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When it comes to taking long distant trips, usually there is a lot of planning involved, money saved up for the trip, vehicle inspections, and exact plans to follow; this wasn’t the case for my overnight trip into Virginia on my 2016 Honda Africa Twin.  August 24th I woke up and decided to head out for the night. I’ve been out of work for the last 3 months due to an elbow injury and I have not been able to ride my Africa Twin at all this summer. My elbow was feeling well enough for a ride and I told myself “that’s it, I’m going away somewhere”. I left my house at 10:20am and headed down to REI in Marlton, NJ to grab some freeze dried Mountain House meals for dinner and breakfast. At about 10:40am I filled up the bike at Wawa on Route 70 in Cherry Hill, NJ and then proceeded to head south on I-295 out of New Jersey. I made it down to Baltimore, MD when I got the notification that I-66 in VA was closed due to an accident. Google maps rerouted me to I-70 and out to I-81. I ignored the GPS and took highway 340 once I reached Fredrick, MD. About 4-5 minutes after getting onto 340, my gas light came on. I got off at the first exit I saw. When I pulled in and I noticed another guy on a motorcycle at the gas pump in front of me. He walked inside as I was pulling in, I didn’t see his face, all I saw was his back and his bike. As I’m pumping my gas I hear “DUDE! What are you doing out here?” I look up to see my old friend Will! Will use to live in Jersey but then moved to Florida and shortly after he moved to Washington D.C. and then he apparently moved out to western Maryland. It was awesome randomly meeting him there!
Once we left Dinosaur Land, we made our way south on 340 to Luray, Virginia where we stopped again at Cooter’s! I know, the first thoughts when you hear a place named Cooter’s are those that question the family friendliness of the place; needless to say that’s not the case here. Most of us have seen the famous TV show The Dukes of Hazzard and those who have seen the show know that Cooter owned the Hazzard Garage. Cooter’s was the fictional place where the Duke boys had their famous race car (and moonshining car) , a 1969 Dodge Charger name the General Lee, built. Cooter’s in Luray, VA is a museum of The Dukes of Hazzard memorabilia and they have a couple replica cars from the show. During certain times of the year Cooter’s will host a live stunt show replicating the TV show. Will and I toured their gift shop and hung out for a few having a soda before splitting off. Cooter’s was as far south that Will wanted to travel but I had quite a few more miles to travel before I could call it done for the night. We said our goodbyes and I headed towards Harrisonburg, VA. Along the way, going up and over one of the mountains, I dragged my footpeg in a turn. While it doesn’t sound that thrilling, it was my first time finally doing that and I felt proud in that moment! Leaning that far, on a fully packed Africa Twin with knobbies is asking for trouble, but the Shinko 804/805 tires handled it just fine. Right before leaving Harrisonburg, I topped off my tank, filled up the rotopax with gas, and bought myself a Pabst Blue Ribbon (beer) to enjoy around the campfire. My GPS told me to go further south and then back track to the campsite. I thought this was dumb but in hindsight, I should have listened. Sometimes the shorter distance isn’t always the best route. I made my way into George Washington National Forest and then proceeded down the trail which I thought would be the fastest to camp. I wanted to arrive and set up camp before night fall. As I’m making my way down the gravel trail, I come up on a Toyota 4Runner going in the same direction as I was going. He pulled over to let me pass and I stopped to talk to him for a second about where I was going. I asked if the trail I was on would get me to my camp at Flagpole Knob. He said a while back they gated off the area and restricted people from going up there. I said to him that’s weird since I’ve seen people posting about camping up there all the time. He told me to give it a try and that the trail will in fact get me to the top. He told me to be careful and to have fun cause it’s gonna be a challenging trail. I thought to myself, maybe I should turn back and go the way the GPS was originally telling me. “Nawww I’ll be fiiinnneeee” I thought to reassure myself. The trail turns from gravel to bigger sized rocks. Then there was a couple creek crossings but in my luck, the creeks were dried up. I get about halfway to the top of the mountain and that’s when the fun began. The trail was now starting to get worse with bigger rocks, slick mud, and now going up steeper inclines. I was chugging along in 2nd gear, keeping RPMs low so I don’t slide off the side of the mountain or better yet whiskey throttle off the mountain’s cliff. I get to a point where the incline got steep (hard to tell from the photo) and the rocks were more loose than before. Before I knew it, the rear wheel locked up, the bike came to a sudden stop. Then I found myself laying the bike down on its left side. Apparently the RPMs got too low and I stalled the bike. I wasn’t fast enough on the clutch and I wasn’t quick enough to put my feet down either.
I tried again, this time getting it 1/2 way up when the rocks under my feet slid out and we both hit the ground again. At this point I was wore out, sweating, panicking and worried that I could not pick it up by myself. I was in the middle of this forest, alone. No cell service or anything. I did have my Spot Emergency GPS if it came down to it but I did not want to give up so soon. I took off my helmet, jacket, and gloves. Upon doing so, I thought to myself “why does it smell like beer?”. I guess I was so worked up over trying to get the bike up that I failed to notice the smell of beer. It was at that point I remembered that I put the 16oz can of beer in the left soft pannier, the same side the bike was laying on. No use in crying over spilt beer even though I did let out a loud F-bomb! It was at that moment that I decided that unpacking the bike would help tremendously with picking it up. I took off the duffel bag, tent, and rotopax. I gave it another try and it went up with ease; I guess all the gear made it a bit too top heavy and a bit too much to lift for one person on the type of terrain I was on. I opened the side pannier to see the can of beer had exploded all inside, covering my food, hat, and my best friend Tim McGarvey’s book, “The Longest Thirty Miles” by Timothy Collins, which I was borrowing from him. The food was fine, hat was soaked along with the book pretty much being ruined. As the beer dripped out of the pannier, I reloaded the bike and tried to start it. After 3 minutes of trying to start the bike, it finally fired up. I guess with it being on its side so long it lost its fuel prime? Once it fired up, I put it in first gear and walked it up to a spot that was easier for me to get back on it. Walking it up was a struggle all in its own since the bike kept wanting to roll backwards and just spin the rear tire on the soft dirt and loose rocks. It did not help that my rear tire was nearing the end of its life and did not have the same kind of grip it would have when it was new. After what seemed like forever, I was back on the bike and heading up the mountain. The rest of the trip to the top was fairly simple but still big rocks and mud plagued the trail. I was so exhausted and sore at this point. I made it to the top, and found that it was a decent gravel road at the top. I was happy to see that. Caught up in the pleasure of the gravel road, I passed where I was suppose to turn to get to camp. In the middle of turning around, a truck was coming up the road and stopped to allow me to turn around. In my mind I told myself to rush so I’m not blocking the trail and so I’m not making the guy mad. Wouldn’t you know my foot slips and down the bike goes again. I looked at the truck and did the “come here” motion with my index finger. The guy got out and gave me a hand lifting the bike. I explained why I needed his help and told him about what had happened earlier. He laughed and said no problem. We got the bike up and on I went to camp. Pulling up to the free camping site at Flagpole Knob, 4100 feet above sea level, I see someone else had already set up camp there for the night; a mountain biker. I pulled up and kindly asked if I could pitch my tent on the other side from him and he said sure. Upon first impressions, the guy seemed cool, boy was that an understatement. I introduced myself to him and he introduced himself as Steve. I pitched my Kelty Salida 2 and unpacked the bike. I got my Jetboil out and began to heat up some water for my Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki dinner. Steve was warming up his dinner as well, using a portable titanium stove that uses kindling as its heat source. We began to get to know one another over dinner and we had a great conversation about the solo adventures we were on.  After dinner, I fired up a cigar I brought with me and I offered my spare cigar to Steve. He kindly accepted and we enjoyed a nice smoke by the campfire. We started to run out of wood and Steve offered to go and grab us some more. As he was out grabbing firewood, a truck pulled into camp and made the loop around our tents and then stopped. The three guys got out and began talking amongst themselves. I walked over, assuming they were locals, and said to them “Now where I come from, locals usually ride around the forest with beers in their trucks; do you have any? They responded with “We’re not locals but yeah we got some beer”. I asked if they wouldn’t mind sparing two and then proceeded to tell them about my Pabst exploding. They all laughed and handed me two Bud Lights. I walked back up to camp just at the same time as Steve was coming out of the woods with the firewood. I told Steve about my beer incident earlier as we had dinner. When he sat down the wood I passed him a beer I scored and he was all like “DUDE!! You scored beer!!! Awesome!” We said cheers and enjoyed our beers together around the campfire. I finished up my beer and cigar at about the same time the fire was starting to die out again. Now with the wind blowing harder and the temps dropping, Steve said he was turning in for the night and agreed to do the same. The temps had to of gotten down into the high 30s or low 40s that night. It was COLD but I stayed cozy inside my Big Agnes 15 degree bag and slept great on my Nemo 20R insulated sleeping pad. That next morning, I didn’t want to leave my sleeping bag or my tent since it was so warm.
I had to head south to get to the southern entrance to Skyline Drive, so I went the way that my GPS originally told me to go to get up to camp. Here the route was 2-3 miles of gravel road and the rest was asphalt. “Well damn” I thought to myself. I should have listened to the GPS the day before. Oh well, at least it was an easy descent off the mountain. With it being cold and coming up to the on ramp for I-81, I spotted a coffee house and decided to stop to warm up a bit. After a nice hazelnut latte, I got back on the road and headed 25 miles to the southern entrance of Skyline Drive. Once I got to the entrance, I put the 1 gallon of gas from the rotopax into the tank of the bike and proceeded to the park’s entrance. Upon arriving at the gate, the park ranger said that it was no fee to get into the park today. I was surprised and questioned him on the special occasion. He stated it was free weekend due to the celebration and anniversary of the U.S. National Park System. I told him “That just made my weekend even better!” and I rode off into the park. It was a pleasant ride along Skyline Drive, starting at 10:30am and ending at 1:50pm. Once I made it to the north entrance, I set my bearings toward home. Making it home by 7pm with a logged mileage of 779.8 miles in just 33 hours. It was one heck of an overnight adventure but I loved every second of it! It was everything I hoped and wanted it to be. My only regrets was having the beer in my soft pannier and not getting Steve’s contact info. Steve was cooler than cool and definitely someone I would gladly call my friend. It’s in these types of trips where I meet strangers and find out that the world is more loving than what we see within our scrolling of Facebook, or watching of the five o’clock local news. It’s these types of bonding and experiences that has me addicted to adventure and travel. I cannot wait for the next one!  Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Guest Author: Lee Jones
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2019 was another fun filled year with adventures all over the world. Some were places we had visited in years past and some were new destinations, but one thing remained the same; we made sure to Capture the Journey! Although the majority of our adventures were overseas, that does not mean we missed out on opportunities stateside. For instance, we finally accomplished our goal of driving our 2017 John Cooper Works MINI to all lower 48 states. Watch that road trip video here: mini MINI Road Trip Review We also bought 36 acres of property which has plenty of room for camping, walking trails, bonfires, and anything else we can imagine. This of course is also the new headquarters for Bourn Adventure and we celebrated that with our first ever Bourn Adventure Camp Night in December. Click the links to learn more about the Bourn Adventure HQ and see more pictures from the Bourn Adventure Camp Night. Here are the photographic highlights from 2019! IllinoisSt. Louis, MOGreat Smokey Mountains, TNCriel Mound, WVKentucky Peerless Distilling Co, KYJim Beam Urban Stillhouse, KYVisited All Lower 48 States With The MINIPetra, JordanWadi Rum, JordanJabal Umm al Dami (Tallest Point in Jordan)Cotonou, BeninSacred Forest, BeninOuidah, BeninPortuguese Fort, BeninPython Temple, BeninJakarta, IndonesiaMonkey Forest, IndonesiaBali, IndonesiaBorobudur Temple, IndonesiaGaruda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, IndonesiaPrambanan Temple, IndonesiaKota Bogor, IndonesiaSingaporeManila, PhilippinesMount Samat National Shrine, PhilippinesSubic Bay, PhilippinesAround the PhilippinesNew Bourn Adventure Headquarters1st Bourn Adventure Camp NightThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Your Adventure starts here!
Due to the creativity, foresight, and hard work of so many men and women beginning over 100 years ago up until now and hopefully proceeding much longer into the future, we have the opportunity to Explore America through recreation. As much of a gift as the National Park system is to the American people, that does not mean it is only for us to enjoy. Each year millions of visitors from all over the world travel thousands of miles just to experience our National Parks. Although it is estimated that over 100 countries have areas which are designated as national parks, ours are the most visited. What America lacks in historical sites (compared to the rest of the world) we make up for in wide-ranging, natural beauty which has been preserved for the betterment of the people. HistoryThe National Park Service (NPS) was officially created on August 25, 1916, after President Woodrow Wilson signed the act into law. This was known as the Organic Act which placed the National Park Service under the United States Department of the Interior. Since their creation and the aid of additional legislation, they have been given areas which at one point were under the control of other U.S. Federal Agencies such as, the War Department and the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture. As it stands today, the National Park Services scope of responsibility includes more than 400 areas which is encompassed in the following categories:
Today all of the land that is deemed natural, cultural, historical, and recreational falls under the control of the National Park Service, but that was not always the case. Since America is still relatively young, balance and control of certain areas has been - and still is a work in progress. Before 1916 some state and federal lands were split up amongst several different controlling entities, which made it difficult to manage and protect. Now, it is a more streamlined process which makes it easier for the government to preserve and more importantly, the visitors to enjoy. To see a full list of units under the control of the National Park Service, please click here: List of the United States National Park System official unites National Park Service AbroadTaking it one step further, the United States National Park Service has also assisted in the creation of other counties national parks and protected areas. This has happened more through guidance and consulting help rather than physical or financial aid. Although that may not seem like a lot, to the people who are currently appreciating beauty in their country, that is! It is all part of a larger picture. The world is filled with amazing areas and due to the efforts of the U.S. National Park Service and people all across the globe, more and more areas are being preserved than ever before in recorded history. Some of these countries include, but are not limited to:
The FirstYellowstone National Park is the first National Park created in the United States and was signed into existence by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. This was known as the Yellowstone National Park Act and is the foundation of which all U.S. National Parks would be "built" on. It is also considered by many as the first National Park in the world. However, there is some controversy regarding which park or even country holds this distinguished title as the Mongolian government is said to have established Bogd Khan Uul National Park in Mongolia in 1778. Whether it is the first or second National Park, there is no denying that it plays an import role in our nation's history as it helped set a precedence of what would become of America's magnificent natural and man-made wonders. As mentioned above, Yellowstone National Park is considered the first U.S. National Park. However, the Yosemite area was the first time land was set aside with the intent of preservation. This was known as the Yosemite Grant which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on June 30, 1864. Although the Yosemite Grant predates Yellowstone by almost a decade, it did not officially receive the National Park designation until October 1, 1890. Therefore, Yellowstone holds that esteemed title while Yosemite technically is the third oldest National Park in the United States. It should be noted, out of the more than 400 parks in the National Park System, there are only 60 with the designation of "national park". The rest fall into the other categories which were mentioned above. Here is a list of the 10 oldest National Parks in the United States:
The BiggestThe United States of America, to include its territories is the third largest country by land mass covering approximately 3.8 million square miles (9.8 million square kilometers). Although America does not have as much protected land as other countries, that does not mean it makes the U.S. National Park Services job any easier. They are responsible for approximately 131,250 square miles (339,935 square kilometers) of land located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, America Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, Saipan, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It takes an estimated 20,000 National Park Service employees and several hundred thousand VIPs (Volunteers-In-Parks) to help keep those areas in tip-top shape. Here is a list of the 10 largest National Park in the United States by size:
If You Build It, They Will ComeIn 1983, an American novelist and historian by the name of Wallace Stegner stated this, "national parks are the best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." As someone who has an affinity for our National Park system myself, I could not agree with his statement more. What started as a bold idea has turned into a lifestyle and one that draws people in from all walks of life, cultures, and locations from around the nation and the world. People are willing to drive or fly thousands of miles just to wait in lines to enter our National Parks and walk with crowds of people just to experience the beauty of America which has been so tirelessly preserved. This speaks volumes and helps to solidify the suggestion that in fact, this was Americas best idea! It is estimated that in 2017 approximately 330 million domestic and international visitors walked through the gates of our National Park System. This number is up from years past and is expected to be even higher in the years to come. Since recreation visit records started being kept in 1904 up until now (2017), approximately 13,918,617,696 people have visited. In my opinion, the National Park Service does a phenomenal job of accommodating and educating such a large number of people. At the time of writing this article, the 2018 numbers were not published on the National Park Service website. Once they are, this section will be updated. Here is a list of the 10 most visited National Parks in the United States:
It's All About The MoneyEach year the National Park Service, as part of the Department of the Interior, submits their budget to Congress for their review and approval. Although the National Park Service is funded by the United States Government, that does not mean that is their only source of revenue. They receive additional money through the use of park entrance fees, recreational fees, and partnerships. The entrance fees can vary based on the Park and other factors to include, per vehicle, per person, per motorcycle, and Park-specific annual passes. To view these fees and options, please click here: Entrance Fees by Park If you live near or frequently visit National Parks or other areas associated with the National Park System or National Park Service, an annual pass might be right for you. They also offer annual 4th grade passes, senior passes, volunteer passes, access passes, and U.S. Military passes. To learn more about these and other passes, please click here: America the Beautiful Passes If you time your visit just right, you can take advantage of enjoying the National Parks for free. Typically, these days and dates change yearly so be sure to check before going. To learn more about this, please click here: Free Entrance Days in the National Parks To learn more about the National Park Service, please click here: NPS ConclusionWe here at Bourn Adventure have been fortunate enough to visit 20 National Parks (some more than once) and more than 100 of the 418 total other areas associated with the National Park System. The majority of these areas we have visited can be found on our website under the "ADVENTURES" tab. All of them have pictures from our time there and most have a story or stories of the adventure we had during our visit. With all due sincerity and respect, I thank all the men and women who work for the National Park Service and strive each day to make these areas and this country even better. Without their efforts or the efforts of volunteers, there is no telling what the American people along with those of other countries would be missing. Our goal is to continue to grow our collection of sites visited within the National Park System and deliver that content to you via our website, social media pages or emails. Although there is a world of information on the internet, it is not always easy to navigate. Our desire is to bring all of our travels, adventures, and experiences together into one, easy to find place, which could help identify locations for a future trip. Our hope is; by using information found on our website it makes your next adventure that much easier to plan, execute, and enjoy. There is no better time than now to get out there and Capture the Journey as you Explore America and Live Your Freedom!  Sources: NPS.gov | Wikipedia.org | Worldatlas.com | Theculturetrip.com | Budgettravel.com | Tripsavvy.com - Please help us reach more people by liking and sharing this article on social media! - Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker GalleryWe would like to give 2018 a proper farewell before getting too comfortable with 2019. Just like in years past, 2018 had its ups and downs, but just like anything else, its all about how you handle that rollercoaster ride. For us at Bourn Adventure we try to always look at the positive side of things and 2018 was filled with plenty of them! I would say Bourn Adventure (formally Bakes FJ) is better known for our massive road trips across the United States, some more than 10,000 miles long. On those adventures, our main focus was to Explore America and encourage others to do the same, even if it was just a short drive down the road. Adventure is everywhere and often times we overlook the closest opportunities to experience one. For so many of those road trips, our old Toyota FJ Cruiser was the focus and inspiration behind the journeys. After the loss of the FJ due to a roll over and following rebrand from Bakes FJ to Bourn Adventure in 2017, we have strived to expand our adventures. Here are the highlights from 2018! Petra, JordanDead Sea, JordanJerash, JordanAmman Amphitheater, JordanBaptism Site, JordanAmman Citadel, JordanBelize Cozumel, Mexico Muscat, OmanSinkhole Park, OmanWadi Tiwi, OmanAl Hazm Castle, OmanTropic of Cancer, Oman New Orleans, LANational WWII Museum, LAAbita Brewery, LAPensacola, FLNairobi, KenyaThe David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, KenyaNairobi National Park, KenyaMt. Longonot, KenyaEquator, Kenya Chicago, ILThe Morton Arboretum, ILSt. Louis, MO Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker Your ticket to adventure is here! While on our GX Winter Road Trip: 2018 we visited The Morton Arboretum which is located off of Route 53 in Lisle, IL. Their property sits on a sprawling 1,700-acre plot of land and is home to more than 222,000 plants. They stay busy hosting events and their doors are open 365 days out of the year, which means there is always an adventure to be had and something to explore. One of the events The Morton Arboretum is most known for is the Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum. Although they are open year round, this Illumination event typically begins mid-November and run until the first few days of January. This is an entrance time controlled and ticketed event. They recommend purchasing tickets online and doing it in advance due to them selling out frequently. This was the first time experiencing a show like this and to be honest, I figured it was just trees with lights on them. Well, it was much more than that. Not only is it trees with lights, but it is a full-on production with several different themed sections. Throughout the mile-long walking path, you are greeted by dazzling light displays which use trees, bushes, and grass as the canvas to paint beautiful scenes. One such display takes a life of its own due to the use of tall trees, lights, shadows, and audio. We did the 6:30 pm show in mid-December. It was dark, cold, and misty that night, which in my opinion made for a much better display as the lighting bounced off the misty air. It was without a doubt an adventure and one we would gladly do again if we are there that time of year. To learn more about The Morton Arboretum, visit their website by clicking here. Thank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker GalleryNot only do we document our travels, but we also sell rad stickers, patches, and other products as a way to help others show off their adventures! Going to the mountains? We have a patch for that! Going camping? We have a sticker for that! Sun beating down on your head? You guessed it; we have a hat for that! Since we launched our store in 2012, we have shipped products all over the United States and to more than 30 countries. To see all the places our products are in use, please click here: BAG Products World Map. We are blessed to have so many people around the globe rocking Bourn Adventure Gear. We wanted a way to personally thank them for their order. Our solution was to create Bourn Adventure postcards. This allowed us the opportunity to give each order a personal touch while continuing to share adventures from all over the world. We breathe new life in our postcards by periodically changing destinations and showcasing new locations. Each postcard series is assigned a number and runs for a limited time. Once that particular postcard is gone, it is done! So far all of the postcards have been a big hit and some people even started collecting them! Aside from that, customers have told us of conversations generated by the postcards hanging on their refrigerator or in their office. Hearing that something so simple could spark curiosity and encourage adventure brings a smile to our faces. To place an order and get your Bourn Adventure postcard, please visit our retail site: Bourn Adventure Gear Postcard AdventuresThank you for reading this article. We hope you found it entertaining. If so, please share it with others and don't forget to leave a comment down below! The world is a large place, and life is short. Together, we can accomplish much more than we ever could alone. -Bourn Adventure Author: Baker |
AuthorsBaker and Ashlie are the owners of Bourn Adventure and together they author the majority of the articles and content found here. Guest AuthorsCheyenne Izaguirre Categories
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