Greetings from Vienna (Austria, Europe)

[ted]

Ahh.... now i know what you mean with Highways and Interstate. I still was confused about that because i still thaught that Highways are the streets with the tolls.

I never stop learning .. thanks for that!!!

You can break it down even further Looking at a map, let's say Wheeling, WV in GoogleMaps:

Interstate Highways - always noted as the number on a Red, White & Blue shield, here we see the 3,000km+ long I-70 and the I-470 bypass around Wheeling.

US Highways - almost always denoted as the number on a white shield, here we see the awesome US 250 and the historic US 40.

State Routes - usually a single or double-digit number in a white circle/oval. These roads are almost always at least two lane double-yellows in good shape with 55mph speed limits outside of towns. These can be slow going at times as they often pass through the middle a lot of small towns in more heavily populated areas.

State/Rural Roads - usually three digits in a white circle/oval, may or may not have a center line and condition can vary greatly from a two-lane with double yellow in decent shape to a two-lane with white dashed, a narrow two-lane with no dividing line, to even a hard packed dirt road. In the map, see Rt.s 147 and 148.

My mapping preferences are to stick to US Highways if I need to make some time but want to see some things along the way, and State Routes/Rural Roads when I want to wander off the beaten path. Spend some time in GoogleMaps Street View, just drag the little yellow guy at the top left of the map to a road - once you start dragging the little yellow guy the streets with streetview will highlight in blue. That will give you a great idea of the conditions of the road and an idea of what you might see on it - I use it constantly in route planning or just coming up with a list of neat looking roads that I have not taken yet but would like to (like that Rt. 148!)

 

[169993]

Toll Roads

Dave, My experience traveling is limited, but the majority of toll roads are in the north eastern part of the U.S. There are very few down south. One minor exception you will encounter if you visit New Orleans will be the causeway (bridge) across Lake Ponchatrain (not sure if I spelled that correctly). I think the toll across it is modest, like two dollars. I have some friends in Mandeville, Louisianna (it is on the north shore of the lake) that may be able to offer you a night's lodging. When your dates are more firm let me know and I will ask them.

You will see some magnificant scenery if you ride Tennesse from the east to Memphis. I would plan on spending some time at a park called "Fall Creek Falls State Park". It has the tallest waterfall west of the Rocky Mountains. There is a web site for it that explains all the amenities there. I do not have that link to oost, but just do a search for Fall Creek Falls. There is also a spot in Georgia called "Deal's Gap" that is very popular with cycle riders. One section of the highway called "Tail of the Dragon" has 311 curves in only 11 miles.

Feel free to ask me anything. I will help or find someone who can.

Robin

 

[Luckies]

Guys, you are awesome!! Thank you very very much!

The first bad news i have is that i get my savings in november 2011 (not in may, as i thaught :/ ).
So my journey won't start before 2012.

There's the next thing to know ... when is the best time?
At the moment i think about may to july. What would you say is the best time??

 

[froggy]

Dave , U will find that we all want to help U find your way around this side of the world.One reason being we all wish we could do what U are about to do... the other is we B nice people over here.
I have not traveled like some of the riders here,but I do have a LARGE warm bed,warm garage,greasy tools,lousy jokes,and I am 7 minutes away from the headquarters of this sight.
If U are able I hope U will post your trip as it happens so those of us who dream of your adventure can B a part of it
IF you R interested,I can PM you with phone # and address

 

[Luckies]

Froggy, thanks for your friendly words! I'll try to come and visit you.

Meanwhile, i have the first of three greens. Yesterday i've spoken with my boss about the time i would need and he told me about the possibilities i have. Well, i can choose between a non-paid vacation or only vacation (5 weeks a year). First i planned to ride alone. I still had a bad feeling about leaving my wife alone, because i would love to share this with her. As we always ride together (is that english?).

So ... there's a friend near to montreal. He's an ex-austrian (*gg*) and i still wanted to visit him. Now the plan would be, to start in L.A. and ride to montreal (as a first part). There i would park (?) my bike and came back to ride the second part back to L.A. in a couple of months. This would be the only way where my wife and me could use our vacations without any consequences to our jobs.

On this, we have to find out which way is the best:
September 2011 - part one
May 2012 - part two

or

May 2012 - part one
September 2012 - part two
This would be my favorite because there are only 3 months between. Of course if the boss of my wife agree.

Today i really believe it will get real and i'm very excited.
In other words, there has to happen something badly to stop me.

It would be a pleasure to meet as most of you as possible!

 

[169993]

Dates

Dave....May and September are very fine months to tour the southern part of the US, but up north and in the higher elevations winter weather can often come early and stay late. My advice would be to go ahead and plan your trip, but do not chisel your route in granite. Leave some flexibility to allow for changes due to bad weather.

 

[Luckies]

Good Morning from Vienna!

What happend in the last 2 months ...

I've contacted a lot of companies about the transportation of my motorcycle. And i got a lot of bad news. Most of them won't transport for private persons. The few companies that would do it told me, that a transport to L.A. would be very difficult and expensive.

I'm a little bit sad about that fact, because i wanted to stay the last day's in L.A. (relaxing on the beach while i'm waiting for my flight home).

But on the other hand, i'm sure there's a lot to see on the eastcoast (N.Y., Washington DC). And if my plan works, my wife would join me after 2 weeks and would stay for a month. In this case we would see the natural parks in the west and will reach the westcoast together. This point sounds quite well for me.

In the next weeks i will have a lot of time to read and check the information you gave me. Thanks again for this!

@Holly: please let me know about the date you plan to visit austria. it would be a pleasure to help you finding an accommodation and a bike for rent.

 

[globalrider]

I've contacted a lot of companies about the transportation of my motorcycle. And i got a lot of bad news. Most of them won't transport for private persons. The few companies that would do it told me, that a transport to L.A. would be very difficult and expensive.

Have you tried Stefan Knopf of Knopf Tours in Heidleberg for motorcycle transport?

 

[Holly]

Keep planning, Dave. There has to be a way you can do this. Definitely contact Stefan Knopf as Alex suggests if you haven't already.

The FIM rally will be July 6 - 8th. Right now I'm trying to figure out if I can go to the first couple of days of the RA rally in WI (very close in N. America terms--1117km if I take the ferry across Lake Michigan) and get home in time to fly to Austria before the rally so I can get over the jet lag before I climb on a bike. Fortunately, there is lots of time to get back to Canada before the MOA rally.

 

[Luckies]

Yes, i've talked to Stefan and he was very helpful. At the moment he's my favorite.

 

[Gottago]

Hi Dave,
Welcome to the board.
You're trip sounds really fun and I'm sure you'll have a great time. We live in Southern California so if you're in the area we have a spot available for you.
Our daughter-in-law is Austrian and we were lucky to visit Vienna a few years ago. Beautiful city and lovely people. You might look into purchasing a national parks pass for around $80 but it will enable you to get into all national parks and monuments for free. You would still have to pay to camp but if you just want to spend a day it's a good deal.
Someone already mentioned coast highway in California and in fact the coast highway all the way to Canadian border is spectacular. Parks pass will come in handy if you get to Utah make sure you visit Capital Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce, and Zion parks. The road between Capital Reef and Bryce should not be missed.
Depending on the time of your trip a group of us meet out near Capital Reef in May and again in September. You might also want to check out this web site. www.BMWST.com. Real nice bunch of folks from all over the country.
Best Regards,
Nancy

 

[Luckies]

I'll continue the informations about our trip in this thread.

 

[Roxter Rider]

I'm about 45 minutes from New Orleans. If you find yourself down this way I'd be more than happy to guide you to some really great food. The riding isn't as nice as some of the eastern states but can be found up the the Mississippi river. Just let me know, I'm always ready for some good food and conversation with a fellow rider.

 

[Luckies]

Good Morning Roxter!!

New Orleans is one of the "must have" on the trip. Also the area of the Mississippi. It would be a great pleasure to meet and have you as our guide.

 

[kthflieger]

Schoene Strecken

Ich war gestern am Bodensee.....von Regen nichts zu sehen....nur heis. Anyway, in the southeast, one of the must see roads is the Tail of the Dragon...google that and you will get all kinds of info. Plenty of camping nearby for as little as $15 per night.
I have toured almost all the roads in northern New Mexico, Colorado, Northern Arizona and Utah, so if you have specific questions about routes out there, just send me PM or email.
If you need a place to crash in Atlanta, let me know. Good luck!

 

[Luckies]

Jetzt bin ich nat??rlich neugieirig und w??rde mich ??ber ein Treffen in Atlanta freuen. Atlanta is part of the route and i will be happy to meet you there.

In the last days i worked out the route on "Microsoft Streets & Trips". You can find it here: http://www.baujahr76.at/gallery/index.php/USA-2012/Route
I'm sure there will be some changes after i get the printed maps for the US (because of scenic roads).

In the gallery you will find 41 days of riding. But there will be more, because these tracks are not included:
Miami - Key West (southest point) - Miami
one day in the area of the Smoky Mountains
the way from Washington DC to Newburgh (because I've absolute no idea how to do this)
one day in the Colorado mountains
one day in San Francisco

So I think there will be 45 days of riding (minimum).
From 70 days we're in the US i count 10 days for the first and last days.
60 days for the tour .. 15 days left for relaxing .. sounds hard

 

[kthflieger]

tut mir leid...ich war in Oregon unterwegs! I will study your maps - looks like you have some very interesting routes. If you have specific questions feel free to send me a private email - I'll get to those faster.
Fruehling im Sueden ist schoen....Juli ist fast unertraeglich. Colorado ist aber Juni bis September sehr angenehm. Let me know what you might need.