What's a LONG ride to you?

[Rabidsnipe]

I did this route yesterday....


305 miles, and a good amount of twisty roads along with some nice desert scenery and fresh baked pies  That's about as long as I have time for usually, and I try to get at least 1-2 rides like this done each month.

Gosh I hate you.  I'm thinking of doing this tomorrow.  It won't even compare to your ride and has about 3x as much interstate.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=16005+Katie+Ridge+Dr,+Edmond,+OK+73013&daddr=OK-31+E+to:OK-1+E%2FOK-2+S%2FOK-63+E+to:34.7409162,-94.75287+to:US-259+S+to:34.75878,-94.845748+to:34.67963,-95.57967+to:35.20598,-96.62342+to:N+Pennsylvania+Ave&hl=en&geocode=FTy8HwId3HQv-im_2BvITByyhzFNw1zqadAwbA%3BFbD-FwId7khR-g%3BFWz5EQIdkiZS-g%3BFbQaEgIdmi9a-innPze-Sb7KhzHfFCIh8HUcoQ%3BFWvuDgIdKi9b-g%3BFXxgEgIdzMRY-ilvYnP3hb3KhzF4YMuvhzWJPw%3BFU4rEQId6pFN-il9g0JRPCO1hzEwOwqREj-WOQ%3BFVwzGQIdxKQ9-imLt3wTfpqzhzEyTxvBBss3OA%3BFa2_HwIdV4Mv-g&mra=dpe&mrcr=3&mrsp=7&sz=9&via=3,5,6,7&sll=34.937734,-95.800781&sspn=1.634618,3.312378&ie=UTF8&ll=35.04349,-96.193542&spn=1.632508,3.312378&z=9

[SVTNate]

I avoid Palomar on the weekends due to squids/cops, but here's a video that gives you a good idea of what that stretch of road is like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-r_3M-fGBM

Of course, to get there, I've gotta ride Ortega Highway.  Here's the road, but it's in reverse... from east (Lake Elsinore CA) to west.  I ride it the other way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwUSFxOSJEw

A lot of people have died on this road.  Another one to avoid on weekends, and not a place to really push it hard due to instant death on either side of the road and lots of traffic (commuters).

So I ride Ortega, then Palomar.  I didn't post the back side of Palomar, not as twisty but a great view from the top and a great view of Lake Henshaw coming down.

Then an easy ride up to Julian to get fresh made pie from Mom's and a coffee.  

Now I ride through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, which is a nice road with some twisty bits and some awesome scenery.



Then you can slab it 40 miles west to San Diego, where I like to get a steak/shrimp/avocado/cheese/chipotle sauce/french fries burrito from Lucha Libre, which was featured on the first episode of Man Versus Food this season.

Lots to do in San Diego, you could spend the night/weekend, but I hit the slab and headed home.  Two nice things about the 5 Freeway from SD to OC... it's by the ocean, so temps are cool, and you run past/through Camp Pendleton.  This past time I had two fighter jets pass overhead, so of course I had to look up and pump my fist like Maverick in Top Gun

[veefer800canuck]

When you run out of land and can see ships in the distance, it's a long ride.

[VFRSaratoga]

About 4 hours actual saddle time is long.  Not the longest but I feel it qualifies.

[wbrisett]

When it's not fun anymore.

 

Yep, that just about sums it up. On those 800+ mile days I've done, usually after about 650, I really want to just pull over, it just stops being fun.

Wayne

[omnivore]

En route to Indy for the MotoGP.

2008- Home, an hr from Toronto, thru Buffalo, Springville, Ellicotville, Clarion, down to Pittsburg, across Ohio's Hwy 22, up to Hwy 39, then down to Columbus to slab it to Indy.
It was 15 hrs, all rain thru Hurricane Ike.That sucked but I made the most of it. Had a guy north of Pittsburg tell me he felt sorry for me riding in torrential rain. I reminded him that he needn't feel sorry for me-he was at work while I was out riding! LOL

2009, I did a longer ride that went east as far as Harrisburg, before crossing southern PA and acorss  hwy 50 in WV, then thru Dayton to Indy. about 50% of that trip was slabbed. Every yr the trip to Indy gets longer and less slabbing.

This yr, 2010, last week.

Left home an hr from Toronto , 2 pm Tues afternoon, solo.
Got searched for no apparent reason, and held up at the border in Buffalo, for almost 2 hrs. At least their building has AC,LOL
Made the Mason Dixon line by 10 pm. Setup primitive camp in a churchyard. Watched a movie  (Salt) on laptop in my tent.
Rode across the Mason Dixon Hwy (lots of history and really great roads), then down hwy 16  (great ride) all the way to southern end of West Virginia. Turned northwest  on 52 (nice road and sections of switchbacks with new asphalt are awesome)and made Gilbert just before dark. Setup primitive camp in a soccer field. Watched another movie ( Hotub Time Machine) in my tent. Town Sherrif even stopped by to see how I was doing around 10 pm and brought me some hot coffee!
Continued northwest to Louisa then west across 32 and northwest on 10 Alexandria area. Used 4 lane ring road to get around Lexington. Actually found it kinda weird on an interstate after riding tight technical twisties for 8-10 hrs a day for a couple days in  a row.
Made Big Bonelick State Park southwest of Lexington KY  well before dark, and decided to actually camp at a campground. I needed a shower and couldn't stand my own stink anymore,LOL. Also wanted to charge up laptop , cellphone, and Scala Rider as well.  Setup camp then went out to explore. Local roads there are fantastic and so is the small town home cooking. Stayed up late visiting with other campers, and enjoying their invitations to warm fireside chit chat and food and drinks. No movie this time,LOL
Left Bog Bonelick later than I had hoped, but staying up late had me sleeping in. Oh well it's a holiday after all,LOL. Stopped in Rabbit Hash for an Old Fashioned Cream Soda and some pics and small talk- the store there is frequented by tons of bikers, even on a weekday morning.  It's been operating in the same building in that location since 1831 continuously.  Very nice spot, surrounded by great roads and nice backdrop on Ohio river complete with paddlewheelers.

Kept heading northwest towards Indy, and hwy 55 is a short but fantastic piece of road.  
Maade Indy and stayed the weekend. Watched MotoGP practise, qualifying, and races. Attended one night of Motorcycles on Meridian, and watched the UFC fights at a stranger's place in Indy, having been invited  by the host on another message board like this. I took him up on it and met 12 strangers that made me feel at home and fed me and gave me their beer-nice gang. Was nice to stay in a hotel for 3 days with hydro, wifi, and a pool.
Monday saw me Interstating it home in 9 hrs.

All told, over 3200 kms ( 2000 miles) in 6 days. And 3 of those days were spent almost stationary except for some around the city riding in Indy.
That's the most I think I have ridden in multiple consecutive days.  The first day is always easy-it's the repetetive days in the saddle of a GSXR that'll get ya.
I have ridden 1100 kms  ( 700 miles) in a day before, but not again the next day and the next etc.

[Nodaclu]

When it starts to hurt.

Yeah...that.

When the NPI (Nodaclu Pain Index) hits 8 or so, it ceases to be fun.

My best friend has been off a bike for 20 years. He just got his permit again and bought a brand new '09 Versys in Sacramento on Saturday. He asked me to ride it home for him.

I was honored, but I've been off a bike myself for the past 9 months, and I'm out of "riding shape". The 190 miles from the dealership in South Sac to Redding, CA was one of the strangest rides of my life - exhilarating to be back on two wheels after a long layoff, stressful because of the fear of dropping/wrecking my buddies brand new bike, and pain from everywhere (shoulders, back, hips, butt, knees, ankles) from doing a 200 mile (mostly slab) ride after being off a bike for so long.

The NPI was definitely at 8 by the time I arrived. Gotta get the Nighthawk road-worthy soon and get back into riding shape - which previously was about 250 miles a day in reasonable comfort - 350 if I'm pushing it. Sure wish my aching body were more cooperative.