[atch]

i'd like to get a thread going that folks will add to for a long time to come giving some info on great rides you've done. any duration; around the block to around the world. whatever the rest of us might want to try someday.

a couple of mine were:

a few years ago we rode over all 23 mountain passes in colorado that are on paved roads and are over 10,000 feet high. it took about 7 days. not including the two days each way getting there and home. i rode that one on a 1980 FXWG. you can look on any colorado map and make up your own route to duplicate this one. at the time i thought it would be my "trip of a lifetime". it may turn out to be. i'll have to wait 'til i die to know for sure, though.

another good one was when sherry (my wife now, but wasn't then) and i rode my 2000 FLHSTC around lake michigan. we spent 4 days doing this one. i recommend that anyone who wants to do this ride plan to spend at least 6 days. that's 5 days riding and one to go to mackinaw island. we didn't have time to even take the ferry over there at all. there are several other places you could spend several hours that we didn't take the time for 'cause we knew we didn't have the time available. we hugged the coast as closely as the map said we could. except for downtown chicago. sherry is from chicago and we've seen all of chicago we need to see, so we just took the fast way around chicago. i might not remember correctly, but i think this was about 1,100 miles. b-t-w; we watched the fireworks on the 4th of july on that trip at escanaba (sp?). pretty cool as they shot them over the lake and folks sat on a hillside in a park overlooking the lake.

we plan to ride around the other four great lakes eventually. one at a time; not all in one trip.

a short ride that's worth the time is to take missouri highway 79 from louisiana, missouri, to hannibal, missouri. lots of hills and twisties, as well as some great views. about 30 miles. plan for at least an hour, as there are a couple of good scenic overlooks where you need to drink a beverage and admire the view.

i haven't mentioned sturgis or daytona. most of us have either been or plan to go. there has been so much written about these places that we probably couldn't add much to what is already easily available. 'course if you want to let the rest of us in on some secret place you discovered there we'd like to hear about it.

so how 'bout takin' the time to give the rest us a quick run-down of a ride we might like to do someday.

 

[sparkymoffett]

when i was living out in mesa az. going out towards superstition mountain in the evening when the sun was setting and looking out over phoenix. wow simply amazing. with the warm evening air as i rode and the desert in all directions.

 

[Crow]

I've always enjoyed Devil's Den up in the Ozarks. Me and my girl just rode there form Austin on our motards. That was a good trip.

 

[snortonnorton]

well living in flat ass florida i can't compare to you guys for scenery. but for a cool care-free ride I love the trip on US-1 from cocoa near where my dad lives in cocoa beach to daytona. it's free of traffic on the weekend (as long as it's not near bike week) and you go through some old towns, plus a really neat bridge. they showcased the route i'm talking about when billy lane did a bike build-off. And even though it's quiet and sometimes no town at all, when you do see gas stations or little bars, they are all bike friendly and nice people, cheap diners, and a ice cream parlor that hasn't changed since 1958 that my friend and i usually hit. (he doesn't drink anymore)

 

[Tman]

atch, I cant attest to the ride to Sturgis, I grew up here in the Black Hills! What I can say is the roads in this 5 state region rock. I am seeing a new phenomena in recent years, folks coming to the Hills all summer to take in the good riding. It seems they have done the "rally" and decided to come when the traffic is less so they could ride more!

 

[atch]

I've always enjoyed Devil's Den up in the Ozarks. Me and my girl just rode there form Austin on our motards. That was a good trip.

crow,

could you fill us in a bit as to where devil's den is? state, route numbers, towns, etc?

 

[atch]

atch, I cant attest to the ride to Sturgis, I grew up here in the Black Hills! What I can say is the roads in this 5 state region rock. I am seeing a new phenomena in recent years, folks coming to the Hills all summer to take in the good riding. It seems they have done the "rally" and decided to come when the traffic is less so they could ride more!

i agree. i'd like to come out sometime other than during the rally so there wouldn't be so much traffic.

 

[Nads]

It's never the destination, it's always the ride.

However, many moons ago a bunch of us went on an overnight ride to the Georgia border through the Ocala National Forest.
It was truly spectacular riding through the giant trees on a completely deserted road as the sun was coming up.
We should made the trip in four hours but somehow it stretched to 12 because of numerous breakdowns, not my bike this time though.

 

[Richie]

Ususally on Sunday mornings I TRY to get up early and head to Fort Revere which is an old Revelutionary War fort looking out over Massachusetts Bay.

Its gotta be one of my favorite places around here.
Its a great ride on smooth roads (a rarity in Boston) through the historical district of Hingham, MA.
The road (route 228 if anyone is interested) empties out at what I guess is the south end of Nantasket beach in Hull, MA.
You cruise the lenth of the beach and through the town that twists and turns around a bunch of inlets with the ocean on either side, then climb what's known as "Telegraph Hill" past some old cannons and the road opens up to the backside of the fort.

You can pretty much go anywhere in the fort but I kind of prefer the top of the east facing wall.
On a clear day you can look out across the water and (just barely) see the "hook" of Cape cod & its just high enough to look down over the beach and watch the people scramble around like ants.

Shit...I just read this all back to myself and realized I can not describe it accurately enough without more coffee....but you guys get the idea.

 

[Crow]

crow,

could you fill us in a bit as to where devil's den is? state, route numbers, towns, etc?

No problem, Devil's Den is a state park in northwest corner of my native state of Arkansas.

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/devilsden

but as much as the park, it's the surrounding roads and particularly the roads in it that make it so cool,serious curves!! Make a loop out of 74 and 170 and then head up to Goshen or anywhere up in those hills east of Fayetville. Maybe tool around til ta get to Hwy 7 then head back down to Hot Springs. It is just unbelievable riding up there. Highly recommended!!

 

[BigDdy31]

That's all a beautiful area up in there. My family used to have a farm near Red Star. It's way hell out in the boonies but it's really pretty.

No problem, Devil's Den is a state park in northwest corner of my native state of Arkansas.

http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/devilsden

but as much as the park, it's the surrounding roads and particularly the roads in it that make it so cool,serious curves!! Make a loop out of 74 and 170 and then head up to Goshen or anywhere up in those hills east of Fayetville. Maybe tool around til ta get to Hwy 7 then head back down to Hot Springs. It is just unbelievable riding up there. Highly recommended!!

 

[Larry T]

My favorite stretch of road used to be between Cimarron and Eagles Nest, New Mexico. It had mountains on both sides of a road that ran along a little river - beautiful scenery, lots of twists and turns. Unfortunately, I think the river is a good trout stream and lots of folks are also picnicing there now. WAY to much traffic now and like Joannie Mitchell sang "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot." Lots of them.
Larry T
PS Lots of good roads in the Hill Country of south Texas too, just watch out for the deer.

 

[GumbyChuck]

Blue Ridge Parkway, especially from the NC border to the end.

Almost anywhere in the Blue Ridge/Appalachian/Smokey mountains - US129(the Dragon), Cherohala Skyway (did that yesterday), 28 from Franklin to 143, 209 to Hot Springs...I love NC riding.

And the one I start tomorrow - Bowling Green, KY to Sturgis, Yellowstone, Seattle, Pacific Coast Highway, Redwoods, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain Nat'l park, and back.

I've got the next month off. Got an early start with a run to NC to meet up with my dad this weekend. He's coming with on the trip.

 

[hatch]

15 months....36000 miles on a 750 honda. around the usa.. The first thirty days was only 7 miles on the xway....the rest on two lane blacktop...never stayed in a hotel, and ate very few meals in restaurants. Cooked by the side of the road with fresh food in the saddlebag/cooler. This was when I got out of the air force in 1975, and I"m ready to do it again.

 

[DPicasso]

Texas Highway 170 hugging the Rio Grande between Big Bend National Park and Presidio- it's what made me move here. Hairpinny and roallercoastery and the canyons-rolling-into-the-river views are dangerously lovely.

The Davis Mountains Scenic Loop beginning and ending at Ft. Davis, Texas- kind of like a twice-as-long version of the Isle of Man, according to a fellow familiar with that course- but at about 6000 ft. Very few law enforcement personnel as well.

linking these two routes together is a perfect day's ride.

 

[Richie]

Dan!
Good to see you here!

 

[atch]

last week sherry and i rode the "tail of the dragon" on US-129 across the ridge/stateline between tennessee and north carolina. i've heard about this for a long time and had to do it just 'cause it needs to be done. it was pretty scenery, but i didn't care one way or the other for the "318 curves in 11 miles" that turns on the crotch rocket folks. if you're into scrapin' your knees on the curves then you need to do this ride. here's a link to what i'm talking about:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

later that day we rode across the Cherohala Skyway; NC-143 and Tenn-165. breathtaking! if you're ever in the neighborhood you should consider riding this 40 or so miles. here are a couple of links to this stretch of road:

http://www.cherohala.com/

http://www.westernncattractions.com/cherohal.htm

one of these days sherry and i want to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from one end to the other. anyone done that and want to tell us about it?

 

[Ed]

last week wherry and i rode the "tail of the dragon" on US-129 across the ridge/stateline between tennessee and north carolina. i've heard about this for a long time and had to do it just 'cause it needs to be done. it was pretty scenery, but i didn't care one way or the other for the "318 curves in 11 miles" that turns on the crotch rocket folks. if you're into scrapin' your knees on the curves then you need to do this ride. here's a link to what i'm talking about:

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

later that day we rode across the Cherohala Skyway; NC-143 and Tenn-165. breathtaking! if you're ever in the neighborhood you should consider riding this 40 or so miles. here are a couple of links to this stretch of road:

http://www.cherohala.com/

http://www.westernncattractions.com/cherohal.htm

one of these days sherry and i want to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from one end to the other. anyone done that and want to tell us about it?

what he said.

 

[Flatironmike]

For me, it's a place called 'Inebriation.'

MC

 

[AJH]

35 miles up the turnpike to NYC