Lost with Mike-Quest for Exploration
“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”
-Jack Kerouac
As we kick off a decade made for adventure, let us welcome 2020 with inspiration from Mike Saunders. A true spirit of exploration and the need to live in the wandering. Take to the road with the ‘joy of riding a slow bike fast’ scoot along into a different pace of adventure filled with history and action, rest and recoupment, and so much more.
From 2014 to 2018 Mike traveled through North America on a 49cc Honda Ruckus name La Tortuga. His home followed him through beautiful weather, scary storms, secluded campsites, dirt roads, and so much more in his 70,000-mile journey. While out on the road he camped most nights, cooked his own meals and lived by his rules of life – allowing his passion for exploration guide him.
‘…the little scooter carried me to the farthest reaches of the continental road system, north to the Article Circle’s Inuvik and Prudhoe Bay, down to the rum-soaked southernmost tip of Key West, out on the Rock’s Screech scented easternmost point at Cape Spear, Newfoundland, and wet on the westernmost road at Anchor Point, AK.”
With a typically less than 5-minute pack up in the mornings he was on the road ready to ride again. He averaged 110 miles per gallon and would often ride 300 miles a day seeing much of county many only dream about. “Packed and on the road in the cloudy environment of a mild morning. The green waters of the Rio Grande lazily slide south along the vegetated banks making a soft gurgling sound.”
His descriptions pull you into his blog and take you along the adventure. Mike has many great statements through his blog as words of wisdom, but the power of our own thoughts and limits speaks volumes when taking on an unusual journey. He did not let his fear get the best of him and keeps exploring…“If you carry an open mind you can do a lot with that too.”
Let yourself give in to adventure this year and as Mike aptly puts it, “some days the sunrises take your breath away.” Cheers to 2020 and taking on the sunrises and sunsets that leave you breathless. See you out there on the road, enjoy the ride.
See a brief snap shot of this inspiring scooter adventure, take 5 minutes and start planning to change your life and fill it with adventure: https://youtu.be/hm8t5WWYctI Mike is not only an adventure motorcyclist but an adventurer through an through, check out his blog to find out more about his kayaking the Mississippi river for 8 months, cycling from VA to AL: http://lostwithmike.com/
Written by Danell Lynn, Guinness World Record Rider – www.danelllynn.com,
@danell_lynn Photography copyrights & Images by Mike Saunders.