Sturgis Or Die, Day Twelve....Home Again

Last day. It's a hard admission to make, I don't want this thing to be over, to be done, not just yet. The five of us have jelled, we're a unit, we ride as one, and we're riding well, we're ready for whatever the road and circumstance throw at us. When we're not riding we're laughing, or eating......both activities that a sane person can't really get enough of, and I don't want to give that up.  But the cold truth is....last day, time to ride home, back to our separate, "real world" lives. It's sunny, perfect really, but not my mood. I'm gonna miss all of this. Riding everyday, new people, new sights, new adventures........we were explorers, men on the move. Damn.

We've got some miles to throw down, nearly 500, so there's no time for a leisurely breakfast, it's 7:30am and we're firing up the machines, Nate gives JP a shove and the Dyna chugs to life, they got this bump start thing down! We pull out into the cool, high desert sun, it's not blazing yet, but it will be.

Nothing fancy today, it's pretty much highway 80 straight west across Nevada, up and over Donner Pass, down through Sacramento.....homeward bound. No long stops. We cruise along at about 80mph, there's little traffic and we only see one trooper. Gas and go. Breakfast today is in Winnemucca, a sort of casino/diner joint. Local kids are playing around the entrance while their parents throw down nickels and quarters hoping for the "big" payoff. No beautiful people here, the place is a last chance, last hope for folks without much of either. It could be me, but there's something just a little bit sad about the whole scene. We walk into the diner, friendly servers, lots of food....pretty good too. A hostess, probably a babe during the Kennedy administration, strode up and asked, ".....whose jacket is that on that Harley?" We look through the window, it's JP's. "You know, kids here are just like kids anywhere". We get the message, JP walks outside and removes the temptation. Nice lady.

I have to say that throughout our odyssey I was struck by the number of people, and not just fellow riders, that admonished us to "be sure and ride safe". Genuine concern, it was nice, and it happened a lot. No sideways glances, no disapproving stares.........for the most part the fact we were bikers started folks talking, our motorcycles initiated smiles, thumbs up and approving nods. We were, for a brief period of time the embodiment of freedom and adventure, and people recognized it. It was humbling and very cool, all at once.

Finishing our last real meal together, maybe we take just a bit more time, tell just one more story, laugh about something dumb one of us did. Last day kind of stuff. The check comes.....one for each, we finally got that down, only took ten days! Fueled up, body and bikes, we roar west. Strong crosswinds make themselves felt all the way to Reno, but we're seasoned high mileage veterans now, no big deal. We're making good time. Good I guess.

Vince, JP, Nate, and Mark....last stop

It's "Hot August Nights" time in Reno, there's hot rods everywhere, I'm gonna have to come up and check this out sometime. We decide to pull into Reno Harley Davidson to have a chat with their techs, just to see what they thought about the Dyna's current "issues". Good chance for a cold soda too, and a gander at the bikes, never a bad thing. Their service manager tells us what we already know, it'll take hours to diagnose the "stumbling" problem, and even if they can, they aren't going to have the parts to fix it (the Dyna's almost 20 years old fercrissakes). If we wanna get home today we're gonna have to steal a line from Vince's favorite biker comedy and "just ride!" (the name of the movie has been deliberately omitted by the author simply because I hate it, so there!). So it's gloved fingers crossed and west we go......

We gas up in Boomtown before we begin the accent up the pass. Only 20 miles to the summit, if JP can keep the Harley moving, we're in the clear. We decide on a more mellow pace, no more than 65, we don't want to push our luck, or the Dyna. I take point, Nate on my six, Vince and Mark flank the boy. We're a unit now.

The miles click off, JP stays fixed in the rearview, so far so good. Not much farther, Donner Lake to the left, we're gonna make it, no "mechanicals" this trip! Up and over the summit, just an easy roll home now. It's cool at this altitude, feels great. It'll heat up again soon as we descend into the foothills. In a day filled with "lasts", we stop in Auburn for one last gas stop. This will be the final time of the trip that we'll be able to talk to each other (OK, Vince and I have the Chatterboxes, but you get the idea), share a laugh, just hang out. We have some cold drinks, snap a group pic, and it's time to go. Handshakes won't do, it's hugs all around, it's been a hell of a trip, better than any of us (including the Sturgis Vets in our group) had imagined. The weather, the roads, the bikes, the scenery, Sturgis.........it was all perfect. An adventure of a lifetime.........but not quite done yet.

Nate's Road Glide front and center

Still some miles to under our wheels. Head west on 80 through Roseville, skirt the edges of Sacramento. Mark stays on 80 as the rest of us turn south on "the five", he's heading to Winters. It's funny what a trip like this can reveal about others and ourselves. I've know Mark for years, well over twenty to be honest, and yet I had no idea about his encyclopedic knowledge of western history, but it sure enlightened our journey. Funny what you learn.....

Down 5 we go, boring, lots of traffic, smells like cow shit......I could be done with this. Exit onto highway 12, straight shot to Rio Vista, then left on 160, we're nearly there. It's super windy, it's the delta, welcome home. Vince and I talk a bit, I tell him what a great job he did in planning the route, hell, he planned the whole adventure! Great job my friend, great job. Over the Antioch bridge, I take the Brentwood exit, so does Nate, he's got some friends to see. One last glance over my left shoulder, Vince and JP motor pass and wave, on to Pittsburg and home.

I make my way through town, turn down my street and park in front of the house, and just like that it's done. Over 3,341 miles in 12 days, an adventure of a lifetime with four of the finest people a guy could ever know. Last day? No way, we're gonna do this again...........there's no "last" about it!!!