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For me this trip was a milestone reached. In August of 2005, I got this idea in my head that I wanted to ride a motorcycle from one end of the country to the other and back. I read a half dozen books and countless blogs on riding long distances. Looking back at a written journal I keep, I had originally planned to ride by myself. Even now that I know two dozen bikers, I could only get one guy to go with me. I had planned to camp along the way to save money even though I had only camped once in my life. I also did not have anywhere near the right gear to make such a trip comfortable. I would have pushed through and completed the trip anyway, that’s how I am, but I’m glad it took a little extra time to do this trip. I’m a better rider, I have better gear, and I couldn’t ask for a cooler dude than Robert Clark to make the trip with.

So what drove me to do this? For me this trip was simply about doing something that most people think is “crazy” or “impossible”. It’s amazing to me how people beat themselves down and convince themselves that they can’t do this or that. And I wonder if it’s laziness or fear that keeps people from getting off their butts and doing the things they’ve always wanted to do. I’m 42 years old now and when I tell people I’m playing a gig, or riding a long ride, or whatever, there’s one thing I see and that’s a longing for something more exciting than what they have. Yet, even though that little spark resides in people, they suppress it. The thing they feel compelled to do is “irresponsible” or “dangerous” or whatever. Bah!!!!

I believe we were put here to experience life and to create relationships with our God and with our fellow man. No, I don’t believe life is one big bike ride, it’s not all about adventure, but it is about not pissing away the time God has given us sitting in front of the TV. I went on this trip to see a bit of the world, to see what people are REALLY like and I’m telling you, that freaking box you plant yourself in front of for hours a day is a sorry, lame and sad substitute for actually getting out there and seeing the world for yourself. It’s a gorgeous, beautiful and VAST world that I saw out there and I’ve not even scratched the surface!

I do have some regrets about this trip though. I regret that I did not have enough time. Time to take the back roads and stop at all the oddball and interesting places that are off the beaten path. Time to visit my friends that live all around the country. Time to just meet more new people and hear about their life stories.

Despite that though, this trip was immensely enjoyable because of the relationships that were fostered among friends and family. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this trip it’s that it’s important not to let too much time pass before getting face time with people who are important to you.

So I was going to pass on all this great knowledge about riding gear and preparation and planning and all that crap. But honestly, the best advice I can give to anyone, biker or not, who’s reading this and wanting to go visit somebody or see a place; Turn that darn TV OFF, get your lazy butt off the couch and GO! Seriously, time is trickling away, and you can’t get it back.

Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our little trip. Tomorrow this blog will return to it’s usual boring fare of what I’m eating for dinner, how hard work was, or what the weather is like…

…until my next ride anyway. ;-)

We knew that it was going to be hot in Nevada so we got up super early and hit the road before sun up. Our plan was to make as much progress as possible and get to Vegas before the hottest part of the day. We had ridden for over an hour when the sun finally started peeking over the mountains. We stopped at a gas station for coffee and gas and sat there for a bit watching the sun finally come up.

Utah is a beautiful place. I would say that to me it’s one of the most beautiful places on our entire trip. The ruggedness of it, the texture, and the colors are just amazing. It’s like landing on another planet almost, and the times I’ve been through it I have just sat there and wondered about the forces that created such odd and beautiful formations. One could easily spend a few weeks in Utah alone just exploring and taking it all in.

We blasted across the state as fast as we could. We had over 500 miles to cover, our longest ride day yet, and it was expected to be 112 degrees in Las Vegas. We did make a few picture stops because you just can’t ride past all that beauty without getting a picture, but we made them quick. We finally slowed down a bit at a rest stop before crossing the Arizona border. The weather was still relatively comfortable but we knew once we got back on the bikes we’d be literally riding into Hell.

And this is where I heard that question I’d heard at least a dozen times on my trip; “Boy you must be hot in that jacket!”. I’m just talking about it now so you non-bikers don’t ask it and look stupid. Here’s the deal folks, motorcycle clothing is a compromise between comfort and safety. Generally, the more comfortable the clothing, the less safe it is. I’ve chosen the classic motorcycle jacket for several reasons. First, it’s not all that hot. Really. The leather keeps the sun off my skin and it’s got vents to let air in when I’m moving. Secondly, yet most importantly, if I were to hit the pavement, which could be several hundred degrees hot in the sun, at 70mph, all of my skin would be torn completely off my body. Now I ask you, don’t you think it’s worth it to be a little hot in a jacket? I do.

Anyway, we got back on the bikes and started toward Vegas and the desert. Folks, it was HOT. By the time we got to Vegas it was 104 I think, which is better than 112, but not by much. At one point I had pulled out a water bottle and was squirting myself while riding and thinking what a smart guy I was, until the water in the bottle heated up to 100 degrees and then it was like squirting jacuzzi tub water on myself. Awful. The good thing was that we only had about 2 hours of really hot weather to ride through. Our plan to leave early had at least saved us from any hot riding through Utah and the worst of Vegas. We pulled onto Fremont Street, checked into our hotel and then went looking for a beer.

We ended up going to a bar called Mickey Fynn’s where my old bass player Rich from South of Shaw was playing. We had a few beers and listened to his new band for a bit, then we went strolling down Fremont street. They had a Styx cover band playing that was really good so we kicked it and listened to Mr. Roboto, Blue Collar Man, and a few other old rockers.

At one point we noticed that there was some dude in the crowd dressed like Prince. Weird. Then we saw a dude dressed like Paul Stanley, except he was the sorriest looking Paul Stanley I’d ever seen. His costume was lame looking and all baggy on him, he had a bad wig on, and dude, if you’re going to do Paul Stanley, you had better have some super manly chest hair. This guy was a loser. And then his loser buddy who was dressed like Brett Michaels strutted up. Apparently a Brett Michaels costume just consists of jeans, a cowboy hat and tons of eyeliner. Apparently these idiots were taking money for pictures with vacationers. Holy crap. Vegas is the only place in the world where people actually pay to take pictures with a bad copy of a famous person. Lame.

However, Vegas is Vegas, and it was fun just people watching. We decided to hit the sack early and hit the road at the break of dawn again the next day. We didn’t quite get off before sun up though since I had been watching my diet and I had not yet had a scrumptious plate of Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs. So we had a killer breakfast and then we hit the road.

The ride back to Fresno was uneventful as expected and we rolled up to my house in good time. We had our daily cigar and some of my home made American Biker Ale and then Robert headed home to hang out with his kid who he hadn’t seen in two weeks. It was a great end to a fantastic adventure. Robert, thanks bro for riding it with me. It simply would not have been the same without you.

I’ll wrap up this blog series in my next post.

Kansas! The land of the Dorothy and Toto! And you know, that movie sucks. I hate those stupid movies where the whole thing ends up being a dream. What’s the point?

Kansas was not nearly as miserable as I expected. It’s not as flat. It’s not as ugly. It is though every bit as boring. Unless you take into account the little town that touts the worlds largest prairie dog, which I suspect is an actual dog, or maybe a cow, then it’s a barn full o’ fun!!

The eastern part of Kansas is actually quite pretty. Basically rolling green hills for miles and miles. The western part is flat as a pancake and is nothing but corn fields. Still, I liked it. But then again, I love farmland. To me farmland means hard work, simple values, and great food. Plain and simple.

We stayed the night in a little town and then the next day we ventured into Colorado and the Rocky mountains. Now, the first thing you hit when you roll into Colorado from the east is Denver and folks, I was not impressed. Denver is not a mountain town, in fact it’s a lot like Fresno in that it’s as flat as a pancake and sits at the base of a mountain range. It’s not as hot as Fresno though, but every bit as smoggy.

So we blazed through Denver and into the mountains and the return trip suddenly got really enjoyable again. The Rocky’s are full of super fancy resorts and snow capped mountains. It’s also the home of Buffalo Bill’s grave! We had to stop and check it out since I had heard of Buffalo Bill but I really had no idea who he was. Turns out he was a buffalo hunter, surprised? He went on to become a scout for the army at the time when they were busy kicking the indians off their land. After that he went into show business and started a traveling circus and wild-west show. he was pretty successful, but made some sour choices along the way and ended up dying fairly broke, but hey, I bet he had a lot of great stories to tell.

As we headed west we cut through this fantastic canyon, and friends, it was breathtaking. I don’t even know how you build a road through something so rugged. It was amazing. I just wish I could have pulled over and took some pictures. It was the best part of Colorado for me and once again I made a mental note to return some day.

We ended up in Grand Junction which is a neat little town. I was kind of freaked out because the week before I left on our trip I saw a TV show about some dude who murdered his wife in Grand Junction, but as usual, TV is nothing like real life and the people of Grand Junction were super nice. While at the hotel we discovered they had a live band coming in so we retired to the pool area to have our customary beer and cigar and watch the band.

The band was three dudes, told old codgers on harmonica and rhythm guitar and a young kid on lead and they were playing some wicked blues. Man, I thought these guys were awesome. Now that I’m old and out of the club scene, I think I could see myself playing in a band like that. They were just tearing it up and having a great time.

During the breaks they had a young gal come up and play some guitar and sing and she was really good too! 15 years old and she was singing and playing like nobody’s business. She’s going to be really good in 5 years or so. The only downside was when she called her somewhat haggard mom up to sing with her. Now I think it’s great that she has a good relationship with her momma, but please, this is a rock and roll show, not the family sing along hour. Bokay?

Anyway, good times were had by all and we slept like babies as we prepared ourselves for the longest ride day of the trip. 520 miles to Las Vegas Nevada.

So after getting back from West Virginia we had two days to chill out and relax. We spent one of those days changing the oil in the bikes and prepping them for the long ride home. We also went out to dinner with my mom (my dad was working) my niece and her husband and new baby.

The little one is soooo cute. I wish I could have spent more time hanging with her. As soon as she started getting used to me we had to go which sucked, but she’s such a sweetheart. While out to dinner my niece’s husband Matt would start to quietly clap and as soon as the little one heard that she would start dancing in her seat and doing this little shoulder move that was just the cutest thing. She was the star of the restaurant.

The second day we had off we decided to head into downtown Nashville and see some sights. I had a few friends I wanted to hook up with but unfortunately there just wasn’t enough time. One thing that was really cool though was that we visited Andrew Jackson’s home. My daughter said she learned more about history in that visit than she did in 4 years of high school. If you ever get a chance to go, check it out.

Tennessee as a whole is chock full of history. They’ve had three (I think) Tennessee residents become president and Tennessee was a major player in early American politics. It’s a fantastic place if you can handle the absolutely awful humidity! I’m sure one can used to anything though if you live there for long enough. I’m still kind of freaked out that it rains in the summer there. I’m such a Californian.

So after our two days off, Robert and I packed up the bikes and headed north. We blazed across Kentucky and stopped in a quaint little town called Paducah which is on the Ohio river (somebody correct me if I get my rivers mixed up, there’s so many out there!). Paducah is a neat little town. All brick buildings and mom and pop shops. The surrounding area is full of machine shops and small business and then further out is all farming. I really liked our ride though and I’ve made a mental note to someday return and explore.

We crossed Kentucky and headed into Illinois and then came across a problem. The highway was being worked on and so we could either endure long delays (in record heat and humidity) or head west on a minor highway. We decided to take the detour. The only problem was that I missed the detour signs that led us back to the highway and we ended up cutting across rural Illinois. We didn’t mind though. Once again we were surrounded by beautiful green farmland for as far as the eye could see. Every 40 miles or so we’d come across a tiny little town, cruise through main street, and then back into more farmland. Folks, this is what America really is about. This detour was fantastic and if I had to run cross country again, and had more time, I would have mapped our trip avoiding the interstates altogether.

It’s kind of funny too how these little towns try and generate a little extra cash. They all come up with gimmicks to get you to stop. One town touted itself as the home of Popeye. Yes Popeye. As we cruised through town characters from the Popeye cartoons were everywhere. We didn’t stop. ha! Another town was called Metropolis even though it had a population of probably 5, and had Superman crap everywhere. Pretty funny.

We eventually hit the interstate just south of St. Louis and encountered what was the worst section of our trip. Missouri sucks, my friends. My brother jokingly said the state name should be pronounced “misery” and he was right. It was ungodly hot. at least high 90′s. Now my Fresno neighbors are probably sitting there laughing since as I type this is nearly 100 here in Fresno. However, humidity is the important factor here. Our humidity here in Fresno is probably about 15% right now. In Missouri it was more like 98%. This means that you sweat like a pig from the heat, but because the air is so moist, your sweat never evaporates. It just sits on your skin, which means you can’t cool off. I swear it was the most miserable 4 or 5 hours on the bike I’ve ever experienced.

To top it off, we stayed in a little college town called Columbia which happened to be the most God awful little town I have ever seen. Maybe it was just the exit we got off on, but the motel was beaten down and dirty. Robert noticed a hypodermic needle and rubber strap in the street on the way to dinner. It was just awful. We both slept with one eye open thinking somebody was going to break into our room and shank us in our sleep or steal the bikes.

We awoke to find our throats untouched and our bikes safe. We didn’t waste any time though getting packed up and hitting the road. That’s one place I hope never to see again.

The next 8 hours would take us across Missouri and into the home of Dorothy and Toto; Kansas.