More info

First of all this is NOT a for profit venture. This all got started as a “friends sharing travel costs” endeavor back in 2007 when we discovered how much fun (and cheap) riding off road in the Great American West is compared to road racing. The only problem was who was going to drive the trailer with 15+ motorcycles out there? Well, at the time, I was a school teacher, and had the summers off. So that left me to do all the logistics work for everyone, which I continue to do to this day. Why I am doing this is pretty simple. It makes a lot of sense when you look back on the path of my life. In a sense, DPME is the perfect “follow thru” on my professional career and recreational pursuits. Motorcycles, and the cause of motorcyclists, have been my life’s passion and my life’s work. If you are interested in some more info about why I am doing this click on the About Me link.

The cost listed is per bike and rider, this means bike and gear transport, housing and a good part of the provisions. Your only other costs are your airfare to fly out for the week, ground transportation to and from the airport and some of what you eat and drink. You will not drink as much as you do at sea level, hard day riding and the thin air means most people end up going to bed early.

The house deal is simple. There are bedrooms with two person and/or multiple single person beds. Thus you will have a bed in a room with other people sleeping in the same room. If you pick a two person sized bed, someone will be sleeping in it next to you. This is not a hotel where you get a room and bath to yourself. If we did that the costs would be triple for everyone. Think of it as how you stay at the races in your trailer with the rest of your team. The only difference is that you get a bed in a room to share, instead of a spot on the trailer floor, sleeping next to your teammates who snore..:-) Please respect the houses or you will have to pay the damage costs.

We ride up over the most amazing terrain you can imagine, over 14,000 feet above sea level in some cases. It is generally above the altitude that medivac helos can fly, so please be aware of this and pick your gear and training regimen accordingly. We typically split into like skill level groups during the rides and there is great riding at all skill levels You have to stay on the trails!! Please don't ride off the established trails, it will lead to land closure. Follow the leader!!

All the towns we stay out there are way cool, there is a TON of non-riding stuff to do. Bring your SO and your kids, many of the other guys do as well, there is lots of activities to do.

Now come the 4 important things.

1) You will have to sign a release to come. Motorcycle riding is inherently dangerous, you already know this. The release just formalizes that you accept all risks associated with this endeavor and will not seek to have anybody pay you for any misfortune that occurs.

2) The group of people doing this are mostly high time ex-road racers. The nature of the jokes told and banter about is crude. If you have ever hung out in the Team Charm pits at Summit Point you know exactly what I am talking about. If you find crass humor offensive, this is not the trip for you. We are very selective about who we let come on this gig. Group vacations can really suck if there is one person who does not get the program, screwing it up for everyone.

3) After 20 years of road racing at track around the county I have the long distance driving thing raised to an art. I bought a brand new 28 foot trailer in 2020 just for these trips. It is in great shape and is fitted out with custom tie down points of our own design based on decades of traveling to races. My diesel truck is in great shape. I leave early enough that even if I break down I have plenty of time to fix whatever is broken and get out there long before you do. When I travel, I take my time, no rush. I don’t drive at night. I don’t speed. If I get tired I pull over to sleep. I stay with the truck and trailer the whole time, and I am armed. With that said, some settling of contents in the trailer occurs during the two thousand mile trip. Your bike or gear may get “trailer rash” during transport. You can mitigate this by following our directions for packing your gear, but it can still happen. Despite my taking every reasonable step to prevent bad things from happening, things can go wrong that are beyond my control. For this reason you should have full coverage insurance on your property in the trailer. If you do not have full coverage insurance you are assuming the risk yourself. Remember; because this is not a business, there is no insurance for your property other than what you provide for it.

4) You have to reserve a spot by paying all the money up front. This idea here is that if people back out at the last minute it does not affect the others in the group. The other reason for this is simple. By the time you arrive to ride almost all the costs are incurred already. The $6-$7k house is paid for in full 6 months ahead of time. All the food and provisions are purchased. Half of the $2k+ fuel costs are paid for, etc. But don’t worry, if something comes up at the last minute and you can’t make it, no problem. All you do is find someone to take your spot. That person pays you for your spot, and I will take their bike out and they come instead of you under the same conditions. If the person does not have a bike, rent them your bike. Again, remember, this is not a business, but cost sharing by a group. If you bail at the last minute there is no business overhead that can absorb the cost of you not coming, it would just screw other friends.