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From the Great Lakes to the West Coast

temesvar

New member
Have had this in mind last year, but did not work out as planed. Where in Vegas mid June, when a heat wave hit us, and my riding partner gave up, wanted to go home!
We have had a nice ride, From here to New Jersey, New York, all across good old USA to Denver, down thru Utah (Zion is great) Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and
some route 66 on the way back. This year am doing it alone, and WILL soak my feet in the Pacific Ocean! Also would like to go to the Mexican border, maybe even cross it.
Never been there! From there to San Diego, and all along the coast up to Seattle. From there, will go south of the Canadian border, and get home. Any help or advise is
welcome! If anyone wants to join, even better!
 
Have had this in mind last year, but did not work out as planed. Where in Vegas mid June, when a heat wave hit us, and my riding partner gave up, wanted to go home!
We have had a nice ride, From here to New Jersey, New York, all across good old USA to Denver, down thru Utah (Zion is great) Vegas, Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and
some route 66 on the way back. This year am doing it alone, and WILL soak my feet in the Pacific Ocean! Also would like to go to the Mexican border, maybe even cross it.
Never been there! From there to San Diego, and all along the coast up to Seattle. From there, will go south of the Canadian border, and get home. Any help or advise is
welcome! If anyone wants to join, even better!

A noble quest! :thumb

Two summers ago, I soloed 5,800 miles from the western shores of Lake Michigan to the Pacific and back, albeit on the 'Gold Standard' of big touring bikes (ergo not a BMW).

Lengthy article and pics published in a mag other than ON. Sending you a PM to offer the text to you - may give you some 'ideas.' :wave
 
A noble quest! :thumb

Two summers ago, I soloed 5,800 miles from the western shores of Lake Michigan to the Pacific and back, albeit on the 'Gold Standard' of big touring bikes (ergo not a BMW).

Lengthy article and pics published in a mag other than ON. Sending you a PM to offer the text to you - may give you some 'ideas.' :wave

Thanks Kevin. We put on just over 5500 miles. We left first week of June, and was rainy and cold first 3 days. Got very hot as we got to Denver, the bike showed 42C (107F)
 
I like the San Diego area, but I think it would not be much fun trying to hug the coast in the LA area.
The first time we went up the coast we took the freeway to get past LA before we got on Hwy 1.
The next time we went up the coast, we started west of Santa Maria and this worked well.
 
I like the San Diego area, but I think it would not be much fun trying to hug the coast in the LA area.
The first time we went up the coast we took the freeway to get past LA before we got on Hwy 1.
The next time we went up the coast, we started west of Santa Maria and this worked well.

Agreed. I would ride a thousand miles to avoid LA!
 
I like the San Diego area, but I think it would not be much fun trying to hug the coast in the LA area.
The first time we went up the coast we took the freeway to get past LA before we got on Hwy 1.
The next time we went up the coast, we started west of Santa Maria and this worked well.

That is why I started this thread! Obviously never been that area and have no clue what to expect.
Quiet frankly, I don't like big cities, and any advice is welcome. Looking at the map, and having Brice ,
Zion and Death Valley in mind, I guess will end up at just about Santa Maria when near the coast.
How is San Francisco, by the way?
Thanks for your advice!
 
I'll throw out a different opinion -- I find US1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to be acceptable in traversing from San Diego through LA and on through Malibu. Traffic is heavy, but not as heavy as found on I-5 or I-405. And I've found the speeds to be more my liking. You've got the Pacific Coast "Right There!" too.

Of course, YMMV
 
NP.

Text sent you way.

107 degrees? Ouch - that's HOT! :dance

Thanks for the mail. And yes, for mid June it was HOT!! When started the trip.
we were well dressed, as temperature was at high 50 Fahrenheit. Combined with
the rain ,thought the trip was going to be a failure. But that changed as we hit Denver.
107 is HOT!! Never thought would be better to keep the visor down, and then it was!
 
Thanks for the mail. And yes, for mid June it was HOT!! When started the trip.
we were well dressed, as temperature was at high 50 Fahrenheit. Combined with
the rain ,thought the trip was going to be a failure. But that changed as we hit Denver.
107 is HOT!! Never thought would be better to keep the visor down, and then it was!

Yeah ...... my trip 2 summers ago saw just about every temp/weather extreme short of snow. I fought cross-winds in Wyoming, lumbered across the Great Salt Lake Desert (super HOT), got chilly in the Sierra Madres entering CA from Reno, only to have temps back in triple digits by the time I called it a day under palm trees in Yuba City. Then on to the Pacific at Ft. Bragg, where meandering up the PCH was chilly and foggy. After the Redwoods, I vectored inland to regain sunshine and warmth, and headed for the Columbia River basin. 40 miles of dust in Idaho, rain in Yellowstone, literally among the clouds west of Cody and frost on the bike cover one morning near Rushmore. Never a dull moment.

Like I said - a voyage of this magnitude will involve all Mother Nature can throw at you. It can suck at the time, but makes for great adventure stories a month or two later! :thumb
 
How is San Francisco, by the way?

Traffic wise, we did not think San Francisco was too bad.
One trip was early June and the other was early September, and we did not encounter much tourist traffic on the coast.
 
Like I said - a voyage of this magnitude will involve all Mother Nature can throw at you. It can suck at the time, but makes for great adventure stories a month or two later! :thumb
That is what makes a riding trip an adventure to remember many years later:lol
 
Instead of going straight through LA you should consider going a little east to the San Gabriel mountains. You've really got to do Angeles Crest. It's 60 miles of magnificent curves and scenery. Only about 50 miles from LA. From there, you can head north.
One other thing, lane splitting allows you to move through backups quickly.
 
Thank you all for suggestions. Am flexible with ways to get to Utah, but would like to see again Zion and Bryce.
Death Valley is a just a dream, since a kid have read the book Winetou in the Death Valley by Karl May and was fascinated
by the story. Now I have the chance to go there, and would appreciate any suggestions about the area. From there, to Santa Maria
and along the coast up to Seattle! I hear that is bad around Seattle, so may avoid that as well. Intend to take Hywy 2 back home, yet that
I know is going to be long and booring!! I have no idea what can be seen that area, so any suggestions are more than welcome!
 
Thank you all for suggestions. Am flexible with ways to get to Utah, but would like to see again Zion and Bryce.
Death Valley is a just a dream, since a kid have read the book Winetou in the Death Valley by Karl May and was fascinated
by the story. Now I have the chance to go there, and would appreciate any suggestions about the area. From there, to Santa Maria
and along the coast up to Seattle! I hear that is bad around Seattle, so may avoid that as well. Intend to take Hywy 2 back home, yet that
I know is going to be long and booring!! I have no idea what can be seen that area, so any suggestions are more than welcome!

Highway 2 won't necessarily be boring - more entertaining than 'super-slabbing' it.

You just have to pay the time-penalty. :dunno
 
I hear that is bad around Seattle, so may avoid that as well. Intend to take Hywy 2 back home, yet that
I know is going to be long and booring!! I have no idea what can be seen that area, so any suggestions are more than welcome!

Ride around the west and north side of Olympic National Park, then take the ferry at Port Townsend and pick up Hwy 20.
You don't want to miss Hwy 20 across northern Washington.

P8260068.jpg

P8260066.jpg

P8260062.jpg
 
Just looked it up on Google map and your suggestion looks like a good idea.
101 or even 112 around the park. Should be a nice ride.:)
Thanks, Lee!
 
101 or even 112 around the park. Should be a nice ride.:)
Thanks, Lee!

It's been a long time since we rode north of the park. I'm guessing we took 112 to get next to the water.

One of the trips up there we took the ferry through the San Juan islands just for the scenic ferry ride.
We were able to get off at Friday Harbor for a short time.
 
Looks like a very nice area, with lots of riding to do. At that point in my journey, am sure will have enough, and will be thinking about going home!
And is a long way from there to my place!
 
Suggestion

You could ride the route Robert Pirsig wrote about in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Begin in Minneapolis, ND, SD, MT, WY, MT, ID, OR, CA, end in San Francisco. I am thinking about it for this summer.
 
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