As 2024 begins, there is a persistent life-sucking darkness to much of the day. How to fix this has many common solutions. Perhaps buy a SAD lamp and stare at it. Or just go outside and hope for a clear day among Michigan’s ever-present cloudiness. Better yet, do the outside thing, but also start planning vacation trips for this summer.

My mode of travel is via a trusty old BMW G650GS. Ten-plus riding seasons on this bike has left me with plenty of experience of how to plan, pack and execute everything from a day trip to a 3 week multi-country adventure.

For this summer, if possible, the goal will be something of the longer variety. Perhaps even a 5000 mile round trip. The ground rules for planning are:

• Route plan via state highways and scenic byways, limiting expressway travel as much as possible.

• Plan for a mix of 300 mile days and occasional high mile days to bypass previously explored areas or endless prairie.

• Carry camping equipment but identify rewarding areas for a mix of hotel stays.

• Identify a bucket-list of destinations along the way.

Since I am just beginning to explore maps for each state, I only have a preliminary list of key sights:

• The Lake Superior coastline, especially in the western UP.

• Northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters area

• The upper reaches of the Missouri River

• The Canadian Rockies extending from the US border to Banff, Lake Louise along CAN 93 and 1.

• Finding a new route from Canada into Washington State, something that I haven’t ridden before.

Time to settle into the comfy chair with a cup of coffee, my collection of Butler Maps, and a notebook, and start thinking this through.