In 2015 my lifelong hometown friend, Jeff Harris, and I got the hankering to do something big. Something that would take some dedication and determination. Something that would also give us a damn good reason to spend some quality time together, seeing we’ve spent our adult lives living over 1,200 miles from one another. While countless things might fit the bill, inspired by Long Way Round, we landed on gearing up and riding a couple of dual-sport motorbikes across the country on the Trans America Trail.
Growing up, Jeff and I racked up many stories. Some we love to tell, and some we prefer to keep to ourselves. We weren’t exactly sure what this trip would have in store, but we were pretty confident we’d add a few more stories to our arsenal.
All said and done; we estimate we rode a little over 6300 miles of tarmac, dirt paths, and gnarly, rock-strewn passes, dropping our bikes more times than we want to remember. We touched 17 different states, numerous national parks, and forests along the way. We met people in big cities and small towns we’d never know about otherwise. We slept in friendly hotels, infested motels, and on the dirt of this fantastic planet. We helped each other overcome challenges, wanted to smack each other out of frustration, and had a hell of a lot of laughs. I once read somewhere, “Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the car window.” I think I get it now.