A picture of Hoover Dam taken on our trip on September 5, 2012

Although I am writing this article on December 19, 2012, I actually returned home from my epic around the nation RV trip on September 6, 2012. Being gone almost two months, driving approximately 8600 miles not including the hundreds of miles I rode on the motorcycle while on the trip, almost going over a cliff when we lost the brakes in the RV in Wyoming, etc., required a lot of my time when I got home. It was all worth it. This is the final article I will write about my epic trip. Later I will post pictures and videos from the trip.

When we left off, Liz and I were dry camped in Greybull, Wyoming waiting for the brakes to be fixed on my motorhome. My front bumper was destroyed in the accident, and the back bumper was cracked in two places when the trailer fishtailed into it.

The guys at the shop where we were camped out and who repaired the brakes on my RV were amongst the most reputable and nicest people I have ever dealt with. They could have totally screwed me and told me that I needed a $3,000 brake repair. Instead they told me that my rotors were good, that the pads were totally gone, and the fluid had completely boiled out of the system due to overheating, but that there were no leaks. The total repair bill was $600.00. Another interesting thing about being dry camped at the repair shop in Greybull was that our cell phone service did not work at all, nor did my internet Wi-Fi. We were basically totally out of touch with civilization while we were there.

The total time we were in Greybull Wyoming was approximately 2 nights and 3 days. It was a very small town full of great people. It is the kind of town where I could see myself setting up a cattle ranch someday.

We had a choice to make; should we just count our blessings and drive our damaged RV home or should we continue north to Cody, Wyoming and Yellowstone National Park? There really was no question, we had come this far and we were not turning around now; Cody, Wyoming would be our next stop on the way to Yellowstone.

We left Greybull, WY for Cody, WY in the afternoon. It was a cloudy day. The total drive from Greybull to Cody was around 54 miles. It was really good to be back on the road in our motorhome. You must understand, this was essentially our last week of vacation, and after the accident we had no clue whether we would have to leave our RV and all of our possessions in Greybull and rent a car to get home, or what would happen. We were geared up for a two month trip and you can carry lots of stuff in and underneath a Class A motorhome. Had the RV not been drivable there would have been no way to carry everything home in a rental car or even a rental van.

Being back on the road at this point felt fantastic.

When we got to Cody the first thing we did was go to Wal-Mart and get a throwaway cell phone that worked in the area because our carrier did not work in Wyoming. We called our relatives and I checked in with my office to let them know what had happened. Afterwards we stopped and got some Chinese buffet food.

Turns out Cody is a really cool western town, the gateway to Yellowstone. I really fell in love with Wyoming and its people.

We found a really cool RV park and camped out for the night with the intent of riding my Harley Davidson Electra Glide to Yellowstone in the morning.

In the morning we woke up and there were ominous clouds in the sky but it did not look like it was going to rain.

As soon as we got on the road just north of Cody, the clouds got much worse and the sky opened up. I was only wearing a soft flannel jacket, Liz had on a leather jacket, we both had jeans on, and of course, no rain gear. Plus it was damm cold. We decided that we were not going to stop now, Yellowstone, here we come.

It literally rained during the entire ride to Yellowstone from Cody, it was cold and it was miserable, but it was also one of the most beautiful rides I have ever taken. The grand mountains, the rocks, the sites all were too much to take in on one ride; however, I tried the best I could.

This is one ride that everyone must take at least once in their lives.

When we got to the gate of Yellowstone, I got off the motorcycle, paid the entrance fee, got back on, and rode into the park. It was very cold at this point, and we were soaking wet from head to toes, but nothing was going to stop us.
Yellowstone is much bigger than I expected, plus it is at a very high elevation. The riding in this park was excellent. The sites were breathtaking.

I am sure the ride in Yellowstone would have been much better if we were not soaking wet and freezing cold but hey, you cannot have everything.

While riding in the park there were several places where Buffalo roamed, literally, right on the road. All the cars stopped to observe. Hell they walked right next to us. On a motorcycle it is a bit different having huge Buffalo walking in front of you and next to you, than if you are in a car. Any one of these huge animals could have taken us out.

We rode the loop to one of the boiling water sites. Yellowstone itself sits atop the largest Caldera (volcano) in the world. If the volcano underneath it ever erupted it would take out much of our nation.

Yellowstone was a great ride. I will definitely go back to Cody, WY and Yellowstone soon.

The ride back to Cody was a cold and cloudy ride. The rain had stopped, but it was still cloudy. When we got near Cody it got dark and a bit warmer. We decided to cruise the main drag in Cody and find a place to eat, we chose an Italian place and had a good meal. After dinner we went back to the RV because we knew we would have a long ride the next day.

Upon waking up the next day, I put the motorcycle on the trailer and strapped her on, struck camp, and we were off.
After a month and a half, we were finally heading south towards our home in Southern California.

When we left Cody, we were not sure where we would spend the night. Usually on the trip we would look for RV resorts in several of the books we had with us or the GPS. We really were not sure how far we would drive.

I was nervous due to the fact that we had lost the brakes in the mountains, our RV was damaged, and I did not want a repeat performance of losing the brakes.

Sure enough we ended up driving through some major mountains on the ride south out of Wyoming. Let me tell you, it was a beautiful drive. The mountains were awesome. When we hit the Continental Divide, the mountains were awe inspiring.

After the Continental Divide, southern Wyoming turned out to be mostly a desert type of environment. It was a stark contrast to northern Wyoming.

It was basically open road with small towns sprinkled in vast distances.

We finally hit Utah in the late afternoon and continued driving south. We ended up in ski country by nightfall. Unfortunately, it became real dark, and we could not find any RV resorts anywhere nearby on any of our resources. We decided to try to find a Wal-Mart where we could park and dry camp for the evening.

We were both exhausted and very tired by this point. Hell I had been driving all day and well into the night. We had no luck finding any place to camp for the night so we kept on driving.

We finally found a Wal-Mart in Salt Lake City, UT to camp in for the night. When we got there our generator would not start and I had no clue why. We had to rough it for the night without TV, just on our battery power and internal water supply. I was so tired that I did not really care. We fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning we stopped at a Denny’s for breakfast, and got on the road with our destination being Las Vegas, NV. This would be the last major stop before home.

The ride from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas was an excellent ride as well. I had no clue how cool the mountains north of Las Vegas were because I had never traveled this route before.

We found a great RV resort a block from the Las Vegas strip, but a few miles south of the main casinos on the strip. The normal rate there was $60-$80 a day, with my RV membership, we paid less than $30 per day.

We must have looked like ragamuffins when we pulled in. My RV was coated with bugs from an over 8,000 mile trip at this point, the front bumper was basically gone from our accident, the back bumper was cracked, and everything was dirty. All of the other RV’s looked new and pristine in the park. No problem, hell thinking about how far we had come was a mind trip in of itself.

The RV resort in Las Vegas was off the hook, every amenity you could possibly want. However, this was Las Vegas. We waxed the motorcycle to clean her up, got her off of the trailer and took off into town for a great evening. By this time Liz had become adept at helping me was the motorcycle, it was actually nice to have her help.

Our plan was to stay in Las Vegas for two nights, then head home.

The next day Liz and I rode to Hoover Dam. This was her first time there. It was as usual hotter than hell in Las Vegas and Boulder City. But it was OK.

Both Liz and I at this point did not want to go home. We both wanted to stay on the road forever. For both of us, going home would mean going back to work and responsibility. This had been the best and longest vacation of both of our lives, a trip that maybe less than 1% of all Americans would ever get to make.

The fact that we would head home the next day kind of made us both sad and excited. I must admit that I kind of missed just being in a house without having to drive!

On our last night in Las Vegas after the ride to Hoover Dam we had another good time. We both lost money in the casinos, and then we headed back to the RV Park knowing we were going home the next day.

The last day of our trip saw us waking up with a mission, to get home. I put the motorcycle on the trailer for the last time on this trip, strapped her up, struck camp, and we were off again.

I could tell Liz was not happy about having to go home, but since her aunt was house and dog sitting for us, and we were about 3 weeks over the time we were supposed to be gone, she knew we had to go home.

The ride home was a decent trip. Compared to the 8600 miles we had driven, the ride from Las Vegas to our home in Acton was nothing. A little 200 mile or so jaunt compared to where we had driven on the trip.

When we got home on the evening of September 6, 2012, and I walked in my home, I was shocked at how big it seemed compared to the RV which was our home for the last approx. two months. It took me a while to get used to it.

The epic two month 8600 mile trip we took around the circumference of the United States was probably a trip that can never really be repeated although I have every intention of doing it again. The gas alone was almost $10,000 for the RV.

The memories Liz and I shared during the trip will last for a lifetime. It was that kind of a trip, something you could write a book about.

Here it is December 20, 2012, and in a way I am still recovering from the trip.

Two weeks later Liz and I took the RV back to Las Vegas for the Las Vegas Bikerfest and had a great time.

I wonder who my next trip will be with.

By California Motorcycle Accident Attorney and Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, © December 20, 2012

The post The Final leg of my Epic around the Nation RV Trip, From Greybull, WY to Yellowstone, to Salt Lake City, UT, to Las Vegas to Home. August 30, 2012 – September 6, 2012, 8600 miles total. first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

Deadwood, South Dakota

We arrived a few hours ago in our home for the next few days and nights, an excellent RV resort in Deadwood, South Dakota, within the Black Hills. We are about 12 miles from Sturgis, South Dakota and about an hour away from Mount Rushmore.

Deadwood is a happening town when the Sturgis motorcycle rally is not happening. There are many casinos and bars and an actual nightlife. It is a historic place high in the Black Hills, whereas Sturgis is a small town except during the rally.

The Black Hills happen to be the oldest mountains on the North American Continent.

My last update had us staying at an RV park in Illinois. Last night we spent the night in what was basically a muddy mess in Minnesota.

Since my last update we have driven through or stayed in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.

All of the States we have driven through have been beautiful.

South Dakota is probably the most desolate state by far with respect to places to stop, traffic, etc. It is truly a plains state. We went through hundreds of miles of corn fields before South Dakota. Once in South Dakota it switched to endless grasslands. To be frank South Dakota reminds me of the drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco in a way, but it is still unique.

The Sturgis motorcycle rally was August 6 – 12, 2012 this year. The rally ended two weeks ago. It is amazing to me that there are still a bunch of die-hard bikers here. I saw many bikers on I-90 as I was driving in.

I guess I will still have much fun riding my Harley Davidson Electra Glide amongst other bikers while I am here.

Tomorrow before I do anything, I will have to wash my motorcycle in place on the trailer before taking her off. She picked up a thick coat of white paste in Iowa, and rinsing it with water, nor rain in Iowa and Minnesota did not wash it off. So I will be delayed for at least an hour washing her. Once she is washed I will be off.

I plan on getting GoPro helmet footage of my ride as well as standard HD footage when stopped. I will post it on the blog when I get home.

That is it for now. Time to relax; it was a long 500 mile plus drive in the RV today.

By California Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq.

The post In the Black Hills of South Dakota for a few days first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

California Biker Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez riding around a curve on Mulholland Highway

I am typing the this short blog post from the dining room table of my RV in a RV park in Tuscon, Arizona. Yes, my trip around the USA has begun.

My trip was supposed to start on July 15, 2012, but due to unforseen circumstances and a last minute repair that needed to be made to my RV, I did not depart my home in Acton, CA until around 9:30pm on Wenesday night, July 18, 2012, 3 days and about 13 hours later than my original plan.

I contemplated just starting out on the morning of  July 19, 2012, but I knew that if I did not leave, I would never leave, so I left. When I got to Blythe, CA, I was wiped out, so I decided to pull my rig into a truck stop with all of the other trucks, fire up the generator, and crash out in my rig parked in line with all of the truckers.

I woke up in the morning and got back on the road around 10:30am. Another glitch arose while on the road, this time I discovered that my generator which ran all night in Blythe, would not start up. It was cranking, but not starting. I decided to stop at the Camping World in Pheonix, AZ to see if there was somthing that they could do. What a mistake that was.

First off when I got to the Camping World parking lot, I discovered that my generator started. I figured that I have either some heat problem, a clogged air filter, or maybe a clog in the fuel system. I figured I would have them check it out and I would be back on the road; wrong…………..

At Camping World it was probably over 100 degrees yesterday in Phoenix, and the humidity was off the charts. It felt like I was in a Sauna. Second, when the tech came out to check the generator from Camping World, it started like 4 times in a row with no problem. I should have told him to just forget it and that everything was ok. Finally after having this guy mess with my generator a bunch of times, he got it to fail. Great………. I sat in the friggen heat for hours waiting for this guy to fix the generator. The generator runs the central air so I could not run the air the whole time he was working on it. Since I have all of my possessions in the RV I was not about to let him stay in it by himself.

The tech from Camping World finally shows up with his manager to tell me that they thought the problem with the generator was a coil or a circuit board, and that I should call the local Koeler generator factory authorized dealer and service rep. After the guys from Camping World played with my generator, I could not start it all all. I was freaking out in the Arizona heat and contemplating returning home before I got too far away.

I called the Koeler dealer and at first got a voicemail, and then after trying multiple times, I  finally spoke to someone who told me that their service guy had left for the day, it was only 4pm, and that the service guy said he was booked for the next day. I told them my situation but they did not seem to care. Talk about shitty customer service, I decided to move on.

Suffice is to say, I decided to head to Tucson and take my chances there. After stopping at Walmart in Phoenix to stock up on water which I drank in great quantities due to the heat, I decided to try the generator again; thank god it started.

I know I have some kind of heat problem with the generator, but it is not going to ruin my trip. As long as I can get it to start after it cools off, I am ok with that, especially since I will stay at RV parks like the one I am at right now, and they provide me with the 50 amp service my RV requires.

Let me tell you about the RV park I am at right now, it is awesome. The front office closed at around 8pm. I called them from the Walmart parking lot at around 7pm to tell them that I was a member of a certain RV club and that I was on my way. My RV club membership gives me 50% off on all member RV parks. I was told my fee for the nights stay was $18…….. awesome!

They kept the office open for me. They knew I was in a 35 foot class A with a 10 foot motorcycle trailer. They set me up in a drive through space with easy hookups in a class operation.

The manager gave me a bag of apples and told me he would keep the pool open for me. Once I hooked up to electrical, water, and sewer, I threw on my bathing suit and went to the pool and jumped in. All I can say is ahhhhh what a relief. There is nothing like floating in a pool looking at the Tuscon, Arizona sky, knowing that an epic journey is ahead.

There is no way in hell you will ever meet nicer people while traveling, then the ones you meet doing the RV thing. I used to think bikers were the best, well RV’ers are right up there on top.

So even though my trip got off to a rocky start, I will jump into bed in a few, wake up early, have some breakfast, and get back on the road in the morning. I anticipate spending the night either in New Mexico or possibly Texas depending on how far I go.

For me this trip is not about rushing, it is about quality, just like my motorcycle trips.

Good night for now folks. look for another update soon.

By California Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Norman Gregory Fernandez, Esq., July 20, 2012

The post My epic grand tour of the USA has begun! first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.

The Electra Glide Ultra Custom I am taking on the trip with me

Being able to take off for a one month vacation, from a super busy law practice, for an around the nation RV vacation has always been a dream of mine. My dream is about to come true, my trip starts this Sunday, July 15, 2012.

My Law Offices will remain open and staffed.

My clients will be able to reach me on the road by dialing my number and extension, it will forward to my cell phone on the road. If I do not answer leave a message, and I will call you back as soon as I can.

I have a full mobile law office set up in my RV, with full computer access to my office. I will also do new client consultations from the road.

An Attorney never really takes a 100% off work vacation; if they do, they must not really have a lot of cases!

You may also dial my Paralegal Kathy at extension 420.

My partners, associates, support staff, and investigators will all still be available at their respective extensions. Nothing will change at the office.

At 6am on July 15, 2012, I will depart in my 35’ Class A Georgie Boy for my first destination, Key West, Florida by way of Interstate 10. My Harley Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Custom will be my dingy in tow on a new Trinity 3 motorcycle trailer.

I also got a couple of folding 12 speed bikes to pedal around the various campgrounds I will be staying in.

Many of my friends have been following my updates about the trip on Facebook; you can find me on Facebook by clicking here.

I literally have dinner, ride, and social invitations from my many friends all over the nation. Unfortunately I cannot really commit to anything right now; the nature of my trip is that I will take each day as it comes with no pressure to do any one thing.

I am a member of various RV clubs and my plans on this trip are to play it by ear. Under no circumstances do I want to make this trip about having to reach a certain destination every day.

Instead, I will play it like the Tortoise and take it easy. I want to enjoy the drive, and enjoy each destination along the way. I want to explore our nation like I have never done, meet new people, and have a blast.

Some of the Class A only campgrounds that I have seen are unreal.

There is only one destination that I have to make it too by a certain date and that is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The actual motorcycle rally is August 6-12, 2012. My plan is to get there for the last 2-3 days, and then spend a day or two extra exploring without all of the crowds.

Let me tell you, making my dream come true was not easy. I have worked my ass off for the past month to get my cases in order so I could take this trip.

I also had to take my RV in for some customization for the trip. It is now outfitted with state of the art in-motion satellite, Wi-Fi internet, multiple HD flat panel TV’s, multiple color and infra-red cameras, the works.

Outfitting a 35’ RV for a trip like this is almost like furnishing a new home. I had 3 shopping carts full at Wal-Mart yesterday, and there is still more to get including food.

I plan on blogging all about this trip either every day or almost every day. I will have pictures, video, helmet cam footage, the works. I want to take you all on the trip with me.

I will write short articles while on the trip because this trip is about having fun.

So there it is, I may be coming to a town near you very soon.

Norman Gregory Fernandez, July 12, 2012

The post My One Month Around the United States RV Road Trip is Set to Begin This Sunday, July 15, 2012 first appeared on Biker and Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Blog.