Long-Form Synopsis:

Jon Helmuth has made a decision. For the next two weeks, he’s going to leave the responsibilities of work and family behind, load himself and a bag onto the back of a vintage style, hand-produced motorcycle, and embark on his own version of the iconic American Road Trip. Schedules have been cleared, the route planned, and essentials packed — all he’s got to do now is convince his longtime friend, Daryl, to go on the 3000 mile journey with him to the Pacific North West.

Spurred on by his wife, adopted kids, and his grandchildren during a cheerful and lively family get-together, Daryl — who is a generation older than Jon — is convinced to go. Together the unlikely pair take to the open road, each of them hoping for a little adventure and a lot of fun. But Jon, it turns out, doesn’t realize that what he’s packed into his bag along with his new underwear is a whole lot of misplaced expectations.

Jon has known Daryl for quite a few years — he went to school with Daryl’s kids, and has leaned on on him through some tough times. We soon learn, however, that Daryl is dealing with a serious issue of his own — his rapidly deteriorating eyesight. It’s this situation that has prompted Jon to plan the road trip as a gift to Daryl. It’s something the two of them have talked about doing for some time. For Jon, the trip is both a chance to give Daryl a lasting and meaningful experience that he can treasure when he loses what remains of his eyesight, and an opportunity, he hopes, for the pair to grow closer.

Due to his encroaching blindness, Daryl is no longer able to drive; so Jon, who is all about creating the most authentic, nostalgic, and ideal experience possible, proposes putting Daryl in a sidecar. Side by side, he surmises, is the best way for them to have as similar an experience as possible. What we soon learn, however, is that though the two of them end up in the same boat — or in this case, motorcycle — it does not mean that they are anywhere near being on the same page. It’s clear that they have very different personalities and perspectives on life, and this ends up having a profound effect on the way that Jon thinks about their relationship. 

Quite early on in the trip, Jon’s expensive and showy motorcycle starts to shed parts, including one of the wheels on the sidecar. Fortunately, Daryl isn’t riding in it at the time, but the calamity causes Jon to anxiously consider the practical boundaries involved in making the entire trip across country. Stranded, and without another means of transportation, the pair consider giving up almost before they have begun, but in the end they are able to locate a new more reliable bike and continue on their way. What follows is a sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, sometimes hapless romp, in which two fellow travelers find themselves in some unexpected circumstances, often butt heads, and are forced to negotiate a tenuous truce. Dubious meals, some sketchy directions, unexpected acts of kindness, insalubrious accommodations, and some beautiful scenery all feature in this story about two souls who, though they’re on the same road and going in the same direction, just can’t seem to help missing each other.

In the end, the two do make it to the coast and enjoy some tender and poignant moments as they look out on the ocean. It becomes increasingly clear that Daryl has enjoyed the trip, is very glad to have made it to see the Pacific Ocean at last, and is more willing to open up. And it’s not the first time that he has shown some real appreciation of and affection for Jon. But when it’s all said and done you can’t help feeling that out of the two of them, Jon might be the one who can’t see so well.

In the end, the question becomes this: will Jon be able to see that sometimes the most precious things come from life as it is and not from life as we imagine it should be?

Short-Form Synopsis

Cheerful optimist Jon has made a decision. For the next two weeks, he’s going to leave the responsibilities of work and family behind, load himself and a bag onto the back of a vintage style, hand-produced motorcycle, and embark on his own version of the iconic American Road Trip. All he’s got to do now is convince his longtime friend, Daryl to go on the 3000 mile journey alongside him in the bike’s sidecar to the Pacific North West. Spurred on by his wife, adopted kids, and his grandchildren during a cheerful and lively family get-together, Daryl —who is a generation older than Jon —is convinced to go. Together the unlikely pair take to the open road, each of them hoping for a little adventure and a lot of fun. But Jon, it turns out, doesn’t realize that what he’s packed into his bag along with his new underwear, is a whole lot of misplaced expectations.