**Edit** This post is an old one. At this point, I’m not sure exactly when I’m traveling where. I will, however, be updating this info in the My Summer ’07 Travels page.

I’ve been thinking about trying to hammer down exact(ish) dates for leaving on my trips. As well as for my going away party.

First, the trips.

I’m 12 kinds of geeky, one of them being Civil War geeky. Pretty much every year I go to Gettysburg on the anniversary of the battle (July 1, 2 and 3). This year, I will be starting the southern leg of my summer tour from Gettysburg.

I’ll leave on June 30, camping at Caledonia State Park, stay there for four night and then leave for Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway. That trip should take three weeks, counting stops. You can read about that here.

Upon returning to Pennsylvania (tentatively, on or around July 20), I will stay in the area until just after my birthday (Aug 3). On August 4-ish, I’ll leave for Canada and New England. That trip should also take roughly two weeks, counting stops. I wrote about that particular trip here.

By this time, I’ll have ridden roughly 3,500 miles.

I should return on or around Aug 20. I’ll then prepare for the Route 66 trip. I plan on riding down the Bel Air, MD, getting the good folks there to give my bike a full once-over, visit my dear friend Meg, returning to the Lewisburg area by the last week in August.

I will leave for Chicago and the start of Route 66 on or around September 1st. I will take three days to get to Chicago (maybe two). From that point on, everything is wide open. I will be covering 125ish miles per day. I would like to see if the trip can last two months. I will hopefully be making side trips along the way.

However, prior to my June 30th leaving, I would like to visit my friend Jeff in Morgantown for a week or so. I may even, if at all possible, base my summer from there. It’s an option that I’ve not even mentioned to him. But it’s a thought.

Nikki also got an internship out in California until the end of August. She leaves the end of May. Originally, I thought that we’d have to say our good-byes in May, but I think I’ll be around when she returns from the west coast. That’ll be nice.

I will not leave before June 30. Michael (my son) is coming up from Florida in May and June. I was originally planning on starting the travels in June, but I’d rather hang out with him. Also, my lease in Montandon doesn’t end until the end of June. After that, I’m basically homeless.

I plan on being at my parents’ house for my birthday. It would be neat to be at my sister’s house for hers on July 20, but I don’t see that as an option unless I crash there for a week. I’ll probably visit Meg a couple of times throughout this as well.

As for my going away party, I would like to do something before the college semester ends in May involving Star Wars, but that’s not exactly in my hands… yet. I will be having another one in early September before I leave for Route 66. I’m not sure where that will be or who will be wonderful enough to put it on, but that’s the plan.

And yes, this was supposed to be all laid out nice and neatly. I guess I made it all a big muddle. So let me break it down.

My Summer Schedule as best I can see it.

May – I hope to travel a little bit in May. Weekend stuff mostly. I’ll probably hit Gettysburg and visit Meg in Bel Air, MD and Jeff in Morgantown, WV and to New Vrndavana.

June – Still in Montandon and hanging out with Michael

June 30 – July 20 – Southern leg. Starting in Gettysburg. (Link)

July 21 – Aug 3 - in Lewisburg area with short trips to visit Meg and Jeff.

Aug 4 – Aug 18 – Northern leg. (Link)

Aug 19 – Sept 4 – in Lewisburg area with short trips to visit Meg (and get scooter looked over) and Jeff. Going away party sometime in early Sept.

Sept 5 – Late October(?) - Route 66

If anyone who reads this is along any of these routes and would like me to drop by for a visit, just let me know. I’m very willing to do that. I’d like to meet a bunch of folks. That would make me really happy.