The Goose wants to go to NA

[catweasel67]

Originally Posted by Mr.Goose

Jacksonville, Greenville SC (not NC there's two of them), Asheville, NC, Damascus VA, Roanoke, VA, Front Royal VA, then 81 up to Harrisburg PA before cutting east on the Turnpike to NYC.

DEFINATELY AVOID I-95 NORTH going through NC VA MD NJ NY - its a rat race once you hit DC. Look west and head up I-81 if you have to use the slab. Don't speed anywhere in VA, they're dicks.

Otherwise the Blue Ridge parkway is very nice and hard to get lost on, it'll take you all the way from Georgia to Front Royal VA, but not very quickly. You can always jump off and grab 81 if you're behind and trying to make up time.

thanks :) I've re-routed and come up with the proposal below...If you can find some time to check it out, I'd appreciate it :)

Leg 22 - Miami to Jesup (LINK to route) (754km/
Leg 23 - Jesup to Ashville (LINK to route) 544km/
Leg 24 - Ashville to Front Royale (LINK to route) 759km/
Leg 25 - Front Royale to New York City (LINK to route) 534km/

[Mr.Goose]

Thumbs UP! I like this route much better, and remember you can always jump on 81 at any time to cut things shorter if you're behind on time.

Avoiding DC and Baltimore is a good idea, there is pretty nasty traffic if you don't time it right and the roads aren't very great anyway.

[catweasel67]

Originally Posted by Mr.Goose

Thumbs UP! I like this route much better, and remember you can always jump on 81 at any time to cut things shorter if you're behind on time.

Avoiding DC and Baltimore is a good idea, there is pretty nasty traffic if you don't time it right and the roads aren't very great anyway.

thanks man, always good to get a route validation from a local :) and woot woot! 7 weeks ish till D-Day :)

[thetourist]

I've only been east of Denver as a kid, but the west route looks pretty good. The only place I would change is south out of Boise.

Take the road from Mt Home to Eureka NV then hwy 50 west to Reno. A much nicer ride. Mt Home is less than 50 mi from Boise. Most all of these roads qualify as the long lonely road, but some are interesting because of terrain or small town. Mt Home to Eureka is a good one.

95, South of Boise, and I-80 to Reno are HOT!!! and BORING!!! Unless you like akaline desert.

Take the north route, you have marked, thru south Idaho. 84 is an abysmal interstate thru ID and UT.

Remember Canyon de Chelly, when you get to 4-corners area.

[catweasel67]

Originally Posted by thetourist

I've only been east of Denver as a kid, but the west route looks pretty good. The only place I would change is south out of Boise.

Take the road from Mt Home to Eureka NV then hwy 50 west to Reno. A much nicer ride. Mt Home is less than 50 mi from Boise. Most all of these roads qualify as the long lonely road, but some are interesting because of terrain or small town. Mt Home to Eureka is a good one.

95, South of Boise, and I-80 to Reno are HOT!!! and BORING!!! Unless you like akaline desert.

Take the north route, you have marked, thru south Idaho. 84 is an abysmal interstate thru ID and UT.

Remember Canyon de Chelly, when you get to 4-corners area.

thanks again :) I've made the changes I think you suggested (LINK). Now i'm pretty much heading south from Boise to Eureka (cool name btw) and then headed west (young man...) to San Fran.

As for Canyon de Chelly..I didn't even know about that and it seems a much nice route to take (from looking at the map) so I've rerouted (LINK). Gotta love the internet and the kindness of strangers. Thanks again! :)

[rocker59]

You can't do it all in one trip. Hopefully you'll be back again sometime to fill in the gaps.

I'd recommend a set of Metzeler ME880s for your bike. They'll probably last the whole trip.

You may want to consider a bit of a loop into Southwestern Colorado between Monument Valley and Santa Fe. There is some mighty fine scenery and riding in that little corner of the USA.

Map Link

You might want to break this 560 mile section into two days, overnighting in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It's epic!

[g®eg]

what?
no New England?

it wouldn't be much of a detour if you make it to NYC!

[catweasel67]

Originally Posted by g®eg

what?
no New England?

it wouldn't be much of a detour if you make it to NYC!

how would you route to Punxsutawny from NYC but via a bit of New England?

It's a bloody shame, btw, that Maine is a billion miles away, I'd love to pop in for tea with Stephen King :)

[g®eg]

Originally Posted by catweasel67

how would you route to Punxsutawny from NYC but via a bit of New England?

It's a bloody shame, btw, that Maine is a billion miles away, I'd love to pop in for tea with Stephen King :)

hmm, that could be a hard go up to New England and then off to PA.
you'll miss a bit of nice riding, but maybe next time?

if you're into it though, you could divert slightly north to Bethel NY on your way west. That's the location of the Woodstock Concert....

have a great rip, and if your plans change for the north east, let me know, the local guys here will stand you a few pints!

[catweasel67]

Originally Posted by g®eg

hmm, that could be a hard go up to New England and then off to PA.
you'll miss a bit of nice riding, but maybe next time?

if you're into it though, you could divert slightly north to Bethel NY on your way west. That's the location of the Woodstock Concert....

have a great rip, and if your plans change for the north east, let me know, the local guys here will stand you a few pints!

thanks :) Woodstock here I come :) that's exactly the type of suggestion I was after :)

[Old Baldy]

Your St Petersburg to Miami via Key West ride is a LONG ride, unless you plan to get to Key West and turn right around and go back. It's about a 6-hour roundtrip from Miami Beach to Key West and back by itself. If you intend to have lunch in Key West, then you're going to have to leave St Petersburg REAL early!

Unless you really want to sleep over in Miami, you could think about grabbing one of the nice campgrounds along the Keys.....there are quite a few places to stay over. Some of them have glass bottom boat trips over the reefs and snorkeling.

Regarding the credit cards, I've never experienced problems as long as I remembered to call the bank first, and have them CONFIRM that they have noted your international travels on your account, to avoid the presumed theft lockdown on the account. Would be wise to have 2 or 3 cards just in case. Visa and Mastercard will get you just about everywhere. Don;t even think about doing traveler's checks (cheques)...they are NOT well received in the USA.

If you're planning on camping in bear country, you could consider getting some bear pepper spray. I always feel more comfortable having something with me for those nights where you know there can be some activity. Don't keep any food/fruit or strong cosmetics in your tent.

[Benesesso]

Well, did you ever make the trip?????