Why So Long With No Job?

I've been unemployed for a little over a year now. To be honest with you, I haven't been looking for a job the entire time. "What a bum!" right? Well, I wasn't being lazy. I'm not the type of person that enjoys sitting around the house playing video games and playing on facebook all day, even though that's what it seems like I've been doing. So why did I take so long to start looking for a job?
I'm an adventurous person. I love to do things that most people haven't done. I'm still young in my career of seeking adventure, but I'm on my way do accomplishing many goals. So, when I was working my last job, in metal fabrication, i started pondering an idea. I wanted to go on a real adventure. I wanted to ride a bicycle, that i didn't have, across the USA. Now most of the things that i think of doing end the same way that they started: as simply an idea. Was this just another idea that would pass on? Then, the company shut its doors and I was unemployed.
Unemployment scares most people. I, however, looked at it as an opportunity. I was getting paid every week, I had nothing to do, and in this bad economy, it's hard to find a job. This was the perfect circumstances to make my adventure possible! I ran the idea across my girlfriend and after a little convincing, she was on board. So we spent the next 7 months planning OUR GREAT ADVENTURE!