This book is a compilation of entries I made while touring the United States on my motorcycle.

I can’t call it The Motorcycle Diaries because that title was already taken. The Motorcycle Diaries is a memoir that traces the early travels of Ernesto "Che" Guevara, then a 23-year-old medical student, and his friend Alberto Granado. That book has been described as a classic coming-of-age story: a voyage of adventure and self-discovery that is both political and personal.

This book is hardly a coming-of-age story. I was 56 years old. It certainly isn’t political. It is however a voyage of adventure insofar as every day I had to deal with a new set of unknowns. The unintended result was self-discovery.

Addressing unknowns was in fact the motivating force behind this this trip. I’ve done practically everything in my life to eliminate as many unknowns as possible. My career as a firefighter and paramedic taught me the valuable lessons of pre-planning.