is the Hoka Hey Challenge, a 10,000 mile painful experiment in sleep deprivation with a half million bucks at the finish line. It is very cool, just not my thing. Ironbutts are among the toughest guys and girls to mount up.

My pitch is this, do half the miles each day, but do them twice as well.

Roaming Mexico solo in 2007

Patrick Juell