Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just pick up and ride a motorcycle around this big beautiful country called the United States of America? That’s what Hollie Bell-Schinzing and her husband Bonz did for three months last summer. Three months! As she writes from their home in Rochester, New York, it was a dream come true. Maybe you could live the same dream yourself.
Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to just take off and ride my motorcycle around the country. Easy Rider style. But as life has a tendency to do, work and being a Mom put that dream on hold.
Hollie Bell-Schinzing with husband Bonz.
Last year though, my husband retired, and the last of our children moved out of the house to follow their own dreams. That left us with a whole lot of time to do whatever we wanted. We may be older but in our minds we are still kids, with lots of good years left to play. I was able to get three months off work, so that was it! June, July, and August of 2017, we were totally free, no responsibilities, no deadlines, and no real plan. Have you ever wondered what pure unadulterated freedom is like? We were about to find out.
We spent the summer discovering not only the USA but also reconnecting with each other, and learning to play again.
Before I left, my sister was very worried that we would end up dead in a ditch somewhere and she would never find us. I started a Journal on Facebook, in the notes section. This way, any of my friends who were curious about our adventure could follow us. Our Facebook friends also gave great ideas about places they had loved, and laughed a lot at my constant posting pictures of my husband eating. I was unable to take pictures at 60 mph on a motorcycle, so I ended up with many pictures of him eating on my Facebook page.
If you have never tried journaling your vacations, I highly recommend doing it. We have had a lot of fun reliving our journey through the Journal.
This country is so very big and beautiful, and there is way too much to see to be able to remember it all. It takes a little bit of time to write about each day before you go to sleep every night, but it is so rewarding to be able to reference it. Every day is different when you ride a motorcycle, and everyone’s trip is unique. Even if you do not share your Journal with the world, I believe you will find many benefits to trying it.
And maybe someday I will get the pleasure of reading your book! If you post it on Facebook, the rewards are many. Having my friends’ input along the way was one of my favorite rewards. They made us laugh a lot.
The only downside, I found, is that when you get home, your friends already know all your stories.