Jared & Ross & Randy & Doug's Excellent Adventure

    So before we get to photos, it sounds like @KayTwo is going to talk about gear, tools, and clothing so I want to cover some technology


    I purchased a new navigation system for the trip as our old one had only a small screen and was over a decade old. I went with the Garmin DriveSmart. It has some interesting features that allow you to get traffic feeds and share your location with family and loved ones. The thing I found disappointing about it was that it is NOT bluetooth compatible with my Rockford Fosgate (RF) stereo. I even contacted RF to verify. Oh well, I'm primarily looking for visual cues for directions more than that nagging voice but it was a disappointment nonetheless. In the end, I knew that I couldn't count on my local cellular provider to give me service in the mountains or in Canada.


    To plan the trip itself I used Furkot | Free Road Trip Planner | Map Your Route . It has a little bit of learning curve because it isn't like Google or Waze but once you get the hang of it I think it works slick. It's free. It has a website interface and an app for your smartphone that automatically syncs. You can enter how long you plan to stay at each stop .... 15 minutes for gas or a few hours for a park tour. You can tell it what hours you will ride between and it will find hotels close by at the end of your day. You can put in how many miles you can travel on a tank and it will tell you when you need to gas up - you can even select gas stations with premium without ethanol. It has places to eat and scenic routes that you can add on - you can even have it show you museums, parks, outdoor sports, beaches, events, entertainment, etc. Best of all you can download your trip for Garmin, Tom Tom, Google Earth/Maps, CoPilot, CSV, PDF. and good old fashion GPX. and you can share the trip with others.


    I've also had the Garmin Virb XE without much chance to use it. This trip I tried a few things and some worked well and others did not - but you'll see more of that later as we get into the photo log.


    EDIT: The map shots from my posts are from a smartphone app called FUSAR. It is free and they are trying to sell integrated pieces. It has a social media piece to it as well but nothing that I am impressed with. The track ride feature is pretty nice with a map that can be zoomed in on, time, MPH, you can share the GPX of your ride with others, etc. @Slingshot Garage suggested I take a look at REV because it also has many of the same features so I may try that out as well.

    Quote from Ross

    So before we get to photos, it sounds like @KayTwo is going to talk about gear, tools, and clothing so I want to cover some technology

    Well, I can't talk about photos or technology, because I don't do either, and all the rest of my expertise has nothing to do with a road trip in the Slingshot, so... here I am. :D

    Alright lets get to some photos.

    Monday, July 23, 2018
    Bright and early @KayTwo and I head to MN to pick up @exharleyrider.


    We met at a gas station to introduce ourselves, fill-up, and stretch our legs before have some fun on some twisties before hitting the highway for the ride to Murdo, SD via I90.


    @KayTwo wanted to tow the cow behind him so he could take it home to the kids but we talked him out of it


    Unfortunately, our route had recently gotten a fresh coat of tar and pea gravel and was still under work


    If you've never been on I90 from MN through SD it's a great place to see forever and still not miss much


    I think poor @KayTwo was counting bales to pass the time and the miles


    All in all, a pretty ho-hum 676 mile part of the trip

    And so begins the beauty of America tour [I'm not talking about @SlingLow looks either]

    Tuesday, July 24, 2018
    Part I - Murdo, SD and the Badlands National Park



    We started our day in Murdo, SD - other than ourselves and a handful of truckers the only creature up to see us off was this fella


    A quick buzz through the darkness and we have arrived at the Badlands National Park


    A couple of quick secrets if you've never been to the Badlands

    • The best time to experience the park is in the cool of the morning at dawn before the tourist arrive or at dusk
    • Trying to drive a manual transmission while holding a DSLR camera with the extended battery grip can be a challenge

    Our first stop was just down the road in the park to enjoy the sun rise over the horizon




    We were not alone. While taking in the sites we were joined by a young ram who was eyeballing @KayTwo ride - you know he never takes the keys out of it



    Even @exharleyrider took a moment to take it all in


    A couple more quick shots before we head down the road




    Quote from Ross

    The ride didn't last long with the less than perfect weather - you tell me who has the bigger smile, the Star or the Slingshot driver?

    I'd say both.

    Quote from Ross

    The contrasting landscapes in the Bandlands is truly incredible and my photos do not due it justice

    They really do. Would you send them to me so I can send them back to you for consideration in the 2019 calendar? There are none better!

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)