Day 1 (458 actual miles) – Ontario, OR
Saturday, 8/1

Departed ESHD at 8:11am P.S.T. Arrived in Ontario, 5:52pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Ken Lee

Today was the first day of our nearly 5000 mile ride departing Eastside Harley Davidson at 8:11am. The skies were clear and temperature about 63°F. Nice way to start the ride! We headed south on 140th catching I-90 East to Cle Elum. There we fueled up the bikes and stopped for our first meal at the Sunset Cafe. Already the temperature was warming up to the point where the first layer of leathers came off. After eating breakfast we took off heading East on I-90, passing Ellensburg then headed south on I-82 with the next fuel stop in Sunnyside, WA.

On any normal day this would be just a regular fuel stop and bathroom break. However, no ride is ever normal. Turns out that Kevin Baker picked up a friend on the route. While the relationship was short it is surely to be a memorable one.

Once our bladders were empty, bikes fueled and bodies rehydrated we took of south on I-82 towards Pendleton for our next fuel stop. During this leg of the trip the heat became overwhelming and upon our arrival in Pendleton the temperature hit 110°F. Way to f**king hot! We had to spend 15 minutes in the convenience store just to cool off. This is where you learn that drinking lots of fluids to stay hydrated is a requirement and, fortunately for everyone, we did just that!

After departing Pendleton we got a little break in the temperatures going over the Blue Mountains and Deadman's Pass but coming out the other side it started heating up again. We stopped in Baker City for our final fuel stop before arriving in Ontario, OR.

All in all a good day. Although the heat was a bitch, the pace was swift and everyone made it safely and we all had a great time.

Day 2 (351 actual miles) – Wells, NV
Sunday, 8/2

Departed Ontario at 7:13am P.S.T. Arrived in Wells, NV at 1:52pm P.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Ken Lee

Today there was a change in plans. The original route had us departing Ontario south on US-95 to SR-78 then catching SR-51 south to Elko. However due to Ken Lee's Tri-Glide getting about 150 miles on a tank of gas I elected to push us further south on I-84 to Mountain Home, Idaho before turning onto SR-51. This would give us a chance to top off our tanks and grab a bite to eat at Grinde's Diner before heading into no mans land.

The day started with my first mistake (admittedly) which was to make sure everyone started out with a full tank of gas. Kevin Baker was good for about 60 miles but that wouldn't cut the distance to Mountain Home so I peeled the group off after about 25 miles. When I looked for Kevin he wasn't with us, nor Ken Lee who was my sweep. I learned that Kevin exited a ways back to fill up so we then got back on the Interstate so we wouldn't miss him. After driving through Boise we came upon Ken Lee sitting at the side of the road ... but no Kevin. So then we all parked on the shoulder of the Interstate waiting for Kevin just to be greeted by an Idaho State Trooper. No stopping on the freeway was the order! Luckily Kevin caught up to us just as we were mounting up to leave so no harm done and we were all together.

After eating breakfast we ventured our on SR-51 south towards Elko. There was no life to be found with the road going as far as the eye could see. Not a place to have any problems or especially run out of gas. After about an hour I checked the GPS and there wasn't a gas station for another 120 miles (Elko) so I pulled everyone over for a break and gas check.

Upon checking Ken Lee's situation of half his tank gone I was uneasy about what lied ahead. I always carry a camping fuel canister (thanks Grant!) for just this situation however, Ken Rice and I also had a problem being the only two 5 gallon bikes in the group. So, after a break we headed out but I kept the speed within limit to stretch out our hopes as much as possible. Well, after passing a couple of "towns" and closed down stations, we drove through Duck Valley Reservation and like a mirage, out of nowhere, was the Duck Valley Gas-N-Go! What a relief! I made everyone fill up, even the 6 gallon bikes just so I wouldn't have to think about it again for the remainder of the day.

After everyone was topped off we headed out on the final leg of SR-51 only to be greeted by some sweeping turns and twisting road. I "1-up'd" the group so we could spread out and have a little fun and fun it was! If it wasn't for the earlier sign that said "Slipper roads next 35 miles", I for one, would have scrapped floor boards. I kept the pace up but moderating the feel of the bike for slippery surfaces. Fortunately it never came to be. We arrived in Elko at 12:30pm for the final fuel stop before venturing out to our destination in Wells, Nevada. We arrived in Wells around 1:30pm with kickstands down and everyone safe.

After arriving in Wells I wanted to head back on the road to the Bonneville Salt Flats International Speedway to check out the place where the land speed records are being set. For this non-sanctioned part of the day, Duncan Duvall, David Marks and Wayne Kanaby joined me on the 140 mile round trip ride to Wendover, Utah and the Bonneville speedway. What a ride it was!

First, Wendover is like a mini-Reno on the Nevada side and a ghost town on the Utah side. Interesting to ride through the town and may have to put it on the list for a place to stay sometime. Anyway, after a quick photo stop at the speedway we headed back to Wells. On the way back, cruising 5mph over the 75mph speed limit, David Marks pulls up besides me and gestures "WTF, let's pick up the pace!". Huh? That's not every happened to me before. Hmmm. So, checking traffic, what traffic there was in the middle of nowhere on I-80, I picked up the pace with David in the #2 position while we pushed the speed to something over the speed limit (not going on public record!). It was fun to pull back on the throttle and push the bikes faster, especially leaving Wayne in dust :). Duncan, with his SVO Ultra, was nice enough to stay back with Wayne while Wayne pondered how his brand new 09' Road King could fall behind David's brand new 09' Road Glide. That's when Wayne learned about down shifting ... duh. LOL.

Anyway, nuff said for today. For those that stayed in Wells it was a 351 mile day, three state (OR, ID, NV) and two time zone day. For the four of us that went to the speedway we tacked on another 141 miles making the total a 492 mile day, four state (add UT) and twice through two time zones. With the heat nearly 10F cooler, throw in some turns and a chance to open the throttle, made the day the best day of riding in a while.

Day 3 (379 actual miles) – Panguitch, UT
Monday, 8/3

Departed Wells at 7:08am P.S.T. Arrived in Panguitch, UT at 3:47pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Ken Lee

Today was another great start with sunny, cool temperatures greeting us for our 7:00 start. We headed south on US-93 under high clouds for a 140 mile run to Ely, NV. Roads were straight as an arrow for segments up to 10 miles! Yes, 10 mile straight line shots. During our 80 mile run from Wells to Lages Station there were only 7 "bends" in the road. Pretty much a cruise control day today. Once we got to Lages Station we came across the Stage Stop Bar-Cafe Motel & RV Park like a mirage out of the desert.

An unexpected but welcome sight for our morning eyes. It was a good time to stretch the legs and grab our first meal of the day. Why in the world anyone would stay at this place, in the middle of nowhere, is beyond me but it worked for us.

After breakfast we saddled up and knocked off the remaining 60 miles to Ely where we made our first fuel stop of the day. A short stint in Ely then it was time to hit the road again. We picked up Hwy 50 East in Ely then took on more fuel before heading south on Hwy 159 connecting to Hwy 21.

This next part of the journey would take us into Utah and a part of the country where civilization doesn't exist. In fact, not sure if anything exists on this stretch of road other than tumbleweeds and sage brush. We did manage to pass three bicyclists and maybe five cars during this 80 miles stretch of emptiness. Wait, bicyclist? WTF are these guys pedaling on this route in this part of the country?

At this point the temperatures were heating up again reaching close to 100F. We still had the cloud cover but you could certainly feel the heat. A new component also greeted us which were side winds that kept all of us from running that perfect line. It was a wobbly affair at best.

 To keep me hydrated in the heat and sun I always drink while riding using the two bottle carriers I have mounted in front of my Ultra saddle bags. As always, I grabbed one, taking advantage of no traffic and a straight road, just to find that I couldn't get it back in the holster after taking on a swig of water. The wind and speed were keeping it shut. So, in my infinite wisdom, decided I needed to slow down so I could get the water bottle back in. Well, with my left hand on the handlebar grip and my right holding the water bottle I needed to set the water bottle between my legs to disengage the cruise control. Bad move. Not five seconds later it flew out off my seat, hit the pavement then got crushed to smithereens by Wayne Kanaby who was behind me (sorry Wayne!) I stopped the group for a minute so I could retrieve the water bottle however it was now part of the desert. So, onward we went. BTW, good riding by Wayne to stay focused on the road and not doing any avoidance maneuvers which could have been hazardous to other riders in the group! The loss of the water bottle is hopefully our only catastrophe for the trip.

After spending what seemed forever on Hwy 21, and no services anywhere we took a quick road side break. For some of us, it was a well needed break! To protect the innocent, I won't name any names :-).

After our break we continued on towards Panguitch arriving just after 3:45pm and being on the road for almost six hours. Then, at the motel, we were met by the asshole of the day, the motel manager. The hotel was as empty as the terrain we just came across however he booked us all upstairs. Nice, now we get to haul all our crap up the steps to our rooms. There wasn't a car to be seen anywhere in the parking lot. After an exchange of a few harsh words we settled in to the New Western Motel, hauled our luggage up the stairs then sat down for a while, had a few drinks, shared stories then headed to dinner at the Cowboy's Smokehouse.

Another successful day with a great bunch of people.

 Day 4 (288 actual miles) – Torrey, UT
Tuesday, 8/4

Departed Panguitch at 6:58am M.S.T. Arrived in Torrey, UT at 6:08pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Ken Lee; Sweep: David Marks

Today the Road Captain baton was passed to Ken Lee leading us to Zion National Park (newly added) and Bryce Canyon - both spectacular parks. I was a floater and spent part of the time taking pictures of the group while on the road. It was in the plan that Ken would lead today however Zion was not part of our original plan. Because we were only an hour's ride away, and half of the group had not seen Zion, we agreed to add this to our agenda for the day tacking on an additional 140 miles. So, two out of the four days the original plan was changed. This is necessary to be flexible for long rides like this and to support what the group wants to do. It makes it that much more fun!

The departure from Panguitch was a chilly one with the temperature in the low 40's. We left Ken Rice behind due to a problem he was having with his eye which required medical attention. Nothing serious and Ken hooked up with the rest of us at the Bryce Canyon visitor center. Now, back to the morning start. Ken Lee led the group south on Hwy 89 to Zion ... a straight shot to the park. We stopped for breakfast at the Thunderbird Restaurant just a few miles from the Zion park entrance. After a quick breakfast we headed into the park. Thankfully the weather had already warmed up about 20°F which made the ride more enjoyable at this point.

After entering the park we shed our leathers and helmets (Utah is a no helmet state) to enjoy the maximum beauty the park has to offer. It did not let us down. By the time we departed Zion at 11:00am the temperature was approaching 80F and we were about an hour behind schedule. Sorry Ken (Rice) ... couldn't help taking lots of pictures!

Next stop was Bryce Canyon. Wanye Kanaby departed the group at Zion to seek out a town called Kanab (missing the 'y'). I'll have to leave it to him to explain the story sometime. Wayne, along with Ken Rice were now both going to meet the rest of the group at Bryce Canyon. We arrived at Bryce Canyon's visitor center about two hours behind our estimate however it's hard to stick with a timetable when you have parks like Zion and Bryce to see.

After spending a little more than an hour at Bryce Canyon's Sunset Point and Bryce Point, and connecting with Ken Rice and Wayne, we took off for Torrey, UT - our destination for the day. The weather was spectacular for our two stops with us catching the tail end of a shower prior to arriving in Torrey. We surpassed yesterday's altitude of 7146 feet by another 1150 feet reaching 8300 feet at Bryce Point. One can easily forget how high up we really are.

On a final note Ken and David did a great job getting us through our shortest distance day but longest time wise at 11 hours.  We capped the evening off with a great dinner at Diablo's where Ken Lee learned that Sope Langosta is a salad and not a soup. His comment to the waitress ... "This isn't mine ... I ordered soup!". Some of us hadn't laughed so hard in a very long time. After things settled down we finished our dinners then headed back to the motel to turn in for the night.

Also, tonight I was finally able to get a decent Internet connection and posted my pictures taken so far on our Chapter website photo album. Check in out here. There will be tons of pictures added upon our return but for those tracking the ride you can see more of what is happening.

 Day 5 (269 actual miles) – Moab, UT
Wednesday, 8/5

Departed Torrey at 6:57am M.S.T. Arrived in Moab, UT at 2:11pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Ken Lee; Sweep: David Marks

It was my second day floating with Ken Lee at the helm and David Marks picking up sweep as we departed Torrey on our way to Moab. The day began with a short ride from Torrey on Hwy 24 to Capital Reef and the Petroglyphs. The scenery was amazing with red rock formations all around in Capital Reef to a moonscape appearance leaving the park. Grey hills and dirt covered the landscape giving the feeling we were traveling on the moon. After a quick ride through we broke out into no man's land and headed east to Hanksville for breakfast.

After breakfast we fueled the bikes up and headed south on Hwy 95 for 122 miles before going north again on US-191 to Blanding. How these towns pop out of nowhere in the middle of nowhere is baffling to me but well received for stretching our legs, rehydrating ourselves and the bikes. In route we passed through Glen Canyon which is carved out of the landscape by the Colorado River and Lake Powell.

After stopping at a viewpoint for pictures overlooking the canyon and Lake Powell (thanks Wayne for taking the picture!) we continued onto Blanding then into Moab, our final destination for today.

Upon arriving in Moab it was a chance from some of us to see Arches Park, which is spectacular! About half of us have already have seen the park and arriving early into Moab gave us the chance to catch up on laundry, do some shopping and just plain relax. No seat time and a well needed break from riding!

The ride ended without incident and pretty much to plan and on time - around 2pm. There were  lots of twisties today giving some of us a chance to hone our skills through the turns, pushing the edge on speed and scraping floorboards while others just kept back to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

The day closed with dinner at the La Hacienda Mexican restaurant right next to the Inca Inn (our motel) and the traditional evening drinks and chat. This is one of my favorite times of the day which is to be able to talk to everyone, get to know people on a personal basis and make new friends. Some might even go so far to say that this group "bonding" time is what the ride is all about. I couldn't agree more!

 Day 6 (388 actual miles) – Rawlins, WY
Thursday, 8/6

Departed Moab at 7:00am M.S.T. Arrived in Rawlins, WY at 3:52pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Ken Lee

Day 6 was a "transfer" day, or better known as a slab day, moving us from Moab to Rawlins. The ride started out under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s. We headed north out of Moab on US-191 then quickly turned onto Hwy 128 which took us on a fantastic route up the Colorado River that was full of sweeping and aggressive turns in the midst of towering red cliffs that lined the river. For over a half an hour we were greeted with lots turns and no traffic which was so much fun to ride I forgot to stop and take pictures. Oh well, it's a memory for us all and for those that have never ridden this before, put it on your bucket list!

Like every day so far we always start out for an hour or so then find a place to eat breakfast and fuel up. Well, today didn't go exceptional well in that regards. After traveling for over an hour I was planning to have breakfast in Mack, CO however nothing was open and we ended taking a detour to Fruita, about five miles east of our planned route. Once arriving in Fruita it was apparent that wasn't a good idea. We rode through the town arriving at Buckboard Cafe only to find it was closed - along with about everything else in town. So, with disappointment, we ended up eating at Burger King. Guess you can't win every time!

During breakfast Kevin Baker wanted to go to Grand Junction Harley Davidson. Since our original plan was to take us up to Dinosaur to see the park we decided to detour from that and join Kevin because Ken Lee stated that the Dinosaur park was under renovation and not that interesting. So, Grand Junction it was!

Upon arriving at the dealership, sitting almost in front of the entrance as you entered, was a brand new 2010 SE Street Glide. This instantly caught the attention of Jozef and Ken Rice. In fact, Ken Rice was so taken by the bike, and the dealer had an amazing price that Ken put a deposit down! The group tried to sway Ken into purchasing the bike and taking it on the remainder of the ride but Ken didn't like that idea. Probably the right decision given the weather we had today (more to come on that.)

After an hour at the dealership we all headed down to Rifle then up CO-13 into Wyoming taking us across the Continental Divide at 7004 feet. We fueled up in Rifle with the next fuel stop planned in Craig, about 90 miles north. Throughout the ride north we tracked thunderstorms that had been occurring on the route. Skies darkened up then the road would divert us away. We almost got all the way to Craig before one of the storms was upon us. I pulled everyone off to put on their raingear then we headed into Craig. Not much came from the storm except wet roads. Once fueled up in Craig we ventured to our final destination, Rawlins - about 120 miles north and east. Here again we were fortunate to miss most of the thunderstorm activity except for the last leg on I-70 where we caught the trail end of a storm. Just some light rain and messy roads. Finally after nearly nine hours we arrived in Rawlins.

Once we arrived at the Days Inn, Duncan, Henry and Pat, Wayne and myself went to a local car wash to clean up the bikes. Others stayed at the motel and did the manual wash the bike from the waste basket. Fortunately the motel had old towels that could be used. Following the bike washing we assembled at 6pm for dinner at the Peppermill Bar & Grill.

While the idea of having a nice steak dinner was a great one, execution by the restaurant was abysmal. Kind of like breakfast. Food was mixed up, steaks were over cooked and to top it off, a massive storm came over and dumped on our bikes. Glad we spent so much time cleaning them up!

Anyway, all in all it was a good day despite the fact the food portions were a bust. After traveling through three states, enduring crappy food and dodging thunderstorms we were all ready to call it a day.

Day 7 (378 actual miles) – Rapid City, S.D.
Friday, 8/7

Departed Rawlins at 7:02am M.S.T. Arrived in Rapid City, SD at 2:27pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: David Marks

We've arrived! The goal today was to get to Rapid City as quickly as possible since the Harley Davidson exhibit and rides on their new 2010 models ended today. As such we decided to punt having lunch in Custer and just go straight to Rapid City so this turned into another "transfer" day. One of these days we may actually ride to my original plan! LOL. Seriously this is what it's all about ... making plans then evaluating them on the road and making the right adjustments for the group. So far so good!

We departed Rawlins early this morning under sunny skies and cool temperatures. We headed north on US-287 with the intentions of grabbing breakfast in Casper. After riding for about an hour and a half across the vast ranges of Wyoming then catching Hwy220 near Muddy Gap, we came across the West Side Cafe, in Casper to breakfast. One of our better breakfast meals of the trip.

After breakfast we fueled up and connected with I-25 south until picking up US-18 where we would take a break and loose some of our cold weather gear since the temperature was on the rise. After about 30 minutes we stopped in Lusk, WY to refuel. Here we had our first encounter with the police. Apparently I led the group through an intersection and didn't come to a complete stop. Well, I know I didn't come to a stop but I didn't see the stop sign. Two people in the group did, along with the cop however the rest of us missed it. That said, he rallied us all together then proceeded to give us the lecture on stopping at stop signs. We were all humbled from the discussion and lucky for us, the officer did not issue any tickets. So, from this point onward, through Sturgis, no more rolling stops in these towns! Lesson one learned. Anyway, after we received the lecture and refueled we hit the road again pushing through to Rapid City, SD by 2:30pm.

While in route we saw hundreds an hundreds of motorcycles, motorcycles with trailers and trucks with trailers heading the opposite direction from us. While I've not been to Sturgis, those that have - have not experience Sturgis on the last weekend. So, we're all in for something new and it will be interesting to see the difference between arriving during the first few days verses the last.

Our stay in Rapid City is at the Super 8. Upon arrival and check in we quickly unloaded our bikes and headed to the Convention Center for the Harley Davidson exhibit. Turns out, for the first time the exhibit was outside. Man, it was sure hot and  your couldn't stop a sweat. The exhibit tents weren't even equipped with fans so everywhere you went it was too hot to really take in the event. That said, it was more about the new bikes and test rides than anything else. I came across some of the new SE bikes and thought the new Fat Bob showed some unique styling and looked really good. Another thing that did come from the test rides was David Marks took a SE 2010 Ultra out and now is hooked! However, he'll be waiting a while since he just purchased a 2009 Road Glide.

After about 30 minutes at the exhibit some of us went on to Black Hills Harley Davidson. While this too was outside it was by far more enjoyable than what was going on at the convention center. Lot's of vendors were present and it was interesting to see new things going on for Harley motorcycles. After walking around in the heat we headed inside the dealership to cool off and pick up T-shirts and other stuff. For me, I asked one of the gals in Motorclothes if they had any new half helmets. She turned around and said "why I sure do ... this just arrived today". "This" being a new half helmet with integrated sun visor. Hmmm, wonder how effective this would be against rain and if I could start leaving my full face at home? Well, since my current helmet was falling apart I bought this new version. I'll have lots of opportunities to try it in the rain since we're getting hit with Thunderstorms for the new couple of days.

Today marks the mid-point of the ride. We've covered 2677 miles in seven days and have seen some amazing parks and the new 2010 Harleys so far. The rest of the trip should be just as amazing with stops at Yellowstone, Glacier Park and the northern Rockies around Banff and Lake Louise.

Thunderstorms are predicted for the next couple of days however that won't dampen our time here for the next three days. Tomorrow we'll start with a morning ride to Keystone for breakfast, the visit Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Deadwood before heading to Sturgis around lunch time. Until next time, have a good weekend - we will!!

Day 8 (150 actual miles) – Southwest S.D.
Saturday, 8/8

Today marks the first day of our second week on the ride. There were no formal plans for this weekend to allow those that wanted to go to Sturgis time to go and for others that may want to tour the area, do that too. Most of us did however do a group ride to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Deadwood and Sturgis.

The morning started with Ken Rice showing signs of too much partying from the night before at Sturgis. He, Wayne and Jozef enjoyed the nightlife a bit too much last night absorbing the sights and sounds late into the night. Red eyed this morning, Ken did in fact join the rest of us for breakfast at Denny's across the street while we pulled together the day's plan.

Originally we were going to get started at 8:00am, ride out to Keystone for breakfast however that plan changed when we woke up to wet weather and decided then to walk across the street for breakfast to give the weather a chance to clear up and roads to dry up. An hour later, it did just that! We headed out a little after 9:00am to Mt. Rushmore under beautiful sunny skies.

Upon arriving at the entrance we were greeted by a fee of $10 to enter this National Park. Our National Park passes weren't valid because this was a "parking" fee and not an entrance fee. WTF is that all about! I'll tell you, it's a letter in the making to Washington regarding this one. After tempers settled down we did make it to the terrace where there was an open view of the four Presidents carved into stone. It was a magnificent site. There was someone hanging from the head of Roosevelt which was a little distraction (will require some Photoshop work to edit out of the close-ups) but none the less, it was very cool to see. After we took our round of photos we jumped back on the bikes for a short ride to see the Crazy Horse monument, the world's largest mountain carving.

The Crazy Horse monument is a publically funded project immortalizing Crazy Horse himself. I won't go into details here however you can explore the history of this work in progress on the Internet if you're interested. It's been 50 years since the project started by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski with just the face being completed 11 years ago. It could be another 100+ years to complete. What's cool is that this is being done by Korczak's family (he himself died in 1982) and while it won't be completed in our lifetime, it's well worth seeing this amazing work and learning about Crazy Horse and Korczak. There is a 1/34th version sculpted by Korczak which is on display and used to ensure the mountain is carved exactly to right dimensions. If you haven't seen this monument be sure to add it to your list of places to see. There is a $5 admission but unlike Mt. Rushmore, this project is funded completely but public money - no government involvement and is money well spent.

After spending some time watching the introductory movie, walking through the museum and store we headed to Deadwood. Deadwood is a cool little town, located deep in the Black Hills, that is filled with saloons and one armed bandits. Of course there is the occasional gift and jewelry shops as well. We spent a little over an hour walking down and up main street before getting back on the bikes and heading to our final destination for the day - Sturgis.

Sturgis is, well, Sturgis. Even though we are picking up the last two days there are still a zillion people and bikes. Bikes are everywhere you go.

There are literally hundreds of bike vendors, T-shirt shops, places to buy everything for outfitting yourself from virtually nothing on you to full leathers. There is also an abundance of saloons and bars - as you'd expect. You'll find tastefully painted topless (but covered if you know what I mean) women, to Hell Angels, families with young kids (how weird is that), a guy representing Jesus carrying the cross down main street, to just about anything you can imagine. For me, being my first time here, it was taking in all of what Sturgis is about. The constant bumping in to people, music everywhere, the smell of BBQs going, etc. ... basically the Oyster Run at a much grander scale. Wayne found the time to get some pinstriping added to his new 2009 Road King while the rest of us picked up the usual T-shirt, patch and pins.

The saloons are crazy and huge. We stopped at the Full Throttle Saloon first, during the day (nothing happens until night) to grab a drink and T-shirt. Then we headed into Sturgis to walk the streets, grab T-shirts, patches, etc. before heading back to our motel and dinner around 5pm. The plan was to head back this evening for taking in the night life however the weather killed that plan. Thunderstorms, rain and wind roared in while we were at TGIF for dinner and in the end, kept us at the motel dashing any hopes of getting out to experience the "other" part of Sturgis - the nightlife. Of course, Jozef, Ken and Wayne already have been there, done that but for some of the rest of us we hope to have a 2nd chance tomorrow. We'll see. If you don't see a write up tomorrow, Day 9, you'll know we were successful! :-)

Day 9 (306 miles) – Badlands, Wounded Knee
Sunday, 8/9

Today was an open riding day for everyone and the first day Carmen (Duncan's wife) joined the group. Welcome Carmen! Duncan picked up Carmen at the airport around 1pm then they, along with Henry and Pat went out to Sturgis again. This is the first time for Carmen to see Sturgis. The rest of us took off for the Badlands in the morning while Ken Rice stayed behind to be Suzy homemaker and do laundry. As such, Ken Lee and I took the opportunity to provide Ken Rice a few more items to wash and ensure the $1.75 spend on washing and $1.50 on drying was maximized. Thanks Ken! Now, back to the rest of the day.

Once again we woke up to wet roads and bikes. This is getting really tiring but indicators are that we're in for sunshine for the next few days. After a quick drying session of the bikes, David, Jozef, Wayne, Ken Lee and I headed out to the Badlands around 8:00 this morning. The ride was brisk on I-90 taking us to Wall for breakfast and a quick walk through of the town and Wall Drug.

After about an hour we headed south on Hwy 240 to the entrance of the Badlands. What a magnificent place. Riding through the Badlands brought back memories of the movie I saw, and really enjoyed, titled "Thunderheart." I'm now riding my bike through the very area this movie was set and more importantly, where some of the most beautiful landscape exists in the world. Vibrant colors are everywhere and the slow going pace through this part of the country was very enjoyable. Definitely another "Bucket List" item if you haven't seen the Badlands. Wow!

While riding through the various cliffs and plateaus, I moved ahead to get another picture of the gang on their bikes. They pulled a surprise on me which lined them all up for the photo shoot. Great attitude and credit goes to Jozef for setting them up for the shoot.

After a short stay at the Visitor Center we split up. Jozef and David headed north on Hwy 44 the I-90 West to Sturgis while Wayne, Ken Lee and I headed south to Wounded Knee. The ride there took us west of Hwy 44 then turning south on Hwy 27 through the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. After a threat of another thunderstorm forces us to suit up in our rain gear, beautiful country greeted us for the ride. Upon arriving in Scenic, S.D. we paused for a minute to remove our gear since the sun was out in full force now. We then took off for Wounded Knee. In route we stopped at the Badlands south entrance visitor center. After a few minutes of looking into the history of the Lakota Tribe we saddled up and headed south.

While riding south for a few minutes I noticed Ken Lee had dropped off. Wayne and I waited for a few minutes then back tracked to find Ken. No sooner did we turn around Ken showed up. Turns out Ken was picking up crap flying out of Wayne's right saddlebag since he neglected to close and lock it. Wayne wins the "dweeb" award for the day!

We arrived at Wounded Knee to find the site being cared for by local volunteers. They were cutting down weeds, mowing and doing general clean up. Now that I got a sense of the history behind Wounded Knee, visiting the site meant something completely different.

We spent about 15 minutes there then following a quick visit at the museum, Ken, Wayne and I took off to return to Rapid City for dinner and hooking up with the rest of the group.

Tomorrow we begin the trip west to Cody. It's great to have Carmen on board for the remainder of the trip.

Day 10 (434 actual miles) – Cody, WY
Monday, 8/10

Departed Rapid City at 6:58am M.S.T. Arrived in Cody, WY at 4:12pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Jozef Bielec

Today's write up will be short for a couple reasons - it was primarily a slab day with one side trip to Devils Tower and that I'm too tired to write much tonight. Staying up till midnight then getting up at 5:45am every day is starting to wear on me.

We left Rapid City under clear skies heading west on I-90 towards Cody, WY. Our first stop would be Sundance, WY for breakfast. After a quick breakfast we headed to Devils Tower for a few pictures then returned to our route west.

About half the trip was on the Interstate before arriving at Buffalo, WY where we departed I-90, refueled the bikes and headed west on Hwy 16 through the Bighorn National Forrest. I led a spirited ride up the mountains through the twists and turns until we reached the summit of Powder River Pass at 9666 ft. before our decent downward.

We arrived in Cody just before 4pm - enough time for most of use to visit the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, do a little shopping then head to the Irma Hotel, built by Buffalo Bill, for dinner.

Day 11 (290 actual miles) – Bozeman, MT
Tuesday, 8/11

Departed Cody at 7:56am M.S.T. Arrived in Bozeman at 5:09pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: David Marks (Yellowstone Route)
Road Captain: Ken Lee; Sweep: Jozef Bielec (Beartooth Route)

As you probably can tell from the Road Captain assignments - today was a split ride. This was in the plan since some wanted to go run up to Beartooth Pass while others, such as yours truly, wanted to go into Yellowstone Park. For me, it was the first time and partly why I ran the route through the park.

We all met for breakfast around 7am departing from our normal routine of riding for an hour or so then eating breakfast. Since the ride was split we chose to eat together before everyone headed out on their own way. The Beartooth route included Ken Lee, Jozef and Wayne. All other riders went with me with David as sweep.

Again the day started out dry and sunny but cold! For those riding the Yellowstone route, after about an hour of being on the road, we stopped just short of the east park entrance to take a break and add additional layers. Temps seemed like they were in the upper 40's although the weather forecast indicated lower 50's. Either way everyone was chilled to the bone.

 The Beartooth group encountered similar cold temperatures entering from the northeast corner of the park.

One thing you may have started noticing in the pictures is the "pose" that Wayne has started getting everyone to do. It's that "bad biker look". Wayne, dude, it doesn't work! Sorry man. We'd need to dump the Under Armour, add a few tattoos on our necks and grow out beards to start looking the part. So, for some of us, a more "traditional" pose may be used :-). Ok, back to the ride.

I've heard horror stories about the Yellowstone Park traffic - cars and campers driving slow and stopping in the middle of the road to look at the wildlife ... and lots of them! Well, for those of us on the Yellowstone route we didn't really encounter the traffic or the chance to see any wildlife. Ok, an Elk was spotted in distance and an apparent buffalo resting on the hillside. That was it. For the Beartooth guys they apparently did see lots of buffalo, bears and other wildlife.

Getting back to the traffic I will say that while the traffic was flowing for the most part the drivers must have been from Seattle. Driving 10 - 15 mph less than the speed limit with nobody in front of them, then, at times, coming to a stop in the middle of the road for something, not sure what. These people think they are the only ones on the road and obviously don't give a sh*t about anyone around them. I certainly could have exchanged a few words with these idiots but didn't.

 The day became somewhat a traffic awareness day with two near misses. First, Wayne was in a pass going up Beartooth when the car he was passing, decided it didn't want to run over some rough pavement so it moved left, squeezing Wayne onto a loose shoulder with a 700' drop off next to him. Although I wasn't there to see what happened, Ken and Jozef both were as uneasy about the situation as Wayne was being in it. Fortunately, Wayne kept his cool and was able to get out of it. Another passing issue happened with Ken Rice. The group was passing a car that was moving very slowly when the driver of the car decided to hit the gas for no apparent reason other than we were passing him. That put Ken in a situation where he couldn't get by the car and oh, btw, now an oncoming car right is right in front of him. Ken was forced to abort the pass, quickly, hit his breaks and pull back in behind the car he was attempting to pass. Lessoned learned here ... if you're in a passing situation (which you will be on this group rides) never trust the driver of the vehicle you are passing and have an escape route mapped in your head. You will need it!

Moving on to the rest of the ride for the Yellowstone group we made the southern loop stopping to see Old Faithful, the thermal pools, and the waterfalls along the Yellowstone river on the north rim of the Canyon area. Be sure to check out all the photos through the links at the top of this page.

After spending the better part of the day going through the park we exited out the north end and ended up running into the Beartooth group in Gardiner, MT. After a short break we headed to our final destination for the day - Bozeman, MT.

While there were a couple of close calls, everyone is safe and we all had a great day today. Very scenic day with lots of pictures and memories.

Day 12 (314 actual miles) – Whitefish, MT
Wednesday, 8/12

Departed Bozeman at 6:55am M.S.T. Arrived in Whitefish at 2:26pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: David Marks; Sweep: Ken Lee

Today was a day of firsts on a couple of accounts. To start the day, David Marks took the helm as Road Captain for the first time since his training earlier in the year. It was a great opportunity for David considering he's been doing a great job as a sweep on many of the legs during this ride and it was a slab day making it easier to work the route. Still, not easy coralling eight bikes with riders that want to do nothing be feed David sh*t all the time - yours truly included. All in good fun! It's fair to say that David learned a lot today at the same time he did a great job. Excellent work for his first outing as RC!!

Next was that Jozef volunteered to take pictures of the group on the road so I handed him my camera and gave a few basics of operation. Again, another learning experience and Jozef is ready to go at it all again. Way to go Jozef! In fact, Jozef was so anxious to get the pics, the first group of pics he was going to take were down the wrong road! David ended up having to chase him down (not easy to do when highway speeds are 70+) and lasso Jozef to bring him back. This adds Jozef to the list of those to receive the "bone head" award. In Jozef's words "Wait ... I was being the surrogate photographer and the Road Captain didn't tell me the route so it's not may fault" ... yeah ... sure ... whatever you say Jozef! The rest of us had a pretty good laugh while this was taking place. One thing about these rides, every day is a new experience and you never know what to expect. Part of what makes these the best thing to do in the world!

The route today took us west on I-90 for about 30 miles before exiting to catch US-287 north into Helena, MT where we stopped for breakfast. We then took Hwy 141 to Hwy 200 finishing on Hwy 83 along the west slopes of the Rockies. At the junction of Hwy 200 and Hwy 83 we stopped for a break and fuel. Once ready to go, this is where Jozef took off ready to do his photography thing ... but down the wrong path.

The group decided to exit Hwy 83 towards Big Fork to check out he village of shops. But, instead of shopping most of us infiltrated the UPS Store to send excessive clothes and goodies back home. This lightened the load for us but at the expense of not seeing the town. A trade-off well worth it.

After getting everything taken care of at the UPS store we took off for Kalispell, MT for a couple of oil changes and shirt purchases at Montana Harley Davidson. The weather started turning for the worst leaving Kalispell towards Whitefish which caused us to put our rain gear on. Weather here sucks so far and our ride to Glacier Park is in jeopardy as a result. We're expected to be in the rain through Saturday but our fingers are crossed.

Day 13 (305 actual miles) – Canmore, Alberta
Thursday, 8/13

Departed Whitefish at 6:52am M.S.T. Arrived in Canmore, Alberta at 4:23pm M.S.T.
Road Captain: Ken Lee; Sweep: Alan Steiner

This morning we woke up to dark skies and rain. We got a preview yesterday of what was to come and sure enough, a weather disturbance hit hard and disrupted our plans to Glacier National Park today. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was more about rain than sun. Given that many parts of the road have no barrier (with steep drop offs) and concerned about safety with wet roads plus possible visibility issues, Ken Lee and I aborted the ride to Glacier. Instead we stayed west of the Rockies following Hwy 93 up to TC1 then east to Canmore (our destination) with an hour stop in Banff.

To start the morning David Marks would not be joining us for the day since he would be picking up a friend and then ride separately to meet us in Canmore. For the rest of us, breakfast would be at Jack's in Eureka, MT - just south of the US/Canada border and about an hour north of Whitefish. For the first 175 miles we encountered on and off rain with a break finally coming at our first refueling stop in Radium, B.C.

After about 30 minutes of drying time we ventured into Kootenay National Park under partly sunny skies. This would be our path to cross over the Rockies into Alberta. The weather broke at the perfect time giving all of us a chance to enjoy a spectacular ride through the Rockies with magnificent views of the mountains, rivers and best of all, the large number of long sweeping turns. This helped add some joy to what was an abysmal ride so far.

About half way into the park we came to the Continental Divide (third time on this trip) where we stopped for a quick photo opportunity. Just east of the Divide we entered Alberta and the Kootenay National Park became Banff National Park.

As I mentioned already we stopped for a break in Banff since we were running early and didn't see the point of arriving early at hour hotel in Canmore. The rain really picked up while in Banff and made our ride to Canmore completely miserable. Upon arriving at the Canmore Inn & Suites we were glad to see that this was going to be a nice place to stay and for the first time, we would have covered parking for the bikes. A welcome surprise after being in the rain most of today. Also, David Marks just happened to have arrived five minutes before our arrival so everyone made it safely. Finally, for most of us, and something we didn't think would happen in August, we would turn on the heat in our rooms (not A/C) to warm up not only the room, but us and also give our gear that was wet a chance to dry out.

Tomorrow is supposed to bring more of the same and may spoil our trip to Lake Louise. Only time will tell.

Day 14 (209 actual miles) – Revelstoke, B.C.
Friday, 8/14

Departed Canmore before 8:00am M.S.T. Arrived in Revelstoke, B.C. at 2:04pm P.S.T.
Road Captain: Ken Lee; Sweep: Alan Steiner

Today's ride started out much like yesterday's ride ended. Wet and cold. In fact, there was a fresh dusting of snow in the hills with flurries falling in the Rockies for our trip later in the morning. Just great! That said, everyone saddled up and we headed to Banff for breakfast at Melissa's Restaurant - just about 15 minutes from our motel in Canmore. Breakfast was great and made us forget about the weather for a little while anyhow.

After breakfast we headed out on Bow Valley Trail (Hwy 1A) towards Lake Louise. During this segment the rain started to die off although the temperature remained in the upper 30's. Today called for heated gear - something hard to believe would be used in August! So, remember, always bring your heated gear (if you have it) and rain gear ... no matter how nice it may seem back home.

After crossing the Rockies the weather started to break for good giving us mostly sunny skies for the ride to Revelstoke. This part of the ride was really painful. Not only were the speeds 90 kph (55mph) or less for the last 160km but people that stacked up 100 cars behind them would never pull over. So, instead of 90kph it was mostly 50-70kph. TC-1 is a two lane highway going east-west with hardly any passing lanes. I think I counted four in the last 100 miles. When a passing lane did come up it was a race to the end. In some instances we had cars passing us on the right, and left that underestimated the distance and would cut into the group ... even if we were tight. By the time we arrived in Revelstoke I, along with others, were ready to kill. Very tense moments on the road today.

Once we weaved our way out of the Rockies we entered P.S.T. again. Another surprise for me was that we did manage to make it over Glacier Park finally. Problem is, this was the Canadian version and there was no Going-to-the-sun road. Instead, it was the road of  f**ked up drivers. Anyway, it was the thought that counts :)

Our final fuel stop would be in Golden, B.C. Here we found 94 octane gas at the whopping price of CAN$1.15/liter. This is about $4.35/gal! Regular 91 octane wasn't much cheaper. Gas in Canada is really expensive. Just FYI if you're planning a trip here anytime soon.

After our fuel stop we went nonstop to Revelstoke where we arrived earlier than plan (since we punted more shopping on Banff). We were greated by the hotel manager telling us "come back in an hour ... we'll have your rooms ready." Bummer. So, off to the nearest Bar & Grill for a beer an appetizers while we wait. After a hour we headed back and was able to finally check in. Since the bikes had two days of rain, dirt and mud on them ... and ... the weather was improving we all decided to wash down our bikes (as we normally do every day after a ride.) David Marks had made reservations at Woolsey Creek Cafe - a small bistro in old town. Excellent dinner and great service. Thanks for the recommendation David and a great way to end the day!

After dinner we headed back to our motel (Super 8), had a few drinks to reflect on the day then everyone disbanded and went to bed. Tomorrow is our last night together as a group and hopefully the weather will cooperate for our ride home.

Day 15 (302 actual miles) – Osoyoos, B.C.
Saturday, 8/15

Departed Revelstoke at 6:51am P.S.T. Arrived in Osoyoos, B.C. at 4:49pm P.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Ken Lee

Today was like any other day so far on this two week ride. Everyone packed all their stuff on the bikes, stood around drinking coffee and looking at the sky to figure out the weather. Thankfully, the weather looked favorable today with cloudy skies and dry roads. We took off a few minutes before our normal start time and headed south on the 23 towards Shelter Bay. We needed to be there before the hour to catch the one ferry that will take us across the Columbia River to continue the morning ride to Nakusp. this is where breakfast would be.

Prior to boarding the ferry, Wayne was looking at my bike when he noticed the rear tire had no tread left! Given Wayne jokes around all the time I didn't really pay attention to him until others commented on the same thing. Turns out that Wayne wasn't being a jokester this time. The rear tire on my bike was bald. No tread, nothing. Given all the rain we've had the past couple days, it's somewhat amazing that the bike didn't loose control. This latest set of events would be a setback for me since I needed to get my tire replaced and couldn't join the others on the ride. David, Henry and Pat all volunteered to accompany me to Kane's Harley in Kelowna. The others continued on with the original route and plan for the day.

Before splitting up we all had breakfast in Nakusp - about 30 miles south from where we got off the ferry. At this point we split and went our own ways. The route to Kelowna took us on Hwy 6 west through some amazing twisties that I'll have to come back for some day. Due to the tire issue I didn't push the turns like I normally would have but nonetheless it was still a very nice ride to Vernon. From Vernon until our arrival in Kelowna and onto Osoyoos it was on Hwy 97 which had lots of stop lights and construction.

We arrived at Kane's Harley in Kelowna around 2:00pm. To kill time we went across the street to a pub for some appetizers before returning to the dealership around 3:30pm. At that time the bike was ready with the tab coming to $364. Ouch. Oh well, can't put a price on having good rubber and piece of mind. After paying the bill we took off south on 97 through the Okanagon wine country before landing at the Holiday Inn in Osoyoos.

Nice motel and spectacular view of the river. We me up with the others in the restaurant and bar in the hotel around 5:30pm and had a great dinner. I was presented with a card, thanking me for pulling the ride together, which I was very touched by. This group of people is amazing and I'll get more into that on my final write up tomorrow. Until then...

Day 16 (243 actual miles to ride end in Arlington) - Arlington, WA
Sunday, 8/16

Departed Osoyoss at 7:02am P.S.T. Ride ended in Arlington at 2:03pm P.S.T.
Road Captain: Alan Steiner; Sweep: Ken Lee

5245 Total Miles

My last entry will not be about the ride but the people I've spent the last two weeks with. It's hard to put in words what it's been like to ride with these people. All experienced and great riders which added to the excitement and fun. It certainly made my job easy and more enjoyable. We pushed our riding limits to new levels, saw some amazing parts of the country and endured 110° desert heat to 38° cold and rain but most of all, spent time together as a group building on existing friendships and making new ones. It wasn't all about the riding. These trips never are. It's also about the people experience. While the scenery was magnificent, and Sturgis was ... well Sturgis, to me this ride, as with others, is about the people I was with and the endless conversations that took place over two weeks. Getting to know people at a personal level. All in all, looking holistically about this trip, it was a truly unforgettable experience.

So, thanks to Ken Lee and David for helping lead the way and being my sweep. Furthermore, helping pull together the ride with invaluable feedback and consultation during the ride. To Wayne for his unmatched sense of humor to always keep everyone upbeat no matter what situation we are in. To Jozef for helping me push my limits on my riding skills. To Ken Rice for his exuberate personality that can make a friend no matter where we are. To my new friends, Duncan, Carmen, Henry and Pat who rode with the rest of us for the first time. To Henry and Pat for riding with me to get my new tire in Kelowna knowing they'd miss out on more scenic ride. Also, the countless interesting stories we discussed. Thanks to Duncan for his amazing knowledge of historic facts and of the country. Also, his 1-liners than only a true Texan can say. To Carmen for keeping us all on the go. Definitely a new meaning to the Energizer bunny! Also, to Kevin, who left the group in Rapid City, for giving me the opportunity to do some self reflecting. Thank you everyone for one of the best times of my life!

For those of you that read this and followed along I hope you got some sense of what a group ride is about. That said, until you actually ride, you are missing out on the real experience - the personal experience. Ride hard. Ride safe.

Alan Steiner