Everyone has their own way of keeping track of things. My father had a desk blotter with a large calendar in his ‘home office’ which also served as the TV room and my bedroom throughout my life. This calendar was covered in what looked like scribbles but were very meticulous dates and appointments. My mother had a book calendar which was jammed with scraps of paper, post-its, receipts and bills, held together with a rubber band. Or it could have been her address/phone book, as the two were interchangeable.
When we started Backroads, we had a wall calendar showing our production schedule, travel plans, show dates and such. I think we morphed to a white erase board at some point. Then, as technology advanced, we began keeping electronic calendars which popped up on our computers, alerting us to deadlines, upcoming travels plans, birthdays, national holidays, fake holidays and just about anything that could possibly come about on a consistent basis. And even more intrusive are the constant alarms and alerts on our phones for every little thing that may be going on in our lives.
While I certainly take advantage of these reminders and settings, I like to have things at my fingertips without poking about with my fingertips. We have always kept our very old and hole-riddled cork board, which hangs over my shoulder, behind my desk. Throughout the year, it varies with thickness of papers push-pinned in a somewhat orderly arrangement – at least chronologically. This time of year, we hope that it is brimming with reminders of the plans we’ve been busy making throughout the winter, one by one taken down as the year goes by. 2024 is starting off with a bang, with nary a piece of cork left on which to tack up a new memo.
This makes me very happy.
So, what’s filling our days and months in the coming months? Let’s take a little peak, shall we?
The start of MotoGP, in Qatar, was March 8-9. As of this writing, I have no idea what the outcome was, but I do know that this season will be one to watch. And we plan to be doing just that in Austin, TX the weekend of April 13, hoping that the races bring excitement and perhaps some shakeups to the field.
Just a couple of weeks after that, we’ll be heading south to Virginia to attend the Horizons Unlimited gathering outside of Appomattox. For those not familiar, Horizons Unlimited is aimed towards those seeking ‘overland adventure’ - self-reliant adventure travel to remote destinations where the journey is the primary goal, taking the road less travelled. (Hmm, sounds like some of our Backroads routes.) During these three days, there are presentations, vendors and much camaraderie, in addition to the chance of exploring this area rich in history and some great riding.
www.horizonsunlimited.com/events/virginia-2024
Skipping forward another couple of weeks sees us heading out on the Backroads Spring Break. You may have thought we were done, but somehow we just keep jumping back in. This time around will be a nice long weekend spent in Hancock, NY and Williamsport, PA, enjoying some routes put forth by you guys and gals as well as the company of friends, old and new. If you haven’t joined us before, take the plunge and give it a shot. As we like to say, ‘What could happen?’
backroadsusa.com/backroads-events
June, Brian and I will be heading out to continue our capture of Major League Baseball stadiums. So far we have 20 out of 30 ticked off our list, and this trip will have us visiting Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox with a return to Wrigley where the Mets will be playing the Cubs. This will be a win-win for me as they are my two favorite teams. During our time in Detroit we’ll take in the Henry Ford Museum, which has been on our list for some time as well.
July sees the return of an event that started many riders in the Backroads’ area on their overnights – the Ramapo 500. The Ramapo MC, founded in 1938, is putting on the 44th 500, bringing riders over 250 miles, each day, with a night of camping, dinner and a lengthy list of awards. You can find more information here: ramapomc.org.
There are always other random events, rides and goings-on that fill in the rest of the calendar, with papers coming and going off the corkboard. I hope that your calendar is just as full as we full steam ahead into the warmer weather and longer days of 2024.