So, I'm retiring from the Marine Corps early this summer and starting my next career May 1st. My plan is to take the entire month of April off, take the wife to Hawai'i on vacation and also take a week to just get on the bike and ride. Start and end point will be New Orleans. Give me your ride/route ideas for a week-long ride.

Thanks!

 

1- Key West and back

2- San Diego and back

3- Eureka Springs, then Maggie Valley, then home

I think I like the third one best using your home base. Have fun and thanks for your service.

 

Mapping that out I really like that third idea. Easy amount of mileage per day and it appears it might even go through Deals Gap, the tail of the dragon area. Would I be correct in that thinking?


If so, man, I would love to hit that road up.


Key West sounds awesome as well. I've got a good friend down there, retired LtCol, that owns a dive shop and I've never been...


Thanks for the suggestions!

 

#3 I would do TN/NC and save Eureka Springs for another day. Thanks for your service.

 

If you are going to be in the East Tenn. area try to work in the Cherohala Skyway, great views. You can't take a bad road. The Tail of the Dragon website has several rides listed, also check out the Southern Dozen.
Semper Fi

 

Being you will be in Hawaii I would go to the Smokey Mountains or Arkansas

 

Maggie Valley gets you the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail of the Dragon, Wheels thru Time Museum and about a dozen other killer roads. Eureka Springs is equally great, last time we where there I had the idea to ride from MV to ES, kind of great biker destination to great biker destination kind of thing.

 

I would be all over this as a ride, grab both weekends so it is a nine day tour. Skip Atlanta, but you probably know that. Nashville is a great time and maybe a little detour to Memphis if you have never been.

 

This is definitely the route I'll be taking. Instead of Atlanta though I'll cut over through Chattanooga, down through Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, etc back into the swamp.

Sent some invites out to friends already. If anyone wants to link up on the trip let me know. Tentative dates are 15-22 April.

Thanks again everyone, and Semper Fi 5Wheels.

 

Very similar trip we did in October 2016. Rode through N.O to Tuscaloosa. Then to Robinsville where we hit the Tail of The Dragon. Next stop was Gatlingburg, then off to Nashville. Then Nashville down the Natchez Trace all the way down to Natchez Ms. Last day was back home. Was 1946 miles and 7 days. Best part of the trip was in the Smokies. That was awesome. Enjoy the trip. If I had time, I'd hit you up to ride it.