Planning

Planning

In any task you undertake planning is of utmost importance. This trip has several facets that will require forethought. I will need to plan a route, plan attractions along the route, find Muay Thai gyms, and plan on what I will need to make the journey. 

The route

The above picture is the initial path of travel that I created. It has since been revised and changed and I am sure there are plenty more changes to come. I have also purchased a map of the US and have marked routes that I have already traveled. Below is what I came up with;

The darker black lines are where my travels have already taken me.The routes that I have previously traveled are the ones that I want to stay off of. I will be cross-referencing my intended path of travel with this map to make sure I am exploring uncharted territory. A very useful tool in all of this is www.roadtrippers.com. You can plan your visit and it will make an itinerary with up to 30 stops. I will be using this website heavily as I continue to draw out my course. 

Attractions

Once I have a general understanding of the route that I will be taking I will start to reference it with places to see that will be along that route. As I find more attractions I will adjust the path of travel to make sure it flows in the right direction. The site http://www.americathebeautiful.com/top100.html has given me an abundance of ideas. I am also using http://www.swimmingholes.org. I went on a waterfall road trip last year and referenced this site a lot. It has some very unique swimming holes, hot springs,  waterfalls, and cliff jumping locations, will come in handy especially in the summer heat. I will be posting sections of the trip and the attractions that I plan on visiting in future posts. 

Muay Thai Gyms

I am having a blast training, teaching, and competing within the Muay Thai ranks. I have had the opportunity to do a lot of my training basically out of 3 gyms so far. Bonafyde MMA & Sidthilaw Muay Thai is what I consider a home gym and they are out of Nashville TN. Bangkok Boxing and Fitness was my first and introduced me to Muay Thai and started me off with some solid traditional technique, they are out of Atlanta GA. Relson Gracie Jui-Jitsu 601 has been a gym that I have been attending while working out in Meridian MS. If you are ever in those areas I would recommend you swing by for a session, some amazing people in all 3 of these gyms. 

I have asked for help from my coaches, Muay Thai Guy (https://www.facebook.com/themuaythaiguy), Muay Thai in America (https://www.facebook.com/MuayThaiinAmerica) and they all have helped me compile a nice list of top gyms in the US. I have also reached out to fellow fighters that have sent suggestions to me. This adds another factor in planning the route and stops. I keep moving waypoints and adjust the map as I get closer to making a final map draft. 

Necessities 

I am very low maintenance, that being said it will still be extremely difficult to get everything I need for this adventure into 3 saddle bags. The first saddle bag will be filled with riding gear. I will need rain gear, chaps, boots, helmet, jacket, gloves, bandana, and glasses. The second saddle bag will be with my Muay Thai gear, boxing gloves, shin pads, mouth piece, thai shorts, "teep shirt", towel, muscle cream, and supplements. That leaves me with one more bag for personal items. I will have tooth paste, tooth brush, a hammock, sleeping bag, laptop, clothes and a bible. Simple living at its best. I wish I can take my Hugo Boss shoes and my "Bond" tux but this is not that kind of trip. Just a moment ago I was struggling with what to bring with and now it makes perfect sense. No need for luxury, this trip has a deeper purpose. Below is my companion, a 1994 Harley Davidson XLH Sportser 883. I have officially named her Cindy, I think my friend Ty will know why.