South East or South West next summer?

D

dirtbag

Well-known member
After years of motorcycle camping with the guys in northern Ontario and Quebec, a couple years ago I bought an older GoldWing (1986) in order to take some longer trips with the Squeeze.

Last year we spent a week doing a lazy loop of Pennsylvania. This past summer we did a week long loop of Lake Huron with about 3 days chasing down ghost towns in the Upper peninsula of Michigan. Then a separate second week long trip down to Deals Gap including about 150-200 miles of the BRP on the way home.

We start with a vague idea of where we want to go, have picnic lunches at the plentiful and well appointed roadside rest areas, get road maps at the welcome center of each new state and around 5 or 6 pm we start looking for a cheap motel. After dinner I'll spread out the maps, enjoy cheap beer and plan a direction, possibly even a destination for the next day. We travel without GPS, a cellphone or laptop and average 500-600kms per day.

Roads in the US are amazing. When you don't pay for your nation's healthcare you can build crazy roads to nowhere and keep them in immaculate shape.

Next summer we plan to take a 2 week trip and are debating whether to go south again to the eastern seaboard states - maybe even get to the coast for a swim or to head south west to somewhere we havn't been.

Heading west I've considered seeing some of route 66 or maybe retracing bits of Robert Pirsigs route from "Zen and the art...." but here is my dilema: When I look at the map of the USA it becomes readily apparent just how big it is and how short two weeks is. Sure we could go to the Pacific but this is a motorcycle trip and I'd rather be trying to scrape the pegs in the twisties than play "dodge the retread remnants" on the interstate. The first day of the Deals gap trip was a 800km super slab day to get us close quickly which is OK as long as we can have fun from there on.

Since the west coast is just too far to be fun what about the mid west? Nebraska, Colorado or Texas all look doable in two weeks. Can anyone comment on the squigglyness (if that's not a word it should be) of roads going south west or west? Or suggest alternatives etc. I've got all winter to ponder so I'm open for suggestions.

Thanks in advance

(In the spirit of reciprocity if you're planning a trip to anywhere we've been feel free to enquire, I'd be glad to share)
 
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To be fair I usually ride alone and I know you are riding 2up but I gotta tell ya this was one hell of a trip

http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforu...-Sturgis-amp-Colorado-Me-and-Princess-go-West

Now I’m not saying to take the route I took or anything but the west really is a great trip with tons of great things to see and do.
Ya you are gonna slab it a couple days to get there but well worth it once you are there.
Colorado has some amazing riding and the scenery is simply breathtaking.
Like you said….roads are great….rooms are cheap….food is plenty
 
Our group of eight riders will be heading west (Colorado, Utah) at the beginning of June. Since we only have 10 days set aside for this trip, we're forced to trailer our bikes to Colorado Springs. In your case two weeks is plenty to truly enjoy beautiful Rocky Mountains with a rest day in...let's say,Aspen,Co.
If I can be of any assistance in your planning , feel free to pick my brains. Start by investing in a set of Butler Motorcycle Maps (they are worth every penny) and by posting the very same question on a Goldwing Forum; you'll be nicely surprised by how helpfull and knowledgeable our American brothers are.
 
Is my estimation correct? It would take 3 days to ride to Colorado Springs from Toronto.
 
Pearlzzzzz! said:
Is my estimation correct? It would take 3 days to ride to Colorado Springs from Toronto.
Click to expand...

ya thats about right.
it would be tough to do it in 2 days (Ironbutt maybe)
 
kiley said:
ya thats about right.
it would be tough to do it in 2 days (Ironbutt maybe)
Click to expand...

Last year I hit Denver before noon on the third day, but this year's trip took me a little longer because of the heat - so weather has to be factored in. In 2011 I had rain for the morning through Nebraska, but it didn't really bother me - the temps were moderate and I had good rain gear. In June this year it was record heatwave and I had to stop often to cool off and hydrate, so I didn't hit the Colorado border until late the second day.

There really is no "twisty" way to go through the plains States - but you can avoid the interstates without adding a lot of time. I went south to Hannibal, Missouri than ran U.S. 36 right through to Colorado. This highway is practically deserted, but enough small towns to make gas and rest stops not a problem. The speed limit is mostly 65, but you can cheat up easily to 80 for most of the way - you can go hours without seeing another vehicle - I saw one cop car on the day I traversed it.

Nebraska is not really worthwhile as a destination - sorry Nebraska - but YAWN!

But other than that - yes the two to three days highwaying the straights is worth it - next year I'm going back again. Once you've ridden the Rockies you will redefine mountain roads - there is nothing in the east that compares to the Utah landscape.

You won't see everything in two weeks - or three weeks - this will be the third year in a row I'm trekking out there to see areas I couldn't fit in the last two trips and I still won't see everything.

In 2012 I took two weeks and concentrated mainly on Arizona and Utah - last year I went back to see the parts of Colorado and New Mexico I saw only in passing the first time - next year I'm going back to Utah because I didn't make it this year :-)

What can I say - I'm hooked - the Southwest speaks to my soul.
 
Kiley & BG

My math looks like Denver is at least three days of 800km - most of it super slabbing. With a half day each way to rest your butt that's one week out of the two. That's a huge commitment. For the wife and I on vacation much more than 800km starts to gnaw at the fun especially stacking them day after day. I really want to go west but maybe it's a couple years off when we have 3 or 4 weeks.

Although the scenery looks amazing most of the roads in the pics look more like sweepers than twisties, is that a fair statement? (FYI I consider twisties stuff that needs second or third gear rather than sweepers at 100kph + ) Sounds goofy but I like working the wing through the tight stuff. It's more fun to drive a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow and all that.

Beastiegirl, you're really comitted to this area, can you expand on what drags you back year after year?

Thanks again all
 
Your math is correct.
2up would be 3 days there and 3 days back.
I mean you could try to do it in 2 days but you would prolly be riding the couch for awhile once you got back if you know what i mean.
It takes a special person to sit on the back for that long.
if it were me i would fly her out to Denver....but that's just me.
My trip....I left on a Saturday and was home on a Tuesday morning
3 days to get there....5 days to enjoy it out there....and 2 days home

Roads....the west has a little of everything
If you want just twisties you would have to do some research
I was on a twistie in the Black Hills that had switchbacks way sharper than anything on the Dragon.
I mean some of them were just ridiculous.

Like Beastie I loved the west and will go again and again
There's just so much more i want to see.
This year I plan on staying a few more days in Colorado and i want to try and make it up to Montanna


This trip isn't for eveyone
Its a long haul
Ive done the south a half dozen times
I mean lets face it....you can be at the Dragon in about 13 - 14 hours.
Hell theirs some amazing riding about 4 hours from here in Pennsylvania

Would you consider a Trailer?
I mean there's lots of groups that trailer out west.
Maybe you could hook up with a group like that?
 
BEASTIE
When you have a moment, could you expand on a few choice Utah routes?
 
I've been to Colorado and Utah this year it was surreal, you will never find that experience on the East Coast! That area is so reach in natural wonders that you will want to go back again and again.

We had 10 days for this trip, it took us one day to get to Denver, one day to get back which left us with eight days for riding twisties and visiting National Parks in Colorado and Utah. Me and my buddy rented an open trailer from Exclusive Sport Rentals (www.sportrentals.ca) and took turns at driving a minivan, in Denver we left the car and trailer at a storage facility (http://www.adamscountyselfstorage.com). After 24 hours on the road we were in pretty good shape to strat riding, but I realize this is not for everybody, two days each way however is more within everybody's reach, from Toronto Denver is just as far as Miami.

Here is just a small sample of what is out there:

IMG_2963.JPG

Pikes Peak.

IMG_2139.jpg

Monument Valley.

IMG_3140.JPG

Monument Valley.

IMG_3295.JPG

Bryce Canyon.

IMG_3417.JPG

Capitol Reef.
 
Colorado is awesome. This is the route I took to get there and back, the pins are where I stopped for the night. Took me eight days, including one day of rest in Denver. That was pretty rushed, but two weeks should be perfect. Coming back I hopped on and off RT66, I wouldn't recommend it, very kitschy and boring

http://goo.gl/maps/GwkAj
 
I was in Colorado this Fall for the second time. My 3 week trip centered around Frisco where I stayed at the Frisco Lodge which I would highly recommend. Zipping through the mountain passes is unbelievable!. On the way there I went up to the top of Pikes Peak and coming back I headed up to Grand Teton and Yellowstone Parks. Coming out of Yellowstone via the North East Entrance I traveled the Bear Tooth Highway which is NOT to be missed.

The maps I used for touring around Frisco were from the Aug. 2011 edition of the RoadRUNNER magazine (WWW.roadrunner.travel) and they have put out several articles on Colorado so it's worth looking into.

My Colorado Travel Blog which includes map and Pics are at: http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog/muggeragem/4/tpod.html
which you could use to gauge your trip.
 
dirtbag said:
Kiley & BG

My math looks like Denver is at least three days of 800km - most of it super slabbing. With a half day each way to rest your butt that's one week out of the two. That's a huge commitment. For the wife and I on vacation much more than 800km starts to gnaw at the fun especially stacking them day after day. I really want to go west but maybe it's a couple years off when we have 3 or 4 weeks.

Although the scenery looks amazing most of the roads in the pics look more like sweepers than twisties, is that a fair statement? (FYI I consider twisties stuff that needs second or third gear rather than sweepers at 100kph + ) Sounds goofy but I like working the wing through the tight stuff. It's more fun to drive a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow and all that.

Beastiegirl, you're really comitted to this area, can you expand on what drags you back year after year?

Thanks again all
Click to expand...

Well I think others have expanded for me quite well.

In the end it comes down to what speaks to your soul. WheelieBoy in his blogs about his west coast trip described Utah as "insanely beautiful" and I thought that was such an apt description. I rode the Blue Ridge from start to finish a few years ago and not to knock it at all, but I took maybe a dozen pictures because other than the first few miles in North Carolina, it really started looking all the same. In Utah alone I took over a hundred pictures because every corner was a new vista and every formation looked different from a dozen different angles - like a huge piece of modern art. This year I'm going to camp in the National Parks and I'll probably spend as much time hiking as biking, because the views from the trails are even more spectacular than the views from the lookout points and I reluctantly turned back about an hour into my hikes because I had reservations to meet before dark.

So for me its not really a motorcycle specific destination. I would agree for me it is more about the scenery than the riding roads per se. In terms of even the mountain roads in Colorado, the ones in the little mountains we have here in the east are probably more "fun" - you don't tend to drag pegs much on narrow two lane roads with no shoulders and no guardrails, because a mistake doesn't take you into a ditch, it either flips you into a mountain side or off a mountain side, you have no wiggle room and even the locals drive maybe 10 over on these roads.

I don't drive a car - I only have my motorcycle licence, so I might tend to be a little more pragmatic about the long "boring" parts of my touring. Sometimes for me it is about the destination, not just the journey. Much like driving a car, my bike is a mode of transportation, not just a toy or recreational vehicle :-) So in the end I have different reasons for riding different destinations - there are times I just want endless hours of twisty roads where I don't care what the scenery is or where I end up and that's fine when that's what you want, but its probably not worth the long trek out west for just that, when there are lots of twisty roads just south of the border in PA and WV for example.
 
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Thanks everyone for your input. Glad you experienced those spectacular routes and scenery.
Gracias
 
T.O. to Denver is a good 2.5-3days, provided you have nice travel weather. The midwest summers rains can be a bit much and if you've not seen flat, wait for Iowa,Kansas and Nebraska. You can pull some serious mileage since the roads are clean/flat/straight.
Once you hit Colorado everything changes, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona really needs to be seen to be believed. Geography changes completely every 80 miles.
My wife loves Arizona so much we have a house there (cuts down the drive time by flying, but a trip to the cottage is 1k). If you like natural history, cactus and colors you've never seen, go west.
Avoid the boondoggles like "genuine western town", and go look at the meteor craters, verde canyon, Bryce and the Grand if you get south enough.

My only advice, having 2uped a G'wing for many miles, make sure you're partner is enjoying the ride as much as you if it gets cold/wet/cold and wet... my wife is a good sport, but Ottawa to Toronto to meet a deadline on a pounding rain October day tested the relationship.
 
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