Disclaimer: You may want to scroll down to Day 23 to start reading, to stay in chronological order, it took a couple days to catch up. Stick
Day 24 and this ride is in the history books.
The 4 riders had a complete blast riding the back roads of America, and exploring the small towns and cities along the way. We saw incredible sights, sights that we would never had experienced on a typical road ride whether by bike or passenger vehicle.
Our plan the entire time, was no plan. We would make it up as we went. We didn’t have a hard schedule, just a general time line of upto 30 days on the road. It wound up being completed in just 24 days.
And while we didn’t see everything that we talked and discussed in our casual conversations along the way, such as Moab, or the Glacial Highway in Northern Montana, we don’t feel as if we missed a thing. The spontaneous route changes ensured we saw more than we could have expected. Besides, you always have to have something to look forward to on the next ride!
I would like to give the Rand McNally award to our GPS guru and Ride Captain Ski Doo Matt. Each night as we sat around sipping cold rocky mountains, the 4 of us looking at our google maps and throwing out suggestions for the next night’s host city, Matt would look up mileage, sights along the way, and the back roads we would need to travel, and pick out the next town to pumble. Thank you Matt from all of us for your patience, your guidance and overall excellent trip. To Infinity And Beyond (inside joke, while at dinner at the Brass Rail, Julie couldn’t figure out who Matt reminded her of. As her and Monkey discussed it, they said he looks like Buzz Lightyear. Matt overheard their conversation, and exuberantly proclaimed in his best rendition of Buzz “To Infinity And Beyond! And we all had a good laugh).
To Hedge Hog, Hedgie, and a host of other names I called you over the last 23 days that are not suitable for print, thank you for your friendship. You are great company on the road, and we can always count on you to engage in conversation with the locals at each stop thru out the day. To you out there still following this stupid blog, I am going to take a minute and explain where HedgeHog came from. A few years ago we were on a snowmobile trip during Ground Hogs day. Since the ground hog is named Phil, I proclaimed him our ride ground hog, but he couldn’t be ground hog because there’s already one named Phil, and he would have to be our hedgehog. It’s all in love and he has begrudgingly accepted it. Love ya my brother.
To The Monkey, who had never owned a road bike before this trip, just a lot of motorcross experience, you were a great Wing Man, and co-habitant of a room each night. I know he was thoroughly overwhelmed, in a good way, with the experience and the sights seen. What a way to take your first multi day rode trip on a bike. You started at the top of ride experiences and I know you are already mulling your next adventure. Since I’m discussing how nick names came about, may as well explain Rod’s moniker. We were out in Sacramento back in 2016 with a big group of people for an AMA flat track race, and we had 2 window licker vans. He was the driver of one, and our buddy Toldo was the driver of the other. We were leaving the local H-D dealer, Monkey in the front van and getting directions from a passenger back to the hotel, and Toldo was behind him at the intersection. Toldo already knew to turn right, but Rod turned left. This led Toldo to blurt out, I don’t know where that Monkey is going, but we ain’t following him! Hence, Monkey has stuck, appropriately so.
For 4 guys that have never spent multiple mornings, lunches, dinners, and evenings around a tailgate for an extended period of time, you guys were the best. Never a disagreement, a temper flare up, or fist a cuff situation. There’s something to be said for that, and I look forward to our next adventure together. Here’s a final “fist bump” to you, my friends.
Thank you to our wives, Julie, Shannon, Kim and Jen. Without your support of our crazy endeavors, we wouldn’t be able to even contemplate these crazy adventures we cook up. Thank you for your patience and support, it is appreciated from the entire group, to each of you.
I would like to thank Terry Rhymer in Rapid City SD for his friendship and your tour guide expertise around Sturgis and the Black Hills. You took us to see more in the area in just a day and a half than we could have seen on our own in 5 days. Your hospitality was over the top for just meeting most of us on this journey, and you can cook me another Rib Eye on the Big Green Egg anytime, my friend.
Thank you to Truck/Trailer Driver Brian for being the support on the road that came in handy for us all. And also for setting a high bar for the next driver, by making sure the cooler was heavily iced and stocked. And also for being sure we had good accommodations each night, lol.
Thank you to Monkey Brother Rick for jumping in when Brian’s tour of duty was over. With only about 72 hours notice/request to fly from Vegas to Jackson Hole and take over the wheel. You were a quick study of the duties of the role, and filled the shoes to a tee.
To all the people we met at gas stations, restaurants and Harley Stores that inquired about our ride, where we came from, where we are going (to the Pacific Ocean was our standard reply) and quizzical looks when we said what day of 30 we were on, THANK YOU for your well wishes and conversations. It made the trip great for us to receive your warm well wishes.
Thursday night found Monkey & I back in Michigan, him resting on his couch for the afternoon. But first he stopped by the local bar Scooters, where him & I met on Day 1, and got a selfie. We had planned to arrive together on 2 wheels, but the gremlins couldn’t keep their claws off my HD.
I spent the evening at my favorite local Italian joint with a couple of close friends and my Daughter, Britanie, enjoying some carbs and 2 or 4 Belvedere Martini’s with one blue cheese olive for garnishment. Followed up with a nice boat ride down the lake and back.
Matt had a Zack Brown Band concert to attend in Indianapolis. He had 4 primo tickets and was ready for an evening of live, in your face music.
I’m not sure what Phil did on Thursday, probably getting his bike to the HD Dealer to get resolved some issues he had on his Panamerica.
Thank you to our 7 followers, for your comments and encouragement along the way. While I bitch a lot about writing this stupid blog, I do enjoy having the digital diary that it will allow us all to look back on in the coming years, and bring back thoughts and memories of the stupid little things that we saw, and did, each day.
We are four dudes that experienced a great adventure, and are bonded for life by the experience.
Some may be asking what the next crazy adventure may be. And we have had some light conversations, at our tailgate parties, about what we would like to do next… One that sticks out involves riding 2 wheels to the Arctic Circle thru Alaska in 2024.
We shall see.
Bye for now,
Stick
PS: I think Monkey Brother Rick must have made his flight back to Las Vegas, I would hope so, it was a straight thru flight, no layover to miss.