Vegas to Sturgis Mayhem Tour

You + Your Jeep + Jp = Mayhem!

In the March '03 Trail Head, we mentioned the possibility of a cross-country Jp event. The idea went something like this: Wanna pull pranks on your pals and complete strangers, drive down the highway with Blow-Up Betty ridin' shotgun and see some of the great attractions of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, and South Dakota all in your favorite vehicle, your Jeep?

You can if you join Jp Magazine on the Mayhem Tour from Vegas to Sturgis. Pack your bags. Anyone with a Jeep is invited--there's no entry fee, no registration lines to wait in, no organization whatsoever. All you gotta do is show up in a Jeep, drive and take care of yourself. We don't care what model you drive--stock, modified, CJ, TJ, YJ, XJ, Grand, FSJ, FC, whatever. Imagine herds of Jeeps rolling into town like cowboys lookin' for a good time. You can travel every last mile with us, hang a day or two or even go for just a couple hours if that's all the fun you can stand.

We had no idea we'd get such an overwhelming response from a late-night beer-inspired idea for Jp Magazine. Now we've got the course and dates set. Our trip isn't like all the big ultimate-this or top-that magazines. We don't have a snooty "you're not invited" attitude or "you need at least 35-inch tires" rule. We don't even have any real rules except one: You have to drive or ride in a Jeep on the trip.

You are totally responsible for yourself and anything you'll need (food, fuel, repairs, lodging, inflatable people, rubber dog pooh, and so on) so it's a good idea to hook up with a buddy for the journey should you run into any trouble along the way. Except for the first day, there will be no official meeting point. Each morning we'll roll out of town around 9 a.m.

July 28
The Jp Magazine Vegas to Sturgis Mayhem Tour kicks off in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Frontier Hotel and Casino (3120 Las Vegas Blvd., So. Las Vegas, NV 89109). Call 702/794-8200 or go to www.frontierlv.com for directions. We plan to meet at 9 a.m. local time and head out of town crossing the Hoover Dam. From there, we snake around to Temple Bar, a boat launch on Lake Mead. A 60-mile dirt road then leads us to Kingman, Arizona. We'll travel east on the famous Route 66 till we reach Williams, Arizona, where we'll spend the night.

July 29
The next morning, it's off to the Grand Canyon. There's a $20 fee to enter the park, so once again, you're on your own--pay the man. We'll stop and check out the view, then move on to Four Corners, where the edges of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah intersect. From there, it's a short drive to Farmington, New Mexico.

July 30
Trail day: We're going wheelin'. You can come with us, go driving around with your buddies or spend the day in town at the bar. Whatever works for you works for us.

July 31
We're off to Moab, Utah. We'll drive within 100 miles of several cool natural and man-made spectacles like Mexican Hat, Monument Valley and a few old mining camps, so you can choose your own adventure to Moab or follow along with us through the Million-Dollar highway in the Colorado mountains.

August 1
Another trail day. We have no idea what trail we're going to run in Moab. Once again, you can come with us, wheel on your own or spend the day at the bar again, ya drunk.

August 2
Are you ready for a long day? We'll leave Moab and head up toward I-70, hang a left and drive 110 miles in the dirt. It's about 130 miles from gas stop to gas stop, so make sure you have plenty of fuel, food and especially water; it's gonna be a hot one. Add a little highway driving, and we'll spend the night in Rock Springs, Wyoming.

August 3
Dust off your seats and load up. We're going sightseeing in Yellowstone National Forest. We'll drive through the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park to end up in West Yellowstone, Montana. There's a $20 fee to enter the parks, but your pass is good in both areas for a week.

August 4
Time to relax, take a day off and check out the world-famous geysers like Old Faithful and many other natural sights in Yellowstone Park. We'll end up back in West Yellowstone at day's end--or you could spend the day at the local bar if that's more of a day off to you.

August 5
This will be perhaps the longest on-road day, taking us from West Yellowstone to the naked Bike Week madness in Sturgis, South Dakota for the 63rd annual rally. You can probably forget about finding a hotel room in Sturgis unless you booked it a year ago. Last year's event attracted 450,000 bikers. We looked for a room in March of this year and couldn't find one, so don't forget your camping gear.

August 6
The '03 Sturgis Rally is held from August 4 through the 10, so you'll have plenty of days to mingle in the billet and smoothed Harleys. You can also check out the Crazy Horse monument or the past President's mugs at Mount Rushmore. If you're up for it, you can go wheelin' on some of the local trails. We suspect there will be plenty of drinkin' bars in Sturgis for those inclined to wander into the biker party scene.