The planning is done. The stops along the way, the calculation
of funds and the final destinations are all mapped out. The only
thing left to do is hit the road.
And on Aug. 27, that’s exactly what Robert Mitchell, 31, and
Gary Perry, 30, will do.
Well, they will hit the water, too.
GILROY
The planning is done. The stops along the way, the calculation of funds and the final destinations are all mapped out. The only thing left to do is hit the road.
And on Aug. 27, that’s exactly what Robert Mitchell, 31, and Gary Perry, 30, will do.
Well, they will hit the water, too.
What began as a basic excursion for the Gilroy natives and long-time buddies to Nebraska for a friend’s wedding has morphed into a three-plus week adventure perfectly suited for water-sport fanatics — jam-packed with wakeboarding on some of the most picturesque lakes the country has to offer.
The main explanation Mitchell uses to describe a 26-day trip to more than 30 different lakes spanning 26 states he and fellow wakeboard enthusiast Perry will embark upon is: “Any excuse to play in the water.”
There is a lot more to it than that, which makes this seemingly outrageous voyage sound like one heckuva good time.
“It all started because our buddy Seth is getting married in Nebraska,” Mitchell said. “If we are going out there, I thought we ought to take grandpa’s motor home, take my boat and hit a few lakes on our way out there.
“Gary and I were talking about it and there are a lot of cool lakes on the way there and back, and that was the game plan. We were going to wakeboard all the way to the wedding and wakeboard all the way back.”
The two said that once they started doing research online and visiting different wakeboarding forums, they realized that there were lakes they could reach with a little extra driving that spanned across the country.
“We saw that there was one a state over, then another and another,” Mitchell said.
And so, they decided that they would take the northern route to the East Coast and the southern route back home, stopping in Nebraska for the wedding, of course.
“I believe the last count was 32 lakes, two rivers and one foreign country,” Mitchell said because the duo will hit Lake Amistad, which is located on the Texas and Mexico border.
“A lot of the lakes we are going to are because of the scenic beauty of them and the riding is a bonus,” Perry said, noting he is most looking forward to visiting Lake Powell, a 186-mile long lake in southern Utah.
“We like exploring waters we have never been to,” Mitchell added.
The likable and charismatic graduates of Gilroy High School have known each other since their days on campus, enjoying the rugged sport of 4-wheeling as a way to pass the time and get their adrenaline fix.
They reunited about four years ago on the lake and found friendship again with wakeboarding as their bond.
So why is their friendship so solid?
“Because I have a boat and he has money to put the gas in it,” Mitchell quipped as the two crack up laughing. “We are probably the only two people that could stand us for this long.”
Though the sport tends to wear the reputation of a party sport, Mitchell and Perry take what they do extremely seriously, whether it’s maintaining the boat in working condition or taking all the proper precautionary measures while out on the lake.
“You get a lot of people that just want to sunbathe,” Perry said.
“It’s really about you, your board, the lake and enjoying the surroundings,” Mitchell said.
Setting out on an expedition with this many intangibles is not cheap. In fact, Mitchell and Perry have formulated the trip will cost them in the ballpark of $9,000 to $11,000 in total expenses.
In addition to vigorously saving their dough, they have also sent out upward of 200 letters to businesses offering advertising opportunities.
“We have been very fortunate so far,” Mitchell said. “We have had a couple local companies — Liquid Acoustics, Paul’s Paint and Custom — that have been kind enough to help us out.”
Their main objective is to find a company willing to advertise on the side of their boat and motor home.
“Think about how many people will see the advertisement,” Mitchell said.
Along the way they have plans to stop and see family members they haven’t seen in a while, take in the natural wonders of Yellowstone National Park and check out Mount Rushmore.
“Ever since graduating high school I have wanted to take a road trip,” Perry said. “This came up and I told my work I need these three weeks off.”
Mitchell and Perry have set up a website, 26states30lakes.com, which will serve as a portal to their experiences as they travel. It already includes some photos and an itinerary of the lakes they plan to make their own.
“Work for the gas for the boat and live for the water,” Perry said.
