Looking for suggestions for a fall trip.

Length approximately 2 weeks.

Starting point is Maine and ending point will be Tampa Florida area. I'll be leaving bike there for the winter. (first time doing this)


Wife and I are thinking about some sort of loop of Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi "ish"...as we've never road-tripped this area.



My thoughts are last October/Early November, but we're flexible. I'm assuming the temps will still be nice then....?

 

One of the things that I've done, when taking a long trip, is to do a search on Google for the weather conditions during the various times of the particular month/s of the area that I'll be riding in/through. It's not written in stone but it's a place to start.

 

Later October/early November, I'd plan on full leathers and rain gear.
Cool to cold temps, at least through VA and rain possible anywhere.

I think I'd I-95 it and stay away from the mountains as much as possible.

 

Consider scooting the Blue Ride Parkway! Nice in the fall, be prepared for showers and cool riding. Maybe a break at mile marker 248 Laurel Springs - Freeborns and Stations Inn are motorcycle friendly. Why not enjoy the fall colors on your way South?

 

Did the trip from Martinsburg WV to Key West and back in mid November and it was cold as hell with the exception of mid Georgia and Florida. I thought it would be warmer.
Look at packing some hand warmers and maybe some heated gear.

 

yeah, i think i would do it more towards summer time, you can deal with heat, it's just annoying and wet and sweaty and nasty and humid and sweaty.

but COLD, cold stops you in your tracks, esp the wife, and even more so if you are old enough to be retired and enjoy touring the country, then the cold bothers you worse.

I would def do the BRP and tail of the dragon just because they are icons of the bike world, hit the Dragon mid week and ride it several times.

 

Like NowWhere Man said....
On the BRP(especially), plan for cold and wet. It can be gorgeous..!!! But then so is Maine that time of year, and you're getting outta there. In the Fall, anywhere in the Appalachians you'll have a lot of fog...they don't call'em the "Smokies" for nothing. Cold, foggy, and wet takes a lot of the charm out of a days ride. That late in the year..I'd stay in lower elevations. Along the East coast I'd recommend Charleston and Savannah as good places to visit. A lot of Civil Wat sites in Virginia are easy access and good places if history interests you.

 

Hey Mike,
I have done this trip the last three Winters, staying South of Tampa, near Sarasota for the bulk of the cold weather.. I'm actually riding the Asheville NC area right now, then hitting the Myrtle Beach Rally and working my way back to Maine...should be there by early June.

Sooo. with a late Octoberish leave, I probably wouldn't waste anytime getting as far south as the Carolinas...leaving Maine, if I had decent weather, I think I would go West as quickly as I could and pick up 81 down through Penn/Virginia....you may have to slide East to pick up better weather if you run into some cold..... Then, if you haven't ridden much of the Southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I would at lease do some of it, (you can chase warmer temps by adjusting your elevation... the good mountain roads start at 1500 feet and very quickly go to over 6000...the other day, I left the campground (1800ft) at 76 degrees and within an hour, above 5000', I had 56 with a cold drizzle).... Maggie Valley is a great place to stay and Wheels Through Time museum is a must..... Someone mentioned Tail of the Dragon..... do it if you haven't just to say you have but there are much better roads in the area that are even more technically challenging without all the crazies slapping their dicks down to show you how cool they are.... I had a knee dragger almost take me out as he came around a blind corner well into my lane..... they have done a great job marketing this road, but it is what it is...ride it mid week, in the morning.....
From that area, you can ride some very cool roads down through SC and Georgia, swing over through Alabama and ride the Florida panhandle back across.... the Destin area is nice, all the panhandle beaches are awesome...weather should be warm.... The Flora Bama Lounge in Perdido Key is a MUST...(think Bently's on steroids)... You can follow routes 98 and 19 all the way out of the panhandle and end up in Tampa...... enjoy the ride...... DW

 

We've done the Tail a few times, the BRP as well.

We'd more or less B-line it to good weather. Like mentioned - probably SC and start touring from there. Either tour the state of FL or make a SC, GA, LA, FL loop of some sort.

 

Whoops!