I'm often asked by religious leaders and heads of state about my journeys across America. If you share their curiosity, here are some answers to your questions in...

When you've traveled 20,000 miles across the finest landscape and most majestic sights in America, it's hard to pick one. I loved the solitude and expanse of the ride from Missoula to Bozeman, Montana, yet I was also seduced by the lush forests and mountains of Highway 100 in Vermont. And for some reason, Death Valley, even with its absence of.... anything... was a spiritual experience I cannot forget.

Again, maybe it was a combination of the environment (Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota), but for me the Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500 was just the right size and style for me.

My first ride was on September 7, 1998, (Buddy Holly's 62d birthday) and the last was in July, 1999 (someone else's birthday but I'm not sure whose.) I'd go out on the road for a month, return home and write for two or three weeks , then go out again. I had to plan the trips so I'd miss the snows in New England and Pacific northwest so it took a bit of fine tuning. But I'm a mighty, mighty man so I did it.

You can -- and I'd recommend that Congress pass legislation requiring motorists carry a copy of GAMT in their cars. As I wrote in an article in the Miami Herald, "...there are no roads specifically designed for motorcycles ... just as no roads are built only for cars or RVs ... but motorcycle travelers know what they look for in a great ride. We seek freedom from the interstates and an escape from the homogenization of America. We search for back roads where we can shed routine and make every minute an adventure. We want to hone our senses with views of waterfalls and fields of wildflowers, to travel roads that rise and fall like the Roman Empire and that lead US to general stores and diners where the waitresses call us 'honey.'"

I was inspired to see America in large part due to the life's work of CBS correspondent Charles Kuralt. Even as a kid, I saw him traveling the country and showing me people and places that seemed foreign to a kid growing up in Florida, but were all mine if I took the initiative. It was in his honor that each bike was given his name. I was thrilled when his daughter read a copy of 'GAMT' and told me that it was a wonderful book that her father would've liked.

I was accompanied on all my journeys by my faithful Indian companion, my wife Nancy Howell (who is one-eighth Cherokee). She braved mountain passes, blizzard conditions and months of solo driving just to support my quest. What a woman!

Yes. There are stories about discovering America as well as meeting challenges that seemed impossible. There are dozens of stories interwoven into this adventure regarding emotions, relationships, discovery, spiritual enrichment, and taking a risk to do what you know is right -- even if it means spending your life's savings.

Decide. I had the luxury of an open schedule and few responsibilities since I haven't had a regular job in ten years. I want my book to encourage you to go out and explore on your own. Even if you can only carve out time for an overnight, do it. As time goes by you can work on longer blocks of time and expand your riding range. But don't copy me. As I say in the introduction, "make your own discoveries -- use my book as a guide, not the Gospel." Don't ignore your kids, though. Maybe ride with another couple, splitting time between a car and a bike. Be creative. And if the kids are grown and only a job ties you down, ask yourself the question I used when I had to make a choice between life as an employee or a freelancer: "If I had a million dollars and didn't have to worry about money, what would I do?" That got me real honest real fast and I answered myself that I wanted to travel and to write. With that, I knew I had the key to decide what I really wanted to do with my life. From there, it was a matter of figuring out how to do it and make a living.

That's not a question, but people aren't used to reading a motorcycle book that doesn't deal with mechanics and a "coming of age" story. I can't fix a damn thing and I hate getting dirty so I left the fix-it and "watch me become a better man" books to other writers. I love the tempo and style of James Thurber, S.J. Perelman, Dr. Seuss, Kuralt, Twain, Robert Benchley, P.J. O'Rourke and John Hughes, so this was a chance to break the mold of boring travel books and write something as diverse and exciting as the nation I was seeing.

Tina Louise (born 1934, portrayed starlet Ginger Grant on the CBS series 'Gilligan's Island'). Having first seen her on TV when I was six, I'd like to think that she was my first girlfriend. I'd also like to think that she is receiving the mental transmissions I send each morning at 5:43 am.