We really enjoyed the Utah area. Moab, down 191 throughMonument Valley. Several routes over to the North Rim of GC. Must do 89A to there, just a great ride. And yes, if you plan ahead a year, get a cabin at North Rim. We stayed in the “cheaper ones”, just a super place to be, a fire on the patio of lodge every night, sunset and sun-up there is Grand. Then over to Zion and loop back to Moab through Bryce. Like riding through pictures you have seen all your life on calendars. 50 Thru CO was also great going and coming from Utah.
Thanks folks, Lots of areas to still explore and the planning for a trip is relaxing and then changing all up in the middle of the trip is what makes for a great trip.
Dennis

 

We will be fine tuning our summer travels in the next week or so. Right now we are looking at heading to central Illinois the end of April. Through the month of May there are some local rides we always do in that area, for example Starved Rock, up to Lake Michigan, and then a southern Illinois ride. June we will head to Salem OR. First of July we will make our way east on a northern route to Deadwood for the rally. Then end of July end up back in central Illinois for a short family visit before heading home to Florida.

 

Living in Georgia, my trips will be in the general eastern area. Our plans for this year include going back to the Tail of the Dragon in NC/TN, HOG chapter trips to Smoky Mt National Park, overnight trips to FL and GA, perhaps a trip to Sarasota to see the grandkids, Charleston, SC, south GA to see grandkid, Charlotte, NC to see family, Sevierville, TN and "The Snake", and any other place we can think of.

 

After two years in a row of going to the Smoky's, we decided to change it up this year and in late June, going our west. Yellowstone, Tetons, Jackson Hole. We were last there in 2014. Time to head back again.

 

My good friend and I are going to make another Iron Butt Run like a few years ago. He was the real hero. All I did was ride a barge with a couch (I'll refrain from the gratuitous plug for what seat I'm ride on) attached, LOL. He made the run last time on a Sportster! So he has a 2009 Ultra Classic now and wants the stickers and plate ring for both. We almost immediately had to change out the main gear bearing or we may have done this run last year.
We start near Fresno, CA going north to Sacramento, CA on the I-5, catch I-80 east to Salt Lake City, UT; catch the I-15 south to Beaver, UT. Stop for a 4-6 hour break. Beaver is slightly more than 1000 miles in 24 hours for the Saddle Sore portion of the run, but not done at this point since we will still do a concurrent Bun Burner. From there go all the way to Barstow, CA; then catch the CA-58 to Bakersfield. Stop at the Bakersfield Harley to sign out and finish the Bun Burner, slightly over 1500 in 36 hours. Then putt back to Fresno.


This is a great route since most of the trip is 70, 75 and 80 MPH, some at 65 MPH, and tiny bit at 55 MPH. It's important to make good time in the first 18 hours so we can get a good nap before heading backing into California. Probably be doing it in late April/early May.

 

I get a new hip May 5th, the Doctor says barring complications I should be OK to ride in 3 weeks, Sooooo wife says: We will ride North up the coast until we run out of U.S., then take a hard right through Washington, Montana and into North Dakota. Another right through South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico. Then another right into Arizona then home. We did this (Shorter run) a couple of years ago (first right turn at Coos Bay Oregon) but want to say we have ridden in Canada so off to Washington we go. We are both retired and have all the time in the world.

a little video of the Yellowstone Loop

 

My goal is Yellowknife. Started out last year and bad weather halfway it caused me to go to plan B which was turn south.

Here was my set up for last years start. Enough fuel range? No problem.

 

screwball,
Need to throw a Left in there for a little change of pace!

 

Nice sounding trips there, guys. We missed ours last year, something about the wife having a triple bypass, but she's all good to go now, and doing great. So we're going to leave Ohio and swing up through New England and circle back, maybe do the south side of Lake Erie and Ontario on the way there, north side on the way back. Maybe shoot down Vermont to the coast for a ways, get some lobster fresh off the boat. Not quite sure yet.

 

Several years ago when my son had just joined the Navy, he and I made a road trip from Alabama to his Naval Air base at Whidbey Island Washington. We made it a rambling trip in order to take in some sites we had never seen and Moab was a stopover and one that Im glad we made. Its an unbelievably beautiful place.