September National Parks Tour FULL

Well folks, if you wanted to go on the much awaited National Parks Tour in September, you waited too long, we have no space available. But the good news is that due to popular demand (and the fact that I love this route) we will be running it again next spring!

Check the website butch-sundance.com for updates and important information regarding upcoming tours. Until then, keep the shiny side up and the rubber side down.

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To buy or not to buy, that is the question......

I have been around motorcycles all my life, from the first ticket I got at age 14 on the family Honda 90 to "borrowing" my brother's Honda 450, when he was gone, for a quick trip around town, to the dirt bikes and cruisers of my later life. Deep down, I think everyone secretly wants to at least ride one of the big ones. When I was left with that choice, a couple of buddies seduced me into renting a Harley for a weekender. When I returned home, I was duly hooked but I still thought I could scratch that itch with a rental once or twice a year.................uuuh, no. My "buddy" strategically put me in front of a 1996 Ultra Classic that my local Harley Dealer just took in and one that I had secretly coveted a couple of weeks earlier. It was a Shriner, white pure and beautiful. Well, needless to say it was an easy sale and I walked, or should I say, rode out with my first HOG. After a few upgrades, you know extra chrome and leather accessories and a custom tank paint job, it was just about how I wanted it. It served me well. As comfortable or more so than any other and of course the tunes. When it came time to upgrade, I looked at the Road King and the Road Glide but it was the Ultra that kept calling my name. My brief moment of glory was the few weeks that mine was a two Ultra Classic garage. So, I guess whether you buy or rent, it matters not. Just follow that urge to hit the road. There is nothing like it, but beware, you will get hooked too.
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September National Park Tour

Good news! B&SMT is doing another National park Tour in September. Take this opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park and Arches National Park (near Moab). Not only tour some the most beautiful places on Earth, the way they are meant to be seen with the wind in your face and the sun on your brow, but also have an opportunity to hike or mountain bike some world renown trails. Stay tuned, more to follow!

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Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and Nogales, Mexico?!

Living 45 minutes from Zion National Park and 2 1/2 hours from the Grand Canyon definitely has its benefits. We hopped on the scooters Saturday evening for a wonderful dinner at Oscars Cafe in Springdale, Utah (gateway to Zion) with some great friends. The air was cool, the road was dry, the food was delightful and the conversation lively. While dining, we were reminded of a recent tour through New Mexico that took us to Nogales, AZ for a quick trip across the border. Of course, no sooner did we cross the proverbial line than were we approached by the local "tour guides" to hook us up with anything from hookers to ice cream. Our wish, their command. I suppose you can't really blame them, living conditions such as they are and all. But the part of the experience that produced the belly laugh as much now as it did then, was the question asked of our good friend Kent as soon as we arrived. Now understand that Kent is the salt of the earth. Quiet, unassuming, humble and as honest and pure as the day is long. But when our guide, we'll call him Jose, approached the three of us who ventured out on this excursion, he looked straight at Kent and asked if he needed some Viagra. I do believe Kent's ego is still bruised.

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Zion National Park and beyond

Took a quick overnighter dinner trip to PF Chang’s in Provo. We left Friday morning while the air was still crisp and the sun low. What a fantastic day! The first leg took us through Zion National Park, recently voted #1 of all the national parks, can I just tell you that there is nothing quite like hearing and feeling the rumble of seven Hog’s as they pass through the mile and a half tunnel, one of the hallmarks of Zion. Our route also took us past Bryce Canyon, another of Utah’s popular and picturesque national parks.

As we passed through the small towns that dot Hwy 89, I am reminded of the legend and folklore left by one Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy. So many myths and legends surround the life and demise of Butch Cassidy that it is difficult to sort fact from fiction. Charles Kelly related the story of sixteen-year-old Harry Ogden from Escalante, who spent his savings to purchase a good horse and a sixty-dollar saddle. When out riding along the border of Robbers Roost in 1898, an outlaw on a jaded mount forced young Ogden off his horse, gave the boy a quick kick in the pants, then rode off on Ogden's animal. About three weeks later, Ogden received visitors at his home in Escalante. One of the men was Butch Cassidy, another was the outlaw who had stolen Ogden's horse and was still riding it. When Cassidy asked Ogden if he had lost a horse, the boy quickly identified it. Butch Cassidy then ordered the outlaw off the horse and told him "to start walking toward a distant gap in the hills and keep on going." He then said, "We don't have any room in this country for a man who will mistreat a young boy”.

Notorious for bank and train robberies, there is no documentation that Butch ever killed anyone, although some members of his loosely formed gang, called "The Wild Bunch," could not make that claim. We passed directly through the towns in which Butch and his family lived.

Canyons, curves, trees and straight-aways and company with 13 of the finest people you will ever meet, that was my weekend.






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Spiffin' up the treads at the Rally

Well, I didn't need to go all the way to Durango Colorado for a boot shine and a phone call, but hey, why not! "Rally in the Rockies" gives motorcycle enthusiasts an opportunity to experience the excitement and gritty flavor of rally life in the serene beauty of the Colorado Rockies.



Roasted pig, Credence Clearwater Revival and plenty of two-lane highway made this trip one worth calendaring every year...... and some pretty shiny boots to boot. Hope the old boy will still be around next year!

Keepin' it safe,
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How it all started

Ever wish you could just tell your boss to take this job and shove it, toss corporate America aside, jump on your Hog and tour the West exactly how it should be done, rubber side down and shiny side up? Well I did! I tossed my six figure income, donned my fringe endowed leathers and, as Bon Jovi so eloquently put it "like a cowboy, on my steel horse I ride".

Through this Blog, I intend to update you on the excitement, experiences and challenges we face as we tour the back roads of the states on our Harley Davidson "Baggers"or any other scooter for that matter. Riding with a group of friends or strangers who soon become friends, puts a smile on your face that will not soon be removed. Join us! Even if only vicariously.

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