I know it is a little early for this kind of thing but never too late to start. My goal for next year is to slow down and smell the roses.

I live here in the beautiful state of Colorado. And I have found myself more focused on getting to where I am going verses taking in all of the scenery. For example I rode to Estes park a few times this year. Not once did I pull over at any of the scenic stops to take a pic or just to take a few minutes and look. Just blew right by because it was not on the plan to stop. One time I seen a moose hanging out in a small pond.....it was really cool....but I still didn't stop.

So my question to all of you that do stop......How do you know when to stop? Do plan for it on a map? Is your butt tired? Last minute decision?

I enjoy my rides, I just maybe want to slow down a bit so I can share them with my kids thru pics at the end of the day. Or have pics for when my memory finally goes I have something to prove to myself that I was there.

 

That's a good goal. I can say it really does make the journey more enjoyable as well as more memorable.

Most times when I stop, it's because of the surroundings. There also has to be an opportunity to stop as well.

For example, and since you live in Colorado, you might be able to appreciate this...
Several years back we were towing our drag race car to Mile High raceway in Denver from Central California. I had planned ahead to take extra time since we hadn't been there before, and didn't know when or if we would ever be there again. We made the outbound trip in three days instead of two, or instead of driving straight thru without stopping as some of our racing buddies did.

We pulled over at several scenic overlook areas on the way out, taking pictures. We stopped in Moab and drove thru Arches Nat'l monument....towing the race car. That was a big draw for park visitors! Everytime we stopped, people came up asking questions and taking pics of the hot rod.

On the way back, we took the southern route and stopped at the indian cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde as well as other scenic overlooks. We watched native american dancers perform in the town square in Cortez CO. We got indian tacos at four corners.

The point is, the trip itself ended up being much more memorable than the race was. And most importantly, I made memories with my wife, who recently passed away. Without stopping to "Smell the Roses." I wouldn't have those precious memories. In the end, that's all you can take with you.

 

Good points all around on that one. Thanks for the replies Mike.

 

I stopped last year on my ride up to GA from south Florida. I was passing through a little town called Richland and saw a sign saying there was a rum distillery in the historic town so I turned off the highway at 10 in the morning to see what I'd find.

It was a cute old town and I parked the bike outside the distillery, but it was closed up being early morning. I walked around for a few minutes and a guy came out of the distillery and walked over to talk to me about my bike and where I was headed. He worked there and invited me in for a private tour and a shot of rum! I told him it was a little early for a drink but he said 'it's 5 O clock somewhere' so what the heck.

I know it wasn't a scenic stop but it was an interesting time. I think riding alone you are more likely to stop because you don't have to wave at the others to slow down when you feel like getting off the bike.

 

My best rides have always been without planned stops. I stop when I see something interesting, need to pee, need gas, or am hungry.

The way to do this while ensuring you make it back home in time to return to work or whatever without stressing is to allow a couple of extra days on both the front and back end of a trip. The longer the trip, the more extra days you allow. If on the way home, you think you might be running short on time, take it to the interstate for a while and you will make up time that way. It is usually better to see the sights on the way to a destination than on the way back unless you are going to see something on a specific date, such as meeting up with people, a concert, race, or other one day type of event.

 

I am also in Colorado. I don't think too much about it, but I tend to just stop when the mood hits me. Maybe I see something that I want to spend more time looking at (lots of beautiful scenery here), or an interesting road side attraction, or the wife taps my shoulder to stop, etc.

It really is true here in Colorado, that it isn't so much the destination - it is the journey.

 

I guess it depends on what's important to each person. I rode up to Estes, a few weeks ago, via the Peak to Peak. I didn't have the slightest urge to stop and look any deeper at any sights along the way, but did enjoy what I was seeing from riding. That route takes longer than going up through Lyons, but the roads are more fun. What I enjoyed was the ride itself, specifically the relaxed twisties, with just a bit of pushing it here and there. It was a great ride (even though I got a photo red light ticket in Boulder on the way back).

 

I'm in the same boat as you. I am focused on the destination. As I see it it's never too late to slow down and smell the roses. I need to do it as well

 

I've been trying to do the same thing. Last weekend I was out on a ride and passed an old wooden bridge. I decided to turn around and stop to check it out and while at it took a photo of the bike in front of it. A bit later on I passed an old shed and figured I'd do the same thing. When I got home I loaded the photos on to the computer, did some minor photoshop work to clean them up and turned them in to a poster/ad with a somewhat corny headline. But they make for nice wall art for the garage so what the heck.

Definitely good to slow things down when we can in life - the rest of it goes so darn fast.

 

Great pics, nice bike. Get rid of the ads.