Here I am 34,000 ft in the air rocking like I’m in one of those heart shaped motel beds you feed quarters to. I figure the accommodations that we may be staying at along our ride from LA to South Dakota will be similar. Frankly, if we are lucky this is what we’ll come upon in the early morning hours when our buddies who don’t ride that often anymore are bitching. Ha! Fully prepared over here to be sleeping in the woods. Fully prepared means, sleeping bags, tents, bear spray – lots of bear spray and some other “items” of varying means to help keep us well enough to make it to Mecca.

Four of us are on the way from Boston this morning to LAX to meet the other two where our bikes are awaiting – eagerly I imagine . Our buddy Piglet, was kind enough to store all of our bikes in his garage (I think he dislikes that nickname, so I’ll stop referring to him like that when he stops offering me salami and cheese every time I’m over his place). Taking our bikes in was a very nice and appreciated gesture. The hogs have been sitting there for weeks overlooking the hills and coast of Malibu. Must be nice!

We shipped them early July so it’s really sucked not having the ability to go out on a cruise. This is exactly why I need multiple motorcycles! But, whatever I’ve been really busy and this trip may be around 4,500 miles so “Im’a get mine!” this season. Lets call this a voyage actually. Far more appropriate.

We used the app, Springpad to plan our trip and bounce ideas off one another all the while remaining organized. As a side note this app is really helpful for organizing these group trips and the user interface is laid out very well – so it’s intuitive like Apple products are. Simply, download it, have your other buddies do the same and you share the event (insert screenshots).

We leave La La land for Las Vegas this evening. Wouldn’t be the smartest move to ride through Death Valley at high noon even with the pleasures Vegas have to offer. In and out.

I may have my moments of pure elation and mania, but generally I’m even keeled so its no surprise that I’m not sitting here grinning from ear to ear in advance of the ride. I’ve also got a lot going on, but who doesn’t and who won’t, right? Opportunities like this – to get a bunch of your friends together who all share the same passion and ride into the sunset for 9 days don’t come often so I know once I land I’m going to be pumped! The formal reason for us all coming together is for M.G.’s bachelor party. A great way to round up the crew and use various types of appeals to get buy in. I mean, each and every one of us have likely been looking for the excuse to get out to Sturgis so thanks to him for enabling it.

Yeehaw!

Update: Saturday AM – We check in last night to the Cosmopolitan which I’d booked for us via the app Hotel Tonight. Gave a sweet deal and we were arriving late so didn’t care either way. Once we got here the front desk upgraded us to the 61st floor (top floor) penthouse. Remember the suite from The Hangover? Yeah – basically the same thing. Ridiculous! Photo is from this AM. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to give it a proper welcoming as we’re just passing through. We’re here to ride!

Written August 4, 2013