Friends/Family
I have some really great friends. It's easier to categorize them as family, especially since they are all so willing to help me do the craziest things.
We started our trip on March 1st, 2019 with a visit in Arkansas with Mike, Kristi, and the rest of their family. I didn't really know what to expect because I hadn't seen Mike since we were boys, but Bravo and I were accepted with open arms and I had a great time catching up with him and getting acquainted with the rest of the family. We made lots of great food, watched movies, told stories about growing up, and we were even able to sneak in a camping trip to Ponca, AR before Bravo and I continued to Dallas area to visit with friends there.
Jordan lives in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with his wife and their three boys. I had spoken on the phone with him dozens of times but we had never actually met in person. We have a mutual friend named Gerald and at one point we were all behind the wheel of semi trucks. Gerald and I drove over the road and Jordan was driving regionally so that he could be home with his family every night as well as on weekends. Jordan got out of the industry first and started his own handyman business, I got out just a couple months later, Gerald still drives OTR for Crete.
Jordan and I hit it off quickly and I became part of his family for the following week. We took trips to the supermarket, to the park, and at one point Jordan and I sneaked in and toured an abandoned mansion in the area. It was a fun time.
I knew once we left Dallas we would be on our own for quite a while. We rode to Amarillo, TX to see the art installation Cadillac Ranch, then to Roswell, NM to visit the UFO museum, then on to Pie Town, NM for some of the best pie in America. After Pie Town we ran straight up to the east entrance of the south rim of the Grand Canyon via Winslow, AZ. Bravo and I froze our butts off at the Grand Canyon for three days before setting off for Los Angeles to see our great friend Paul Lasa for a few days. While we missed opportunities to meet with other friends in LA because they were too busy or out of town, Paul and I were able to spend ample time catching up and seeing some of the tourist sites you rarely spend time enjoying when you live in LA. We spent a little time on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd., checked out a few of the souvenir shops, and got as close as we could to the Hollywood Sign for a quick photo.
After we left Los Angeles we didn't expect to see anyone familiar till we got to Olympia, WA. But as it turned out, we met a friend in San Francisco. Tyler took us in for a few days while we visited San Fran and even showed us around a little bit in his spare time. He had just gotten his motorcycle endorsement a few days before and bought an old Honda that he was learning to ride. We rode all around town and he took me up to Twin Peaks for a phenomenal panoramic view of the city.
Then we were off to Washington to see James and Desiree'. I first met Desiree' in Sitka, AK when we were both in our twenties. I was crewing on salmon boats and she worked in a couple of the bars I'd visit when I'd return to town from a fishing trip. I got to know her as more of a friend after I got out of fishing and took a job in town at the local radio station. She left Sitka back in 2004-2005 and eventually settled in San Diego, CA; where she met James. I think they've been married for about a decade now and I've never met a couple of people who get along better than these two. It's always a real treat when I get to spend time with them.
Bravo and I ended up spending a month and a half off the road at James and Desiree's place. I decided in order to carry on, Bravo and I would need a bigger more capable bike. The main reason things took so long is all the trouble I had getting a replacement title from the Shelby County clerk's office in Memphis. Three times I had to send off the paperwork along with a money order. That office staffs some of the most incompetent people I've ever done business with. Finally I received my title in the mail and I was able to sell the Kawasaki KLX250 Bravo and I started out on within a couple days. The same day that bike sold James, Bravo, and I rented a pickup truck and picked up Dolph Lundgren in Clark Fork, ID. THAT'S an amazing friend. Without reservation or expectations, James drove about seven hours with me to another state to pick up a motorcycle we both knew didn't run!! Then seven hours back home with the beast staring through the rear window the whole time.
Other than people we already knew, we've met some pretty amazing folks who have been more than helpful with our journey.
Dave, in San Francisco, brought us in out of the cold for some warm food, cold beer, great conversations, and space to work on the bike. After we left Dave's and started east for the trip back to Memphis I had to stop and take care of some roadside repairs in Oakland and a nice man named Franco invited me in to use his garage and tools. He and his family were very warm and friendly. We camped in the yard that night and after a nice breakfast we were back on the road east. I look forward to seeing these new friends again soon.
No matter where we go I hope we never stop meeting friendly, intelligent people we can call friends and come to know as family.
You can help Bravo and me stay on the road with a small pledge on Patreon and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel here. You can also support our trip by purchasing products from Amazon through the links in this blog.
We started our trip on March 1st, 2019 with a visit in Arkansas with Mike, Kristi, and the rest of their family. I didn't really know what to expect because I hadn't seen Mike since we were boys, but Bravo and I were accepted with open arms and I had a great time catching up with him and getting acquainted with the rest of the family. We made lots of great food, watched movies, told stories about growing up, and we were even able to sneak in a camping trip to Ponca, AR before Bravo and I continued to Dallas area to visit with friends there.
Jordan lives in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area with his wife and their three boys. I had spoken on the phone with him dozens of times but we had never actually met in person. We have a mutual friend named Gerald and at one point we were all behind the wheel of semi trucks. Gerald and I drove over the road and Jordan was driving regionally so that he could be home with his family every night as well as on weekends. Jordan got out of the industry first and started his own handyman business, I got out just a couple months later, Gerald still drives OTR for Crete.
Jordan and I hit it off quickly and I became part of his family for the following week. We took trips to the supermarket, to the park, and at one point Jordan and I sneaked in and toured an abandoned mansion in the area. It was a fun time.
I knew once we left Dallas we would be on our own for quite a while. We rode to Amarillo, TX to see the art installation Cadillac Ranch, then to Roswell, NM to visit the UFO museum, then on to Pie Town, NM for some of the best pie in America. After Pie Town we ran straight up to the east entrance of the south rim of the Grand Canyon via Winslow, AZ. Bravo and I froze our butts off at the Grand Canyon for three days before setting off for Los Angeles to see our great friend Paul Lasa for a few days. While we missed opportunities to meet with other friends in LA because they were too busy or out of town, Paul and I were able to spend ample time catching up and seeing some of the tourist sites you rarely spend time enjoying when you live in LA. We spent a little time on the Walk of Fame on Hollywood Blvd., checked out a few of the souvenir shops, and got as close as we could to the Hollywood Sign for a quick photo.
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| Bravo at Cadillac Ranch |
After we left Los Angeles we didn't expect to see anyone familiar till we got to Olympia, WA. But as it turned out, we met a friend in San Francisco. Tyler took us in for a few days while we visited San Fran and even showed us around a little bit in his spare time. He had just gotten his motorcycle endorsement a few days before and bought an old Honda that he was learning to ride. We rode all around town and he took me up to Twin Peaks for a phenomenal panoramic view of the city.
Then we were off to Washington to see James and Desiree'. I first met Desiree' in Sitka, AK when we were both in our twenties. I was crewing on salmon boats and she worked in a couple of the bars I'd visit when I'd return to town from a fishing trip. I got to know her as more of a friend after I got out of fishing and took a job in town at the local radio station. She left Sitka back in 2004-2005 and eventually settled in San Diego, CA; where she met James. I think they've been married for about a decade now and I've never met a couple of people who get along better than these two. It's always a real treat when I get to spend time with them.
Bravo and I ended up spending a month and a half off the road at James and Desiree's place. I decided in order to carry on, Bravo and I would need a bigger more capable bike. The main reason things took so long is all the trouble I had getting a replacement title from the Shelby County clerk's office in Memphis. Three times I had to send off the paperwork along with a money order. That office staffs some of the most incompetent people I've ever done business with. Finally I received my title in the mail and I was able to sell the Kawasaki KLX250 Bravo and I started out on within a couple days. The same day that bike sold James, Bravo, and I rented a pickup truck and picked up Dolph Lundgren in Clark Fork, ID. THAT'S an amazing friend. Without reservation or expectations, James drove about seven hours with me to another state to pick up a motorcycle we both knew didn't run!! Then seven hours back home with the beast staring through the rear window the whole time.
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| Blue Hole, Arkansas |
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| Paris, TX |
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| Haight/Ashbury, San Francisco, CA |
Other than people we already knew, we've met some pretty amazing folks who have been more than helpful with our journey.
Dave, in San Francisco, brought us in out of the cold for some warm food, cold beer, great conversations, and space to work on the bike. After we left Dave's and started east for the trip back to Memphis I had to stop and take care of some roadside repairs in Oakland and a nice man named Franco invited me in to use his garage and tools. He and his family were very warm and friendly. We camped in the yard that night and after a nice breakfast we were back on the road east. I look forward to seeing these new friends again soon.
No matter where we go I hope we never stop meeting friendly, intelligent people we can call friends and come to know as family.
You can help Bravo and me stay on the road with a small pledge on Patreon and you can subscribe to our YouTube channel here. You can also support our trip by purchasing products from Amazon through the links in this blog.
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