"Well, you're a long way from home..." 21 Days Across the United States

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After months and months of anticipation, I finally headed out on my solo trip out west. 21 Days, 10 National Parks and 7,248 miles later, I returned home last Friday. Incredible, amazing, and unreal are all fitting adjectives to describe this trek. Seeing some of the most beautiful landscapes on the planet is a humbling experience and it gave me a new perception of what really matters.

Below are some photos from my phone. However, I will be posting mostly "real" photos from my Olympus EM5 in the report. I rode my 2007 Honda VFR800, a truly amazing bike that never quit. Maybe my next trip will be on a Commando?

Clearing skies in the Grand Tetons

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A long but surreally beautiful day across the Hi-Line in Montana

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Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park, Swiftcurrent Lake.

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Monument Valley. So cool.

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I couldn't get enough of Montana. It's a dream.

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More Teton awesomeness.

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Chicks keeping me up all night.

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Glad I got a chance to see these guys close up.

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Sometimes you need to put your bike in the hotel room

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Camping at Muley Point

This report will be photo heavy!

Awesomes pictures. That first shot of the Tetons is unbelieveable. Excellent!

Willy

Awesomes pictures. That first shot of the Tetons is unbelieveable. Excellent!

Glad you like them! That's one of my favorites too.

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Day One, September 1st 2012.: 680 miles

I got the idea to do this trip a little over a year ago. Once I sorted out everything with work and it was cool, I could not stop daydreaming about this day. Mostly all of the places/states I visited on this journey were new to me, so my impression of them was a blank canvas. One of the most anticipated places for me was Montana. So this would be my first major destination.

I knew my time, for the route I wanted to take, was limited and I wasn't sure if I would be able to squeeze it all in. So, like many first days on long trips, it was mostly a haul and a lesson in endurance. This would be the start of my longest trip as well as my longest day ever on a bike.

I tried to get a early start because I knew I'd be on the bike for at least 12 hours today. I had my gear sorted pretty well in the days leading up to the trip.

Here I am, well-groomed to be shortly ungroomed.

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Made my way up through the State College area of PA, and unknowingly got caught up in some football(?) event traffic. Lots of red cups, blue shirts, but no Sandusky. Whew.... I eventually broke out of the delays and made my way towards Ohio. I had my Ipod on shuffle all day and it was doing a good job of bringing the hits.

North Central Pennsylvania is a beautiful place. I hope to do more riding and camping in this area soon. Unfortunately, today, I saw it at 80 mph on the Interstate.

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I made it to northern Ohio and was mostly dazed by the day's need for a lot of concentration and PMA. The industrial farming of northern Ohio was ever present and the heat was wearing me down, but I eventually made it to Saginaw MI. My push West was off to a good start, I just didnt know where I would be staying.

To be straight up, every hotel in Saginaw looked shady as hell. Not feeling like setting up, let alone finding a camp, I chose this hotel to end my day. The sun was putting on a nice show and it got me excited for the skies I'd see in the weeks to come.

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I asked at the front desk if my bike would be safe outside for the night. The girl replied "Its the Hood, so probably not..." Alright then.

I convinced her that allowing me to wheel the bike inside my room would be keen. She also gave me 30 bucks off the room for the broken A/C in the room. Thanks lady.

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This ended a fairly uneventful day. I had a tough time getting to sleep from all the mind-racing but I was ready for the next day.

Me too...thanks for starting your report Patrick. Love sleeping with your VFR...classic!

Beer in my fridge..... check!

Fresh popcorn..... check!!

Bring on the next 20 days!!!

:laugh:

Nice writeup and adventure so far! But I can't see any pics! What happened?

Chuckster

Nice writeup and adventure so far! But I can't see any pics! What happened?

What about now? I think I had my permissions on the Flickr album on the wrong setting. Let me know. Thanks for reading!

PatrickM

Chuckster

Nice writeup and adventure so far! But I can't see any pics! What happened?

What about now? I think I had my permissions on the Flickr album on the wrong setting. Let me know. Thanks for reading!

Patrick, still not seeing anything.

Chuck

Chuck

Must be your settings, I see them ok....

No problem here either, and I am at work behind a firewall that stops a lot of pics...

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Day Two: Saginaw MI to Wakefield MI, 499 miles

I woke at 5 am because I was amped and ready to get further west. It was much easier getting the bike through the halls on the way into the hotel then it was on the way out.

Beautiful Michigan morning, feeling great...

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I finally made it to the Mackinac Bridge that connects the lower peninsula to the upper peninsula. It felt as though I was about to cross over into a new phase of the trip. The weather was perfect once I reached Mackinaw City. This was only after riding through some of the heaviest fog I have ever seen.

The Mackinac Bridge is the 3rd longest suspension bridge in the US and 12th in the world at 26,372 feet. I can only imagine what it was like to build this beast and the winds those dudes must have put up with. This area has a lot of historical significance and was a major fishing area for the Cree people. [image: 8040943886_9f6c379951_b.jpg]

And so my trip took on a new vibe once I made it the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I started to feel like it was beginning once I left the interstate highways. [image: 8040944274_a1e468885b_b.jpg]

My bike had been acting a bit strange all morning. It seemed as though the fuel pump was priming quite slowly when I keyed up. Throughout the day it became slower and slower. Having recently gone on a trip where a friends regulator/rectifier quit towards the end of the ride, I started to think of all the negative scenarios. Was mine going now? On the second day of this long-awaited trip??

I stopped to rest in Munising, MI to rest and check out Lake Superior. What a superior lake. A real nice place to have a vacation it seems.

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I stopped at a grocery store to pick up something to cook that night at a campground I had yet to find. When I came out and went to start the bike I only got a tiny little click, then nothing. Shit... I tried to chill out and attempt to find the source of the problem. [image: 8040945206_55f06ba463_b.jpg]

Well. I got the bike unloaded and started to check the connections when I noticed something extremely relieving. There was my positive battery cable, gingerly resting on top of the batteries terminal. Just a touch of metal to metal contact. It seems as though I didn't torque the fastener down tight enough while doing some checks and it had vibrated loose. Or it was not tightened at all prior to me leaving. What mattered now was that, as soon as I sorted it out, the bike fired right up. A pretty good scare to set me straight for the rest of the trip. As an engineer, I should know better...

The rest of the day was a haul west along Route 2, pacing towards Montana... I began to go through a little battle in my head. "Stop? or keep going?" "Camp here? or find the next campground?.... This went on for a few hours until I eventually called it near Wakefield, MI. I found a family-friendly campground at Sunday Lake.

Not too much to say about the campground, but it was nice to have some sunlight left and a place to end my day. [image: 8040945850_4ce8fcb90d_b.jpg][image: 8040938619_f28d331b45_b.jpg]

Dinner. Uncle Bens and Green Beans. This kind of frugality would soon lead to a steady diet of Mexican and Clif Bars. [image: 8040946474_6bc14181b0_b.jpg]

A big thank you PatrickM!

Great story and pictures. Look forward to traveling with you.

Really like the Muley Point picture!

Patrick, very nice! I'm planning a very long trip next year. So this is a nice primer. Looking forward to the rest of the story :tour:

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Day 3: Wakefield MI to Jamestown ND, 458 miles

Cold Uncle Ben's rice with green beans is definitely not as good 8 hours later than when it's hot. Also not my first choice for breakfast normally, but whatever... Lets hit it.

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These long, solo, first few days were all about making myself think about the big picture. I kept reminding myself of the awesome things I'd see once I got through it. Not that they were not great days, but they were just constant hauls and I didn't have much time to take it all in.

The plan was to head through to Wisconsin and try and stop in Duluth for a break and coffee. This was Labor Day, however, and every good coffee place was closed. Sorry Dunkin Donuts lovers, that shit isnt coffee.

I eventually found an awesome place in West Duluth called Beaner's and had an enormous cup of delicious coffee and a breakfast burrito. Its amazing what a proper meal can do for your mind.

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I made my way towards the northern woods of Minnesota, across Route 200. It's really beautiful around here and it reminds me of Quebec. There's nothing for miles but trees and more trees. [image: 8044983974_af1e79f6b1_b.jpg]

I began to get closer to North Dakota by the end of the day and I felt another sense of reaching a milestone. There was a little rain in Fargo once I arrived but nothing to hold me back. I had already decided that I needed a shower, so a room was on the list for tonight. I called ahead to some Jamestown, North Dakota hotels to check availability. It would be around 1 and a half more hours until I'd get there. Not bad. As I left Fargo, I saw a storm moving towards the northeast while I heading west. It didn't really make me to concerned, so I pushed on.

The sky on the right, not cool. The sky to left, better, and where I am heading. [image: 8044984176_d5c208ab82_b.jpg]

Unfortunately, the road started to veer to the north and the sky began to grow angrier. [image: 8044977855_d0263b1d9a_b.jpg]

I kept going, and planned to put on my rain gear just down the road. As soon as I made that decision, the sky just opened up and dumped the largest rain drops it could on me. Within 30 seconds I was soaked. Winds like I never rode in before whipped me all over the road. I found an overpass to hide under and haphazardly throw my rain gear on. The rain calmed a bit and I went off again... Not a mile down the road the hail began to pelt me like crazy and that was about all I could handle at this point. To be honest, it was pretty unnerving and scary. I found another overpass to hide under for a while. Finally, it all chilled out and I continued on for the last 30 miles to Jamestown.

I get to Jamestown with a few miles worth of gas left and find the hotel. It was right next to the Northern Pacific Railway. This town was pretty bad ass and I liked its style. [image: 8044977979_1b069f50a0_b.jpg]

Great read, looking forward to the rest of the trip

Great stuff Patrick! I can even see pics now at home! Must be my paranoid IT folks at work was why I couldn't see them earlier although I can usually see pics in threads. Don't know what the deal was. Looking forward to the rest of your story. Those are really some incredible pictures! You're going to have all of us planning trips.

Chuck

Great pics. Thanks for posting.

I really want to do an epic trip along this line. :fing02:

Chuckster

I can even see pics now at home! Must be my paranoid IT folks at work was why I couldn't see them earlier although I can usually see pics in threads

Chuck

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Some stunningly beautiful pictures, nice!! Thanks for sharing.

Great pix's. Kept it up.

This is an excellent ride report. Nicely done, fantastic pics, and keep it coming...I need something to do at "work."

Astounding, I featured it on the homepage, congrats on a great story!

:lurk:

It is sooo much work and time consuming to get good photos like this - stopping, taking the shot, getting going again and still trying to get in some good mileage for the day. Nicely done. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Thanks for the share.

An Epic has just made my bucket list.. :wheel:

I can even see pics now at home! Must be my paranoid IT folks at work was why I couldn't see them earlier although I can usually see pics in threads

Chuck

Astounding, I featured it on the homepage, congrats on a great story!

:lurk: It is sooo much work and time consuming to get good photos like this - stopping, taking the shot, getting going again and still trying to get in some good mileage for the day. Nicely done. Looking forward to the rest of the trip.

I thank you for sharing your experience. I will be reviewing these posts for a long time in order to inspire me to do those trips that I have always wanted to do but tell myself that I don't have the time. The point is to make the time before it runs out. Excuses be damned. I feel that even this medium is small for you. Do you have a website or a blog that you expand your story on? If you did I would like to read it. Funny how the thoughts roam within the helmet while on such a long trip. I.E. Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.

All the best on future trips and endeavors!! Be sure to keep us informed.

Austin

Excellent photography... nice trip... I don't suppose you're a professional photographer?

I am going to assume both flasks were stored in the frequently used right case, well done.