What does any right thinking chef do after opening three successful businesses in six years and becoming a father, twice? He grabs his motorcycle and leaves, of course (well, if only for a while).

We usually do enough field trips on Scout, but Karri Schuermans, wife and partner of chef Nico Schuermans (think Beatty St.’s Chambar, Medina, Dirty Apron) sent in these envy-inducing photos of Nico and his good friend Jesse Keefer (of the awesome Bodega Ridge on Galiano Island) riding the famously grueling Trans-America trail, which starts in northeastern Tennessee and ends at the Pacific at the bottom of Oregon. As a big fan of the Long Way Round films (and Nico and Jesse), I can only imagine how awesome it has been for them. The trail is over 4,800 miles of mostly off-road riding, so it’s quite different from the relative coziness of a Route 66. According to Karri – who has been getting updates and snapshots from the road – their travels have included a lot of dirt and great people (save for some Uncle Daddy weirdness in Mississippi). Nico t-boned a cow on his bike (both were fine) and had to tow Jesse for a while after his clutch broke, but beyond that, they’ve endured a lot of amazing scenery and had a wonderful time. They hit Oregon yesterday and are ecstatic to have real coffee for a change. Karri reports that “they may make it back tonight if the weather holds up, and are looking forward to a great meal and beers!” We hope the last of their journey is a safe one, and welcome both of them home.