I rode from San Diego to NC. Took 9 days and still wasn't enough. I spent some days not riding and seeing the sites and it was a great experience but long days in the seat are boring and at the end of the day your tired and if a situation comes up where you have to react fast good luck. I don't understand 900 mile days, I can't do that in a car. Fly to Chattanooga, rent a bike, ride the roads and fly home is an option and make the most of your time off.

 

I am retired an Loving It! My first trip from SE Louisiana to PNW and back took 7 months, and I knew I had to go again ASAP cause I did not spend enough time in all the wonderful places. Second, Third, and Fourth trips later, each over 5 months apiece, and I still cannot get enough of the West, and you are fortunate enough to live there. I ventured over to the East coast one summer, and did the Smokies thing, and just wound up pedaling like hell to get back across the "Great" Plains and back into the Rockies. Sorry, just me maybe, but those wide open spaces, extreme elevations, and that rocky Pacific Coast are just So Hard to Beat! Smokies are very pretty, especially in the Fall, and their twisties are fun and challenging (The Tail for instance),but with that dense forest and high humidity you just do not get the vistas you get out West, and it is So Crowded. Maybe you will be glad you did it once, but after you have "Been There and Done That" I am betting you will be content to stay West of the "Great" Plains and Chihuahua Desert.

 

By the way. Olympic National Park and Neah Bay are in my sights for this summer. Good idea?

 

Too many miles per day. It's fine on some days like going across Kansas and such, but I'd try to shoot for plan for 250-300 and if feel like going further, your not "running behind"

 

Sometimes we need to be reminded to enjoy the place we currently are instead of longing for somewhere we want to be. I appreciate the reminder.

I've hiked in the ONP for 20+ years and it's absolutely beautiful. Riding the 101 all the way around the state is pretty incredible. Neah Bay is a fun ride too. Port Townsend, Port Angeles, Hurricane Ridge, Whidbey Island, Deception Pass and the list goes on.

Depending on how much time you have .... which sounds like a LOT .... you could easily spend weeks exploring this state alone. Throw in the Columbia Gorge down in Oregon and that makes it even longer.

Now that I have described it .... I feel a cold coming on and may need to leave work early LOL

Again ... Thanks for the perspective. It's needed now and again.

 

If you start to get discouraged by the naysayers, re-read the post from lh4x4. You can definitely do this and you can have a great time doing it. Like some others, I've done rides where 300 miles was the long day and rides where 700 miles was a short day. Both have their merits as long as you're prepared.

Here are my thoughts:

1) Lay off the caffeine. If you can, wean yourself from it in the days and weeks leading up to your ride. It will tend to dehydrate you and hydration is your best friend on a long motorcycle ride.

2) Rest up. I'm not talking about going to sleep early the night before. You'll be so excited that night that you may likely not sleep well at all. Get good rest for the 3-4 days preceding your ride.

3) Know your limits. I did a 48 States in 10 days ride a few days ago. On the second day, I was beat about 200 miles before our planned destination. I told my companions I was getting a room there and I would catch up with them down the road. Two other riders agreed with me and stayed where I was. Two others were feeling fresh and continued on to the planned destinations. Both groups were fine and two days later we pulled into a gas station in Kentucky where the other guys we just finishing their fill up. It all works out. Just put your safety first.

3) Find the beauty in a 500 mile super slab ride across the plains. I guess it's not for everyone. There are certainly plenty of people who give it a bad rap. I loved riding east across Oklahoma on I-40. The sky was blue. The road was good. My bike was running smooth. What's wrong with that? That's some great thinking time.

4) Find some new roads. Personally, I'd take a side road to someplace interesting over an extra hour at the pool or more time in a hotel room. Swing through a place like Delmont, SD and let you mind wonder about the kind of people who live there. You don't have to stay on the interstate the whole time. There are plenty of long stretches of good roads off the interstate where you can still make really good time. It takes more planning, but it's worth it.

5) Full face helmet. I agree with this suggestion someone else made. I'd still make room to pack your half helmet for those more leisurely rides, but the full face helmet saves a lot of fatigue and, in a sudden storm, it can really help you get safely to the next exit.

6) Sugar free hard candy. Can help to keep you alert after several hours on the bike.

7) Eat light.

8) Tunes. I like to have them. Not all the time, but they help.

9) Have a great time.

 

48 States in 10 days can be done but doesn't leave time for sightseeing, relaxing and just soaking it in. Some of your suggestions are great but there is only 24 hrs in a day.

 

I've ridden across the country half a dozen times and never taken less than 3 weeks. I never go direct but still, 5 days is going to be torture and you're not going to see much. My advice would be to take some more time, limit yourself to 300 miles a day, take a couple of days where you don't ride at all or hardly at all and keep off the interstate wherever you can. You'll see America and enjoy the ride a lot more. The only thing you can take away from a road trip is memories and the interstate doesn't create many.

 

That depends on how you define sightseeing, relaxation, and soaking it in. I'm not saying it's for everyone, or for every trip, but you're wrong if you think that a multi-day high mileage road trip cannot meet those three criteria and also be a very wonderful experience.

This is a fallacy. Five days of riding creates fewer memories than three weeks of riding because five days is fewer days that twenty-one. The bad rap interstates get may be attributable in part to the fact that in the east the freeways are lined with trees so tall and dense that you see nothing else. But from Seattle to Kansas City, there's no reason to knock travel on an interstate if your time is limited.

 

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