What about this?

OK! We’re getting down to the "nitty-gritty" now.

I need your final thoughts on this scenario:

What do you think about a 1-week cruise\tour of the Upper Mississippi River valley in which your "floating hotel room" is a luxurious flat-bottomed houseboat that can sleep up to 14 people? It has a hot tub to sooth away a day’s hard ride around the winding valley roads of the Mississippi. The boat also has a "water slide" and a covered "top-side" bar for relaxing. (See pictures of one of the boats below this post.)

While the boat travels 40 or 50 miles on the river, we can be riding 200 to 300 miles to various interesting lunch stops near the river. We can "overnight" in marinas where the bikes will be safe and have BBQ’s on the river or visit riverside towns for dinner (such as Harper’s Ferry). We may visit 3 or 4 states including Wisconsin, Idaho, Missouri or Illinois.

Wherever we decide to go, I will attempt to contact motorcycle clubs in the area to find out where best to go and maybe arrange to meet up with some of them.

I’ll work with the boat owner to find out the best places along the river to visit and will provide maps and a schedule for people who want to ride at their own speed rather than with a group.

The boat requires a crew of at least 2 people (to get it through the locks) so, I can provide an experienced crew from my friends who have 25 or more years of boating around the Pacific Northwest or we can work out a schedule of riders so that you may have to forfeit a day’s ride and help crew the boat!

The best time appears to be either the 2nd or 3rd week in September for both weather and traffic.

I’ll videotape the whole affair and provide every person or couple with an edited DVD of the trip so people can show it to their friends and family upon their return.

I think I can do this for around $1500 per person and quite likely a little less depending on how many people decide to go. This would include breakfasts on the boat, some BBQ’s and dinners out at restaurants, gas and other boat expenses.

What am I forgetting?

This is a pioneering experience. It can either be great or awful or some combination of the two but it will be an experience! If you can think of anything else I need to find out more about, please let me know by clicking on the "Comments" and "Anonymous" Buttons below.

Thanks.

The interiors look great! 

This is a 10 person boat. It has a hot tub and a bar on top!