Sturgis Or Die, Day One

In 2008 my best friend and I, along with his brother-in-law, son, and son's pal set out for a once in a lifetime (not really, that's just what we told work to get the time off........shhhhh) adventure to "biker Mecca"..........Sturgis. It was a helluva trip, one which I'd like to share with the entire "Chromesphere", so for the next couple of weeks, sit back and chill as we recount the harrowing tales of three old guys and two young dudes as we criss-cross this great land of ours in search of burgers and t-shirts............and yes, there will be photos

Day 1

Finally on the road.........but not without a bit of drama and comedy, unfortunately provided by yours truly. First off, I violated a long standing truism.......the longer the trip, the more unknown the territory, the more familiar the gear.....read, "no new stuff", you'll regret it! Sure I had the spiffy new Street & Steel Highway jacket for weeks, but had I rode in it, oh hell no, but what could go wrong. Plenty.

As I pulled out of my driveway, it became painfully apparent that this particular jacket (and it is an awesome piece) just didn't fit my funky bod. I had to make the call, three thousand miles of "not quite right", or that well worn jacket that I've used for years. Easy call, u-turn, I'll just be a bit late for the meet up...........except for the cell phone I left in the pocket in the first jacket. Another u-turn, much further away from home than the first.............more than a bit late.

Hank, Vince, Nate, Paul "JP", and Mark

Finally we're all together in Rio Vista. Mark had ridden down from Winters, his wife in tow for the fairwell photo op. The rest of us had met up in Antioch for the ride up the delta. The machines, all black except for Nate's brilliant orange Road Glide.........the more I see that bike the more I like it. Paul aka "JP" is coming to grips with pop's FXRS, quite a departure from his usual sportbike mounts. As we pull away, I can't believe we're actually on the road........the ride of a lifetime with my best friend, and a great group of guys that I've known forever...........this is gonna be great.

Fixin' to hit the road on day one

We head out on Highway 12, through Lodi, hooking up with Highway 88 to 49. It's gonna be an easy day, nice easy twisties up to Auburn, then it's 80 to Reno. As we head from Jackson to Auburn the sun is really starting to cook, off come the jackets, we're switching to vests. Traffic is fairly light as we pull out of Mel's parking lot ("The Bev" aka Jeff had met us there for breakfast and would ride with the crew to Auburn. Jeff is a great guy and a multi-time Sturgis vet, but had to pass on this trip) and we begin to find our rythem as we snake through the gold country.

The mighty Paint Shaker loaded up and lookin' good

"JP" and Mark set a mellow pace at the back of the pack as "JP" gets more and more comfortable. Mark is the lads uncle, and is acting as wingman, letting the pace come to the Harley rookie. Up front Vince and I are giving the Chatterboxes a workout. After the first hour I couldn't imagine riding without 'em, if you haven't tried a communicator system you need to. You won't take a long trip without them.......trust me. Vince and I have spent years riding these roads on all sorts of machines, and it never gets old...........I just love it.

Pulling out of Auburn, it's a straight shot to Reno, our destination for the night. Too many trucks, but the traffic's manageable and the weather couldn't be better. Nate is smooth and riding as if this is our 100th ride together, very impressive. A quick stop at Cabela's to look at all the cool firearms we can't get in the People's Republic of California and we're pulling up to our hotel. Time to relax and grab some grub....................tomorrow, it's on to Elko.