Paul may have put a smiley face after his post, but he was quite serious. When you see what's on the other side of the very narrow shoulder your heart may skip a beat, or two. Another thing, watch out for the wind when you ride over the Golden Gate especially when you're over the metal grates. Take a good camera, and be ready for the trip of your life.
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Heading out for 3 months across the US - Looking for suggestions
- Thread starter MeanderingMiles
- Start date
MeanderingMiles
New member
Excellent! Thanks for the maps.
I'm ready and I just bought an Insta 360 Ace Pro for the trip, mounted on the front. So all set on that.
Also in no rush, and not too proud to take it slow or find another route if anything is beyond my comfort zone.
Thanks!
kbasa
Well-known member
No metal grates on the Golden Gate. It's paved the whole way. None of the bay area bridges have metal decking, to my knowledge, though it's been a while since I've been on the Dumbarton down by Palo Alto, etc.
The place to watch for crosswinds is as you climb up off the bridge on the northern side, the Waldo Grade. At the first kind of right as the road bends, you will have heavy cross winds until you get in the Robin Williams tunnel. If you're heading south, be ready when you come out of the tunnel and approach the bridge. Crosswinds are generally the worst in the afternoon. When the central valley heats up, the rising air pulls air and potentially fog in through the Golden Gate. It's pretty normal to see a big finger of fog coming in there, either under or enveloping the bridge, but nowhere else. It's a spectacular sight and was my commute for many years.
Sorry, it may be only visible to those who have facebook accounts - I guess.Facebook wants to invade my computer for me to be able to view this.
OM
lee
Debbie's Servant
I was able to open it but only watched part of the video.Facebook wants to invade my computer for me to be able to view this.
OM
The metal grates mentioned in the video were expansion joints.
kbasa
Well-known member
Yes. On a bicycle, you have to be careful crossing them on the sidewalk. They’re a finger joint. They’re not a factor for motorcycles who don’t have a 23cm tire width. The deck is otherwise paved.
The roadway lanes are narrow and the approach to the bridge can be a bit of a melee heading north. The vista point in the north end offers great vistas and a place to pee. Do not roll the stop signs, even on a bicycle. Cops are there watching for it.
Also, bicycles ride on the sidewalk across the bridge. The west walk is typically for cyclists and the east walk for pedestrians. You’re free to stop and take pictures. I commuted on my bicycle a while.
Riding a bicycle on the GG Bridge’s roadway? Bad decision.
riccas59
Member
Nice! If you're In Banff.., 93 to Jasper if worth the ride. "Ice Field Parkway" go out on a glacier. (Not on the bike
) then 5 to Kamloops 99 through Whistler to Vancouver. Yaletown Brewhouse in Vancouver. 
Before heading into Tetons / Yellowstone.., in Dubios, WY..., steak and eggs @ the Cowboy Cafe. You'll see bikes parked out front! Been pretty much everywhere (West) on your map. Will post again!!! Good luck. RickAttachments
MeanderingMiles
New member
Excellent. Just added Hwy 12 and the Grill to the map. Thank you very much!
US 14A to Cody is a nice route through the Bighorns. The Chief Joseph Highway and Beartooth Highway are also worth riding.Just west of Buffalo and Sheridan, WY lie the Bighorn Mountains. Don't miss them on your way west toward Yellowstone. Check out the Medicine Wheel west of Burgess Junction.
Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain: Celebrated and Controversial Landmark | WyoHistory.org
The Bighorn Medicine Wheel and its surrounding landscapes on Medicine Mountain in the northern Bighorns make up one of the most important Native American sacred sites in the United States. Twenty years of compromise and conflict on how best to preserve the site involved several governmental...www.wyohistory.org
I second the recommendation for Utah route 12.
lee
Debbie's Servant
There's neat views on the one section with the narrow ridge.
It's hard to get a good picture of that section. We also liked the Grill.
r0ckrat
MOA #221145
Depending on which route you are coming into the LA area, look for Highway 2 (Angeles Crest Highway) eastbound from Wrightwood to La Cañada Flintridge.
I'll be heading up to Redmond on the I-5 corridor, camping at/near Crystal Lake on the Tuesday night before the rally, camping somewhere near Sacramento the night before.
The_Veg
D'OH!
When you get to Southern Appalachia, I don't mean to be a bummer, but don't be married to the idea of doing the Tail Of The Dragon. It's often crowded with idiots and yayhoos on any number of wheels, and law enforcement can get pretty heavy at times. If you must ride it, Wednesdays are probably best and AVOID weekends. But there's also good news: there are plenty of other roads in the area that are great fun! There are endless resources for finding them but many are as easy as looking for squiggles on the map. Here's a short list stolen from the current issue of Classic Motorsports, many of which I've ridden and recommend too:
Georgia Route 60 from Dahlonega to Morganton- this one will take you right past Two Wheels Only, really close to several wineries and a meadery, plus intersects one end of the LEGENDARY Wolf Pen Gap road (Hwy 180). Also the eastern end of 180 can be combined with 348 and 75 to make a really fun curvy, hilly loop! I personally ride these roads on many day-rides from where I live in the northern 'burbs of Atlanta.
'The Rattler' NC 209 from Hot Springs to Iron Duff- CM's editors liked it better than The Dragon, almost as many curves, not much traffic, great scenery, and Hot Springs isn't far from the Wheels Through Time museum in Maggie Valley (which I personally recommend).
Also in North Carolina, routes 129/1134/1127 from Tapoco Lodge to Robbinsville. CM's editors recommend stopping for a burger at Tapoco Lodge Resort.
Wayah Road (1310/1442) from Nantahala NC to Franklin NC- follows a river and passes waterfalls, CM's editors thought it was heaven on Earth.
Hwy 276, Waynesville NC to Brevard NC- more curves, more river, more waterfalls. Also near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
And then I would also add the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds AL! This is the world's largest motorcycle museum and definitely worth seeing. And if you're into space, go a coupla hours north to Huntsville AL and check out the U.S. Space And Rocket Center, obe of the biggest and best space museums around.
Georgia Route 60 from Dahlonega to Morganton- this one will take you right past Two Wheels Only, really close to several wineries and a meadery, plus intersects one end of the LEGENDARY Wolf Pen Gap road (Hwy 180). Also the eastern end of 180 can be combined with 348 and 75 to make a really fun curvy, hilly loop! I personally ride these roads on many day-rides from where I live in the northern 'burbs of Atlanta.
'The Rattler' NC 209 from Hot Springs to Iron Duff- CM's editors liked it better than The Dragon, almost as many curves, not much traffic, great scenery, and Hot Springs isn't far from the Wheels Through Time museum in Maggie Valley (which I personally recommend).
Also in North Carolina, routes 129/1134/1127 from Tapoco Lodge to Robbinsville. CM's editors recommend stopping for a burger at Tapoco Lodge Resort.
Wayah Road (1310/1442) from Nantahala NC to Franklin NC- follows a river and passes waterfalls, CM's editors thought it was heaven on Earth.
Hwy 276, Waynesville NC to Brevard NC- more curves, more river, more waterfalls. Also near the Blue Ridge Parkway.
And then I would also add the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds AL! This is the world's largest motorcycle museum and definitely worth seeing. And if you're into space, go a coupla hours north to Huntsville AL and check out the U.S. Space And Rocket Center, obe of the biggest and best space museums around.
MeanderingMiles
New member
Hi! Great advice. I rode TTD and the entire BRP 20 years ago, and didn't feel the need to do it again.
I'm up in Lexington, KY now, but I did a bunch of your suggestions.
278 from Brevard south was a beautiful ride. I took it down to scenic route 11 to Walhalla, then 28 north to Highlands. Then 106 to 23 and down to 19 and 60. Stayed the night at Two Wheels of Suches. The next morning, I rode the Wolf Pen Gap road (180), and up 19 to Blairsville. Took 294 and 68 to Tellico Plains and rode the Cherohala skyway. Through Bryson City and Cherokee, where I picked of 441 through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and spend the next night in Sevierville.
If you're interested, here are the Rever rides:
https://go.rever.co/YYCPBkwnSIb
https://go.rever.co/YYCPBkwnSIb
And here's a Garmin link that updates every 10 minutes while I'm on the road: (EDIT: That garmin link didn't work well, use https://amasur.me instead)
Tomorrow, there's a Burboun trail that needs riding (responsibly, of course).
-Adam
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MeanderingMiles
New member
04/22/24 UPDATE - I'm documenting my journey at https://amasur.me. There's a real-time map, blog and summaries of each day's riding (I have a few to catch up on).Let me know what you think.
