Places to see from NC to MO?

I'm starting to plan my route to Sedalia now. I want to take the roads less traveled since it's not as far as Redmond. Are there any places that should be on my route from central NC to Sedalia, MO?

One of the places I hope to see Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs. It was designed by AIA Gold Medalist Faye Jones.

Please add other places and roads that could make this a great trip.

i am still doing research....

what do you ride?

ian

Thorncrown Chappel is an outstanding place to visit...as is Eureka Springs!
There are old Victorian homes there where you go in the front door - assend three floors and exit out the back door on another street! Beaver lake is just outside Eureka and the town of Beaver has what they call the "mini-Goldengate Bridge" and a great campground there.

Just about any direction you go from there is a goldmine. Hiway 7 south out of Harrison is affectionatly called the "Pigs Tail" by locals and in my way of thinking is a much better ride than the Talamina Trail however maybe not quite as senic.

The Springfield BMW Roadriders "Club" (Charter #8) is moving their rally to the weekend before the Nationals. It is located in Crane MO (NNW of Branson) and North of TableRock Lake. TableRock is beautiful and many great motorcycle roads surround it.

If anyone needs a home-base to camp at before the rally in the midst of the ozarks I have a 1 acre back yard of grass that all are welcome to use.

There is a great ferry to cross Bull Shoals lake called the Peel Ferry just south of the Missouri line in Arkansas.

If there is enough interest in coming to the ozarks the week before the rally maybe our club can put together some rides in different directions for people to scan.....

Ken

Thanks for the quick replies Ian and Ken. This is exactly what I'm looking for.

I ride a 2009 R1200GS. It's a great bike and definitely my favorite Beemer. Still, I don't think I have the skills to do the GS Giant ride.

I've been looking at some of the great highways like US 50, 60 and 70 to see where they go. It seems like they might be the best way to string together the cool roads that are out there along the way.

longriderdesign said:

Thanks for the quick replies Ian and Ken. This is exactly what I'm looking for.

I ride a 2009 R1200GS. It's a great bike and definitely my favorite Beemer. Still, I don't think I have the skills to do the GS Giant ride.

I've been looking at some of the great highways like US 50, 60 and 70 to see where they go. It seems like they might be the best way to string together the cool roads that are out there along the way.

Click to expand...

Gah! The GS Giant is all about building those skills. For every one thing we do that is challenging, we have three things for the newer rider.

Plus, it's a great way to meet a lot of like-minded friends, which is what it's all about.

We're currently working at planning the 2012 event, so please stay tuned as it is the best value anywhere in adventure riding.

Do you use a GPS? I can send you some really nice routes to ride in WNC, for a warm-up...

Ian

Ian, I know you're right. The bike does just about everything I ask it to do. I read the article in BMW ON by this year's GS Giant. It was inspiring and a little scary.

What kinds of things in the GS Giant ride are there for the dirt noob? I've been riding Beemers for 18 years, so I'm confident on the road. It's when the pavement runs out that I'm less certain of my abilities. I know the bike can handle it. It's just a freaking awesome ride.

Please share the GPS tracks you have for WNC. I have a Garmin 2610 on my bike. As long as the tracks are compatible, I can load them and then do some exploring. Thanks!

Man this thread caught my attention, I am planning now to attend the rally and want to take a few days to get there. I like to go on the secondary roads and travel a little slower than most.
Since you are riding one of those new BMW's and mine is an old airhead I doubt i can keep up with you.
Will you please leave a trail of bread crumbs for me to follow ?

Carolina contingent

It appears there will be quite a few of us from the Carolinas who will be making the trip. Good to see we will have riders that are welcoming us to Missouri.

Carolina Contingent to BMWMOA

There will be four of us leaving from the Raleigh area. Three riders on R1200R's and one on a R1200RT. We may leave on Saturday, July 14, to give us plenty of time to get to MO.

I am trying to work out a route on two lane roads, either through WV, OH, IN and IL or through WV, KY, TN and AR.

Bill

Please keep me posted as things develop.

Hi folks, I found this route on Jalopnik:

Looks like a winner.

Land of Lincoln

All of the Lincoln sites are on the way. The boyhood homes in KY and southern IN, and then of course, all the Illinois sites, particularly Springfield. The Lincoln Museum in Springfield is one of those great-for-the-whole-family kind of places, and the house he and his family lived in is wonderfully restored. There are lots of other small towns and places he lived and frequented in the area, and southern Illinois is generally the prettiest part of the state, particularly The Shawnee Nat'l Forest.

PS don't be afraid of Chicago! It's a great town. Just try and avoid rush hour and you'll be fine. Cubs and White Sox baseball, Lake Michigan, Steppenwolf Theatre, deep dish pizza, Mies Van der Rohe, The Jazz Showcase, The Second City Improv, Taste of Chicago, Cycle Werks of Barrington, Countryside BMW, Motoworks, shopping on The Mag Mile and the list goes on.

Ar. roads that could lead to the National.

A much overlooked road that is one of my favorites is Ar. Highway 16. Pick it up at Searcy, Ar. It winds westernly in a winding curveing fashion west. You can get off it at 7, 21, 23 and head north to Eureka Springs all excellent roads. You will not be disappointed. Another nice Road is Ar. 14. Pick it up at Payneway Ar. off US 63. Starts kinda boring in the Ar. flat farm land. At Newport it picks up a little as it winds next to White River. Really picks ups up as you get closer to Mt. View. North west of Mt. View is another road getting a lot of attention lately is Ar. 341, Push Mt. Road. You can follow 14 to the end and head into Mo. or head west to Eureka Springs. Many good roads all over this part of the Ar. Ozarks. See you at the rally.

This is perfect! Thanks for the route numbers and place names. I just received Arkansas and Missouri highway maps this week. Time to break out the highlighters. I'm going to have to look at taking a northern route back to see some of the Lincoln sites.

68820 said:

What kinds of things in the GS Giant ride are there for the dirt noob?

Click to expand...

Robert -

I am really sorry that I didn't see your question until now.

Here is a great opportunity for you.

At the GS Giant's kick-off event -- The GS Gypsy Tour -- we will be meeting up near Oark, Arkansas at a great campground along the Mulberry River.

I just spoke yesterday with Coach Ramey Stroud, and he is planning to provide two days of courses for beginning riders for FREE.

Coach is one of the very best teachers in our sport and this is a huge honor for the Giant.

He has a unique approach, is inordinately patient, and our training ground is completely non-threatening.

At the rally, there will be plenty more opportunities to practice. The track we build features easy, medium and difficult challenges. You choose what you're comfortable with.

In addition to that, our own Dylan Lane is planning to offer and MSF Dirt Bike course, and if you want you can rent a small dirt bike to ride from Lt. Dan, of GSM Motorent.

This is your oppotunity to get comfortabe with your bike and I truly hope you decide to come.

Ian

Depending on how you route yourselves, a little gem I discovered riding back from Ohio through east TN a few years ago - The Lost Sea in Sweetwater, TN.

It's on TN 68 about 35-40 miles north of Tellico Plains (and just southeast of I-75 between Chattanooga and Knoxville). Not far out of the way if you plan to ride the Cherohala Skyway from near Robbinsville, NC to Tellico Plains, TN.

Largest underground lake in the Western Hemisphere; second largest in the world. It only took me about 2 hours or so to take the tour of the cavern and the pontoon boat ride on the lake and hit the gift shop. Trout as big as my leg in the underground lake, thanks to an old university experiment. A one-of-a-kind stop IMHO.

Open 364 days/year. Closed Christmas.

I found it entirely by accident looking up a red star symbol in my road atlas while planning that trip.

68820 said:

Hi folks, I found this route on Jalopnik:

It's MO-32 from Roubidoux to Bismarck, Missouri.

Why it's the road to Nirvana: Running through Mark Twain National Forest, this masterpiece in the middle of the country will liven up those coast-to-coast runs right when you need a break from superslab droning the most. Good roads are like rock songs: short-and-intense is usually the order of the day, but a good serious long stretch can be a beautiful thing if done right. This one is.
​

Looks like a winner.

Click to expand...

As someone who lives just a few miles from 32 I can vouch for this link. As well as 19 from Mammoth Springs to Salem, 106 from Emminence to Ellington (short but well worth it) and just about any of the "lettered" county roads in the Mark Twain. Alley Spring in Emminence is worth a stop.

Going early

I want to be at the rally site on July 15. Driving time for me is 19 hours on the interstates. I am guessing that translates into a three day trip for the "scenic" route. Anyone want to ride out?

Boone, NC

I think I will route myself through Boone, NC into TN for the trip to the Rally. Looks like it might be more interesting than the interstate routes.

It's a bit too far out on the calendar yet to decide what day we plan to leave.

There will be several of us from the Lewisville , Clemmons , area around Winston Salem riding mostly secondary roads to get there.

Doug