One Summer, Four Corners

It started as a dumb purchase by an 18 year old with a group of friends that watched their fathers ride motorcycle growing up. I was the odd man out with a dad that wasn’t much for an adrenaline rush. 13 years later I am one of only a couple from that group who is still making memories on two wheels. At that time I was unsure if this was the hobby for me as most of my exposure was negative, these days I couldn’t be more sure of that initial purchase being one of my best ideas.

The early days were fun. Group rides after work, rides to visit friends who attended rival universities, trips to the lake houses on the weekends, just a bunch of carefree kids asking for as much as the Sporty’s and Dyna’s would give us. They say time flies when you’re having fun but I never thought it would go that fast. One by one the motorcycle equity was reinvested into diamond rings, wedding celebrations, and eventually small human beings. As most of the others’ time became more constrained, I was growing rapidly in my young professional career which lead me in the opposite direction. With more free time, a comfortable position, and a desire to experience the world outside of the midwest I took to more solo long distance riding.

That leads us to the title of this blog. One Summer, Four Corners. I had known about the fours corners ride for some time (all four US corners in one ride) but neither am I retired or have a position I can take a sabbatical from so that was out of the question. What I did have was some PTO, a lot of Hilton Honors points, and a motorcycle that I had built for long distance riding. I knocked out the NW corner in Washington over the Memorial Day weekend of 2023 and spent time in Leavenworth, Bellingham, and North Cascade National Park where the high elevation snow was still hanging around along my route. Next came time to burn a couple weeks of PTO and head south. My route south included Moab, the southern Rockies, and the long trek across Texas and the Gulf states eventually ending up in Key West where I was able to reset a bit. I would be nervous to try this again in mid June as my timing was almost too perfect. The previous week was a hurricane and the following week was 90’s with humidity, my time there was spent soaking up sunny days that topped out around 80 degrees. After some great food and even better sunsets, it was time to trek north. There were quite a few places I wanted to see and with limited time I had to be efficient. Through long days and careful mapping, I accomplished most everything on the list. From the South Carolina low country to camping in the Smokey Mountains of TN and riding the Tail of the Dragon, the SE did not dissappoint. My next mission was the NE corner of the continental US. I took the scenic route through WV, Western Maryland, and eventually up north through Pennsylvania and NY before traveling east towards my destination. Maine was an incredible experience. It reminded me a lot of certain parts of Montana where the people still live off the land, rely on one another, and make the most out of hard times. I have notoiced there is a common calming energy in these areas and it makes the ride through there that much more enjoyable. After crossing the NE corner off the list I started my journey back west. Lucky for me it was the 100th anniversary of Laconia Bike Week happening and I spent some time making new friends, hearing their stories, and chatting about the current trip I was on. That was about the last of the excitement and good fortune regarding weather for me. From Erie to the SE suburbs of Chicago where I stayed the night it was solid heavy rain and then immediatly into morning rush our traffic through the city. I eventually made it to a family friends house that evening in MN where a home cooked meal and non hotel bed or camping mat was awaiting me much to my pleasure. I took a much needed slow down on daily mileage to visit friends and family across ND before finishing my trip west across the eastern plains of MT and ending this adventure right where I began, in the parking lot of the good people at Yellowstone Harley Davidson in Bozeman, MT. All in all, I covered 29 states and 9,500 miles in 15 days. There were countless other trips after this thoughout the summer from the Beartooth Rally in Red Lodge, MT, the 83rd annual Sturgis Rally, and many local rides with friends and for charity. Over Labor Day weekend I headed SW to California where I visited the last corner and completed the goal I had made earlier that spring.

With my goal completed, 25,000 miles logged in the summer of 2023, and many great memories made, I thought to myself, what next? I’ve always been a leader, whether that be in the workplace or at the front of a group of boys riding down the road taking life one second at a time. The more I reflect on my experiences, the more I want to share with others the peace that riding brings me and what better place to do that then the place I am lucky enough to call home, Montana.