Cross Country

Heading to pigeon forge Saturday May 7th and should be getting there May 10th, a Tuesday.

Heading to Alaska either 2012 or shortly there after. A co-worker and friend wants me to ride with him on the 4 corners in 2012 but if that falls thru I may head to Alaska instead?

I also try to do most of my long distance rides before school lets out or after school lets back in. Otherwise I figure you'll be jockeying for space on the highways and rooms/camp spots in hotels/campgrounds with vacationing families....so far its worked out and the prices seem to be cheaper too.

One also should take into consideration the temps of the time of year ofthe locations you're going to and thru. We left mid to late fall last year and it was still 105-110 degrees in the Utah/Nevada/S Cal/ Arizona/New Mexico/Texas regions. As soon as we started North of Hartford,CT it dropped down to 45-52 degrees, it was 1 st week of October. Quite the temp swing.

Advice is like apples and oranges, there both good for you but some like one over the other.

I say get out there travel and develop and share your personal experience. For the amopunt of bikes that are registered I was quite frankly shocked at the minimum of riders I saw touring throughout the 3 week trip. Perhaps it was the time of year too(September 18th-October 8th)? Alls I know is despite the sparse showing of bikes up thru the 2nd day, when we pulled into Zanesville,Ohio and got a room and then started checking out the town I sure saw mucho plenty of HD's in droves and packs but all w/in he city limits. This led me to believe while there many be many HD owners nobodies really going no where long distance. And its too bad.

Yes its a scary thought and is a little scary throughout the trip truth be told but you take it a day at a time with the daily goal of getting to the next hotel/camp spot at the end of the day safely/intact and celebrate that success and prepare for the next days objective. A typical day was heading out by 7-8 am and calling it a day by 4:30pm-6pm. We did have to adjust as thew temps spikes into the 100's. We would leave at 5am and call it a day at 1:30-2:30PM. when the temps were too much.

badinfluence63, you should go to Alaska. That is the ultimate ride of all. Of course, starting from New England is a long stretch to Alaska, but you should consider it when you're out West. I went in June 2009 from Colorado, and took 5 weeks for a round trip.

I did spend more time in Canada than I planned, but it was so beautiful around Jasper and Lake Louise, that I went there again on the way back from AK. While in Alaska, the weather was in the low 80's the whole time, and no rain.

Everyone said I was lucky to have missed the rain. I didn't miss too many bugs though, as I had to stop each time I saw a car wash so I could see out the windshield. Camping in a tent can be a little un-nerving at night when bears are on the prowl, but I did bring protection.

Worst part of that trip was coming back home and riding through a snow blizzard only 40 miles from home. Oh well, I didn't get rained on.

May I suggest baby steps.

What I mean is in the regular summer days I have off I take 3-4-500 miles day trips in any directions. Leading up to the 3 week ride I'd take a number of weekend and over night rides, then a week, then 9 days. So in theory my 3 week ride was simply twenty one, 500 miles days. I didn't always do 500 miles. It averaged actually 400 miles. Some days we did 350 or 400 miles. One day we did 179 miles as we went from Anamosa,IA to West Des Moines,IA to visit a friend for the evening.

All the trips short and long during the summers each lending themselves to useable intel never mind honing your traffic and navigation read and react skilz. 99% of the ride is the preperation and planning.

Oh I'm going and I'll be able to take 5 weeks vacation. Its about 10,000 mile round trip for me.

The times you went were the times recomended to me...June 23-July 31st is my window for which ever year I go. MAin reason was that seems to be the driest, typically. We all know that can change.

What type of bike did you use?

On another note I see you are from Colorado...ever ridden st rt 550 from Durango to Ouray....lol?

You should really consider going to Alaska. That is the ultimate ride for anyone who's been around the lower 48. Of course, leaving from New England makes for a long stretch, but you could try it when you're out West.

I rode up there in June of 2009, and spent 5 weeks on the road. Weather was in the low 80's the whole time there, and didn't have any rain at all. Everyone said I was lucky for missing the rain, but I didn't miss many bugs.
I had to find a car wash everyday so I could see out the windshield.

Camping out at night was interesting, as that's when bears go exploring, but I brought protection (didn't have to use it). It is one of the most beautiful places to see in North America. Canada is very nice too.

Coming home was the worst part, since I rode through a snow blizzard only 40 miles from home. Oh well, I didn't have any rain.

Oh I'm going and I'll be able to take 5 weeks vacation. Its about 10,000 mile round trip for me.

The times you went were the times recomended to me...June 23-July 31st is my window for which ever year I go. MAin reason was that seems to be the driest, typically. We all know that can change.

What type of bike did you use?

On another note I see you are from Colorado...ever ridden st rt 550 from Durango to Ouray....lol?

I noticed your bikes have Alaska tags did you fly and rent?

The weather here in Colo. was worse than in Alaska both when I left and when I came back. I rode my StreetGlide after I bought a removable TourPak for it. Just used a gps that my sister gave me, stuck it on the face of the the tach, plugged it in to the cig. lighter (couldn't believe the bike came with a cigar lighter!) and bought a road map for western Canada.

GPS is really useful in the cities for seeing turns you need to make long before you get to them. Road maps are better for determining which road you want to travel. I also bought a cheap map holder with suction cups for on the gas tank, so you can see the whole State as you ride.

I met some bikers from Anchorage going to Denali, so I tagged along with them for awhile. They knew the good "secret" places that most touristas never find out about until you've missed them. I liked the panhandle (lower area along the coast-line) part of Alaska the best. You have to take a ferry boat (or a sea-plane) to the various islands here along the Inside Passage as there are no roads to get you there. I had many great adventures there.

And yes, I have been on that road from Durango to Ouray several times. Once, coming back home from a ride to the Grand Canyon during a blizzard. After surviving that, I stayed in Ouray for a couple days just to calm down.

Some pics won't upload. Sorry.

Ha ha same here. When we got to Ouray from Durango it was late in the day and my nerves were shot. We too called it a day. We stayed in the Historic Western Hotel as it was the only place left with a room. Glad we did. It didn't have A/C,TV and you had to share the bathroom it was only 30$ and the bar/restaurant was just down stairs...very convenient:

H i s t o r i c W e s t e r n H o t e l O u ra y

That stretch from Durango to Ouray is some of the scariest stretch of rode I have ever had the displeasure of being on in my lifetime and that includes the NJTPK.

Hope to see you guys then, badinfluence63!

Thanks. Can I steal a copy of your quote? Too funny!

Tampa, Badinfluence63 is right about doing some shorter rides first. That way you will know if your bike is set-up the right way for long hours in the saddle. I don't know what you ride, but a windshield and saddlebags are a must. Also, you should try to find a larger touring seat. That will cost you about $300, but you will thank yourself after the first 500 mile day.

About starting out slow, getting your legs and butt toughened-up by many short rides is essential. If you get leg cramps, all you can do is park it and find someplace to walk for about 15 minutes. I got a water-bottle carrier mounted on the handlebar to stay hydrated too.

If you're in a hot climate, get one of those water-soaked neck scarfs (soak in cold water for 10 min.), and it will keep you cool for several hours. I wear an old leather jacket (also a light-weight textile one in the saddlebag along with some tennis shoes for the motel) with just jeans. An extra pair of jeans and some t-shirts will go a long way, as you can wash clothes at any motel. Heck, I've even washed stuff in a stream and put them back on. They're dry again in minutes, and feels good when it's a hot day. Lastly, don't ride without your jacket and gloves on. You'll get sunburned and windburned quickly. Helmet is mandatory for several reasons.

I could go on, but this is getting long. Let me know about your bike.

At this stage in my life, I live to ride, and am on the road about 20 weeks of the year. Sometimes I wonder why I even own a house, but it's always nice to come home after camping out for awhile.

My last trip (Nov./Dec.) took me around Utah and Arizona Canyonlands and most of the parks and monuments where you can camp right in the desert. Gorgeous country.

That was so cool to be looking up at the stars at night when you're surrounded by huge red rocks and soft red sand, listening to the coyotes. It is so quiet at night, you can actually hear small critters (mice and rabbits) crawling around.

I do have a small tent, but most of the time I just like to watch the constellations. In the desert, you can even see the outline of a totally dark moon at night, and it always lets you see what early man got to see before civilization.

Don't let people try to tell you that you need a BMW or other dual sport bike to go offroad. I crossed streams and went places the BMW guys turned around. If you don't mind getting it dirty, a Harley is a great machine for backroad and offroad adventures.

More shots of the desert.