(CNN) - From September 1998 to July 1999, Gary McKechnie took a tour of 31 states covering 20,000 miles. Like "Easy Rider," he saw America first hand in the saddle of a motorcycle. His book, "Great American Motorcycle Tours," chronicles the history, the sights and the best roadside stops along the way. McKechnie's humor and passion show just what makes a wanderer lust.

Influenced by Mark Twain, James Thurber, S.J. Perelman, Robert Benchley and Charles Kuralt, Gary McKechnie set out to write an extraordinary travel book. He wanted to convey the experience of America from the road, the freedom on the back roads of the country away from the office.

Chat Moderator: Welcome to CNN Book Chat, Gary McKechnie.

Gary McKechnie: Hello, America!

Chat Moderator: Please tell us about your book, "Great American Motorcycle Tours."

Gary McKechnie: It's the first national motorcycle touring book ever. It took me two years to write it, from conception to finishing the last tour, to making all the corrections and having it on bookshelves and online bookstores. It has 20 tours, ranging as far east as Bar Harbor, Maine, as far west as Port Townsend, Washington, down the Pacific Coast Highway, and as far south as Key West, Florida. I rode 20,000 miles across 31 states, and took back roads 98 percent of the time. I did this because I wanted people to see America and escape the routine. I accomplished it because I'm a mighty, mighty man, and my diet consists of gunpowder and raw meat.

Question from Jester62: Gary, I'll hit you with the "unanswerable" right away. What was your favorite tour?

Gary McKechnie: My favorite tour would be starting from my driveway and doing every single trip in one continuous ride. They were all fantastic. Three -- sorry, I can't do just one -- of my favorites were Missoula to Bozeman, Montana for the serenity and majesty of the landscape. Another was Calistoga to Carmel, California, because of the diversity of the landscape and terrain, and the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina, because of the abundance of beauty and peacefulness.

Question from Jeff-CNN: What type of motorcycle do you recommend?

Gary McKechnie: It depends on what sort of ride. If you're taking a very long trip, say across Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota, I loved the Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad. It had a 1500 cc engine, and it was a powerful and smooth-running bike. But if you're only taking short rides, you can get by with a smaller bike with a 650 cc engine. I believe BMW, Suzuki, Honda, etc., make some great street touring bikes. You'll see in my book that I offer a review of the motorcycles that I rode. I rode eight different motorcycles. I named each of them Kuralt, in honor of Charles and on my Web site (which is gamtours.com) I list links to the motorcycle manufacturers. You can go there for reviews. You can also send me an e-mail and you can find out about the Great American Motorcycle Tours calendar, and how to get your picture in it.

Chat Moderator: Did you take your tours alone or have compatriots come along for the fun?

Gary McKechnie: My wife, Nancy, used her feminine wiles on me. At first I thought I could have done it alone. But she drove a car every single mile to carry the cameras, recorders, clothing, press kits, books, computers, and every other piece of equipment I needed to be able to ride these fantastic roads and write the greatest book since "War and Peace."

Question from Jester62: What was your daily average distance ridden?

Gary McKechnie: Good question. The essence of this book is to introduce riders to America via back roads. So my purpose isn't to have you put on as many miles as you can, it's to experience as many sensations as you can. My trips at a maximum were 200 miles in a day. That gives you adequate time to stop, peel off your boots, take a walk in a stream, have a picnic beside the road, or just experience life and not just exist.

Question from Jeff-CNN: Why are interstates a no-no?

Gary McKechnie: If you want to miss everything America has to offer, then drive on the interstates. It will get you from Point A to Point B a lot faster, but it offers everything that you already know. I stay off the interstates because this is an exploration of the country and of yourself, and you'll find more by avoiding the interstates and taking those lonesome, lightly traveled back roads. I should point out that while I did it on a motorcycle, I wouldn't be disappointed or feel ashamed if you buy my book and decide to do it by car. I prefer riding a motorcycle because the sensations and the elements that you're exposed to are so much greater, but I found people who prefer to travel in a car (or just don't know how to ride a motorcycle) are buying my book so they can make these discoveries themselves.

Question from Sunny1-CNN: Gary, do you tell us about good places to eat along the way?

Gary McKechnie: Ohh! By all means! Yes, yes! I weighed 175 pounds when I started my first trip, and after eating at some of the best diners in the nation I now weigh 637 pounds. But I tried to find the diners where the waitresses call you "honey" and they serve you the chocolate milkshake and leave the metal cup they made it in. You can find great road food along the way. Those are the last bastions of Americana, the diners.

In short, I'v e tried to break the links with staying at chain hotels and dining at chain restaurants. There's still too much diversity in America to do the ordinary.

Question from Sunny1-CNN: Did you stay in motels along the way?

Gary McKechnie: I stayed at bed and breakfasts. The reason I did this was, again, to avoid the ordinary. You can stay at a chain hotel in Key West and its counterpart in Missoula and you'll be staying in the exact same room, seeing the exact same thing, and feeling exactly the same way. I suggested bed and breakfasts because each has personality and character,and owners that can help you become better acquainted with what's available in the area. You're also accompanied by fellow travelers, who can offer their opinions on what's worth seeing and attractions that you can avoid.

Question from Kawi: What kinds of repairs did you have to make along the way?

Gary McKechnie: Man, oh man! Even though I have the strength of ten men, I'm not good with repairs -- my tool kit consists of a hammer and a spoon. So my best advice to you is: consult your owner's manual. If you have a new bike, most manufacturers offer a 3- to 5-year warranty, so any mechanical problem should be covered by them. Also, in my book I have advice from the founder of Iron Horse Rentals. He suggests packing and pre-ride preparations, just to ensure that you don't get into any trouble on the road.

Chat Moderator: Did you get the contract to write this book before or after you took your trip?

Gary McKechnie: Here's the chronology of the book in a nutshell. I pitched it to 15 publishers between October 1997, and May 1998. John Muir Publishing offered me a contract in June 1998. It took three months to write sample chapters, to come up with an outline for the book, and to finalize the contract. By September 7, 1998, (Buddy Holly's 62nd birthday as everyone knows), I was taking my first trip. By July 1999, I had completed the last of 20 tours. By March of 2000, I had made the last corrections on the manuscript.

My very, very, very, very modest advance had been spent in the first three hours of my tour and the remaining $20,000 that it cost me came from my life savings and returning coke bottles that I found on the roadside. It was a costly adventure, but one in my heart I felt I had to do.

Question from Sunny1-CNN: You mentioned Pacific Coast Highway earlier. Was that in the Malibu area, and did you meet the crazy canyon racers?

Gary McKechnie: No. No, I didn't go as far south as Malibu. My Pacific Coast trip started in Calistoga to Bodega Bay, when after eating three pounds of Maalox tablets, I was able to brace myself for the ride to Sausalito. From there, I rode along the Pacific Coast Highway to Carmel on Monterey Bay, and then finished the trip with a run down to San Simeon. Buy several dozen copies of my book and you'll see this trip described in great detail.

Question from Jester62: Gary; I'm heading up to Montreal, Canada in August from Southern New Hampshire, any suggestions on rides and routes?

Gary McKechnie: Oh, great, I love New England. It condenses a nation's worth of great riding in one fantastic area. My thought would be taking Highway 100 up through the center of Vermont, which I describe in Chapter 2 of my book. Another option -- if you go west, young man -- you could take my Hudson River Valley run from Tarrytown to Saratoga Springs (which is an indescribably beautiful trip), take a side trip through the Adirondacks, and then wrap it all up in Montreal. Then y ou'll have to get reconstructive surgery to wipe that big smile off your face.

Chat Moderator: What kind of feedback have you gotten from your book?

Gary McKechnie: A lot of readers -- this is in its early stages -- are impressed that Peter Fonda, the original Easy Rider, wrote the foreword to my book. They also appreciate the fact that there is such great and abundant detail regarding prices, attractions, adventures, watering holes, Web sites, and history compiled in this book. I spoke with Charles Kuralt's daughter, who I sent a copy to, when the book came out a month ago. I was thrilled silly when she picked up the phone and said, "Gary, what a wonderful book! My father would have loved this!" I should add that another type of feedback I'm getting is from people who are buying this book as gifts for someone they know who rides.

Question from Jester62: Are you doing any book tours in New England? I would like a signed copy.

Gary McKechnie: I'm not scheduled in New England yet, but you can e-mail me. Just go to gamtours.com and send me a note -- or my address is on the Web site. If you want to mail me the book , I'd be honored to sign it and return it. Whenever someone buys the book, it validates every hardship I encountered to create it.

Chat Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts for us today, Gary?

Gary McKechnie: Yeah, I do! I hate to foist my philosophy off on anybody, but after experiencing an adventure like this, it's hard not to. If I had one point to make, it would be that life should never, never, never, ever be boring. And you have every opportunity to make it exciting, if you just take the initiative and go out there and see the most incredible country in the history of man.

Chat Moderator: Thanks, Gary McKechnie! We enjoyed it!

Gary McKechnie: I feel very privileged that you dropped in to listen to what I had to say! Thank you all very, very much!

Gary McKechnie joined Book Chat via telephone from Mount Dora, Florida. CNN.com provided a typist for him. The above is an edited transcript of that chat.