Want to go on a cross country trip next summer, ideas?

[Genkenx2]

Hey,

I'm seriously considering taking my bike out on a trip across the country. I would be starting in Chicago IL. and my ultimate goal would be California (thinking San Fransisco, Yosemite State Park, etc.).

Now I'm just thinking about things I can do here, but I basically don't want to just chew miles down on the interstate, the whole point in my trip would be to absorb the world in a little more personal level. As in.. I plan on stopping at any point of interest and exploring (forests, waterfalls, mountains, etc.)

Are there any documented (or does anyone have any ideas) for a trip to the west coast that would offer me the best blend of adventure and practicality? (Obviously it's already 2,300 miles to the coast, I don't quite have the resources to streth that into a 3,200 mile trip one way).

This would be my first ever road trip so far period (let alone on a bike). What are some tips, and some recommendations on things to do on such a trip? Also what's a percieved budget? I was personally planning on saving maybe $600 for the trip, with a credit card to cover emergency expenses.

Basically I want to camp out, not rent a hotel unless absolutely nesccesary. I want to experience as much as I possibly can.

Any tips, comments, or ideas would be highly appreciated!

[md86]

Um , you'll need like 2 weeks vacation to stop and check out all the points of interest along the way .
Look for Cyber's tips for the road . There's a thread about it already , along with some tips from Tom (TDRcomm) .

[bubba]

well, i've never been on a roadtrip, but last year I spent 3 days on the beach (when I still lived in Chipley, NOW I live on the beach), and Just for 3 days it cost me well over $600. That includes Hotel, which I see ur going to try not do, but I was only in the hotel for 3 nights and the price was split 3 ways. The rest of the money went towards food, booze, gas, and I took a girl out to a fancy restaurant which was like $70 for the 2 of us.

I dunno, imo I think it'll probably run ya more than $600.

[Ulshy55]

Well me and 2 of my friends are planning on going either cross country and back or to Alaska and back(starting from PA) and considering everything we are figuring about $3000. This includes supplies though, including bags for the bikes etc... Gas i think is going to be the most expensive. We plan on camping out too. I second looking at Cyber's tips also. He is a guru when it comes to anything involving a motorcycle.

[Waltari]

Definitely give yourself enough time or you'll feel rushed and wornout by the time your done. If you're doing Chicago to Cali and back I'd suggest 2 weeks minimum, 3 weeks if possibly.

First, get out the maps and decided what you'd like to see...determine your route and check in to see if there's any katriders along the way that might be able to offer a shower and warm place to sleep. A shower every couple days will keep you refreshed and in good spirits.

Plan out what you'll need and what you'll bring for every possibly circumstance. Cyberpoet has a great list of trip tips, read through them. Also, visit http://www.advrider.com/forums/ and check through trip planning and gear sections. The right camping gear and supplies can make all the difference.

Plan for fuel stops carefully once you get into the plain states. Sounds like a no brainer but if you're not carefully or packing a bit of extra fuel, you can easily find youself driving through Wyoming and noticing tha you have 1 gallon of fuel in your tank and 80 miles until the next gas station.

While you don't want to do all freeways, at times if you have long distances between a couple points of interest you really want to spend time at an afternoon on the freeway can be time well spent.

[Black_peter]

What travel experiance do you have?
PersonallyI wouldn't do a west coast trip.
Why? Kansas, Montana, etc.. Long flat states with little to see. Personally I would go south. Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky are nice states. If I were doing a long road trip I would go to Leeds, Alabama. Destination; Barber Motorcycle track and museum. Plan it right and you can get a race in. Barber is one of the best museums I have ever been to, second to the Deutches Museum (Munich). The country side of the three states I mentioned is beautiful and there is great food. HS2020, Md86 and others will guide you to the roads that will offer fun.

Just my $0.02, but I think there is more bang for your miles in the south east over the west.

My other piece of advice is you can never bring too many plastic bags..

[Waltari]

What travel experiance do you have?
PersonallyI wouldn't do a west coast trip.
Why? Kansas, Montana, etc.. Long flat states with little to see. Personally I would go south. Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky are nice states. If I were doing a long road trip I would go to Leeds, Alabama. Destination; Barber Motorcycle track and museum. Plan it right and you can get a race in. Barber is one of the best museums I have ever been to, second to the Deutches Museum (Munich). The country side of the three states I mentioned is beautiful and there is great food. HS2020, Md86 and others will guide you to the roads that will offer fun.

Just my $0.02, but I think there is more bang for your miles in the south east over the west.

My other piece of advice is you can never bring too many plastic bags..

There are some great places to see out west but I concure, I've driven from Green Bay, WI to Oregon many times and parts of "the middle" do leave a bit to be desired.

[Genkenx2]

Yeah, I was a little ho-hum about all the empty states in between the trip, and that's why I was wondering if anyone had ideas on some good routes or simple enough work arounds to still get some good bang on the way.

Only thing about going South is that I went to Alabama earlier this year with some friends.. no motorcycle or anything, but I just don't think I want to go to the same place again. I've only been to California once and that was when I was 8, and from what I remember those mountains were spectacular.

And it comes down to that.. I love mountains, I love climbing, I love rummaging through the woods. I know the Smokies are in the south and the Appallacians in the east, but I don't think any mountains in the country really can compare to the Rockies.. and that really is a strong motivator for me.

I would be at least giving myself 2 weeks, maybe a little more (I figure it would take 4-5 days each way to travel comfortably).

If I do this trip I'd really want to get the most out of what the west coast offers in terms of mountain rides, any neat points of interest. Is this all played up in my head or is it as nice as I remember?

At any rate, the whole idea is that I want to take my motorcycle to a complete scenic change from what I'm used to here in Illinois.. I want to see waterfalls (any out there out west?), huge trees (I know those are), and lots of opportunities to go hiking and explore the woods.. also great roads and scenery for on the bike is the topper.

When I went to Alabama I went to Birmingham, and as we drove by everything it did look like there were some great things to see and some nice hills (and some of those roads out there made me sick in the car, but drooling thinking about taking them on a bike).. but all in all it didn't seem too different than a more "hilly" Illinois (and hotter...).

I know it may take more than $600 but I figure about $370-400 for gas, and if I'm frugal with my money, I can stretch it (assuming no emergency situations occur, which is what plastic is for).

I'm going to try and be as prepared as possible, but also very minimalist. I don't figure humans need a whole lot to get out there for a couple weeks- a real basic tent, something to cover me for rain, some food, something to keep me warm. I want this to be gritty and down to Earth, sounds great to me.

Oh and by the way, I still don't know if I want to do this with myself or in a group, but if the whole ideology of this trip (adventure, exploration, independence, freedom, all that crap) sounds good to anyone reading this, and would be interested in coming along, there's plenty of time to sort my goals out, so just let me know.

[thetable]

I do things a bit differently I know, but I go without a map. I might look at one to get a general idea, but I don't let that rule my trip. I like getting lost and I like talking to people. I took a week and did the blue ridge parkway and skyline drive finishing it up with the Dragon and the Cherhala Skyway. I went without a map and talked to people at stops I made. It was a great way to do it, and I found many places that aren't on a map. I got directions like, go down yonder about couple miles, when you see the falling down barn on your right...

Over-planning has the potential of taking some of the fun out of the trip. If you have planned it based on I have to be here by this time, you could really miss something along the way that was worth seeing. Stop and enjoy the scenery. If you think you can do it in 4 days, then plan 8.

While the camping thing is nice, you will probably want to shower at least every other day or so, especially if the weather is on the warm side, otherwise things can get kind of uncomfortable and stinky. Figure on getting a couple hotel rooms at least. If you do your shopping right, some of them can be had for next to nothing.

For food, skip the fast food joints and try to find little diners with local cars out in front, those are usually where the good food is and they usually aren't that much more money than what McD's

[chinto]

What travel experiance do you have?
PersonallyI wouldn't do a west coast trip.
Why? Kansas, Montana, etc.. Long flat states with little to see. Personally I would go south. Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky are nice states. If I were doing a long road trip I would go to Leeds, Alabama. Destination; Barber Motorcycle track and museum. Plan it right and you can get a race in. Barber is one of the best museums I have ever been to, second to the Deutches Museum (Munich). The country side of the three states I mentioned is beautiful and there is great food. HS2020, Md86 and others will guide you to the roads that will offer fun.

Just my $0.02, but I think there is more bang for your miles in the south east over the west.

My other piece of advice is you can never bring too many plastic bags..

I'm with BP on this one. I would avoid the boring stretches and look for a more interesting route. Barber is an incredible destination as you can see from the photos:







Regardless of where you decide to go, you will want to be comfortable. You mentioned that you would like to do some camping. If you are camping you will want to ensure that you bring items that will make your camping as enjoyable as possible. In my opinion an air mattress is a must. They are a little bulky and take up some space in the saddle bags, but after spending that much time on your bike, you will appreciate the added comfort. I rigged up a small air pump with alligator clips to clip on to the battery terminals for inflation. The same pump could be used to deflate quickly. We were also sure to bring a coffee perk and a small propane burner, and a cookset. Although most of our meals were in restaurants we did make ourselves breakfast a few times. For the most part I was regretting the extra space of the cook set until we had breakfast here:





Another thing to mention is rain gear. Make sure you have proper rain gear, as you will, no doubt, run into some at some point in time. You will want to ensure you have coat pants and boots that are rain proof. I had everything except the boots and my feet paid for it.





If your luggage is not waterproof, as mentioned by BP, plastic bags are your friend.

You will also need to keep some notes on your travels, take lots of pics and provide us with a full ride report upon your return!

[md86]

WThe country side of the three states I mentioned is beautiful and there is great food. HS2020, Md86 and others will guide you to the roads that will offer fun.

Indeed . Well ,we got the Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone ntl forest going on about 100 miles from here . The Gorge ROCKS . PLENTY of hiking , rock climbing (some of the COOLEST rock formations you may ever see ) , pretty water stuff going on there , and not TERRIBLY far from Ill . Think about wasting a day or 2 THERE if you head out towards eastern Ky .

[Waltari]

Hey, why not go north? Head up through Wisconsin cross the great lakes into Canada, see some of the Northern Contingent and back down the East coast?

[Black_peter]

Nice pics Chinto!!

I'll add some, to let you see just how close you can get to the bikes!

This is Hailwood's IOM TT bike.



GP bike, don't remember who's

[nitros222]

Hey Gen,
If you decide to do a trip. I am going to the rally in july in North Carolina. If I can get a group of 3 or more bikes i may be persuaded to ride instead of drive...

[40something]

Have you ever considered taking Route 66 to the West Coast?