Strangers to guide traveling duo

SPRINGVILLE — Two friends traveling to see the world is one thing. Letting a third party decide exactly where they go is a new twist.

Mitch Curwen and Ryan Grassley, both Utah National Guardsmen, embarked Wednesday on a journey of epic proportions.

On a motorcycle trip covering nine countries and nearly 8,000 miles, the pair's daily route will be decided by an Internet poll voted on by strangers. The two men will follow the chosen-by-vote route until they reach the Panama Canal. After creating a Web site for their trip — www.half-throttle.com — Curwen and Grassley decided to map out their preferred routes for each leg of the journey.

Each day, visitors to the Web site can vote on two proposed routes, saving the duo any unwelcome confrontation.

"On our first trip together we got in disagreements about places we wanted to go — if we wanted to go by the beach, through the forest, things like that," said Grassley, 28, an electrician from Springville. "So this time, to make it more interesting, and to save us some arguing with each other, on all of our traveling days we'll put it up to a vote."

Born out of an idea hatched in an all-but-empty discotheque in El Salvador, the two- to three-month journey began Wednesday at Grassley's Springville home.

With plans to stay with friends when possible and camping when necessary, the duo set out with only the things they could pack on their bikes — a 2005 BMW R1200GS for Grassley and a 1982 XS650 Yamaha Heritage Special for Gurwen.

"My ride will be a little harder, but it will work for me," said Gurwen, 27, a native of Ophir and currently studying at Dixie State College. "I'd rather go with some discomfort than not go at all."

Throughout the trip the duo will work out of Internet cafes to update the Web site, posting video blogs and reports on sites such as MySpace.com, Youtube.com and others. Additionally, they will map out their route and discover where friends, family and strangers will send them. After publishing the site May 18, within days Gurwen and Grassley had already received more than 500 votes from people around the world regarding the route they'd travel from Springville to St. George.

The route Wednesday, as picked by voters, was Highway 12.

They arrived safely in St. George but got a speeding ticket in Garfield County.