Today is the fourth anniversary of the first time I laid eyes on my 2002 Triumph Bonneville America. One week later it was in the back of a friends pickup truck on the way home from the dealership in Missoula. I have since put over 25,300 miles on it and traveled over a bit of the northwest, including Spokane, Washington, all over Montana, British Columbia and of course, Sturgis. Not a lot of travel, but pretty good for a newbie on his first bike. (I’ll admit that a large portion of those miles are from commuting.)

Sometimes it feels like my bike is only just starting to break in. Next month I will be paying it off. In the future I’d like to explore more of the region and eventually the entire western US, though I’ll never be an “Iron Butt” contender. If/when I travel back east (I’d like to experience Daytona Bike week just once), I’ll likely trailer my bike.