nikolaus jung | blog

2011-11-17T20:35:00.000-08:00

There are two very scary bills being brought through the House (Stop Online Piracy Act)and Senate (PROTECT IP Act). There is tons of backing from Hollywood, its unions, drug companies, and the Chamber of Commerce, it has the potential to pass. I urge you to read up on it, contact your local Representative, and sign the petitions. Follow the link below.
Thank you.
Nik

http://americancensorship.org/

Day 25- Sacramento to Los Angeles.

2011-08-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

390 miles.

End of the road.

Today was our last day. We left the Motel 6 early, there were beer cans strewn about from last nights parties. We loaded up and Rudi noticed that someone had stolen his left sidecover, the broken one, with the shitty Cartoon Network sticker. What dicks.
We took the 99 all the way back because the 5 is awful and we didn't have enough time to do Highway 49. It was pretty uneventful and kind of solemn, our epic journey was coming to an end. We grabbed lunch in Traver and split off shortly after, I cried a little bit and wished we could do this forever.
The rest of the ride was lonely and hot. I stopped for an iced beverage at the always packed Starbucks at the bottom of the Grapevine and continued my last leg.
I hit reserve coming down the Grapevine, but I didn't want to stop for gas. I have a 2 gallon reserve and wasn't worried, I had 80 miles to go. As I got into LA I could feel the cooler air, I also felt my bike dying. I ran out of gas! Luckily I was near the Hollywood Bowl, so I coasted into its driveway and used my spare 2 liters of fuel that I had carried on my entire trip. 5 more miles and I was home.

End of the road.

No photos today.

Day 25- Sacramento

2011-08-27T17:34:00.000-07:00

We're all in Sacramento for the Landsquids moped rally and so far it's off to a great start. We ate breakfast and headed to the River to enjoy some sun and fun. The Landsquids really outdid themselves and built a massive waterslide into the river. It was so awesome.
After the hanging at the River all day we brought the party back to our hotel pool and continued to get wavy.
We finished the night off with a party at someone's garage. Rudi showed up from Tahoe and we crashed out early to get a nice start for tomorrow.

Ben's Bloodthirsty Trike.

Garv and Charisee

Jed!

ANNimal

Latin Stevie.

Dustin!

Water slide!

Two dudes, one raft.

Jason.

Bonk!

Swoooosh!

Splash!

The Challenger...

Challenge complete.

Bikini butts.

Pool party!

Dude stew.

Fat Ben and Little Jed.

Sploosh!

Day 24- Tahoe to Sacramento

2011-08-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

240 miles.

Zach and I left Tahoe in the morning and headed along Donner Lake and up old Highway 40. Such a fun rode that I finally got to ride a motorcycle on. We rode together to Grass Valley and then split off, I was heading to Chico to hang out with Chris Canterbury from Eurotech and Zach was heading to the Landsquids moped rally, I'd meet up there later that night.
I found some super fun backroads from Grass Valley to Oroville, they were super steep and twisty, it was like being on a roller coaster. When I got to Chico I saw my first In N Out since leaving on my trip, I had to smash a cheeseburger.
I rolled up to Eurotech and met Chris. I changed into some street clothes and we headed down the street to the Sierra Nevada Brewery. It was awesome there and I got to try some beers that never make it into stores outside of Chico. His wife Rebecca and daughter Emi showed up as well. We headed over to his shop and got to see some of the great stuff he's working on when he's not at Eurotech, custom Beemer stuff http://boxermetal.com/.
We sat around and shot the shit for awhile, but eventually I had to leave and head to Sacramento to rage with my friends.
I suited up and said farewell, I know I'll be seeing the Canterbury family many more times in the future, they're awesome.
I met up with everyone at the bar in Sacramento around 10pm, it was great to see my gang, The Latebirds and so many other familiar and friendly faces. I went to my hotel, unloaded, and headed back to the bar. Ann and Ben arrived at the hotel around 2am from LA, so we continued the party into the wee hours.

Top of Highway 40. Donner Lake.

Mini bike side hack.

I believe this is an Airhead frame, Oilhead engine and drivetrain, and a K front end. Frankenbike!

Chris' sweet ride.

Boxer Metals

Chris and his Bug. Get low

Bug Report
8/10
Pretty solid day of bugs. I picked up a lot of friends going from Chico to Sacramento.

Day 23- Tahoe.

2011-08-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Rudi and I met our friend Jonas for breakfast at Firesign and then headed over to Mickey and Wendy's to say hi. We stayed there for a couple hours and checked out his MG he's been restoring for the last year. I forgot to take a photo, but it's awesome.
Went into town with Zach and checked out the thrift store and bout some coffee.
I figured now would be a good time to was the tent and sleeping bag, as i won't be camping anymore on this trip, plus my sleeping bag was tarting to get a funk. After that we went swimming in the lake, at Buck's Beach. I jumped into a tree branch and stabbed my lip open. It now looks like I got a sweet lip piercing in late '90's.
We met up with Mickey at the Bridgetender and rode up to the top of Blackwood Canyon. Sweet views and wildflowers up there, again I forgot my camera, but snapped a few shots with my iPhone. We stopped by Mickey and Wendy's again and I got to take the MG for a spin, it like riding a moped; quirky, cool, fun, weird brakes, and kinda slow. I loved it.

Top of Blackwood Canyon.

Bike crew doods.

No Bug Report today.

Day 22- Crater Lake to Tahoe.

2011-08-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

355 miles.

The mosquitos ate our asses off last night. We headed out early towards Klamath Falls, along Klamath Lake we hit a shit load of little green bugs, it looked like we were covered in guacamole. It was awesome.
We crossed into California and rode on some super fun roads through some little podunk logging towns. We eventually made it into Tahoe and to our dad's house. It was awesome riding, but a long day, I was wiped. We went and smashed burritos at T's.

30 minutes of riding.

Best state in the Union. California.

BFA in BFE.

Mill towns everywhere.

Bug Report.
7/10
Nothing crazy except this morning, but I had to clean it to see. No major juicers.

Day 21- Portland to Crater Lake.

2011-08-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

315 miles.

We met up with Zach an hour late, 'cause we're bad with time management. He's gonna join us for the next couple of days and then we're going to the moped rally in Sacramento.
We left and headed into the mountains to ride some fun roads. They were some great, fast river roads, my favorite. Near Bend, in some mountain pass I was passing some cars and had one left until I was in the front of the pack and passed him in a double yellow. There was an unmarked cop car behind me. Needless to say I got us pulled over and I got a ticket. Shit.
We made it into Bend and had to stop at a shop to get Zach a new clutch lever because he likes to drop his bike in parking lots. From there we headed to Crater Lake. We got there in the late afternoon, checked out the lake and headed to their campground. The campground was pretty shitty, expensive and full of chemical white trash, so we opted to find a spot in National Forest land.
We found an epic spot of the first fire road. It was perfect. We built an epic fire that made us sweat and Rudi made dinner. We sat around the fire and drank some beers and ate candy.

Busted.

Crater Lake.

A man with a sense of humor.

Epic camp spot. Some fire road south of Crater Lake.

Bug Report.
6/10
I forgot to take a photo. It was an average bug day. Nothing special.

Day 20- Seattle to Portland.

2011-08-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

190 miles.

Got breakfast with Rosanna and Veronica and updated my blog. I hit the road around noon. It's a pretty boring ride on I-5 to Portland. The only excitement I got was putting on my rain gear in a Wal Mart parking lot.
Rudi was already in Portland and picked up some oils for our bikes. I met him at his friend's Joe and Mary's house We changed the engine and final drive fluids and then got some burritos. We crashed out early.

No photos or bug report today.

Days 18 & 19- Whidbey Island and Seattle.

2011-08-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

We got to stay at an epic beach house with Joel and Rosanna. It's owned by a family friend, the guy who invented Frappucinnos and Starbucks VIA instant coffee (which we've been living on for the last 3 weeks). So needless to say it was a gorgeous house in an awesome location.
Rosanna's dad, his wife Julie, and her sister Veronica came out during the day. It was awesome just hanging around, kayaking, paddle boarding, and eating food. It was truly a treat to be able to do this.
The next day was the same deal, lots of maxin' and relaxin'. Rudi boogied on down to Portland to hangout and Joel and I did an epic puzzle. I headed out in the late afternoon to meet up with my friends Hillary and Billy in the city for dinner.
Two solid days of hanging out was the perfect way to arrive in back in the USA and the West Coast. Thanks doods!!!

Minor repairs.

Dead jelly fish.

Whidbey Island.

Island life mon.

Useless Bay.

Puzzle time. Photo by Joel.

View from Billy and Hillary's apt.

No Bug Report.

Day 17- Nakusp to Whidbey Island

2011-08-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

510 miles.

We stayed until about 10am talking with all of our new friends. I was really bummed we couldn't stay for the weekend. It's an awesome rally, put on on by super nice people, and I will be back next year. Alberta may hate us, but BC loves us.
We made a wrong turn leaving Nakusp and went about 29 miles out of the way, whoops. We got back on track and headed towards Grand Forks to cross back into America. The roads there are amazing, super twisty, fast and scenery that will blow your mind. We got to the border by about 2pm and got onto Highway 20.
20 is another super fun, fast, backcountry highway. We made it to the eastern side of the Northern Cascades in the late afternoon and the road just got even better, I couldn't believe it.
The 20 took us straight into Whidbey Island right as the sun was disappearing. We went over Deception Pass and blasted through the Island to the southern end to meet Joel and Rossana. We made it to the beach house by about 10:15. We were pooped.
I didn't take many photos today, mainly because I wasn't in the mood and the riding was so epic.

USA!!!!!

Washington. USA!!!!!
Bug Report.
9/10
I slayed them. Adios suckers.

Day 16- Banff to Nakusp

2011-08-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

248 miles.

It rained throughout the night, but not back enough to leak through the tent. We packed up early and got outta there. It was freezing going up towards Lake Louise and we stopped a few time to warm up. Another great thing about the old Airheads is you can set your throttle lock and reach down and grab the engine to warm your hands up.
We stopped by Lake Louise and walked around, the color of the lake is insane and my photos don't give it justice. It looks like Baja Blast Mountain Dew, it's insane.
We blasted into BC and the scenery changed almost immediately. It gets super green, lush, and the mountains are insane. We went through the Canadian Glacier Provincial Park, also unreal.
We took a ferry across Upper Arrow Lake and met a few people on their way to the BC Beemer Rally, we passed a few people earlier near Banff and asked why we were holding our engines. We told them the sweet heating trick.
We made it to the rally and set up near a couple other Airheads, ate a fantastic dinner, and met and talked to lots of people. I was so blown away with the cool bikes and people that I totally forgot to take many photos.

Rain stain.

Banff.

Lake Louise.

Bro time.

Tourists at Lake Louise.

Catching the wave into BC. Last Divide crossing of the trip.

Upper Arrow Lake. BC.

Arrow Lake Ferry.

Rolling out.

The trailer is his sleeping pod!!

Homemade EFI.

Homemade turbocharger!!

A couple of beauts.

Bug Report.
I forgot to take a photo. It wasn't super buggy, I'll combine it with tomorrow's.

Day 15- Banff.

2011-08-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

41 miles.

Today just started off shitty. I went to the bear box to get cooking stuff and dropped and broke my 3/4 full bottle of Jameson. Alright, no big deal. We make coffee and Rudi decides he's gonna fix his leaking valve cover. No big deal.
I'm in the bathroom with diarrhea and I hear him yell out my name. This isn't good. As he was tightening the center nut on the valve cover gasket the stud stripped from the cylinder head. This isn't good.
We were pretty much packed up and we talked to the rangers about leaving our stuff for a couple hours while we sorted it all out.
I headed into Banff and went to the only shop in town, they didn't want to work on a bike, but they gave me the name of a shop in Canmore, about 15km east.
I find a pay phone and talk to Greg Waldner at Summit Motorsports, www.bsummit.com. He says he can do the heliocoil, but probably not today. I arrange with Progressive to get towed to the shop. $5 a year for 5 tows is the best deal ever!!
We wait almost 4 hours for the tow truck to arrive at the campground and we finally make it to Greg's shop. He has the right size heliocoil in stock and agrees to do it today, so we get the bike ready for him to install it. He's a super nice guy with a new little shop and he also rents bikes and does tours. If I ever make it back up here I'm gonna hit him up for sure.
We stop by a Safeway for some groceries and they fly off my rack on the freeway. Now it's starting to rain. I like Canada and the people here, but Canada hates us. Like Southpark said, "blame Canada". I hope the next few days are better.

No Bug report today. Sorry.

Hiking around, waiting for the tow truck.

Do not eat.

One mad Rudi.

Working in the back of Greg's shop.

Day 14- Calgary to Banff.

2011-08-16T21:39:00.000-07:00

258 miles.

Tim Hortons is awesome. We stopped there and had donuts and coffee before heading to the Canadian Badlands to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum. It's about 170km northeast of Calgary and is one of the largest dinosaur museums in the world.
We got into the town Drumheller, where it is located and were immediately swarmed by dinosaur stuff everywhere. They take dinos very seriously in this town.
The museum was pretty amazing and they had tons of complete skeletons, many which were found in the nearby badlands. Even Queen Elizabeth has been there, I wonder if she braved the boring ride there or got to take a chopper.
From there we headed west once again and made a beeline to Banff. We eventually got there, stocked up on food and got a spot at Two Jack Lake campground. The Provincial campgrounds are expensive ($21.50-$40.00), but they are really nice and have hot water. Chef Rudi cooked up an awesome meal again and we headed into Banff to check the town out.
Banff is like any other resort town, tons of tourist shops and "resort wear" shops, but we're tourists right now so we soaked it up and bought postcards and other crap. We also found a coffee shop with free wifi, so we caught up with our emails and internetting since our phones are off here.

Rudisaurus Rex.

Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Don't pay the fish.

Some kind of Dino.

Another Dino.

Downtown.

Not a safe neighborhood.

Proof that man was around with the dinosaur.

Wheat County. Alberta.

Middle of nowhere.

Two Jack Main campground. Site 2G.

Lake Minnewanka.

Lake Minnewanka.

Bears fucking.

Dream car.

Bug Report.
9.5/10
Another day of smashing bugs and today was great. I even caught a little yellow butterfly on my forks. Take that jerks!

Day 13- Glacier NP to Calgary.

2011-08-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

260 miles.

We left our campsite and made the trek over Logan Pass. They have been doing tons of construction along the Going to the Sun Road, so we got to sit in traffic. By the time we got to the top it was starting to rain and getting really windy and cold. It took about 2 hours to do the 40 or so mile trip.
We fueled up and got our paperwork ready to cross into Canada. Rudi was asked to pull in for an inspection and it took forever, I figured he was getting a cavity search or the Canadian Welcome. They searched me too, but they just wanted to make sure I was carrying bear mace and not human mace.
We took our obligatory photo in front of the welcome sign and headed on our way, we finally made it!
Alberta is like the Midwest. Pretty flat and very windy. We got pounded. It is very beautiful, but the wind was miserable. We made it into Calgary and started looking for hotels, they were all super expensive, just like the fuel. We ended up at an overpriced dump, but it was the cheapest. Rudi went out to buy some more oil and I stayed in and caught up on stuff. We only had one queen bed, but it was still twice the size of our tent. I slept like a baby.

Glacier NP "Jammer"

Last US Divide crossing.

Eewwww Eeesssss Aaaaayyyyy!!!!! Vee luuuv eeett!

Border wait.

I'm in two countries at once!!!!

More border wait.

Rudi mad. Me glad.

Alberta. Canada or Kasas, USA?

Bug Report.
9/10
I fucked them up again. I even got some smears. I think the national bird in Canada is the mosquito.

Day 12- Seeley Lake to Glacier NP.

2011-08-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

171 miles.

We made the trek down the dirt road and back onto Highway 83. It's a super fun, fast, and smooth road through the forest. The speed limit in Montana is 75 pretty much everywhere, except in towns. It makes for awesome riding.
We stopped in Bigfork for breakfast, gas, and bought some Flathead cherries.
We made it to the park early and found an awesome campsite at Sprague Creek. It's right on the shore of Lake McDonald, so the first thing we did was go for a swim/bath. It is a super deep lake formed by an ancient glacier, it's sand and rock bottomed and the water is super clear.
We then rode The Going to the Sun Road to the top of Logan Pass. It's amazing up there and we hiked up through snow and along glacial lakes. The views were amazing and we saw some mountain goats.
Back at the campground we made dinner and went for another swim. We met our neighbors, Kate and Hannah and we sat around their campfire talking and roasting marshmallows. Today was most excellent.

Glacial lake.

Hidden Lake, I think.

Tourist viewpoint.

Mountain Goat.

Mom and baby.

Glacier NP

Bug Report.
6/10
The bugs were mellow today, a few on our way to the park. No in the park.

Day 11- Hebgen Lake to Seeley Lake.

2011-08-13T07:06:00.000-07:00

346 miles.

We woke up super early in order to get to Missoula in time for Rudi to get his new tire. It was butt ass cold, probably in the high 30's. We froze our asses off until the sun came up.
I was a little bummed we couldn't take the roads I took last year, instead we just mashed up to the 90 and got to Missoula ASAP. The tire got installed and we left town, headed north into the mountains to explore an old ghost town called, Garnet.
It was an 11 mile dirt road to get to it and it was totally worth it. It's considered Montana's most well preserved ghost town. It's like a much smaller version of Bodie, CA. While there we also learned that there are huckleberries all over the mountains.
It was getting late and we were planning on staying at a NFS campground at Seeley Lake, being 6:30 pm on a Saturday we had no luck. Instead, we turned up a dirt fire road called, Rice Ridge Rd. About 4 miles up we found a perfect spot to camp. It was a little nerve racking camping up there, as it's grizzly country, but we were fine.

Garnet ghost town.

A big ol' blower.

TCOB.

Safety Zone.

Old flooded mine shaft.

Dinner.

Dessert.

Rice Ridge.

Bug Report.
8/10
Lots of good ones, I even have a new moth friend.

Day 10- Grand Teton NP to Hebgen Lake.

2011-08-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

125 miles.

We made breakfast and headed towards Yellowstone. We crossed the Divide a couple more times and stopped to see Old Faithful. A lot of waiting, build up, anticipation, but not much of a show. We got wet though.
We continued through the west side of the park and stopped at Norris Geyser Basin, which is very, very cool.
Because of Rudi's tire, we did not explore the northern or eastern parts of the park.
We left the park and ate lunch in West Yellowstone and headed towards Hebgen Lake to meet up at the base camp for the Buffalo Field Campaign.
We were welcomed and unloaded our gear and headed down to the lake for a swim. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening sitting around and talking to a few of the volunteers. We made dinner on a real stove and continued hanging out into the night. We were going to wake up and watch the meteor shower in the middle of the night, but the full moon lit the sky up too much. We camped on the front lawn.

Fattys waiting.

A squirt and some steam.

Midway Geyser Basin.

Some buffalo.

Montana. USA.

Slanty shanty.

Home for the night.

Bug Report.
7/10
Today was pretty good. Caught a lot of little guys near the lake.

Day 9- Dubois to Grand Teton NP

2011-08-11T12:36:00.000-07:00

144 miles.

I slept well and late. We went next door to the Cowboy Cafe for breakfast and I made sure to get some of their pie togo. As we were leaving town we had a little scare with Rudi's bike when the oil light came on briefly. We topped up and headed towards Jackson.
They're still doing a ton of construction over the pass and it ate up a lot of time.
We eventually made it to Jackson and stopped at the market to stock up on food. I noticed that Rudi's tire was wearing super fast, less than 3,000 miles and it was almost bald. The closest place that could get us a tire was in Missoula, Montana almost 500 miles away. We told them we'd be there by Saturday.
We cruised through the park, which took way longer than we expected and we were looking for some of Rudi's friends who do the Buffalo Field Campaign. By the time we figured out where they were we were on opposite ends of the park and it was getting late.
We got a spot at Lizard Creek CG, it was alright, but this was the second National Park we've been to on this trip that has contracted out their campgrounds to private companies and they charge insane rates. $20.50 at Teton and $25.00 at Mesa Verde. It's criminal.
Anyway, we went for a swim in Jackson Lake, made dinner and crashed out early.

Snake River and the Tetons.

Jackson Lake.

Babe mobile.

Bug Report.
5/10
Nothing like yesterday, but a few guys.

Day 8- Grand Lake to Dubois.

2011-08-10T19:29:00.000-07:00

383 miles.

We left Rocky Mountain National Park early in the morning because we knew we had a long day ahead of us. At the entrance to the park is the Grand Lake Cemetery, where our grandmother is buried. We stopped there and planted some Columbine seeds. She died 14 years ago, but I still miss her dearly.
We headed north to Wyoming and followed a river for awhile, river roads are always super fun for me. Rudi's bike was finally handling well and he was blasting.
Once we got into southern Wyoming it started to get pretty windy and flat and Rudi was questioning why the hell we were there. Eventually the mountains appeared in the distance. We were planning on camping up in the mountains above Dubois, I was there last summer for a job and knew of a few awesome places. By the time we got into Dubois we were both pretty pooped and decided to get a hotel instead. It was my first shower and bed in 8 days, it felt great.

Our grandmother's grave.

Willow Creek Pass.

Mummified police.

Rand, CO.

Wyoming, USA.

Bug Report.
10/10
It was a fucking bug holocaust. I guess this explains why we've been getting eaten by Mosquitos so much, payback.

Day 7- Angel of Shavano Falls to Grand Lake

2011-08-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

222 miles.

We packed up first thing and headed out on the road. Stopped for coffee and a bite to eat in Buena Vista and then continued through the mountains. We went through Leadville and Climax, which has the world's largest molybdenum mine, it also sits at 11,360'.
We stopped in Winter Park to ride the alpine slide. We used to go there as kids and it was still super fun. We continued into Grand Lake and stopped at the Post Office. Rudi had a pair of shocks sent to him from his shop in Santa Barbara because his were toast.
We went into the Park and got a spot at Timber Creek. It's a pretty shitty campground to be honest. It's just a big flat open space with no trees and the sites are super close to each other. We set up and rode into town and do laundry. We used to come here every summer until we were 14, our grandmother lived here and our great grandparents were pioneers in the town. Our great grandfather had a store that supplied the miners and was the postmaster. It is also the headwaters to the Colorado River, I bet all my pee as a kid has finally reached LA. Drink up. Not much had changed since the last time I was there.
We rode back to our campsite. I installed Rudi's shocks and he made dinner. We crashed out by 10.

Some alpine lake.

Moon dude.

Mountains.

Berthoud Pass.

Alpine slide.

Rudi, scared.

More alpine slide.

Zoooooooommm!!

Think of this when you drink tap water in LA.

Chomp.

Bug Report.
7/10
We hit a lot early in the morning, especially in the meadow outside of Leadville. Nothing to crazy though.

Day 6- Mesa Verde to Angel of Shavano Falls

2011-08-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

287 miles.

We packed up our gear and Lazer's and brought her into Cortez. She has to wait a few more days before her clutch cable comes. Brian also headed on his own way.
Reaching Durango was a big deal for us. It's the start of going north finally. We took Highway 550 from Durango to Silverton. It is bike heaven there, twisties that make you think you're going in a circle. I loved every minute of it. Rudi is getting way better at riding these roads, I guess now is a good time to let everyone know his experience level. He bought his first bike in April, he's ridden mopeds with me years ago, but that's it. It's so awesome that he decided to do this trip with me after only riding for a couple months.
We hit a few more little passes and then finally hit the monster pass, Monarch Pass. It's the first part on our trip where we cross the Continental Divide and it's at 11,312'. The old Beemers did well and charged it.
We found a Forest Service road near Salinda, CO and decided to look for a place to camp. We scored huge, after passing the $15 campground and following the dirt road we found a perfect clearing next to a waterfall. A local driving by told us it's called Angel of Shavano Falls. Rudi made a ripping dinner and we crashed hard.

Bug Report.
9/10
Finally!!! Today was awesome, I'm covered in bugs. Big ones, little ones, juicy ones, butterflies, you name it.

Splat!!!!

Brian and his beast.

Me as a mule with Lazer and Rudi.

Butterfly.

The Rockies.

Road porn.

Monarch Pass.

A strip mine.

Angel of Shavano Falls.

Rudi at the falls.

Chef Rudi.

Blurry, but delicious.

Home for the night.

Day 5- Mesa Verde NP

2011-08-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

51 miles.

Today was a chill day. Erik, Julie and Julie's family took off in the morning. So Rudi, Jessica and I cruised around the park and went into some of the cave dwellings. It's pretty amazing what the people who lived there 1000 years ago did.
In a parking lot I saw a huge, fully loaded BMW R1200GS with Alaska plates. Started talking to the guy and he's been on the road since last year and is traveling all around the Americas. His name is Brian Stanfill and he has a blog called www.hasadv.com. He was on his way to check out the cave dwellings, but we invited him to stay at our site.
The rest of the day was spent napping, taking a shower, updating my blog, and getting to know Brian. It was an excellent day.

Bug Report.
2/10
Weak day for the bugs. Sorry.

Spruce Tree House.

Spruce Tree House. 95% original.

Rudi in Balcony House.

The crew.

Inside a Kiva.

Balcony House.

Cliff Palace.

Roadtrip!!

Day 4- Natural Bridges NM to Mesa Verde.

2011-08-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

204 miles.

We wake up and pack early in order to get to Mesa Verde by midday. We cruise around the park and view the natural bridges, they are pretty awesome. We stop in Bluff, UT for breakfast and gas and continue on our way.
About 30 miles down the road while going through Aneth, UT Jessica's clutch cable snaps. We find shade at the only gas station in town and she calls for a tow truck and arranges for a new cable at a shop on Cortez, CO. Problem is, they can't get it til at least Tuesday.
We wait with Jessica until the tow truck arrives, we found a rickety suspension bridge that goes over the chocolate milk looking river and I explore a bit of the buildings that appear to be old Reservation housing.
Once the tow truck arrives Rudi and I bounce out, make a quick stop at 4 Corners and onto Mesa Verde.
We unload at our site and head back to Cortez to get Jessica and her stuff. We eventually meet up with everyone and head to the campsite.

A natural bridge.

Yum.

Broke down in Aneth.

Aneth architecture.

Sketchy footbridge.

The other side of the chocolate river.

Safe side.

Old reservation housing.

Downtown Aneth, UT.

Colorado.

4 Corners.

Day 3- Bryce NP to Natural Bridges NM

2011-08-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

269 miles.

Rudi's forks have been getting worse and worse. He sometimes gets gnarly speed wabbles in turns, by the time we got to Bryce last night they were completely bottomed out. We do a quick flush in a parking lot and they seem to be a bit better. A mechanic at the repair shop in Bryce City suggests putting PVC pipe in as a preload spacer, if the oil alone doesn't work we'll try it. We leave Bryce and head east towards Kodachrome State Park. The road there is amazing and super fun, they don't take the National Park pass so we head back on the main road. We're trying to get to Mesa Verde today, to meet up with my older brother Erik, his wife Julie and her family.
We stop for gas is a little town and the station also happens to be the towns hardware store. Perfect time to add those PVC preload spacers on Rudi's bike. After an hour or so we're back on the road. We go over the mountains on SR 12, a fantastic, windy, high elevation road and then through Capital Reef NP. It's getting late and starting to get apparent that we won't make it to Mesa Verde, so we settle into staying at Natural Bridges National Monument. It's empty and we get a nice spot, make dinner and watch the stars.

Feeding the baby.

SR 12. Utah.

Capital Reef.

Petroglyphs (lower mid frame). Capital Reef.

Bike crew. Capital Reef.

Lazer.

Moon man on the moon.

Small fire.

Big fire.

Bug Report.
7/10.
Lots of little guys. And one juicer to the shield.

Day 2- Zion NP to Bryce NP

2011-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

90 miles.

I decided to take care of my leaking left valve cover, I figured it was just a crappy gasket. To my surprise my left cylinder head had warped, like the right one. With out the time to take it to a machine shop I rode into Hurricane, UT on Rudi's bike to buy some RTV sealant. It did the trick, a little ugly, but sealed.
We left Zion and headed towards Bryce, the scenery changes almost immediately as you are now in a higher elevation with trees and mountains. It's a gorgeous, but short ride to Bryce. We quickly get a spot at the North Campground and take the shuttle to Bryce Point and walk the 3 or so miles Rim Trail. Its late in the day and we make it back to our campsite and head off to listen to a Ranger give a speech about astronomy. I eventually start to doze off and wander back to my tent for bed.

Tourist overlook 1. Bryce Canyon.

Tourist overlook 2. Bryce Canyon.

Mr. Lizard.

Vee luuvv Amereeca! Euro Rudi.

USA USA USA!!!!!!!

Wall Street.

Tourist overlook 3. Bryce Canyon.

Bug Report.
4/10.
Not many out. Kind of a bummer.

Day 1- LA to Zion NP

2011-08-03T20:05:00.000-07:00

440 miles.

The trip started a day late, Rudi's battery died on the way out of Santa Barbara and I just got my right cylinder head back from the machine shop, the surface where it meets with the valve cover gasket had warped.
Rudi and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn in an attempt to try and beat the heat through the Mojave. We were on the road by 4:45am. Watched all the sorry suckers making their early commute to work and saw the sunrise through Apple Valley, not a bad way to start the trip.
We made it to Vegas by 10:00am and it was already hot as fuck. I needed to stop at the BMW dealer to grab a few more valve cover gaskets, as now my left cylinder was starting to leak like mad. We got the parts, gassed up, and got out of the wasteland known as Las Vegas.
Made it into Zion after a quick stop in St. George for some groceries. Riding into Zion I was blown away, it's a totally magical place. We meet up with my friend Jessica Lazer who is riding her '92 Honda CBR from San Francisco to her new home, New Orleans. She's riding with us through Utah and some of Colorado.
We set up camp and rode the shuttle to an awesome little swim hole that someone told her about. It was the perfect way to end a long day of desert slab riding.

Mojave. CA.

Nevada.

Arizona.

Utah.

Zion NP.

To the swim hole.

Maxing. Relaxing.

View from the top.

Bug Report.
6/10
Nothing really great except for the juicer I caught to the chin. Some little gnats and stuff,, but mostly too hot for any living thing.

Goodbye loyal friend

2011-06-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

05-14-10 to 06-09-11
You took me around the country without a hiccup, through rain, snow, and heat. Thank you Nighthawk, you will be missed.

Dudes in the desert.

2011-05-30T15:23:00.000-07:00

Get free.

Fuck with the BEST...

2011-05-02T19:32:00.001-07:00

die like the rest. Later.

Dark Side of the Lens.

2011-04-18T09:25:00.001-07:00

Pretty awesome and inspiring.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS from Astray Films on Vimeo.

This sums up riding for me.

2011-03-18T08:27:00.001-07:00

This has been floating around a few motorcycle blogs lately, I wish I could claim I wrote it, but I didn't. I used to think Song of the Sausage Creature by Hunter S. Thompson summed it up, but this wins in my book.

By David Karlotski.

There is cold, and there is cold on a motorcycle. Cold on a motorcycle is like being beaten with cold hammers while being kicked with cold boots, a bone bruising cold. The wind’s big hands squeeze the heat out of my body and whisk it away; caught in a cold October rain, the drops don’t even feel like water. They feel like shards of bone fallen from the skies of Hell to pock my face. I expect to arrive with my cheeks and forehead streaked with blood, but that’s just an illusion, just the misery of nerves not designed for highway speeds.

Despite this, it’s hard to give up my motorcycle in the fall and I rush to get it on the road again in the spring; lapses of sanity like this are common among motorcyclists. When you let a motorcycle into your life you’re changed forever. The letters “MC” are stamped on your driver’s license right next to your sex and weight as if “motorcycle” was just another of your physical characteristics, or maybe a mental condition. But when warm weather finally does come around all those cold snaps and rainstorms are paid in full because a summer is worth any price.

A motorcycle is not just a two-wheeled car; the difference between driving a car and climbing onto a motorcycle is the difference between watching TV and actually living your life. We spend all our time sealed in boxes and cars are just the rolling boxes that shuffle us from home-box to work-box to store-box and back, the whole time, entombed in stale air, temperature regulated, sound insulated, and smelling of carpets.

On a motorcycle I know I’m alive. When I ride, even the familiar seems strange and glorious. The air has weight and substance as I push through it and its touch is as intimate as water to a swimmer. I feel the cool wells of air that pool under trees and the warm spokes of that fall through them. I can see everything in a sweeping 360 degrees, up, down and around, wider than Pana-Vision and than IMAX and unrestricted by ceiling or dashboard. Sometimes I even hear music. It’s like hearing phantom telephones in the shower or false doorbells when vacuuming; the pattern-loving brain, seeking signals in the noise, raises acoustic ghosts out of the wind’s roar. But on a motorcycle I hear whole songs: rock ‘n roll, dark orchestras, women’s voices, all hidden in the air and released by speed. At 30 miles per hour and up, smells become uncannily vivid. All the individual tree- smells and flower-smells and grass-smells flit by like chemical notes in a great plant symphony.

Sometimes the smells evoke memories so strongly that it’s as though the past hangs invisible in the air around me, wanting only the most casual of rumbling time machines to unlock it. A ride on a summer afternoon can border on the rapturous. The sheer volume and variety of stimuli is like a bath for my nervous system, an electrical massage for my brain, a systems check for my soul. It tears smiles out of me: a minute ago I was dour, depressed, apathetic, numb, but now, on two wheels, big, ragged, windy smiles flap against the side of my face, billowing out of me like air from a decompressing plane.

Transportation is only a secondary function. A motorcycle is a joy machine. It’s a machine of wonders, a metal bird, a motorized prosthetic. It’s light and dark and shiny and dirty and warm and cold lapping over each other; it’s a conduit of grace, it’s a catalyst for bonding the gritty and the holy. I still think of myself as a motorcycle amateur, but by now I’ve had a handful of bikes over half a dozen years and slept under my share of bridges. I wouldn’t trade one second of either the good times or the misery. Learning to ride one of the best things I’ve done.

Cars lie to us and tell us we’re safe, powerful, and in control. The air-conditioning fans murmur empty assurances and whisper, “Sleep, sleep.” Motorcycles tell us a more useful truth: we are small and exposed, and probably moving too fast for our own good, but that’s no reason not to enjoy every minute of the ride.

New York is alright if you like saxophones.

2011-03-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

I've been in New York for the past week and I'm here for a few more days. I like this city more and more each time I come.

Sweet Roots Farm

2011-03-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

I was up north last week and got the chance to finally visit Deena and Robbie's farm, Sweet Roots Farm in Grass Valley. I've known Deena forever and is one of my dearest friends. I'm so stoked for them to have this up and running. It was so awesome to walk around the property and learn about the farm, it's truly a magically place. I can't wait to spend more time up there. If you are near Grass Valley look for them at the Farmer's Market this spring and summer, but some tasty fruits and veggies and say hi!

Sweet Roots Farm.

Robbie and Deena.

The Yurt.

Inside the yurt.

Deena and Shitake mushrooms.

Mushroom spores.

Little guys.

Testing dirt.

Garlic.

Robbie's sweet truck.

Frost control.

Garage Show 3

2011-02-18T06:26:00.000-08:00

Come to the show tonight! There's some great work and awesome people will be there.
Work by:
Adam Amengual
Koury Angelo
Chaaaarlie the Osprey
Luke Dickey
Jimi Franklin
Anthonie Gonzalez
Nikolaus Jung
Angel Ramos
Barrett Sweger
+ more

Music by:
Broken Numbers Band

Address is:
2251 Branden Street
Echo Park, CA 90026

Joshua Tree Dirt Jamming Video.

2011-02-15T23:51:00.000-08:00

Joshua Tree.

2011-02-14T08:41:00.000-08:00

Ann and I took the Beamer out to the desert for some sweet times. We left Saturday morning, but had a bit of a hiccup getting started. When I was checking my tires I noticed the rear had two splits in the sidewall. No bueno, especially since they only have about 2k miles on them. I got a new one installed and we were off. We got the last spot at Jumbo Rocks and it was awesome. Cooked dinner and hung around the fire. Sunday we hiked around and explored the Park. We grabbed some burgers at the JT Saloon on the way out, one of the best burgers I've ever had. It was a short trip, but awesome. Not too cold, not too hot, and no wind!

Jumbo Rocks. Site 118.

A Jumbo Rock.

29 Palms.

29 Palms parking lot.

Barber Judi.

Beamin' Beamer.

Sunrise.

Early light.

Golden Hour.

Birds eye view.

Gear.

JTNP

Motorcycle Mama.

Heart Cactus.

Ann!

Barker Dam/ Big Horn Dam

Mucky water.

Desert and snow.

Ann being Asian.

Ex-mas trees.

2011-01-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

2010 was tight, hoping 2011 is even sweeter.

01.01.11. Hollywood.

December in Hawaii.

2010-12-26T13:23:00.000-08:00

I went to Hawaii last week for work, this is some stuff I saw.

Downtown Waikiki.

Student Driver.

Mauna Kea with snow.

Big Island.

Windy trees.

Local art.

Kamaoa Wind Farm at night.

Hilo Airport.

Big Island map.

Awesometown.

2010-11-08T23:03:00.000-08:00

October was sweet, November, err I mean Movember is sweeter. Here's some photos from the last couple of weeks.

Old lady and The Getty.

Tourists.

Joel and Rosanna came down. We went to The Getty. They rule.

Traffic free 405!

Cameron. One hell of a guy.

Ol' Crazy Legs Johnsen.

Boston taxi cab. Spell check not included.

Day 8- Dirt Stashe. Donate to the cause here, http://us.movember.com/mospace/800966/

Motorcycle for sale.

2010-11-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

I'm selling the trusty Nighthawk to fund the purchase of an old airhead BMW.
I recently road around the US and didn't have a single problem with this bike (except for a new chain, battery and tire).
It runs great and is super comfortable to ride. The tach and speedo both work, as well as all the warning lights. I am selling it to buy an old BMW, but I wouldn't hesitate to take this bike back to New York tomorrow, it's smooth, fast, and stable. Hop on and go.
Mileage is 47,935. Current California registration until March 2011. Title in my name.

Here's what has been done/put on the bike.
- New sparkplugs.
- Oil and filter change.
- New battery.
- D.I.D. Gold X-Ring chain.
-Rear tire has about 1,500 miles on it and is a Michelen Pilot Activ.
-Front is brand new today and is a Bridgestone Battleaxe.
- Hard to find centerstand, makes oil and tire changes a breeze.
-Hondaline engine guards with folding highway pegs.

The pipes have some rust and the rear right turn signal is a little droopy.

I also have a set of Cortech saddle bags I will include, if you don't chisel the price of the bike down too much.

You know you want it!!!

$2200obo.

Movember.

2010-11-04T23:14:00.000-07:00

I shaved my face on the first and mildly regretted it when I went to Boston the next day for work. I shaved so I can start growing a fresh moustache to raise money for male cancers, specifically nut and prostate cancer. Think of it as a walk-a-thon for cancer, but instead of walking I'm growing a moustache.
Follow this link http://us.movember.com/mospace/800966/ and donate if you can, it might save your ass one day (if you're a dude).
I found this photo I took exactly one year ago on my computer and took one today.

Side by side, one year later.

Gallup to Los Angeles.

2010-10-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Day 9 (last day)
675 miles

Last day. It's finally coming to an end. It's kinda crazy to think that two and a half months have gone by. I felt excited and sad for this trip to come to an end.
I woke up early and got on the road. The sun was just barely up and it was about 40 degrees out. After riding for half an hour I couldn't feel my finger tips, I pressed on and finally stopped for breakfast after 100 miles. There was snow on the mountains near Flagstaff, but by the time I got there the sun had been up for a few hours and it was a comfortable temperature.
I got down into the desert and I was close to 90 degrees. I had to shed all the layers off quickly. I found an old, abandoned truck stop and stopped and took some photos. I was in haul ass mode and got back onto to my bike.
I made it to Victorville by 4:00pm and was gonna meet some friends that were racing mopeds out there. They were packing up and driving out as I was coming it. I surprised them and then got back on the the Interstate. 100 miles to go. We stopped at Mike's house in Rancho Cucamonga and jumped in the pool, it felt great to get out of the hot leathers.
I rode into LA as the sun was coming down. It was an unusually warm evening with one of the most awesome sunsets I've seen in a long time. It felt like the day I left in August.
It feels good to be home.

Bug Report:
5- Today was really weak. I'm guessing the cold in the morning and then the desert kept most of the bugs away. Kind of a bummer way to end.

Budget Inn. Gallup, NM.

Arizona.

Facilities.

Inside Ted's Truck Stop.

Outside Ted's Truck Stop.

Ted's Garage.

No Trespassing.

Ted's lightswitch.

Truck.

Colorado River.

California. Two thumbs up!

Mojave Desert.

Home.

View Larger Map

Oklahoma City to Gallup.

2010-10-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

Day 8.
702 miles.

I just beat my personal record for most miles in one day, 702! I was on the road for about 14 hours. I feel a lot better today than I did at the end of yesterday. It's funny how your body works.
Oklahoma and Texas are pretty boring, there are a few neat things along the road, but not much. The roads are pretty smooth, except in Oklahoma City. The speed limit is high and the roads are straight. I saw lots of roadkill.
New Mexico is pretty rad, I want to co e back and explore it more. I stopped a few times along old Route 66 and found an old church and service station. There are lots of abandoned buildings along the 40. It's sad to think that people invested their time and money to these places and now they sit rotting in the desert. I have a feeling the mega truck stops were part of the reason these places are now abandoned.
Once the sun goes down the truckers all get a lead foot. It's insane how many are on the road, especially on a Saturday night. I guess they don't have to got through inspection.
I pussed out and got a hotel room tonight, again. I was gonna camp in the National Forest near Gallup, but the thought of having to unpack, setup, take down, and repack sounded awful. I still have about 650 miles to go and I just want to get back to LA and see Ann and all my friends. See you tomorrow night dudes!

Bug Report:
7- I'm pretty disappointed. I thought I'd be covered, maybe it was because it was so windy. Oh well.

Stowaways.

Texas.

Britten, TX.

The Big Texan.

New Mexico.

Route 66 gas.

Route 66.

Route 66.

Wilkerson's.

Abandoned church, outside.

Abandoned church, inside.

JESUS LOVES.

Rest Area, New Mexico.

Switch at Front door.

Thank you. Come again.

View Larger Map

Memphis to Oklahoma City.

2010-10-08T20:27:00.001-07:00

Day 7.
518 miles.

I woke up and rode south of Memphis to Graceland. They wanted $15 to park and another $30 to do the basic tour of the mansion. Instead of paying I parked out front and took some photos.
I got on the road and just started going west. There's a lot of semi traffic on the 40, so at least I got to have some excitement dodging them. My body is really starting to shut down. Months of sleeping in my tent and on couches, along with riding day on end is really starting to have an effect on me. I can't ride for more than hour without my ass or legs starting to fall asleep or cramp. I usually can go 2 hours before it sets in.
I'm trying to get back to LA as safely and quickly as possible, I'm hoping to be back Sunday night. That means I'll have to ride about 650 miles each day for the next two days. I got a hotel room again tonight so I could rest well. Wish me luck.

Bug Report:
8- pretty awesome bug day, but not as good as yesterday.

Not Graceland.

Walls of Graceland.

Shelby! Luv's Elvis.

Arkansas.

Liquor.

Oklahoma.

View Larger Map

Tellico Plains to Memphis.

2010-10-07T21:32:00.001-07:00

Day 6.
443 miles.

Too much fun last night made me get a really late start this morning. I left around noon. Buck suggested that I take Highway 68 to the 40 and it turned out to be a really fun road through beautiful farmland and over a few mountains. The leaves are really starting to change and I would guess that in a week the whole area will be red and orange with fall colors.
I got on the 40 and headed west. Lots of cops on the road today, so I kept my speed in check. It wasn't Sunday and I'm in the South, so I went to Chik Fil A, I love that place.
Tom had suggested that I do the Iron Butt Challenge on my last leg home. It requires that I ride 1000 miles in 24 hours, basically Amarillo to LA in one shot. I've been giving it a lot of though and think I may day it.
I made it to Memphis just as the sun was setting. I went downtown and looked for a hotel room, they were way out of my price range so I headed to West Memphis and found a nice little dump.
I went back into Memphis and ate at Charlie Vergos Rendezvous BBQ. It was pretty tasty, but not as good as the ribs I had last night in Tellico Plains.

Bug Report:
10- today was awesome. I smashed a ton of bugs today. Lots of big fat juicy ones too!

Outside Memphis.

Deluxe Inn.

Ice.

Weiner fest.

View Larger Map

Deal's Gap and the Cherohala Skyway.

2010-10-06T17:33:00.000-07:00

Day 5.
157 miles.

Keith let me borrow his sweet van so I could go get my tire in Chattanooga. I was back by 1 and they both waited for me and helped me mount the tire to the wheel. We got the bike back together and I was ready to slay The Dragon.
We had a nice ride to Deal's Gap and it gave me plenty of time to scuff up the new tire. Deal's Gap, aka Tail of the Dragon is an 11 mile road with 318 turns on it. The bike is basically in a state of falling over for the 11 miles with very few times of standing straight up. The road is gnarly and it scared the shit out of me on my first run, but it was so fun that I ran it downhill and then back up once more. Most of the turns my boot or pegs were scraping and it was an awesome feeling.
We headed down the road and stopped by Thunder Mountain gas station and Tina had some homemade cookies for us. Tom and I then proceeded to race up the Skyway, more like Tom on my tail teasing me to go faster.
It's crazy to think how much of a better rider have become in the three days I've been on these roads. They are so fun and smooth. I could stay here for weeks and just ride.
We all went for out for BBQ in town and I learned what a strange place Tellico Plains is, dancing is outlawed! This is the real Footloose!! We went back and proceeded to drink moonshine that was given to us by a very nice person. It smells like paint thinner and makes your whole mouth burn and go numb, it's a blast. We polished it almost all the off and by the end of the night I puked all over Buck's patio, sorry.

Bug Report:
6- Nothing crazy, still a bit cold. There's anise yellow one by my top vent though.

Tennessee.

Turn 256 or something.

The motorcycle gods have spoken.

More forest.

Tree of Shame.

My gift to the tree.

Teaching the young bucks a thing or two.

Western North Carolina moonshine. For the road.

Skid marks ok.

View Larger Map

Around Tennessee and North Carolina.

2010-10-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Day 4.
241 miles.

Woke up to the fog this morning and running 150 yards to the bathroom so I wouldn't mess myself.
I unloaded all my bags and we headed to Maggie Valley to check out the Wheels Through Time museum. We took the Skyway there and blasted the shit out of that road. It was great getting to ride with Keith and Tom, they take really good lines and damn good riders. It was awesome going up the mountain hearing those old British twins rumbling with straight pipes. I love the sound and smell of old bikes. The air was crisp, but not too bad. On the other side of the Skyway we stopped at Thunder Mountain gas station, used the bathroom and talked to the mom and daughter that run the place.
I noticed that my tire was starting to get really bald. I knew I needed a new one soon, but I wasn't expecting it this soon. At least the roads are twisty and I finally get to use the sides of the tire.
We made it to Maggie Valley, but the museum was closed. I guess we should've looked it up. Oh well, the roads were awesome. We ate and headed back.
We hit the Skyway as the sun was setting. It was amazing. When we got back I checked my tire again and the core of the tire was starting to show. Damn. I'll head to a shop tomorrow in Chattanooga and buy a new one.

Bug Report:
0- Again today was too cold, the bugs were nowhere to be found.

Cherohala Motorcycle Resort.

Hunting hounds.

Keith and his Triumph.

Tom's Triumph.

Up on the Skyway.

Amazing.

Get wild.

View Larger Map

Blue Ridge Parkway to Tellico Plains.

2010-10-04T17:35:00.000-07:00

Day 3.
357 miles.

It didn't rain last night and my North Face sleeping bag kept me super warm, so warm that I stayed in it long after I woke up. The air was too co.d to deal with. I finally packed up and headed towards the restaurant that's on the BRP. I ordered the pancake platter, a buckwheat pancake, a sweet potato pancake, and a cornmeal pancake. I really only liked the sweet potato one.
I cruised along the Parkway at a fairly leisurely pace. The speed limit is only 45 mph, so I tried to observe it, sort of. The leaves have started to change color and it's really pretty up there.
I saw on the map a town called Little Switzerland and figured there would be some good German food there, perfect for a chilly day. To my dismay the closest thing to German food they served in the town was the sauerkraut on my Reuben sandwich. Oh well.
I got off the Parkway at Asheville and headed towards Tellico Plains. I got to the Cherohala Skyway just at sunset. It's 51 miles of the smoothest pavement and fast sweepers. I saw 3 cars in 40 miles. Needless to say I blasted the shit out of that road, averaging about 65-70mph on the 35mph road. It's too fun not to.
I made it the the Cherohala Motorcycle Resort after dark and freezing my ass off. Buck and Alex run the place and fired up a pizza for me while I set up my camp. I went back to the main building and met Keith and Tom, both from Wisconsin, who brought their Triumphs down to ride the roads here. They invited me to ride with them tomorrow and convinced me to stay an extra day. We stayed up late talking about motorcycles, trips, and smashing beers. Today was a good day.

Bug Report:
0- Too damn cold, the bugs stayed at home today.

View Larger Map

Richmond to Blue Ridge Parkway.

2010-10-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Day 2
291 miles.

I went to breakfast with Pat and then boogied on out of Richmond. I was hoping to stay for a full day, but I have to be back in LA for a shoot. I cruised on 360 and saw some really beautiful countryside and old farms.
Today was a bit chilly and by the afternoon I could see the clouds were getting dark as I near the Blue Ridge Parkway. Sure enough it started to rain, not too hard, but enough for me to put my rain gloves and jacket on.
I made it to the BRP and started cruising down towards North Carolina. I runs almost the length of both North Carolina and Virginia, I hoped on near the bottom of Virginia. It's extremely beautiful on the road, with lots of lookout points along the way. I stopped by the Ranger Station and there were people playing mountain music. I got info on the campground and headed towards it.
I stopped for dinner and bought some firewood, the lady selling me the wood was really concerned about me and told me to come back by 7:30 if it was too cold and she'd take care of me. I thanked her and told her I'd be fine, she said I reminded her of her son.
I don't really like staying in campgrounds, but I knew wouldn't be able to have a fire if I stayed anywhere else and it's cold and windy tonight. I set up and built a fire and burned all my wood. I'm hoping it doesn't rain overnight.

Bug Report:
7- lots of little guys, nothing too wild.

Pats mom's car.

Model Tobacco.

Corner church.

Whiteys.

Blue Ridge Parkway.

North Carolina.

Riding dubs.

Campsite.

View Larger Map

New Jersey to Richmond.

2010-10-02T18:26:00.000-07:00

Day 1 (return to LA)
464 miles.

I was planning on staying on the East Coast until November, mainly because I had a bunch of travel jobs lined up and I wouldn't be able to ride back until then. They got postponed so I took the opportunity to ride now instead of mid November.
I left Tom's place in Jersey a day behind schedule because of a hurricane that was coming up. It was chilly and I had to dodge the shitty New Jersey drivers down the Turnpike.
I traveled down into Delaware and into Maryland, I was hoping To find some crab cakes, but so such luck. Maybe on the other side of Chesapeake Bay. There's not much going on the eastern side. I dropped into Virginia and was greeted with a large Dixieland sign, letting me know I had reached the South. Funny thing is, when you mention to people in Virginia anything about the South and Virginia, they tell you the South begins in North Carolina. Weird, but true.
I rode across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnels. It is 20 miles long, with two tunnels to allow ships to pass through. It is considered one of the 7 great engineering feats of modern times. It was pretty damn cool, lots of dead seagulls on the road though.
From Norfolk I rode up to Richmond to hang out with the Hells Satans. Pat. Showed me around town and we bounced around to a few bars and had a good ol' time. I crashed at Pat's and slept like a baby.

Bug Report:
8- Today was a good bug day. A few big splatters and lots of little guys.

Delaware.

All that matters.

Maryland.

Cannery.

Old cans.

Road to nowhere.

Virginia.

Welcome.

Chesapeake Bay.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Tunnel.

Tunnel vision.

Above the tunnel.

View Larger Map

Quaker City to New York.

2010-09-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Day 23
480 miles.

I woke up happy. Really happy, I didn't get fucked with again for the rest of the night and I slept like a baby. I like setting up camp at night because when you wake up in the morning, it's like Christmas morning. It was foggy and nice. I passed the spot where I almost ran over the Quakers and realized it wasn't a church, but a 24 hour porn store!!!!!!!!!!! My mind was blown.
I crossed into West Virginia again and ate breakfast and brushed my teeth at Perkins. I crossed into Pennsylvania shortly after. It's a really pretty state. Some of the leaves were starting to change color.
I was planning on going to Centralia, PA later in the day. Basically a mine fire went out of control underneath the town in 1962. The town was evacuated and the fire still burns to this day. This website gives a nice description http://www.offroaders.com/album/centralia/centralia.htm
It started to rain as soon as I got out of the Blue Mountain Tunnel. Not hard, but just enough to suck. It rained off and on throughout the state and I decided to skip Centralia and come back another day.
When I got near New Jersey I noticed that I would have to go over the Delaware River and it was a toll bridge, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get a good state sign photo. So I decided to ride south along the Delaware and cross at a small bridge. Well the sign was gone because of construction, dammit. I retraced my route and decided to try the big bridge. Thankfully I was able to stop and get a photo.
The second I got into Jersey everyone was going 90mph, it felt like LA, just in the rain and with shittier roads. I got onto the Garden State Parkway and it was gridlocked. No lane splitting allowed here, it sucked. I made it to my friend, Nick's house. The weather sucked, so I didn't shoot much, but it felt good to make it. We got some pizza.
I will be in New York and New Jersey until November. I am going to explore New England and hopefully Canada during this time. I also have more travel jobs to South America and Europe. So my return trip is being postponed until November.
It's been an amazing journey so far.

Bug Report:
1- not worth a photo. It rained all day.

Ohio morning.

Pennsylvania.

Wet in New Jersey.

View Larger Map

Cincinnati to Quaker City.

2010-09-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

Day 22
354 miles.

I got a late start this morning, stayed out too late the night before. We went to a Reds game and the went out. We got White Castle late and was a partial reason for my late start.
It was raining lightly, but not too bad. I rode along the Ohio River. Ducking into Kentucky and then West Virginia. There is a lot if history along this river and it was really neat to be in such an old area. Lots of cool, old, crumbling barns and houses. It was an easy ride and super beautiful. It was also a really somber day, as it was the 9 year anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. I could feel the heaviness in the air, it's hard to believe that it happened 9 years ago. I can remember waking up that morning and watching the news, no one was sure what was going on. I remember sitting in Mr. Mill's earlybird Government class, forth seat back, to the right of the class room, and watching the second plane hit. So much changed that day.
I made it into Marietta right before sunset and ate dinner. I was planning on camping outside of the town in Wayne National Forest. As soon as the sun went down the sky opened up and it started pouring rain. I decided I should look at getting a hotel. All of them were booked because of a stern boat festival that was going on.
It was about 8:30 and decided I would ride out of town and find a hotel. It finally stopped raining, so I decided to do some camping. I pulled off the freeway and started going down farm roads. I found a great spot, but thankfully noticed a sign warning that raw sewage had been sprayed in the area, you don't have tell me twice.
I then went up a gravel road and found an old crumbling barn. It seemed perfect, if it rained it wouldn't get wet and as far as I could tell it was abandoned. It was right next to the freeway and all I could hear were truck's enginebraking off the highway. It was way too loud, even for me.
I continued down the freeway to the next exit, Quaker City. I almost ran over a group of Quaker men as they were crossing the street, from what looked to be a church. I looked through the dark for places that seemed hidden, but no luck, until I found a dirt road. I went up it and found a clearing, it was perfect. There were some barns off in the distance. I set up my tent and started to get settled, it was around 10:30 and I was spent. The quietness was broken with the sound of a huge truck leaving one of the farms and then up my road. Shit. I was about to get my ass kicked by some crazy farm boys. They pulled up to me and I looked in their truck and noticed about 6 guys, they asked what I was doing and I explained I was just camping here and it appeared to not be private property. The kid said he didn't have a problem with me staying here and they came up because they had seen my light. They left. I sat there for a minute, glad I dodged that incident. I climbed into my bag and started to go to sleep.
20 minutes later I had headlights on my tent again. Great, they came back with more guys to kick my ass. Nope, I was greeted with, "sheriff's department, come out of your tent." They searched me, ran my id, and plates. I explained my trip and they told me the kids parent's called to make sure I wasn't some crazy biker that would kill them in the night. They let me stay. I went to bed.

Bug Report:
6- today was alright, got a really good hit on my chin. Most of them washed off in the rain, hence the low score.

THE NIGHT BEFORE:

Reds.

Bald heads.

TBS' garage.

Inside the TBS lair.

Moscow, OH.

Kentucky.

Drive thru liquor.

Take me home, country roads.

Never forget.

Chain adjustment in the rain.

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Buenos Aires.

2010-09-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

I went to Buenos Aires for 5 days for work. It was a blast. Great food, Spain vs. Argentina soccer match, cool bikes everywhere, etc.

Fuck School.

Jawa cruiser.

Police wagon.

Tango!

Muppet lady.

Best sandwich I never got to finish.

Game day.

My new little friend.

Mom and baby.

Chicago to Cincinnati.

2010-09-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Days 19-21
311 miles.

I woke up and it was pissing rain, it was hot outside and it felt like a shower. I knew my emergency rain suit would get destroyed in about 5 seconds, so I went down to REI and bought a quality rain suit. I packed my bags, put on my rain suit and loaded up the bike. Luck must be on my side because as soon as my rain suit was on it stopped raining, oh I found a parking ticket on my seat. Shit.
I made it out of Chicago and into Indiana. I jammed across the state and only stopped to eat and fuel up. It's another flat, windy and boring state. As soon as I crossed into Ohio I saw trees and hills again.
I met up at TBS's garage space that's in the basement of an old ice cream factory. It's awesome. That's where I am leaving my bike while I go to Buenos Aires for 5 days, for work. I stayed at Erin's house. She showed me around Cincinnati. It reminds me of San Francisco, just a lot older. There are lots of really cool buildings and steep hills. I went to the museum and saw an amazing Robert Frank exhibit, basically his entire career, except his Depression era stuff he became famous for.
See you in a week Cincinnati.

Indiana.

Waffle House.

Ohio.

Church.

Green and white.

House.

Train.

Cincinnati.

Skyline!

View Larger Map

Chicago.

2010-09-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Days 17-18.

I planned on staying in Chicago for only 2 days, but I was enjoying myself so much I stayed for 3. I have some amazing friends that live there and it was great to finally hang with them in their city. It's definitely a city I would consider moving to, if it didn't have such brutal winters. Went to some awesome museums, ate great food, and generally hung out.

The MCA.

Ants.

Sunset.

McClurg's jock strap.

Sad face Durkin.

Milwaukee to Chicago.

2010-08-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Day 16
91 miles.

Well rested and ready to see my Chicago friends I boogied on out of Milwaukee. I was planning on taking the scenic route along the Lake, but missed the turn and ended up on the freeway. Oh well. Got to Colleen's house, just as she was getting home from her weekend road trip to Buffalo. We went downtown and to the Art Institute Museum and saw the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit. It was so amazing. Did some touristy stuff, saw the Bean, the Al Bundy fountain, and went swimming. Met up with the Peddy Cash dudes and ate dinner. I'm gonna stay here for a few more days and then off to Cincinnati on Thursday. Chicago is rad.

Bug Report:
Not worth it, I went 91 miles.

Illinois.

Segway crew.

The Bean.

We and the Bean.

Cool Hand Durk.

Buds.

Lake Michigan.

Curt and Chris. 2 thumbs up.

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Sioux Falls to Milwaukee.

2010-08-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Day 14 and 15
584 miles.

I really hate riding on the Interstates. I checked out a map and saw that there was a highway that went through Iowa and directly into Milwaukee. I was hoping that by taking that route it would be less windy, less cars and semis, and a little less stressful.
2 hours go by and I still haven't gone 100 miles. It's just as windy, instead of semis there are old people in town cars and huge farm equipment that keep trying to run me off the road, and it smells like pig shit every 5 miles. I make an executive decision to get the hell out of Iowa and deal with I-90. I'm cruising down the road doing about 75 and pass a sheriff, he immediately turns around and pulls me over. I try to explain my situation, I'm hungry, tired, and just went 150 miles out of my way and only gained about 70 east. He doesn't buy it and tells me he clocked me at 79 in 55 zone. Shit, thought it was a 65 zone. I know there's no way of getting out of this one, but I ask anyway, he reduces it to 70. The ticket is for $173. I continue on and not even a quarter mile down the road is the Minnesota state border! Fuck, I should have made a run to it, ha. This day is getting worse and worse.
I finally get on I-90. It's not as bad as the day before and it's a lot nicer scenery. Lots of corn and silos.
I made it to Milwaukee in about 12 hours, with my detour through Iowa. I met up with The Cranks and went out that night with them. I won some money playing dice and slept in Dez's garage.
I decided to rest a day and hang out in Milwaukee. Dez showed me around the city and I changed the oil on my bike. Just a nice relaxing day after 2 gnarly days.

Bug Report:
10- definitely the most I've gotten. Colorful and juicy. Wahoooooooo!!!!!

Iowa. I wish you liked me.

2 minutes before my ticket.

Minnesota. 2 minutes after my ticket.

Wisconsin.

Mile 485.8

Corn.

Silos.

Phone from car.

Breakfast in Milwaukee.

The Bronze Fonz. Milwaukee.

Lake Michigan, Milwaukee, WI.

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The Badlands to Sioux Falls.

2010-08-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

Day 13
322 miles.

Trust your gut. I had nice, dead battery waiting for me when I woke up. I tried to bump start it, but it was a gravel road, so the back tire just skid. A couple from Belgium that were on their way to Burning Man gave me jump start. I was planning on taking Highway 44, but with this battery issue I was nervous about taking such a desolate road, so I opted for I-90.
I-90 sucks. It's the flattest, straightest, and windiest road I've been on. The wind was about 40mph from the south and I was heading directly east. I had to lean into the wind just to go straight. Passing the semi trucks was the worst. The turbulence coming off the back was insane and as soon as you get next to the trailer the wind is relatively calm. You pick up a ton of speed because of the lack of resistance and then shoot past the cab and into the blowing wind again. It feels like you're going to blow off the road. It's similar to shooting out off a barrel in the ocean, just not fun. I was getting really frazzled, tired, and sore. My gas mileage was also extremely affected, I normally get around 45mpg, with the wind I was getting 26-27mpg!
I got into Sioux Falls and met up with Brandon from the Buffalo Boys. We took a look at my battery and realized all the water and acid had totally evaporated in the heat. I bought a new battery and Brandon showed me around Sioux Falls. I saw the Falls, the slaughterhouse/pig stockyards, downtown, and Wal-Mart. That night we went out to a bar that has a karaoke contest and Brandon is in the running to win. I sang my usuals; Summer of '69 by Bryan Adams, War Pigs by Sabbath, Man I Feel Like a Women by Shania Twain, Believe by Cher, and Everybody by BSB (he didn't have I Want it That Way). It was a good night for a really shitty day.
I also reached the 3,000 mile mark of my trip today!!!

Bug Report:
7.5- even though it was windy I was still able to catch some tasty ones.

Campsite.

Buffalo by my campsite.

The Sioux Falls Falls.

Stockyards.

Stockyards.

New battery!

Brandon.

View Larger Map

Bearlodge Mountains to The Badlands.

2010-08-26T17:14:00.000-07:00

Day 12
335 miles.

A lot of stuff goes through your head when your riding, especially this long. You think about pretty much everything; friends, family, past relationships, stuff you did in the past, stuff you want to do in the future, what you should cook for dinner, etc... Many of these things come up time and time again, you try to think what went wrong, why was that so good, what it? One of the many things that I can't help but tank about is my grandfather. He died before I was born, long before, sometime in the early '60's. From what I can remember my mother telling me, he was getting ready to do a motorcycle trip on his Indian from Denver to Mexico. He slid out, hit his head, went into a coma for several months, and then passed away. He was also a very skilled mechanic and builder, he built a ferris wheel from scrap metal while he and my grandmother were living in Hawaii after the war. I can't help but wonder what he'd think of my trip; would he think I was a pussy for having rear suspension, a Japanese bike, wearing proper safety gear or would he be stoked and tell me stories of his motorcycling days. I like to think the he'd get a kick out of it.
I left my awesome campsite and headed towards Sturgis. I really didn't have a desire to go there, but figured since I was near I might as well wee what all the fuss is about. I rolled into town around 9:30 and it was pretty quiet. A few fat bikers walking around in orange t-shirts and their fat wives by their side is all I really saw. Then I saw signs for the Motorcycle Museum and Hall of Fame, I had to got there. They had a really nice collection of bikes up into the late '70's, they even had a Honda Hobbit moped, although the seat was ripped.
I left Sturgis as fast as I could, I didn't want any of it to wear off on me a nd headed towards Deadwood to eat breakfast. It's a very watered down, tourist friendly type Western town, complete with casinos offering cheap buffets and big winnings. I had a nice meal, used the Internet and got outta there and headed towards Mt. Rushmore.
I saw the Presidents and then headed towards Crazy Horse. PI didn't go up close, but I viewed it from the road. There was a sign at the entrance the said, "Never forget your dreams". I like that. I continued on and road through Custer State Park, it was a lush oasis between the dry Black Hills and the dry and barren Plains.
I got out onto the Plains and it immediately felt like I was riding through an oven. I was drinking water constantly and sweating like a pig. At the gas station my brother Erik called, it was great to talk to him and it took my mind off the heat.
I was now headed towards the Badlands, i now knew why it was named so. It was pushing nearly 105 degrees and it was almost 5pm, I charged on and got to the ranger station and asked them where the free campground was. He pointed it out and warned me that the bison liked to graze through there in the morning. I cruised through the park and then headed up to Wall, to check out Wall Drug.
I ate an overpriced beef dinner there, bought a few postcards, took a few photos and filled up on their famous ice water. I must've lost track of time 'cause when I got to my bike the sun was almost down and I still had to ride 18 miles to the campground, 12 of which were on a dirtroad. I boogied out of there, not before my bike gave me trouble starting. It sounds like the battery is starting to die, I hope it doesn't leave me stranded at the campground. I got to the dirt road right at the "magic hour" and everything looked amazing. I made it to the campground just as the last bit of light was leaving the sky. I set up camp in the dark and watched the full moon rise over the hills. Another night with no rain fly, just me, the stars, and the mosquitos outside.

Bug Report:

Good morning South Dakota.

A sweet lawn mower.

Indian Chief.

Moto Guzzi Eldorado.

Imperial boardtrack racer (notice the pedals!)

The infamous Black Shadow.

BSA Starlite. Super cute.

Honda PA50, with a duct taped seat.

RIP Great One.

Triumh Tina.

Cool Matchless with a really cool sidecar.

Norton single.

The bike that destroyed the British.

Kenny Roberts' 250.

Sears Allstate with Puch engine.

Some Texas oil barren's bike.

Senator Dave Zien's bike, look him up.

Lead, SD.

Trout Haven.

Hilter Smokey.

Mt. Rushmore.

Mt. Rushmore.

George.

Tourists.

More tourists.

"Never forget your dreams".

Interior, SD.

Badlands, SD.

Badlands, SD.

Style. Class. Comfort.

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Cody to Bearlodge Mountains.

2010-08-26T10:08:00.000-07:00

Day 11
348 miles.

I got a bit of a late start this morning, but I was fine with that, I was well rested and feeling much better. I headed east towards Greybull and then south towards Ten Sleep.
I went up Ten Sleep Canyon and it was amazing. There were different types of rock as I gained altitude and there were signs posted letting you know how old they were. We're talking millions of years. I made it to the top of Powder River Pass, it's at 9,666', almost treeline. It's probably the highest elevation I will hit on this trip. When you walk around you can really feel the lack of oxygen, but my trusty Nighthawk chugged along great, it barely missed the lack of air. Coming down the pass I could really start to feel the heat and I knew that I have a lot of that in store for me.
I got onto I-90 at Buffalo and I was pretty bummed to be on the Interstate, straight, boring, and as fast as you can go to make it end. I was planning on going to The Badlands and camping, but I saw signs for Devils Tower and made up my mind to go there. It was pretty awesome, not much around and it just shoots straight up a couple hundred feet. I thought about camping there, but it cost $12 and I knew the National Forest was only about 20 miles away. I turned up County Rd 204 and followed a dirt road, it forked and I went to the right. I found a perfect spot overlooking a small creek, I'll use that $12 to buy an awesome breakfast tomorrow. I set my tent up without the rainfly and got to look at the stars and sunrise.

Bug Report:
9- today was pretty epic on the bug meter. Lots of juicy ones right from the beginning, with lots of different color splatter. I even got a lady bug, hey good luck!!!

The planes.

The Plains.

Cows.

Ten Sleep Canyon.

Ten Sleep Canyon.

Powder River Pass.

Snow barricades.

It was close.

Tomorrow.

Hay rolls and Devils Tower.

Devils Tower.

Creek by my camp site.

Camp site.

Keep away from the critters.

View Larger Map

Yellowstone to Cody.

2010-08-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Day 10
234 miles.

I woke up to see the sun just starting to peak over the trees in the meadow. As soon as the sun hit the grass it started to sparkle like a diamond. It dropped to about 28 overnight and there was frost on everything. I saw the elk off in the distance eating the frozen grass. I packed up and started out to explore Yellowstone.
First stop was the Norris Geyser Basin. It was pretty unreal to see. I felt like I was walking through some prehistoric land and at any moment I'd bump into a T-rex. I continued north and got pulled over as I entered Mammoth Hot Springs. I hadn't seen the speed change from 45 to 25. The Ranger was really cool and happy that I had all my paperwork in my jacket and not buried in my bags. He let me off with a warning and I got some tips on things to see.
I continued on stopping here and there to look and take photos. I got stuck in traffic for nearly an hour because buffalo were walking down the road. It's kinda scary having to pass a massive male buffalo on a motorcycle. He didn't charge me. I cruised along the lake and towards Old Faithful. Lake Yellowstone is massive and reminded me a lot of Tahoe, just without any houses. I made it to Old Faithful just in time to see it erupt, it was a circus there, but I'm glad I saw it.
From Old Faithful I backtracked my way along the lake and out of the park towards the East Entrance. Another buffalo in the road, just not as much traffic. Going up Sylvan Pass was amazing there was a fire there, I think in '88 and all the trees are still standing, but are all bone white. It felt like I was riding through an army of skeletons.
Once out of the Park the scenery changes quite quickly from lush green forests to barren red rock mesas. I made it into Cody, WY and decided to get a hotel for the night. I'm starting to feel sick and could use a proper nights sleep, plus I hadn't showered for 5 days. Onto the Badlands for Wednesday.

Update: forgot to put this in, but Yellowstone would be perfect for mopeds. Speed limit is 45 max anywhere in the Park. Just have a semi quiet pipe and all your paperwork.

Bug Report:
6.5- I didn't pick up many in the Park, but I caught quite a few mosquitos and little flies along the river towards Cody.

Morning frost.

Norris.

Norris.

A phone booth.

Roaring Mountain.

Rangers.

Bus.

Tourists and buffalo.

Old Faithful.

Really excited about Old Faithful.

End of her run.

God Squad.

Traffic delays.

Zooooooom.

Skeleton forest.

Wacky house outside Cody, WY.

View Larger Map

Missoula to Yellowstone.

2010-08-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

Day 9
368 miles.

I got up early again and was on the road by 7:30. It was chilly, around 50, but I knew today was gonna be great.
I took the 93 and it hugged a quiet river through a beautiful canyon. Perfect roads, nice mellow sweeping turns and a speed limit of 70. I was in heaven. The roads all the way to Yellowstone were like this, hardly a car in sight and the occasional RV. In the distance I could see fresh snow on the mountain peaks, in the valleys it was crisp.
I was planning on camping in the National Forest outside of Yellowstone, so I stopped by the ranger station in Ennis to get their suggestions on primitive camp sites (the free ones). She pointed them out to me, but warned that their were lots of Grizzlies in the area and they had been extra aggressive this year. I thanked her and went straight to the sporting goods store to by a can of bear mace. The closer I got to Yellowstone the more it dawned on me that camping alone in bear country was probably not the smartest thing to do, so I opted for one of the campgrounds in the Park. Turns out, they have bear problems there too. At least they could eat other campers too. I made dinner and went to bed early, but not before seeing two huge elk eating grass in the meadow next to my site.

Bug Report:
8- Oh wow!!!! I caught a lot today. Big ol' honkin' mosquitos and lots of horse flies. Nice splatters. Best bug report to date. Take a look!!!!

Along Highway 93.

Continental Divide. It's all downhill from here.

Conovers, Wisdom, MT

Larry's Automotive, Wisdom, MT

Big sky country.

Fresh snow.

Earthquake Lake.

YNP.

Wyoming.

Yellowstone.

New purchases for the day: tortillas, bear mace, turkey, pepper jack cheese, annual park pass, banana, two tall cans. I already own the chocolate and Leatherman.

Firewood.

Soda or pop in these parts.

Comforting.

Dinner.

Desert.

View Larger Map

Spokane to Missoula.

2010-08-24T21:13:00.000-07:00

Day 8

199 miles +40 in the tow truck.

I made burnt eggs with cheese and tortillas for breakfast. I was the only one to eat them. The motto for breakfast was, "bad food, bad coffee, good friends", sure beats the other way around. I made Joel and Rosanna follow me to the Idaho border so we could take a picture in front of the sign, that made me really happy. We said goodbye and I was off on my own again. It started raining as soon as I got into Idaho. I-90 was fun though the mountains, but I couldn't get too rad 'cause the roads were wet. I finally got ahead of the rain and was cruising at about 90mph when I heard a clink followed by my engine revving like crazy and no more acceleration. I coasted to an offramp with a huge lump in my stomach. My trip was over, my trusty Nighthawk was trusty no more. I sat there for a minute in disbelief, I thought to myself, "way to go dipshit, you're fucked now". I finally got off the bike and started looking at the engine and transmission for stuff sticking out, it looked good. I went to the left side and noticed a key element was missing, the chain. How it didn't wrap around the wheel and kill me I have no idea, but I was safe and this was an easy fix. I put a new chain on before I left, but used a master link instead of riveting the chain on. I checked the chain periodically for the master link and tension and it was good, well I learned a valuable lesson, master links sucks.
The tow truck driver was a nice guy named Dan. We traded stories in the truck during the 40 mile ride to Missoula, he was a helicopter pilot at 13, had a pet macaw, rebuilt his first motorcycle, a Harley Sportster, when he was 11, and did a bunch of other stuff. The Honda dealership we were supposed to go was closed, so we checked out Harley and sure enough they had the chain I needed. Got it on and I was off.
Now where to sleep for the night? I was planning on making it close to Yellowstone and camping, but it was already 6. Thankfully I utilized a great resource, Facebook, and was able to stay at my friend Chase's friend, Melanie's friend Nicole. She fed me tacos and let me sleep in her guest bed. She was super nice and takes awesome photos. It was a good way to end a really shitty day.

Bug Report:
None for today, it was raining.

It started out good.

Bullshit spot for the sign.

Shit happens...

Then you get towed.

Hang in there buddy.

Nicole's house in Missoula.

View Larger Map

Seattle to Spokane.

2010-08-24T21:11:00.000-07:00

Day 7 (after 12 day detour to Denmark)

328 miles.

Bug Report:
7- today was a nice little bug day, I'm getting excited for the big ones in the midwest.

I convinced Joel and Rosanna to come to Spokane with me and camp there. After that easy convincing I took my windscreen off, it drove me crazy. At low speeds it would shoot the air all over the place and make me feel like a bobble head doll. High speeds were even worse, so I ditched it.
We got a nice early start and I froze my ass off going over Stevens Pass, it was worth it though, it was so pretty and the road was fun. We ate lunch in a touristy little German town called Leavenworth. I always wonder who's idea it is to convert towns into theme towns, smart person. Got down on the plains and the first thing I could think of was, shit this already. It wasn't too boring and I saw some interesting stuff. We made it to Riverside State Park and got a campspot. The name of the park should have been my first warning, this was full of some Grade A chemical white trash, anyway we made the best of it. Hell we even found a rare and endangered Headless Whitetail Deer, not one has ever been seen alive, kinda like a giant squid. I felt lucky.

Rosanna.

Joel.

Eastern Washington.

On the plains.

The ever elusive, Headless Whitetail.

View Larger Map

Denmark with Teufelskerle.

2010-08-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

4 days with the second greatest moped gang in the world.
Tak!

The clubhouse.

The Gypsy.

La Cour and 4-Gear.

Feasting.

Sausage fest.

Rehearing.

Jonas.

Jan's sweet Latebird tattoo.

Whiskey and vodka mix.

Playing nails.

Crocs and peds.

La Cour.

The Gypsy.

Thomas and my tshirt he won playing dice.

Speech time.

After speech.

Just another Viking.

Throwing bones.

All 6's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Danish meatballs.

Smørrebrød with pickled herring, yum!!

Hooker snaps!

The bros.

More bros.

Rar!

Winning!

La Cour, some lamp oil, fire, and eventually the police.

Denmark.

2010-08-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Denmark is rad.

Beach babe.

Danish beach.

Beach stud.

Find the tourist.

BIKE GANG!

BIKE GANG!

Parkour park.

Get up.

Lucky lotto numbers.

Lover's rock.

Lada 4x4.

MG.

Vespa Ape

Bikes.

Windows.

Tivoli.

Leaving the US.

2010-08-07T13:24:00.000-07:00

I sitting in the Seattle airport waiting to fly out to Denmark for a 2 week job. The last 2 days in Seattle have been awesome. Here are some photos from my stay. When I fly back in 2 weeks, I'll get back on my bike and rip across the country towards New York. Adios America, you'll be missed.

Downtown Seattle.

Leafy moustache.

Garage doors.

Neal Richter.

Bogart, Bremmer & Bradley Antiques.

Joel and Rosanna Kvernmo.

Brendan and Arianna Barrans

Their garage.

Hebo to Seattle.

2010-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

Day 6
315 miles.

Woke up super early today, make some oatmeal and packed up. It was really foggy again and cold, I was constantly wiping my face shield off. I got stuck behind a dump truck that was filled with dirt and it kept blowing out. I ended up a muddy mess by the time I was to pass, ha. I was really looking forward to seeing the Goonies rock, but ended up missing it because it was super foggy. By the time I got to Astoria and realized it I didn't want to go back, I just wanted to get to Seattle and feel some sun. I went up the Columbia River and it was a super fun road and the weather was almost immediately better in Washington. Took I-5 to Tacoma and spent the afternoon with one of my oldest friends, Hillary. We went to preschool all the way through high school together, we even went to prom. It was awesome seeing her city. Left the Aroma of Tacoma and headed up to Seattle to Joel and Rosanna's. I was greeted with a hugs and a freshly cooked chicken and carrots from their garden. This is where I'll be leaving my bike and gear while I'm in Denmark for the next two weeks.

Bug Report:
1- if there were any, they got wiped off in the fog.

Astoria Bridge.

2nd state down!

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Brookings to Hebo.

2010-08-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Day 5
266 miles- getting 45 mpg!!!!!!!!

Mickey and I left Brookings in the morning and rode up to Gold Beach where we split off, Mickey had to head back to Tahoe. It was awesome riding and hanging out with him for the last 4 days. The Oregon coast was foggy and cold the entire day and by this time I was really starting to get sick of the weather, plus most of the road is one or two hills behind the coast. When you do get to see the coast it's pretty amazing. By this point I'm really wanting to get off the coast, but I push on because I really wanna see the Goonies rock in Astoria. I entire Tilamook County and the sun is actually shining. I speak to the Forest Ranger and he tells me about a free campground 4 miles up the road. It ends up being a perfect spot, right on the river, no one there, just perfect. I set up camp, build a fire with some wood that was left, and plan out my route for the next day. A great end to the day.

Bug Report:
4- lots of little bugs, mainly mosquitos.

Brookings Harbor.

Oregon coast. Rugged.

Oregon trees.

Hebo Cafe (it's closed)

Hebo.

My campground.

Towards the campground.

View from my site.

Table decorations.

My camp. Pretty perfect.

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Shelter Cove to Brookings.

2010-08-04T08:12:00.000-07:00

Day 4
210 miles
Left the foggy Shelter Cove and took the twisty and hilly 25 mile back towards Garberville to get back on the 101. Ate breakfast and watched a guy on an overloaded cruiser tip it over on himself. I went to help him, but some lady had already got to him. Felt bad, that's a serious ego crusher. Rode through the "Avenue of the Giants" and I felt like I was on Endor on a speeder bike, it was amazing. Spent the rest of the day on the 101 going through mountains and by the coast.

Bug Report:
1- still foggy and bug less.

Road out of Shelter Cove.

Humboldt County phone.

Avenue of the Giants.

Green Valley Motel.

Mystical Forest and Paul Bunyan.

Phone booth.

1 state down!!!

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