Coast to Coast (and back?) with an Italian Supermodel

Now I know where not to go in the US

U have a great writing style. I am in for the duration!

You have to love a place where the ratio is 5 to 1 in your favor.

Thank you for sharing! Looking forward to more.

So as mentioned earlier, spent the day in Denver yesterday. Intent was to just ride around and let serendipity be my guide. It's an odd city. Most big cities feel like big cities. Denver feels like suburbia squished into the format of a big city, if that makes any sense. There's enough edginess in certain parts to remind you that it isn't actually suburbia, but then it quickly changes to a very affluent, country-club like, country-road environment replete with gingerbread houses. Did not see Hansel or Gretel.






A place neither on the good nor the bad side of the tracks:




As for the people, this random list of wi-fi names kind of sums Denver up:



That is: nerds, cowboy poseurs, Socialists and hippie sex addicts.

And then you have your hula-hoop dancing, bikini clad women who, I suppose, make internet connections with just about all of the types listed above:

Got lost on the way back from Aurora/Denver and just went with it. Ended up at Red Rock State Park, which was pretty cool and once again reminded me that we're living on a planet with all sorts of geological formations that perhaps green space monkeys from outer space are just as interested in looking at through their telescopes as we are through our cameras.

Did the whole Pearl Street Farmers/Art Walk thing in Boulder today. Getting acclimated to walking around in 90+ degree hea in an armored leather jacket, though I have to say that riding around (and sitting at traffic light after traffic light) in full gear on the heat-from-hell Panigale furnace makes walking around in the sunshine pleasant by comparison.



Hair is starting to get long--I haven't paid for a haircut for 20 years, but like changing my oil, on this trip I'm going to have to get used to being less self-sufficient and allowing others to do things I'm accustomed to doing independently.

The hula hooping bikini chick didn't encourage you to buy a latte then?

I`m in----

Kansas would be a good place to hit the 200 mph mark



Keep your head on a swivel Antihero they come at you from all directions !

Wonderful. Wonderful. Wonderful. I just spent an hour reading your report thus far. Definitely subscribed. You are a talented writer.

Crazy story AntiHero! I am glad you were able to get the right help, able to shed the demons that come with the healing process and move on with your life. Great RR and along for the ride!

Hey guys--I'm happy my adventure is resounding so well with the riding community. I've been working the past few days, so rather than bore anyone with mundane trips I've made to the grocery store, I'll address some of the questions and PMs I've had about the 1199 as a long-distance bike.

Choosing a bike for a trip isn’t unlike choosing what bike to purchase. Too many struggle with what they want vs. what they 'think' they should get. My advice has always been: "Get the f'ing bike you lust after. Write the check, max the card--you won't regret it." Not everyone follows that advice, but anyone who's ever owned a bike understands that sentiment the moment they are out cruising around and feel a pang of regret when someone goes by on the bike they really wanted. And so the same logic went into my decision on what bike I wanted to do this trip on: the bike had to get my rocks off.

Oh I was apprehensive--new model bike: strike one. New model ITALIAN bike—strike two! Cross country trip on a ‘torture rack’? Strike three! Errr....not a good idea. Actually, probably a really stupid idea. But it's the ‘stupid’ things we do that we remember the most. All too often the 'good' decisions we make we forget or regret. But the stupid ones? Ahh, those are the memory builders and the building blocks for great stories and adventures that make you smile and laugh years later.

Additionally, the logic with the 1199 was to not compromise my choice of bike and instead overcome the compromises that the Panigale would require of me. Too often people don’t factor into a decision is our outstanding abilities as humans to adapt to difficulty. The result of overcoming adversity and mastering one's ability to triumph over environmental challenges through persistence, determination and imagination produce self-sufficiency and feelings of personal power luxury and security can never hope to provide. The harder the journey, the greater the cultivation of the will—and mastering one thing leads to greater proficiency on how to overcome challenges in other parts of our lives as well.

In short, adaptation is the precursor to growth and seeking out difficult, uncomfortable and challenging situations accelerates development, enriches our lives and provides us with the kind of awesome fucking memories that will sustain us until a final sleep rounds our little lives.

ok ok, uncle! One day I will follow my lust and get a similar Italian super model

That was a great ride report.. how many miles did you traveled total?

I'm at 3600 miles now. Trip literally started the day I picked up the bike in SoCal. Keep in mind I'm not just cruising from LA to NY and back....I'm stopping along the way and taking in my 'host' city and doing a lot of local miles....getting ready to head out to the "Ampitheater" here in Boulder. Looks like a pretty sick road! Should have pics soon.

If you come back to Denver you should check out http://www.vintagemotos.com/ they are a block away from Erico Motorsports(the Denver Ducati dealer).

Outstanding

Now, I don't think people should go out financing something they can not afford or should not due to other obligations. However, those are very wise words. I am a strong advocate of buy the quality stuff that you really want. It may cost more up front, but if you really like it you will take care of it and keep it around longer. You don't end up replacing it two years later with something else that is just another "good enough".