My Itinerary

Here is the 35,000 foot view of my itinerary:

• My last day in the office was yesterday.  I’m still on the books as a Microsoft employee for a few days but I’ll consume my remaining vacation time until I’m officially unemployed.
• Last night I flew down to Las Vegas for a vacation. This was a break that I planned before I decided to walk away from my career.  Coming down to the meadows during WSOP season has been a semi-regular tradition where I meet up with my brother Greg to play poker and seek out the best off-strip eateries. We won’t be playing in any bracelet events but the cash games on the Strip are consistently spectacular this time of year.
• I’ll eventually come back to Seattle (not sure when – this is my first Vegas trip were it genuinely feels like I have total flexibility on my return date), acquire camping supplies and motorcycle gear, and put some additional thought into planning – which is sorely needed.
• The movers come to pack and empty out my apartment in Belltown on Monday 7/24.  I’m not sure how much daylight will be left after the movers wrap everything up, so my trip likely will begin in earnest on the following day.
• My first waypoint will be Kelowna, British Columbia for my “Cousin Camping” family reunion weekend which is a bit of a misnomer since many of my cousins will be staying at an Airbnb like myself. I expect to log 300+ miles during the first leg of the trip.
• After catching up with loved ones, I’ll resume my trek to Deadhorse which is a tad over 2500 miles from Kelowna according to Google Maps.

When I initially pieced together this timetable, I had a minor panic attack while researching historical climate data since camping in below freezing temperatures isn’t one of my personal aspirations.  I even debated the merits of putting off the trip until the following spring for a short while.

A close friend reminded me of stories where attempts to climb Mount Everest ended within a few meters of the peak to avoid death or loss of body parts.  I understand that my journey isn’t remotely as dangerous as climbing Everest but there are similarities – instead of spare canister of oxygen I'll need a spare can of gasoline for parts of the trip where refueling stations are in inadequate supply.

While I hope to make it to Deadhorse this year, I’m giving myself permission to turn back at any time. The real motivation for the trip is to take an extended break from my daily routine and embark on a motorcycle trip to see how I feel.  I achieved that goal yesterday when I strapped on my helmet inside a parking garage at One Microsoft Way, saddled up, and rode off for the last time as an employee.

You might be wondering – So how does it feel? Click here to find out.

Introduction

Hi! My name is Matt. Welcome to my blog.

So why am I doing this? I was informing some of my coworkers that I came to the decision to quit my job as a software engineer and as I was sharing my "life plan" for what comes next, it became clear there was interest in a blog so people could track my progress, so here I am.

The short term plan is to ride my motorcycle from Seattle to Deadhorse Alaska just to see how I feel once I get there.

I'll eventually move on to another destination since I despise cold winters with a passion. This process of choosing a fresh set of coordinates on a map after I've reached the old ones will repeat until I get bored or run out of cash. That is the entire long term plan.

To be brutally honest, I'm not 100% sure that giving up my creature comforts will make me happy or if this scheme even fits my personal definition of a good life plan.  I won't know for sure until I give it a go. I'm actively trying to put in as little thought as possible as to what I will do professionally going forward so I can fully savor the experience.

So why Deadhorse? And why now?  Here are a few reasons:

• Deadhorse is north of the Arctic Circle. It amuses me greatly to think I could stand on the shores of the Arctic Ocean at 3am in broad daylight and listen to Prince's "Lets Go Crazy."
• Alaska is arguably the closest thing to a totally wild frontier in the United States which will make for an experience that should be vastly different than everything I've done so far. 
• There is a seductive element of danger.  There are many perils along this path that I've chosen for myself which are very real. The final hurdle on the journey to Deadhorse is the Dalton Highway which is "Ice Road Truckers" territory. 
• It's proximity to Seattle is a minor factor. I'll want to head south before winter. Did I mention that I hate the cold?
• There will be lots to explore and discover along the way and I expect to make some new friends who share the some of the same goofy ideals.
• Bottom line is that I've spent the last 20 years gainfully employed with no extended breaks and it is high time to completely switch gears and do something self indulgent.  

I've chosen to try to live moment by moment in present time via an extended tour on a motorized two wheeler.  I also consider this to be a social experiment to see what I learn about myself after I've been away from my typical daily routine for an extended period.

My vision for the blog is that it will help me to stay connected with friends and loved ones. I hope this will be an interactive exchange where I do the bulk of the talking and you the reader get to influence the outcome via suggestions for things to do and see along the way. I suffer from tunnel vision at times and I am entering totally unfamiliar territory, so please share your ideas even if they seem intuitively obvious.

I encourage feedback both positive and negative. Please pull no punches when providing the latter: barbs to the effect of "you = batshit crazy" or "TL/DR and I want the last 10 minutes of my life back" are fair game.  I only have a vague sense of what you might find interesting so feel free to suggest topics that you'd like me to weigh in on.

I've got a boatload of things to do to get ready and I can't wait to start my ride.  My next update will contain my high level plans and schedule.

-Matt