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Road Trippin' USA 2012

Scale

Mike,
I thought I might put some perspective on your trip. When I did the Four Corners some years ago, I visited Ca, WA, ME, and FL. 10,000 Mi in 21 days. That is I averaged 800 KM a day for 21 days. The distances in the US are much greater than in Europe. Also, one piece od advice! Motorcycles in the US are viewed as toys, not real modes of transportation. American drivers don't see them. Not trying to frighten you, just a word of caution. Ride like every driver is figuring out a way to run you over!!:)
 
When I did the Four Corners some years ago, I visited Ca, WA, ME, and FL. 10,000 Mi in 21 days. That is I averaged 800 KM a day for 21 days.
That's why I put the (global) route in Mapsource so I could measure the approximate length. This is about 12,500mi (+/- 20.000km). Spread out over 90 days is doable. A fellow Dutchman did about the same distance in the same time. Obviously, I have to check now and then if I'm still on 'schedule' albeit that I don't want to make a tight schedule. But when I see that I'm in trouble, I can cut off and do a 2 day stretch on the interstate. I can do 1000km a day if conditions and traffic permits on interstates.
The distances in the US are much greater than in Europe. Also, one piece od advice! Motorcycles in the US are viewed as toys, not real modes of transportation. American drivers don't see them. Not trying to frighten you, just a word of caution. Ride like every driver is figuring out a way to run you over!!:)
Thanks for your insight. All tips are appreciated and taken into consideration. I heard warnings like yours from others, so I will take care.
 
...Thanks for your insight. All tips are appreciated and taken into consideration. I heard warnings like yours from others, so I will take care.



And while we're scaring people; Mike - you should become familiar with tornado weather jargon such as "tornado watch" and " tornado warning" so you'll know the difference and what to do in the event of some nasty weather.

You most likely will have no problems at all, but since you're going to pass through the widwest it's better to safe than sorry.

see: http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7t.html for some maps of nasty areas during the Spring / early Summer
 
And while we're scaring people; Mike - you should become familiar with tornado weather jargon such as "tornado watch" and " tornado warning" so you'll know the difference and what to do in the event of some nasty weather.
When I was in the US in 2000, I was in Pensacolo (on the way to New Orleans) and when we checked into the motel, I turned on the Weather Channel because the sky was looking a bit grey. We got a bit of a scare because there was a hurrican (or was it tornado?) alert and they were telling where the shelters were and so on... In the end it was not that bad, but it was a good storm. I wouldn't want to be caught in one while on the bike somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

It's one thing I'll pay attention to when planning the route.
 
My recommendation is to plan some local rally stops along the way and meet the like minded BMW riders. Maybe even the national rally will be close by. You will get lots of local travel tips. Personally I would skip Texas. Long, flat, and did I mention long and flat? Go through KY, TN, AR, and MO on your way to/from AZ.
 
Personally I would skip Texas. Long, flat, and did I mention long and flat?
I don't agree... ;) I read some very nice ride reports from Big Bend and that's the thing I like. It's not only hills that make riding interesting. There should be more than enough twisty roads in Texas.

I'll make sure to check on the rallies when I know for sure what period I'm coming over. It's something I had in mind, a very good tip! I also want to check on other events too, like rock concerts, festivals and hopefully a Nascar/Indy race. I'm a big racefan and if I get the chance, I'll go to a race. A couple of years ago, Indy came to Europe and I did the race in Belgium as a photographer and went to the Assen (Holland) race with my nephew. But it's better to see in the US, in an oval ofcourse!
 
Indianapolis 500 last weekend in May is the pinnacle of Indy racing. And it is a big party and you can camp.
 
Mike, if you are going to be near Albuquerque, that's not that far from the Grand Canyon. I would think that it would be worth seeing. Going there myself in the spring, so later this year I could be more emphatic about whether or not seeing that landmark would be worth the detour. :ca

I concur, and then you are close to the Painted Desert, petrified forest, Sedona and the Red Rock area as well as Oak Creek Canyon, Meteor Crater, Several Pueblo villages (Montezuma’s Castle and Montezuma’s Well), all well worth visiting and within a days ride of each other. The high desert of Arizona with its string of old Volcanoes and New Mexico have some stunning scenery. Heres some info on them.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Arizona/description_arizona_volcanoes.html


Note the name San Francisco Volcanic Field is something of a misnomer as they are actually nowhere near San Francisco!

RM
 
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I concur, and then you are close to the Painted Desert, petrified forest, Sedona and the Read Rock area as well as Oak Creek Canyon, Meteor Crater, Several Pueblo villages (MontezumaÔÇÖs Castle and MontezumaÔÇÖs Well), all well worth visiting and within a days ride of each other. The high desert of Arizona with its sting of old Volcanoes and New Mexico have some stunning scenery. Heres some info on them.
http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/Volcanoes/Arizona/description_arizona_volcanoes.html


Note the name San Francisco Volcanic Field is something of a misnomer as they are actually nowhere near San Francisco!
Looks very nice indeed! I can lay down the route through there, since I only know for sure I want to visit Big Bend in TX and then go to Denver (family visit). The route to Denver can be zigzagging through whatever lies in between... Moab, Utah seems to be something worth while too.
 
piggyback

So glad you started this thread and got so much good feedback. I'm planning on taking a month this summer (mid July - mid August) and seeing what I can see. Once 30 years ago I drove around the country in a car for a summer, but there was a whole lot I missed that I've never filled in, and lots I saw that I want to see again, and of course there's the bike vs car thing that makes it all worth doing anyway. Lots of great tips you're getting, that I'm already trying to factor into my planning.

I live on the east coast (Baltimore) and can and do travel regionally, so my thinking is to spend almost all of my time west of the Mississippi this trip...a couple of long boring days on the interstate will be worth it in meandering time later. Now I'm going to read through all this very carefully with a notebook and see what I can piece together.

But back to the purpose of this thread which is YOUR trip, I will second what some have said about the Grand Canyon belonging on a don't miss list. And while I was born and raised on Long Island, and summered in the Hamptons a few years, I'd second the votes you've heard for Cape Cod instead, if the routing makes sense. (up the hudson valley then pick a place to turn east, random stops in iconic small new england towns to some of the most beautiful beach and tasty fresh seafood in reach). I went to university in new hampshire, and used my 30th reunion this past summer as an excuse to go back up on my bike and remind myself how beautiful it is all through new england. very different from what you'll see further west (the eastern mountains are much smaller, the distances much shorter) but still and all well worth a visit.

as for the camp/motel dilemma, I like to have a tent and sleeping bag with me, without bothering with all the other gear. I'm happy if i can skip a hotel bill and often enjoy the random meetings and conversations that happen in campgrounds, then let someone else in a restaurant cook and clean up after rather than messing with that part of the 'camping' experience. not for all the time, but whenever possible, it works for me. (and 1. the gear is so light it can ride atop my duffel without feeling overloaded and 2. since you mentioned the critters, I've found mostly they're interested in your food, so if you're not carrying supplies, you're less attractive and they'll go find someone who is)

have fun with the planning, and all you others, keep those tips coming (selfishly I say, especially in the western states!)
 
I'm discovering new places every day. Downside is that I've got to make some hard decissions about where to go en what to skip. Three months isn't enough to see everything and the object was to take the time to take a proper look around the country. So I might have to put some interstate stretches in between. But where? Every state I cross is bound to have beautiful places and stunning scenery.

I'll just draw the route on my bit US map and mark the 'must see' places and try to figure out a decent route in between. A good balance between long boring stretches of interstate and twisties. Well...a day on the interstat will get me at least 800km's so I guess I'm allright. Maybe I'll have to dive into California after all... I was going to skip it because of the length of the journey. I'll have to make up my mind...
 
I hope that the 2012 International MOA Rally will be somewhere near my route. It would be awesome to be at such an event. I've been to the BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Bavaria, Germany) a couple of times now and it's great to see so many BMW enthousiast together.

When do they announce where the next rally is going to be?
 
Hi Mike!

I'm from Austria and plan the "same" trip like you. But i have only 10 weeks to cross the USA from east to west and back. All i have at the moment is a drawing of the route how it might could be and some email conversations about shipping my bike from Europe to the USA.

This was my first drawing, maybe it's helpful: Google Maps

At the moment i think about June/July for our trip. As i know yet, the MOA Rallye will be in mid of July (19th??) somewhere near the center (have to look into my mails for details).

Sorry, i'm less of time. It would be nice to talk to you later.
 
I'm from Austria and plan the "same" trip like you. But i have only 10 weeks to cross the USA from east to west and back.
David,

It looks like a nice route, but have you looked at how much driving you'll have to do for that distance? It's more than 15.000km in 70 days (60 days if you plan 1 resting day every week). My (preliminary) route is just under 20.000km and I have 90 days. It's not impossible, but it takes away some days to take a good look at things. And while the object of a motorcycle holiday is the trip, it's also nice to take some time here and there.

You can make it work when you plan enough stretches of Interstate in between the 'must see' places. I want to minimize that and also take some backroads in certain areas. In the end it's all about choices...
 
In 2008 we made a trip to Gibralter (started in Firenze) and back to Vienna. 6500 km in 21 days. 2 days riding, 1 day resting. And we stayed 3 days in Gib. Btw., the casino in Monaco is awesome! It looks like money means nothing there.

However. On a normal day i expect to ride 350-400 km. But i'm sure there will be a lot of regions which are not really interesting (desert, agriculture, forest). On these days i think that 400-500 (or more) km would be possible. Then there are places which will be interesting. Here we will stay or walk around. But i don't know the details at the moment (where and how long). All i know is, that the streets will not be as winding as they are in the Alps (for example).

We've never been in the USA. We know thats impossible to see everything. For us it is elementary to see, smell and feel the american spirit of life. And of course the different, changing landscapes and big dimensions.

Do you have a plan how you ship your bike? As a dutch i guess you will ship from Rotterdam, right? Until now i had talked to Stefan Knopf (www.knopftours.com) and a second one i don't remember now (have the email at home). Both told me that it would cost around Ôé¼ 1000 one way.

It would be interesting if there is an american company which ships motorcycles from and to europe.
 
However. On a normal day i expect to ride 350-400 km. But i'm sure there will be a lot of regions which are not really interesting (desert, agriculture, forest). On these days i think that 400-500 (or more) km would be possible..

In a lot of the areas, you'll do 500 km before lunch! There's just not that much to see across the center of the country - but I noticed your route map will keep you out of areas like Kansas, Iowa, etc....so that's good. But that ride from Minneapolis to Denver will put you to sleep! Very flat and not a lot to see other than fields. It's impressive to see the huge fields there but that excitement wears off pretty quickly as you drone along. You might want to consider heading further west to see Mt. Rushmore, Black Hills and stay someplace like Deadwood, South Dakota and then south to Denver. Deadwood is an old mining town with casinos, etc. A bit touristy, but it 's pretty cool for the first time. I'd rather stay there than in the middle of Nebraska just me. See: http://www.deadwood.org/OfficialGuide/

I think you'll be able to cover a lot more miles in a day than you're used to. Some days when you're at the Grand Canyon, etc you'll do next to no miles.

I sent Mike a road atlas with route suggestions and some CD's of pcitures from my trips around the US - an attempt to let him know what it looks like in various areas. Don't know if it helped him with ride decisions or not.
If you'd like, I'll send one to you as well. Just let me know.

Eric
 
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Thanks for your advice! Deadwood is noted. ;)

Please feel free to make changes on my drawing and send me the link. I've still no plan how to cross the USA on the best way. The only thing i want to avoid is the heat of the desert (don't want to be there as long as neccessary) and boring regions.

At the moment i hope that these two things get real: the parades of the 4th July and the BMW MOA Rallye.

What do you thing i shouldn't miss?
 
However. On a normal day i expect to ride 350-400 km. But i'm sure there will be a lot of regions which are not really interesting (desert, agriculture, forest). On these days i think that 400-500 (or more) km would be possible. Then there are places which will be interesting. Here we will stay or walk around. But i don't know the details at the moment (where and how long). All i know is, that the streets will not be as winding as they are in the Alps (for example).
It all depends on the roads you take. I'll take some Interstates, but that's boring, so I'll try to use it only for 1-2 days just to get some distance done. In some states, the rural areas are nice to ride and on those roads you can't do that much.
Here in Europe, I can do 800-1000km a day with ease over the highway (our interstates) so I guess if I need to, I can cover long distances in a couple of days.

But I decided to take more time, so I can be flexible and see more of the places I visit. I'd rather visit less and see more of it, than visit everything and haven't seen a thing.

The Road Atlas of Earache is brilliant. I wish I could share it with you in some way. All the nice roads are marked with a highlighter and remarks are put in on post-it's. Very nice!

I use HC Travel to ship the bike to the US. It's in Southampton. That's the only drawback. But I'm unable to find a shipper in Holland that gives me the feeling they have done this before and I'll have no troubles. HC Travel is doing this for oevr 10 years and they'll take care of everything. I have a quote of a Dutch shipper which is nearly the same price as HC, but he predicts lots of problems and paperwork in the US...
For the way back, I'll use Schumacher Cargo. They seem to be the specialists. The bike will arrive in Rotterdam, and there I have to pay an additonal €272 for handling and unloading of the bike.
I'll insure my bike at Fernet since you can't do that in Europe. At least, your Austrian insurance won't cover the US. Fernet seems a simple way to do it yourself.
 
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Thanks for your advice! Deadwood is noted. ;)

Please feel free to make changes on my drawing and send me the link. I've still no plan how to cross the USA on the best way. The only thing i want to avoid is the heat of the desert (don't want to be there as long as neccessary) and boring regions.

At the moment i hope that these two things get real: the parades of the 4th July and the BMW MOA Rallye.

What do you thing i shouldn't miss?

I'd be sure not to miss the Smoky Mountains area of TN and NC. Also spend some more time in NW Montana, Idaho, Colorado mountains, Utah. Also northern New Mexico, Santa Fe, etc. Lotsof history and ancient indian ruins ot see and explore.
It's off the beaten tourist path but worth th trip!

You might want to read up on the US National Parks - visit as many as you can as they can be absolutely fantastic. Some, like Yellowstone, can be crowed whoile others, like Canyonlands, can be barren of people. get an annual pass for $80 and hit them as you go.

Any small town should have what ya wanna see on 4th of July. Most have some kind of parade you can watch. Bigger sities will have some really big productions.
I spend each 4th of July in Gateway, Colorado - very laid back. And you're welcome to join us. We can hit a small town (Ouray,Grand Junction, etc) for the parade and then fireworks in Gateway.

You'll have a great ride - lots to see!
 
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