After 44 years in the fire service, Kevin Nord felt ready to retire, "to melt away in my helmet a little bit and get some me time."
When Nord, 62, stepped down in July as Duxbury fire chief, he knew he was still young and healthy enough to chase a dream. He also knew what was at "the top of my bucket list." On Tuesday, Aug. 16, Nord will head out on his KTM 890 Adventure R, an on and off-road motorcycle, for a trek across the country – down to Tennessee and North Carolina, then west to Oregon and back.
He will follow the TransAmerica Trail, described as "the cross-country adventure ride of a lifetime with mostly off-pavement travel." Reaching Oregon will take about four weeks. Coming home, he'll travel by highways in a week. "I figure I have maybe 10 good years of riding left and now is go time," Nord said.