Planning a trip for this summer, any advice/opinions????

[greasemonkey79]

I have a couple of possible trip ideas for this summer. How about some feedback/ ideas/ suggestions.

-I know this is going to get wordy (I go nuts when I type) so I apologize ahead of time.-  

Things to keep in mind:
-I have a maximum of 4 days (3 nights) to accomplish the trip
-My start/finish point will be north central Indiana
-I will most likely be going with my 2 brothers with the possibility of a friend or 2
-My Busa is the most “touring” oriented bike in the group. My youngest brother rides an R1, my middle brother a Triumph Speed4. The possible friends though will be on sportbikes, nakeds or similar and have no roadtrip experiences (they haven’t LIVED yet   ). 800mi days will be ROUGH so daily range is limited somewhat. My youngest brother has ridden that R1 all the way to Cali and back so he’s less of a concern. My middle brother has done a 1200mi trip with me before and survived OK. I think I may be good for more hours in the saddle than him though.
-I HATE interstate riding so it will be mostly 2 lanes all the way. I may utilize the interstate to get thorough In/ Oh region as I’ve been all over them and they bore me.  

OK, that out of the way here’s my ideas:
Trip1:
Head out from home and visit southern Main (Portland?), check out the coast, eat some seafood and then head off and check out Mt. Washington. I doubt time constraints will allow a ride to the summit though.   I’ve wanted to visit the coast for several years now but just never seem to make it out there. The Main coastline seems like it would be a beautiful place to visit. This trip will be somewhere in the neighborhood of 2200-2300mi.

Trip2:
Head out from home and make my way over to Chesapeake Bay. The 2 lanes through Va ought to be awesome and I still get to see the coast  . Obviously I’ll grab some seafood (have I mentioned that I LOVE seafood?  ), check out the bay bridge/tunnel and then head out and run the Blue Ridge parkway. Afterwards we’ll make our way home. This trip is in the 1800-2000mi range.

Both trips can be a stretch for a 4 day excursion but, in my experience, are completely do-able.
Both trips will probably require a LONG 1ST day so as to allow a little more “sight seeing” time on days 2&3. I know my brothers and I can handle 14-16hrs in the saddle but I’m a bit concerned about who else may tag along. Tackling 600-700mi in the 1st day may be a bit much for some. I just want the trip to be enjoyable for all who come but at the same time, the places I want to visit aren’t exactly “right around the corner”.

Anyone been to these areas? Any other ideas? Advice?

Thanks.

[Orson]

nuthin sucks the fun out of a trip like a schedule  

just head out until you've used half your alotted time, then turn around and return via a different route  

[NoGear]

I do lots of trips in my free time. I get 30 days of leave (vacation) a year plus usually a couple 4 day weekends and occasionnally a 5 day weekend.

Scrap both of those plans. Plan a route not a trip. By that I mean, look at a map and look for good roads. TWISTYs. If I were you I'd SE to either SE Ohio or KY, then thru WV, Western VA, cut into NC. Maybe hit US 421 "The Snake" the make a turn and head back home along a different route.

Actually 421 is a good road to ride the whole way south. Pick it up in Indy and stay on it thru KY into VA, TN, and NC. Keep going south, make a right turn ride the "Tail of the Dragon" just to say you have then head back north on US 27 or US 127.  

That should take you 4 days.  From experiance you want to stop before 4pm so you can be sure of getting a hotel. Have time to relax, eat and BS about the days ride.

[ray916mn]

I wouldn't touch Maine unless it was the fall, when the Lobsters are plumped up for their winter hibernation and the foliage is in full blaze.

Running to the SE OH and then running down and around the Appalachian Ridge is wonderful during the summer as it is high enough to be cool in the summer and there are weeks of great riding along its length. 421 as mentioned is the twisty route straight to the southern end of Appalachians.

A Great Lakes tour isn't as twisty, but there is allot more scenic/historic sites to stop at, and during the peak of the summer you'll be beating the heat. You also get a little International flavor from riding in Canada.

[greasemonkey79]

I do lots of trips in my free time. I get 30 days of leave (vacation) a year plus usually a couple 4 day weekends and occasionnally a 5 day weekend.

Scrap both of those plans. Plan a route not a trip. By that I mean, look at a map and look for good roads. TWISTYs. If I were you I'd SE to either SE Ohio or KY, then thru WV, Western VA, cut into NC. Maybe hit US 421 "The Snake" the make a turn and head back home along a different route.

Actually 421 is a good road to ride the whole way south. Pick it up in Indy and stay on it thru KY into VA, TN, and NC. Keep going south, make a right turn ride the "Tail of the Dragon" just to say you have then head back north on US 27 or US 127.  

That should take you 4 days.  From experience you want to stop before 4pm so you can be sure of getting a hotel. Have time to relax, eat and BS about the days ride.

I've been to the Dragon and surrounding area 2 of the past 3 years. I've done 421 and followed 129 (the Dragon) just about as far south as it goes.  As much as I LOVE that area, I'm ready for some different scenery.


The Appalachian ridge is definitely a possibility. I still want to see the Ocean as well. Yeah I know, it's just water. I've never been there though and it a good excuse to get some miles on the bike.  


I've heard that a passport is required to get into Canada now, any truth to that?

[ray916mn]

...
I've heard that a passport is required to get into Canada now, any truth to that?

Don't know about it being required to go in. As best as I could tell last year it is required to get back to the states.

[hazra]

I've heard that a passport is required to get into Canada now, any truth to that?

You need either a passport or NEXUS card to travel to Canada.

As far as your trip options are concerned, either one is worth doing if your group can handle the miles.  The Maine coast is beautiful, and it gets better the farther north/east you go.  The Mt. Washington auto road is well worth the trip if you have any interest in those sorts of things, incredible scenery and whatnot.  All of the roads around there are worth riding, through White Mountain and Green Mountain national forests, but no real direct routes exist anywhere along there.. great riding, but don't expect to get anywhere in a hurry.

I have family on the Eastern Shore of VA, and practically grew up there.  Not too much to see on the 'Shore itself, but if you like blue crab, many of the towns bordering the bay have restaurants where you can get them minutes off the boat, and in many cases (like Crisfield, MD) you can sit outside on the dock and watch the crabbers unload.  Rt 50 across West Virginia and Virginia is a great travel road, but you will deal with traffic from time to time.

Either way, my advice is to plan to do either trip when you have time to meander.  New England is a great place to ride, my last trip up there was a week (from Eastern PA) and I wished I had more time.  I'll be going up again soon.  I really like the Chesapeake Bay area, but not much in the way of good riding there.  Quite a bit of history and some great scenery, but mostly straight roads.  Also... do what you can to avoid the Baltimore/DC area.  If you're in a hurry, you WILL hit traffic.

[hazra]

One other thing... I'd suggest either looking through some of the older Region 6 posts or ask your question there.  I got lots of great advice there before my last trip into New England.

[greasemonkey79]

One other thing... I'd suggest either looking through some of the older Region 6 posts or ask your question there.  I got lots of great advice there before my last trip into New England.

Thanks for all of the advice.  
It's really good to hear from someone who's "been there-done that".

I'm Soooo ready to get on the open road. It's going to be a LONG wait till summer.

[NoGear]

Have you thought about going up and around Lake Michigan? Along the shore that is.  

I think heading to the coast is pushing it. I've learned that my trips aren't about the destination but about the ride along the way. I don't make advanced reservations because I want the freedom to stop and look at interesting things along the way. To take a detour in another direction just because that road looks better than the one I'm on.  I get to see, do, and meet some interesting things and people because of that.

When I first started doing multiday trips I would plan it to death, like the good Sergeant that I am.  I had everything covered down to the combined weight of every item on the bike, stops for gas, stops for rest, exactly how many minutes I would stop for, projected fuel usage and cost, reservations made for each night in advance, already selected where we would eat, exactly what time we would need to get up so we could get on the road by the planned time.  I found out that this is great for planning an invasion but not very conducive for others having a good time.

Now. We plan a general direction and that is it!  We stop when we want. If we see a neat place to stay we'll stop early. If we are having a good time that night we'll sleep in and get a later start on the day.  If it is a great area we might spend an extra day there.  

Remember, we ride because we love riding not because we have to get somewhere.  

[sleazy rider]

Here's a suggestion to hit the Adirondacks of NY.  Not as far as Maine, but some damn fine riding and eating IMO.  Leave after work on your last day, ride to Erie, PA and sleep.  Finish up to the destination the next day, ride two days and come home on the fourth full day.  I'd suggest Tupper Lake as a hub to ride out of for those two days.  

Just MHO, but you're pushing some newbs if you put the coast in play.  An unknown group over three tends to get unmanageable after a couple days.

[Robert Ford]

Here's a suggestion to hit the Adirondacks of NY.  Not as far as Maine, but some damn fine riding and eating IMO.  Leave after work on your last day, ride to Erie, PA and sleep.  Finish up to the destination the next day, ride two days and come home on the fourth full day.  I'd suggest Tupper Lake as a hub to ride out of for those two days.  

Just MHO, but you're pushing some newbs if you put the coast in play.  An unknown group over three tends to get unmanageable after a couple days.

This is great advice...on the n00bs as well as the area.

[greasemonkey79]

I definitely understand the "don't over-plan" type of philosophy. My brothers and I (along with a friend or 2 at times) have done a few 1000+mi trips already and we tend to follow a pretty loose schedule. If we stop to check something out we simply ride later into the evening to get to our campsite for the night. Heck, we've pitched tents in the grass at a rest stop before because it got too late. Nobody stresses about "getting to where we're going" or over what time we get there. We've done 17-18 hr days to get to our camp that was 525mi away. We don't exactly "make good time" when we travel.   We all have a good time though and in the end, that's all that really matters to me.

I agree about the newbies though, that's why I keep going over my plans (or should I call them "rough guidelines"   ) and making sure I really think it's feasible. The newbies in question are still very much in the air though. My youngest brother has friends that ride and all of them that's gone with us before we're fun to have around and real troopers about the miles/hours. They don't concern me. The other newbie in question is my wife's cousin. He's a fun guy to hang around and easy to get along with, but he is totally green when it comes to roadtrips.
I dunno, I may give him the "no whiners" ultimatum and if it scares him off so be it and if he comes I'll just trust that he will enjoy himself. You can't please everybody, you know. Oh well, i have a LOT of time to think about it since it's only January.