Hi Peter,

Thanks!  It was a great little adventure.  I actually have tons of video, but haven’t had the time to sit down and sort through it all.  64GB takes a little time :)

*Clickable Map

Total Trip: Just shy of 3400 miles

Final Trip Map.  No, I did not move to Bakersfield permanently.  I did however, have some trouble drawing that final line for some reason.  

This ride has been one of the most memorable trips of my life.  It was such a great mix of solo exploration and quality time with friends and family.  The hospitality I was shown along the way was beyond generous and such a treat to see how some of you guys are spending your time.  

I covered so many miles.  From the foggy city, to Oregon coast line, to sweeping wheat fields and some of the most stunning scenery this country has to share through Montana, Idaho and Wyoming.  Though it did hurt a bit, the desert was the last climate I needed to experience on the bike.  

A special thanks to Don Bland and Dan Ruggles who made this trip possible.  I hope you’ve enjoyed following along.  I will definitely be due for another trip like this in a few years.

I currently have over 60gb of video I need to start going through.  I’ll add a video as soon as I have time.

Cheers!

Dustin

Day 16: Bakersfield, Ca. | San Francisco, Ca.

289 Miles

I know I have complained about the heat over the past few entries, but the complaining was well worth it.  Today I pulled into beautiful SF with a thick layer of wet fog and a balmy 58 degrees.  So refreshing!

Now it is time to get back into real life.

Day 15: Las Vegas, NV | Bakersfield, Ca

281 Miles

The entire motorcycle trip pre-Vegas was all about exploration and adventure.  Post-Vegas the focus of the trip is to GO HOME :)

Ruggles and I had planned on staying in the last night in Vegas so we could make an early morning start.  This didn’t end up happening.  My friend Sona, from LA moved to Vegas.  She invited us out with some friends.  Since they live in Vegas, they set us up with free bottle service at a lounge at Aria.  Sona and her friends weren’t able to stay very long, which left Ruggles and I with an entire bottle of Vodka to ourselves…

…

Cut to: The following morning at 8am.  Ruggles and I getting packed together and feeling absolutely terrible.  Very little sleep and big hangovers. The unfortunate thing, is on a bike you really don’t have much of a choice.  We couldn’t exactly stick around til noon and ride home with our AC on.

We said our sad goodbye’s and headed in opposite directions.  Moments after getting on the freeway, traffic stopped.  There had been a car accident that kept me stuck on the freeway…in 100+ heat, wearing full leathers…with a hangover.  Lovely.

The rest of the day was me hauling home as quickly as possible.  One of my best pals, Noel White, lives in Bakersfield.  I planned to stop by and say hello on my way back.  Once Noel saw me, he handed me his house keys and sent me to his house for a nap.  He said it looked like I was running on adrenaline alone.  I can’t agree, I know I was running on at least a little vodka from the night before.

Noel runs a surf shop in Bakersfield called SBI/Wavelengths.  He let me park the bike in the shop while I rehabbed.  He then took me to a nice dinner and I stayed the night with Duke keeping me company.  

It was nice to see Noel and have a beer before I left.  One more day of driving and I am home.

Day 12: West Wendover, NV | Las Vegas, NV

367 Miles

“You know, it’s gonna be hot in the desert this time of year?”

Really, No Shit!  Thanks for the info!!!

Thanks to about a dozen people who pointed out deserts tend to be hot during summer months, we decided to leave West Wendover at 5:30am.  It is interesting how much heat is stored in all the concrete.  I walked out of the hotel to easily 90 degree heat.  Ruggles and I looked at each other very a little concerned.  We fueled up seriously considering riding jacketless and gloveless in the morning.  Thank God Ruggles paid some attention in a high school science class, he was pretty convinced it was going to get bone-chilling cold once we got away from all the asphalt.  We feared up and headed off into the desert.  About 5 miles out of town I was freezing cold.  I was actually wishing I had put on a few more layers.

I snapped this picture on the way out of town.  A modern day drifter.

We were also aware that our bikes might have some trouble when the temperature got over 110 degrees.  With this in mind, we wanted to cover as many miles as possible while it was cold and pushing the bikes wouldn’t be so dangerous.  We blazed on…averaging 95mph through the morning stretch.  By time we hit breakfast it was already over 100 degrees.  Partially worried, but more excited for a few days of luxury we pressed on. 

We rolled into Vegas at around noon.  Checked into a nice suite at The Encore and immediately hit the pool.

*We now enter the Vegas portion of the trip for 3 days, which probably doesn’t need to make it into the blog.  A few parting photos though.*

Day 12: Afton, WY | West Wendover, NV

317 miles

Fact: Dan Ruggles hates Utah.  Yes, the entire state.  With that in mind, today was a driving day.  Get in and out of Utah as quickly as possible.  

We started out heading South out of Afton.  We made out plan to put some miles on the road before breakfast.  Considering the fact that we had a few too many drinks with the Afton locals the previous night, breakfast was the only thing on our minds as we headed out.  I wish there was a travel guide that would have told us that the first 3 towns we passed through had no restaurants.  I guess these little Mormon towns actually cook at home.  Weird.  After a painful morning ride, out Shangri La was a roadside greasepit called The Bear Cave.  

A burger and a shake later, we were on our way.

Breaking our rule of ‘No Interstate’ we had to jump on I-15 and I-80 for a little while in Utah.  There just weren’t a lot of options.  Our final destination for the day was West Wendover, NV.  Right at the Utah/NV border.  Ruggles wouldn’t be able to sleep unless we were on Nevada soil.

West Wendover is one of those depressing border/gambling towns.  Old ladies smoking while on oxygen and playing the penny slots.  It wasn’t exactly Vegas, but made an adequate stop either way.

I forgot to mention that we encountered our first thunderstorm today.  It started as a small sprinkle and quickly began to pour.  We sought refuge under this tree with some other unfortunate motorcyclists.

Last summer Ruggles was caught in a terrible storm while floating the Smith River.  They made the mistake of not getting out when they could, and faced a storm that could have ended tragically.  This must have influenced his attitude of, “we’ve gotta get outta here now Romney!”  I was more of a “let’s grab a burger and let it pass” kinda guy.

Anyway, we sat under the tree for a few minutes and blazed on into the darker more daunting storm.  On the other side we could see sunlight, so we figured as long as we could ride faster than storm clouds travel, we should make it out okay.

We began to climb in elevation as the storm grew stronger.  While both of us are comfortable on bikes, I don’t know that either one of us would call ourselves pro.  The road got windier, the roadside cliffs deeper, and the rain turned into hail.  Luckily I wear a full face helmet, Ruggles on the other hand got pelted in the face for 20 minutes or so.  As we pressed on the visibility dropped greatly.  On a bike, you can’t really just pull over and wait it out.  You’re in it, so might as well grind it out.  Since I’m writing this, we obviously made it out ok, but by far this had been the sketchiest road event thus far.

Day 11: Bozeman, MT | Afton, Wy

273 Miles

Today is the first day riding with a partner.  It should be a lot of fun.  A large motivation of this trip has been to see a lot of beautiful U.S. scenery.  With that in mind, I have been avoiding interstates whenever possible.  

Dan and I got a fairly early start, around 8am.  We came up with a great strategy: No breakfast until Yellowstone.  We knew if we stuck around Bozeman and had a leisurely breakfast we wouldn’t hit the road until noon.  

The ride today was very memorable.  We went through West Yellowstone and along the Tetons all within a few hours.  It definitely passes the time more quickly with a partner.  Our goal today was to get to Afton Wyoming.  It is a tiny town that claims to have the best water in the United States and has the world’s largest elkhorn arch.

We had a nice dinner at a mexican joint in town, then went to a local bar called, The Cowboy Bar for a few drinks.  A few turned into a lot when we met a group of locals that had us wrapped into countless pool matches.

We had a great time for being in the middle of nowhere.  Back to the road.

Day 10: Dillon, MT | Bozeman, MT

114 Miles

Today was my shortest drive so far.  Just a few hours from Dillon to Bozeman.  I greatly regret not fishing in Dillon.  The creeks were gorgeous and loaded with fish.  I’ll definitely have to make a trip back here sometime.

Bozeman is a great city.  Dan and his fiancé Rachel welcomed me in and threw a great barbecue.  In Montana it’s all about the meat.  We had buffalo, venison and beef.  After Dan and I geared our bikes up, we headed down the street to a local bar where his band was playing.  The bar was just as I’d expect in Montana.  Tin siding and jam-packed with western themed paraphernalia.

Tomorrow it starts…3 days of 300+ mile rides that will include a lot of desert.  It will be nice to have a partner.  Biker gang now 2 strong.

This is Chuck.  He wanted to say hello.

Day 9: 191 Miles

Missoula, MT | Dillon MT

Of you have ever met a Romney male, you may notice that our ears are angled…er, outward.  This has made helmet/headphone application interesting.  I first have to insert ipod ear buds.  Next I place the helmet on the top of my head.  Next the outer earflange must be held down while the helmet is dragged over the upper ear.  Next, the earbuds must be held in place while the helmet is dragged over the remaining portion of ear so earbuds do not fall out.  I am getting pretty good at this, but the first few times was pretty entertaining.

A family friend recommended I go through Big Hole, Montana.  It was a great recommendation.  Breathtaking 360 degree views with incredible trout streams all around.  The one downside… mosquitoes!  And lots of em.  I stopped for 2 minutes to check my map and was absolutely swarmed.  What the hell do these mosquitoes eat in the middle of nowhere other than lone motorcyclists anyway?

The highlight today was my stop at Bannack State Park.  It is an old gold mining ghost town.  The coolest part is the access they give you.  They basically hand you a self guiding map and set you loose.  Any door that is unlocked, you can go into and explore.  I was blown away.  One of the coolest things I’ve gotten to see.  Here are some pics…

If you pass through Montana, I really can’t recommend this area enough.

Today I ended my travels in Dillon, Mt.  On the way into town, I stopped by a few streams to take a look.  Loaded with fish!  Going to have to make a morning trip back there.

This was my final solo riding day for a while.  Tomorrow I meet up with the dreaded Dan Ruggles to watch his band play then make a 3 day haul down to Vegas.  Looking forward to a partner for a while.