NY to FL?

So my sister moved to Florida two summers ago. She has been after me to go down to visit. Yesterday I starting thinking about if I could go on my RT. Its 1300 miles to my sisters from my house. The thing is I need to slab it down. I can't take a long leisurly drive down there unfortunately. I need to get down there, visit 2-3 days and get back to work. I am I crazy fro thinking about doing this? I rode to Nova Scotia last year solo so I am not so nervous anymore abut long journeys. Should I just fly? What say you?

Fly down!

Southwest now has all its planes inspected. Using Ding fares from Southwest the cost will be less than $120 round trip. Then buy an airhead and leave it with your sister. There are lots of good buys on motorcycles in Florida. Old folks have them sitting around and are happy to sell them.

If you ride down it will be at least three days each way plus gas, plus camping or motels plus meals. Given today's gas prices I don't think you could buy gas for your motorcycle round trip for $120.

And you save a week for visiting with Sis. Flight time from Albany to Orlando is about 2 1/2 hours.

The ride is the destination. I would rather ride my bike than fly anytime.

My $0.02

Ralph Sims

empeg9000 said:

So my sister moved to Florida two summers ago. She has been after me to go down to visit. Yesterday I starting thinking about if I could go on my RT. Its 1300 miles to my sisters from my house. The thing is I need to slab it down. I can't take a long leisurly drive down there unfortunately. I need to get down there, visit 2-3 days and get back to work. I am I crazy fro thinking about doing this? I rode to Nova Scotia last year solo so I am not so nervous anymore abut long journeys. Should I just fly? What say you?

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Since you asked..Bottom line is that it depends on how much time you want to spend at your sisters house. Longer stay,then fly down. Shorter stay, then enjoy the ride down.

I personally would rather fly down. Since you do not have the time to enjoy the secondary roads along the coast, Unless you enjoy 3+ lane slabs with trucks on every side of you for 1300 miles. I would head to the airport and sit for 2 1/2 hours then step into FL. With the extra time and money saved by flying I would think you could rent a bike for a few days.

Register with IBR and go for it Steve! If I wasn't so dang far away I would love to join you in such a quick run. Of course, you could just sit back and relax as Paul points out. Best part of that argument is most certainly the Airhead part. Great idea. -Bob

Flying sucks. I'd budget three days down, each day equal time secondary and primary roads. 500 miles/day. Visit sis and allow two days to get home, unless you're getting bad weather, then allow three days.

I'd leave FL at about 3:00 am with the boring straightness and flatness in the dark. Around 9:00 a.m. I'd reward myself with some side roads til around noon. You should be able to log 700-1000 miles that first day. Depending on how well you do the first day, will set up your ride profile for day two.

Now, if you've got the budget. Fly down, buy the airhead, tell you sis you'll see her next year, and take a week long ride home, backroads all the way

Have you considered the Autotrain?

grossjohann said:

Have you looked into the <a href="http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Route/Vertical_Route_Page&c=am2Route&cid=1081256321200&ssid=136" target="_new">AutoTrain</a>?

This will only take you from DC to Orlando, but it could be a fun way to break up the trip? I was considering taking it with my wife so that she... well, so that she would come along.

<a HREF="http://www.amtrak.com/images/maps/autotrain.htm" target="_new"><img SRC="http://www.amtrak.com/images/maps/MAP-SM_autotrain.gif" WIDTH="189" HEIGHT="327" BORDER="0" ALT="Auto Train Route Map"></a>

Aside from price, the only issue is that you're stuck on the train for 17.5 hours, but it beats I-95!!!

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It depends on how many hours a day you can ride. A Few years ago I left St. Augustine Florida at 6:00 AM, headed north, stopped by Mortons Open house late in the day ( just barely made it they were starting to close up, and continued on home to Hartford, CT, arriving at about 1:00 AM. So you can do it in day if you really want to.

Maybe two days down and one long one back !

YMMV

Wow!

Lots of responses.
Well in one respect, I kind of want to ride down just to do it. Just to see if I can.

PAULBACH said:

If you ride down it will be at least three days each way plus gas, plus camping or motels plus meals. Given today's gas prices I don't think you could buy gas for your motorcycle round trip for $120.

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I definitely cannot. I figured it would take me 100 one way in gas using 44mpg which is about what I have been averaging but that may go up on the highway.

Slabbing it does suck as some said and I generally avoid it at all costs. Even when going to my friends house down in Jersey.

tourunigo said:

Register with IBR and go for it Steve! If I wasn't so dang far away I would love to join you in such a quick run. Of course, you could just sit back and relax as Paul points out. Best part of that argument is most certainly the Airhead part. Great idea. -Bob

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What would registering with IBR do for me? Having someone along with me would obviously make it more fun. Keeping an airhead down there would be fun but airheads are getting pricey these days!

franze said:

Flying sucks. I'd budget three days down, each day equal time secondary and primary roads. 500 miles/day. Visit sis and allow two days to get home, unless you're getting bad weather, then allow three days.

I'd leave FL at about 3:00 am with the boring straightness and flatness in the dark. Around 9:00 a.m. I'd reward myself with some side roads til around noon. You should be able to log 700-1000 miles that first day. Depending on how well you do the first day, will set up your ride profile for day two.

Now, if you've got the budget. Fly down, buy the airhead, tell you sis you'll see her next year, and take a week long ride home, backroads all the way

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Thats a decent idea. I do generally prefer to start riding very early.

Colt03 I am not sure how long I can ride in a day. Last year on my way to NS for Salty Fog I rode 643 over back roads and highways in the rain for about 13 hours including a few stops and an hour lunch at a diner. That was the longest time I had ever been in the saddle. It was also the farthest I had ever ridden in a day. I remember wondering how it was that I did so few miles for how long I was in the saddle. A lot of it was getting from Mt Washington, across Maine, and to the border. I haven't done a really long ride on the RT yet since I got it late fall.

Ride, ride, ride! Save the plane for when you're too old to ride... then you can look back with fond memories on all the bike trips

Statdawg said:

If you need a crash pad I am 4 hours south of PaulBach if you are taking I 81 south to avoid the DC to NYC I 95 corridor.

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Hey Thanks! I have no idea which way I will go actually. I guess when I finally decide to do it, I will solicit recommendations on routes but as I said I will slab it down on a bonsai run. I did read up last night in IBA about doing a Saddle-Sore. Now that seems interesting and it would provide motivation to get down there. The thing I like most is that I could just get a witness to start and if I decide I am tired and I can't do it, I can just quit and no one would ever know and there is no shame. So right now, I am leaning towards riding down. Its 1300 from my house. I don't think I can do that but I could leave work and ride to my friends in Ridgewood NJ and start my SS1K from there the next morning. Just throwing that out there. Thanks for the idea tourunigo (Bob).

You might try to schedule your trip so that you can attend the Georgia Mountain Rally after you visit your sister. Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway on your way home.

It will give you a chance to regain your ability to lean after doing a SS1000 on the super slab.

rdalland said:

You might try to schedule your trip so that you can attend the Georgia Mountain Rally after you visit your sister. Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway on your way home.

It will give you a chance to regain your ability to lean after doing a SS1000 on the super slab.

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I like a man who can make lemonade out of lemons. (lemons being the long slab)

Link?

rdalland said:

You might try to schedule your trip so that you can attend the Georgia Mountain Rally after you visit your sister. Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway on your way home.

It will give you a chance to regain your ability to lean after doing a SS1000 on the super slab.

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DO you have a link for that?

empeg9000 said:

DO you have a link for that?

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from Google - http://www.bmwmoga.info/


http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=9298&highlight=GMR

NY City to Fla.

I went from NYC to Miami in 2006. AAA routed me west out of NYC to Harrisburg Pa and then back down, (I think it was 81) to Norfolk Va. It seemed to me to be way out of the way, probably to avoid DC and all those cities along 95. However, I looked at the road down throught Atlantic City, NJ and then across at Cape May on the ferry and then down and across the Chesapeake causeway but was unsure about how easy that would be. Has anyone any experience with that route? I'm just guessing, but apart from some wait for the ferry, it has to be less time (and a lot less mileage) than NYC to Harrisburg to Norfolk.