D - 496 Days: Getting out of Brooklyn Tomorrow

I'm trying to take a step every day toward fulfilling my goal of completing this trip successfully. I'll count just about anything as a step: reading an article about motorcycle maintenance that teaches me something (any article about motorcycle maintenance that doesn't teach me something is automatically the worst piece of writing ever, and "best ever" and "worst ever" aren't phrases I just toss around), a deposit into my savings account, or making a decision about something I'll do or take on the trip. Even writing a new post here makes the trip feel a little more real.

Tomorrow's is going to be a bigger-than-average step toward riding around the country: riding out of Brooklyn for the first time. My plan is to take the Gowanus Expressway (still not sure if this is technically named after an STD or if it just sounds like one) over the Verrazano Bridge into Staten Island and onto 278 West, and then take Manor Road to a neighborhood called Egbertville. I'll have lunch on Lighthouse Ave, which the interweb tells me is the main drag through Egbertville. Then I'll head back the way I came.

Click to see the whole route, map, and directions:


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Of course, it's going to be pretty cold tomorrow (high of 37 or so in the city) so all of this is dependent on my not being too cold to make it the whole way.

On to today's FAQ:

(Q2) How many sets of friends/family do you anticipate seeing along the way, roughly?

Instead of just picking a number, I made a first draft of my list. I'm sure I'm leaving off important people to visit and, if any of them read this, I apologize.

1) The Mannings and their farm in Dalton, PA.
2) Kate and Kris Hemmerich in Lancaster, PA.
2.5) The Murphys in Berwyn, PA (outside of Philly).
3) My sisters, Denise and Laura, and Denise's husband, Adam, around Silver Spring, MD.
4) Corrina, Kendria and my other friends around D.C.
5) Jeff and Amy in Charlotte.
6) Denise's best friend, Ange, in Raleigh-Durham.
7) My friend Martha's sister, Mary, and her boyfriend Keith in Atlanta. I've only met them a couple times but they're motorcycle people and I like their dogs, so...plus they have my cell phone charger so I'll be able to pick that up.
8) Maybe somebody in Florida, if I know anyone in Florida.
9) My friend Chrissy in Denver, if she lives there then.
10) Maybe somebody in L.A., if I know anyone in L.A. Trav seems like the best bet.
11) Jack and Robin and Ben and my cousin Solon in San Francisco. Maybe Thaler.
12) Scott Simon and his karaoke joint in Portland, Oregon.
13) Maybe Ronda from Disney's College Program in Portland, too.
14) J and Martha in Seattle.
15) My cousin Joel in Wisconsin.
16) Nat and Craig and their girls in Ottawa.
17) My cousin Susan in Boston.
18) Trevor and Anno and Lyla in Plymouth.
19) My Uncle David and Aunt Barbara in Massachusetts (Framingham, maybe?).
20) My Grandma and Grandpa in Lowville, NY.
21) My Uncle Larry and Aunt Dorothy in Manlius, NY.
22) Stephanie Romano in Manlius.
23) My parents in Chittenango and East Syracuse.
23) My childhood best friend, K.C., his wife Kristi, and their kids on their farm in Lebanon, NY.
24) My NYC friends. This probably doesn't count as "friends I see along the way," but it's my blog and I'm OK with that. It'll be good to see them.