eric,
Great post that will touch a lot of us. I just received an email from a friend who had planned to ride cross country this year but decided on a short loop in the northeast instead. After he finished he decided that he had nothing in common with touring life, even though he spends most of his time in the back woods hiking and camping.

After my cross country tour this year I believe even more strongly that this is a uniquely individual and private sport/pastime. I often read comments on this forum about those who ride slowly and spend their time sightseeing and meeting people. I think of the hours that I spend doing those things compared to the time I spend in the saddle just grinding out the miles. I think that you have to enjoy all parts of the experience because the really special adventures during the tour will not account for most of your time.

I find also that after a couple of months on the road alone, I am ready to reconnect with my life. To be home in familiar surroundings doing familiar things. I believe that it would be much more difficult to drop out for a couple of years without taking my life (wife/family/friends) with me.

I admire your dream and now you have me thinking about how it would be possible to do such a thing. Good luck and thanks for sharing with us.