Trip: From Québec to California

THE TRIP

We have been talking about it for several years now; to travel the United States from East to West on our Harleys to discover the most beautiful landscapes as well as the most beautiful American roads, including the historic Route 66. A true trip between father and son, to highlight the 60 years of my personal life coach. Two bikes, two guys, a tent and more than 10000km of roads to rip in a month. Departure tomorrow 0800. Cheers.

#FromEastToWest #FromNorthToSouth #America #FuckYeah

DAY 1: Québec, QC - Oshawa, ON, 749km.

We couldn't ask for a better day to start the trip; sunny 30 degrees. Mad props to the province of Ontario, the Hwy 401 road is mint. It really looks like there's no winter there. Apparently the winter start at the QC Border... which fucks everything's up.

DAY 2: Oshawa, ON - Bridgman, MI, 770km.

We've finally made it to the US. The goal was to get as close as possible to Chicago to start the 66 early on Monday. We ended up camping at the Warren Dunes, State Park.

Yes, those dunes are in Michigan, and the beach is just as impressive. To end the day, we went to a local brewery called Greenbush and tried some of their 14 local beers. Never been to MI before and I must say I was impressed, I'll definitely come back.

DAY 3: Bridgman, MI - Chicago, IL - St-Louis, MO, 770km.

After more than 1600km we made it to the start of Route 66. Before getting a good breakfast at Lou Mitchell's famous restaurant, we made a quick stop to the Chicago Northerly Island park to take a quick snap of the city with our ride.

We then lost ourselves more than we ever did on what's left of the famous Illinois part of the 66. We manage to see most of it but we could not afford to stop everywhere which would take a lot more time.

DAY 4: St-Louis, MO - Miami, OK, 509km.

After a long third day on the bike, we did the whole Missouri & Kansas 66 loop which was a lot easier to follow than in Illinois. I'm still amazed about how much there's to discover. I could have stopped pretty much every minute to take pictures. I must say the roads were really good, a lot more than it was in IL. We closed day 4 at the original Waylan's Hamburger. Their 1$ cheese is just insanely good.

DAY 5: Miami, OK - Shamrock, TX, 587km.

Today we have crossed all of Oklahoma from east to west. Probably the best day of our trip so far. Almost 600km of asphalted curves and beautiful countryside scenery. With an average of 105 degrees F, we can say that the temperature is on our side .. even a little too much! Tomorrow, destination New Mexico.

Day 6: Shamrock, TX - Santa Fe, NM. 681km.

We made a quick stop to the famous Cadillac Ranch and painted something which is the tradition there. We were lucky enough to visit several ghost towns on our way that were directly on the 66. In fact lot of the old road has been abandoned since the construction of the highway. For the fans of antique cars, more than a hundred rusty body can be seen on both sides of the Texas 66.

To let our ass recover, we stopped at the Mid point Cafe in Adrian which told us that we completed the halfway of the 66. The place was nice and the food was really good.

We ended our day in Santa Fe the capital of New Mexico. The road to get there was just as beautiful as the historic district with its unique architecture.

Day 7: Santa fe, NM - Flagstaff, AZ. 771km.

We started the day strong by crossing the petrified forest national park in Arizona. Here are some photos that obviously do not do justice to the beauty of this place:

We then got To Flagstaff and decided to make it to Sedona via the 89A as many had recommended this trip. I will end it like this; if you're ever passing in the area, go there. Note that I don't have many pictures of the roads because I was too busy with the throttle.

Day 8: Flagstaff, AZ - Needles, CA. 590km.

This morning we left Flagstaff early to compensate for the detour we planned; the Grand Canyon. This place is unreal and we soon realized why this park is known all over the world. A place not to be missed if you are in the area.

Then we completed the Arizona part of the Route 66 to get to Needles just to the entrance of California. This part of the 66 is one of the most renowned for its curvy roads and desert landscapes. I must say that my crush goes to the section between Kingman and the small community of Oatman. This road is completely sick. However, if possible plan to ride it in the morning as it is extremely hot out there. The temperature during our passage in the afternoon exceeded the 120 degree F which is approximately 49 degrees C. Also, be careful there are donkeys in the middle of the way in Oatman.

Day 9: Needles, CA - Santa Monica, CA. 590km.

After a little more than 400km we made it to LA. We decided to complete Route 66 by taking the old road to Santa Monica. We did that so we could say that we completed the entire route, but I must admit that this part is probably the least interesting part of the whole Route 66 with countless traffic lights. At Santa Monica, we looked for the famous sign that identifies the end of the road. This one is on the city pier and therefore unattainable by motorcycle.

Day 10: Santa Monica, CA - San Diego, CA. 252km.

We rode down the Canyon roads in Malibu before hitting the highway 5 heading south. These are really nice roads going straight down to the beach.

We then finally made it to our destination; San Diego. We were a day early so we tried to camp somewhere beside the beach before going to our Airbnb reservation. To our surprise all camping between LA and SD were booked even for a tent site. The reservations are made 2 years in advance here on the coast apparently.

Day 11 - 20: San Diego, CA

We finally arrived to our little apartment in ocean beach. Now time to rest our ass and try the many local brewery.

During our stay, we had the chance to visit so many cool places such as La Jolla, Coronado Beach, Little Italy, the Balboa Park, the USS Midway and more. One thing for sure, SD is a great place to live.

We were lucky enough to be staying in SD during the Born free 9 show in Irvine. One of the most prestigious and kick ass motorcycle event in California and in the states. Look for an upcoming Blog covering this event as it was the most amazing motorcycle show I ever attended to.

We also went on a ride to discover the beautiful Joshua Tree National park. A must see, but don't go there on a motorcycle in the summer. It's way too hot. No kidding it's dangerous out there.

If you ever plan a trip down in SD, here's the link to our sick Airbnb which even included a garage for our bikes.

Day 21: San Diego, CA - St George, UT. 742 km.

Today was the first day on our way back to Québec. We went through 4 different States; Cali, Nevada, Arizona & Utah. We were supposed to camp at the Virgin River Canyon Campground but unfortunately it was too hot for us. The view there is insane.

Tomorrow we're heading to Zion National park and the Bryce Canyon.

The Bryce Canyon view was also breathtaking as much as the road were fun to ride. We then rode the whole Rd 12 from Tropic to Teasdale. This little scenic road well worth the extra miles. For me, it was there that I had the most spectacular view of the whole trip. Sadly I don't have much pictures of it, I was probably just too amazed about what was in front of me.

Day 23: Perry, UT - Cody, WY. 612km.

This morning we headed north for the Yellowstone park. To get there, we went through the Grand Teton National Park. Another awesome place. Here are some pictures of both park:

It's been really special since yesterday we were in the desert and today we're riding in the mountains where there's still lot of snow.

Day 24: Cody, WY - Kadoka, SD. 843km.

While we were heading East on Rd 14 to reach Hwy 90 we got through the Bighorn National Forest.

We then rode east to get to the Custer State Park in South Dakota home of the famous Mt. Rushmore. This park is also loaded with scenic roads which are very popular with bikers especially during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. We rode the Needles Highway since this one had been recommended to us by a biker from Alberta that we met during our trip. Thanks to him, it was well worth it.

Our day was supposed to end at Rapid City 20 miles north of the Black Hills but unfortunately every single motel were full. We had to ride another 90 miles east to find something.

Day 25: Kadoka, SD - Albert Lea, MN. 721km.

Today we started heading East onto Hwy 90. All we did was pretty much Highway but still, the view was beautiful just as much as the weather was. we made a quick stop at Sabers V-Twin in Mitchell, SD as my bike needed a new rear tire bad. They took care of us and we were back on the road 1 hour later. It starts to feel the return.

Day 26: Albert Lea, MN - Gladstone, MI. 684km.

We had a little misfortune today, as my partner got his helmet stolen at the gas station. Yes we were in a state where you can ride without a helmet, but tomorrow we're going to enter Canada. Today was also the 4th of July which means everything's closed. We ended up finding a Walmart where we found this gem. After all, it is better to take it with a laugh.  

Day 27: Gladstone, MI - Sturgeon Falls, ON. 663km.

We quickly got through the customs in the morning in Sault Ste. Marie and made it back to Canada. To our surprise, the Transcan highway is limited to 90 km/h which is just very slow. Let's say we really enjoyed the 85 mph highways for the last couple days. America has been great with us.

Day 28: Sturgeon Falls, ON - Québec, QC. 871km.

It was a long way to Québec but at least the weather was great which is really huge up here in Qc. Can't believe we did it, exactly 13851km (8606 miles) in 28 days. What a trip it was. Can't wait until the next adventure & happy 60th birthday coach! 

Cheers,

Sam

 

Featuring Products (Survival kit):

 - 5.75'' OG Projector LED Headlight on both bikes. A must have for night riding.

- OG 6'' LED Light Bar. Yeah we've hit some canyon roads at night and this little upgrade did the trick.

- OG Bar Mount Switch Harness Kit. I ran our 3D printed prototype without any issue. Look for our Aluminium version soon available onto our store.

- OG Classic Hoodie. Also made us good camping pillow.

- OG Classic Tee

- OG Live by the Gun Tee

- OG Snapback

- Live by the gun Dyna Swingarm Stickers.

- OG LED Load Equalizer

- OG Low Profile LED Tail Light w/ integrated blinkers