48 States and DC - 16 Days
#1
08-28-2017, 08:10 PM
48 States and DC - 16 Days
Earlier I started a thread about toll on the East Coast the I would encounter on my attempt to ride all 48 States in 16 days. Several people asked me to post as my trip was evolving so her is the first post. I send an email to family and friends every night so I will post it here as well.
My objective is to ride through all 48 States and The District of Columbia. I plan to do this in 16 days (8,400 miles). I’m starting from Spokane, Wa in the morning and plan on finishing the 48 States in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I’m taking the shortest route I can to touch all 48 with three minor detours to ride some famous motorcycle roads (The Dragon, The back of the Dragon and the Blue Ridge Parkway) which are in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. So, in all, I’ll be gone 18 days with one day to Spokane (taking the scenic route over North Cascades and visiting friends on the way) and then one day home from Klamath Falls after I’ve completed the 48. Total trip will be just under 9K miles. I've attached a picture of my route.
Hope this 71 year old body and 8 year old bike are up to the task. Wish me luck
My objective is to ride through all 48 States and The District of Columbia. I plan to do this in 16 days (8,400 miles). I’m starting from Spokane, Wa in the morning and plan on finishing the 48 States in Klamath Falls, Oregon. I’m taking the shortest route I can to touch all 48 with three minor detours to ride some famous motorcycle roads (The Dragon, The back of the Dragon and the Blue Ridge Parkway) which are in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. So, in all, I’ll be gone 18 days with one day to Spokane (taking the scenic route over North Cascades and visiting friends on the way) and then one day home from Klamath Falls after I’ve completed the 48. Total trip will be just under 9K miles. I've attached a picture of my route.
Hope this 71 year old body and 8 year old bike are up to the task. Wish me luck
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Top Answer
09-29-2017, 10:26 PM
Review
Had some time to think about it so here’s a little review of the highs and lows of my trip as I see them as well as some other observations. These are my opinions and I apologize to anyone that might be offended.
Lows:
Riding into downtown Chicago Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend because I missed a turn was a really bad move.
490 miles from Buffalo, NY through Vermont, Maine and into New Hampshire in rain and hail the entire way was miserable.
Riding through the mud and rocks on Highway 98 in Arizona after a flood was not fun.
A lot of highs so I’ll list the top few:
Blue Ridge Parkway
Back of the Dragon
Highway 119 from Jenkins, KY to Partridge, KY.
The Dragon
Wayth Road (1310) in North Carolina.
Highway 89 from Page, AZ to Knab, UT
Highway 139 North of Susanville, CA for about 20 miles
Worst States to ride through on the particular route that I took:
Mississippi
Oklahoma
Best States:
Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
Biggest (stupidest) mistakes:
Leaving my rain mittens at home
Assuming my boots were still waterproof after having them resoled
Missing my turn to avoid Chicago
Best (luckiest) decisions:
Deciding to try for a different route around closed interstate in Amarillo, saved me 2 or 3 hours of sitting.
Bypassing New York City (thanks to the advice of many on here).
Planning my trip so I would ride the Northeast states on Labor Day weekend.
Deciding to pass the paint truck when no one else would.
General things I didn’t like:
Construction Zones
High Winds (especially going through Texas)
Fog
Rain
I’ve encountered all of these during rides before but not to the extent I did on this trip.
What I’m proudest of:
In over 8,000 miles I didn’t have a single close call. There were plenty of opportunities but staying alert and anticipating what drivers were going to do allowed me to avoid them.
This was a once in a lifetime ride (at my age anyway) and I’m so glad I did it. Getting to ride some fabulous roads in states I’ve never ridden in before and getting to see parts of the country I’ve never been in made the trip extra special.
I stated earlier that I’m sure I could have done the ride in 14 days (or less) without the detours I took and riding another hour a day but I’m glad I did it the way I did. I still feel like I accomplished something by completing the 48 in 16 days with the added benefit of riding some roads I’ll probably never ride again.
To anyone thinking of doing this I would just say GO FOR IT! You won’t be sorry.
Thanks to all that provided encouragement to me during the ride and to all those that took the time to read my "novel". If anyone would like additional information about his trip feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to share.
Lows:
Riding into downtown Chicago Friday afternoon of Labor Day weekend because I missed a turn was a really bad move.
490 miles from Buffalo, NY through Vermont, Maine and into New Hampshire in rain and hail the entire way was miserable.
Riding through the mud and rocks on Highway 98 in Arizona after a flood was not fun.
A lot of highs so I’ll list the top few:
Blue Ridge Parkway
Back of the Dragon
Highway 119 from Jenkins, KY to Partridge, KY.
The Dragon
Wayth Road (1310) in North Carolina.
Highway 89 from Page, AZ to Knab, UT
Highway 139 North of Susanville, CA for about 20 miles
Worst States to ride through on the particular route that I took:
Mississippi
Oklahoma
Best States:
Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia
Biggest (stupidest) mistakes:
Leaving my rain mittens at home
Assuming my boots were still waterproof after having them resoled
Missing my turn to avoid Chicago
Best (luckiest) decisions:
Deciding to try for a different route around closed interstate in Amarillo, saved me 2 or 3 hours of sitting.
Bypassing New York City (thanks to the advice of many on here).
Planning my trip so I would ride the Northeast states on Labor Day weekend.
Deciding to pass the paint truck when no one else would.
General things I didn’t like:
Construction Zones
High Winds (especially going through Texas)
Fog
Rain
I’ve encountered all of these during rides before but not to the extent I did on this trip.
What I’m proudest of:
In over 8,000 miles I didn’t have a single close call. There were plenty of opportunities but staying alert and anticipating what drivers were going to do allowed me to avoid them.
This was a once in a lifetime ride (at my age anyway) and I’m so glad I did it. Getting to ride some fabulous roads in states I’ve never ridden in before and getting to see parts of the country I’ve never been in made the trip extra special.
I stated earlier that I’m sure I could have done the ride in 14 days (or less) without the detours I took and riding another hour a day but I’m glad I did it the way I did. I still feel like I accomplished something by completing the 48 in 16 days with the added benefit of riding some roads I’ll probably never ride again.
To anyone thinking of doing this I would just say GO FOR IT! You won’t be sorry.
Thanks to all that provided encouragement to me during the ride and to all those that took the time to read my "novel". If anyone would like additional information about his trip feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to share.
Last edited by FXDXTSport; 09-29-2017 at 10:28 PM.
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