My goal when I retired in 2002 was to ride to the rallies that I always had heard about and with work and raising a family was not able to schedule in. Another goal was to ride thru all the 49 continental states and Canada.

The 49 states were completed a couple of years ago and I still have some areas of Canada left.

Sturgis, Bike Week, Laconia, Myrtle Beach and some smaller ones like Sturgis on the river(Davenport, Iowa) Auburn Indiana were done and Sturgis repeated 14 times.

A goal added when I read about them was the furthest rides. That is the points in the US that are the furthest East, West, North and south. A part of Minnesota which can only reached by land from Canada is the northern most landfall in the lower 48. A light house in Maine is the furthest east landfall, the furthest west is a national park south and way west of Seattle and the most southern landfall is Key West but with an asterisk. There is further southern islands in the Keys but they are private and not public. I added the central most point in the US which is located in Belle Fourche S.D.

All of those rides involved a destination and were all on Interstate road with a few exceptions as local roads were the only access.

Last year I had the idea that crossing a State just to get to a destination was not of much value. I started looking at scenic roads in states that were just for doing a ride.

I found roads like US 281 that start in North Dakota and runs south all the way to Brownsville, Texas. It is called the American Legion Memorial Highway. Us route 83 which is also called the VFW Memorial Highway.

Other roads of similar riding are US 85, US 212, US 2, US 385, US 20 and some scenic state roads.

Last year and this year I concentrated on the two memorial highways and went from the Canadian border to Texas. My goal was to ride the north south roads in North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. Then the east west roads like US 2 and 212.

I have many sections to complete yet but one thing became clear as I rode and reflected on the experience. I only saw one or two bikes in a full day of riding six to seven hundred miles. Every interstate I crossed was full of bikes.

The other thing was the people in the small dying towns along the way. The people were friendly and making a living off the land and businesses related to support agriculture. The local gas station was the civic center where they sit around in chairs discussing crops, animals and politics. They were the kind of folks that made America and it values. I saw historic places, wild animal refuges and national forest. The vista's from time to time were awesome.

Over the next few seasons for as long as I can I will continue riding roads that are just for riding and by pass the Interstates. They are lonely roads but great for reflecting on life, seeing this country that we live in and there is no need to get to a destination on any schedule except when to return home.

 

This is close to what I want to do, thanks for sharing.
I have 8 years +/- left in the rat race.
My wife and I have started taking vacations without kids (youngest is 19).
This year we visited the Grand Cannon with my father and his wife. While on that trip we took in parts of Route 66. The road was "less traveled" and the small towns were great.
Can't wait for the next trip. There is so much to see in this great country.

 

Scenic roads are a whole lot better than interstates. I just use the interstates to get to the "good stuff" if I'm pressed for time.

"No where special" is a great destination.

 

That's what I want to do, but, having to work to age 65 to afford medical insurance, I fear I have too little time and health left to do it. Also, I find that with age comes a loss of confidence and desire to travel alone.


That said, my favorite way to travel is to take the secondary roads and the state highways. That's where the "real America" still lives.

 

We have only done one major trip (over 4,000 miles), but we have done numerous trips under 1,000 miles. We always have a destination plus I plan all routes we will utilize. The main reason for this planning is that we never use interstates. It is amazing how many good clean motel/hotels you can find located on US routes or state routes, but it does take some planning. The only drawback to avoiding interstate travel is when you come to large cities. You have to decide on going through them which can be tricky and actually dangerous, or giving up and jumping on an interstate for 15 or 20 miles.

 

Sounds like an excellent past riding history, and an excellent future.


I do somewhat the same thing on a much smaller scale. Not retired yet, so I can travel too far, but I am mixing the destination rides with "just riding".


R,
Sanjuro

 

30+ states and a handful of provinces; seems the two-lane towns are the only place you'll find someone who was actually "born and raised" there. Did 3000 miles last year with nary an interstate and no major cities; was one of our most interesting rides. I suggest Butler Motorcycle Maps as an excellent starting point...they are an invaluable reference of the best motorcycle roads available. Of course we don't try and "budget" 600 miles plus a day, either, but that's our preferred method of travel every year. Done Sturgis twice; that's enough of that. Our only destination now is home after the trip...

 

12+ times to Sturgis, Yellowstone, Beartooth, etc., and not once did we take Interstate 90.
Sometimes, if it's pointed in the direction I want to go, I'll take a back road just to see where it goes.
Broke a shift lever once in the Big Horn mountains. Went to a bar in Tensleep, and sure enough, there was a guy there who knew someone with a welder. We fixed it for the price of a couple beers. Love small towns.

 

hear what you're saying; some of my best trips were the ones where I just decided to ride "south" (or any other direction) and see where that would take me; I always try to avoid motorways as I find riding them extremely boring... I've nearly always been able to find a decent place to stay; especially in/around small villages, most of the times for 30 to 40 euro per night.