I'm shipping my Harley from TN to San Fran and I'm flying out on June 3 to begin my 4 1/2 week cross country trip. I'm going solo, 55 yr old female.

This is trip to grieve, start to live after losing my beautiful 20 year old son, Colton, in a car wreck January 30, 2014.

I plan on going south on PCH, unsure whether to head east right before I get to LA or go all the way to San Diego. I'm leaning towards heading east before LA tho.

I don't know if I should go thru Joshua Tree, Lake Havasu, up to Needles....Or Death Valley, and see Dante's peak, Zabriske's Point, etc. I've been reading more on Death Valley, places to see, do's and don't's.

I see a lot of people advising riding at night because it's cooler, but that, to me, doesn't sound good to me because it's really dark, many of the animals are nocturnal, plus gas stations would be closed...

Places I want to go are the Painted Desert, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Canyonlands, Yellowstone, Badlands....Monument Valley, see the hoodoos...

I also want to make sure I ride these roads: from Kayenta, Ariz to Blythe, UT, and Hwy 212 in Yellowstone looks amazing.

I'm taking a tent only because I don't see how I can make reservations because I'm not setting a schedule like that. But hopefully I will be able to stay in hotels the majority of the time.

Any advice on the most scenic roads, places to stay, advice on route would be greatly appreciated. I do plan on getting hydration vest, camelback, proper clothes, etc. I know next to nothing about best places to go at the GC, but reading up on everything.

I'm in fairly good shape, kinda, lol. A few pounds over and haven't been active due to job and loss of will to do anything but the basics since my son's wreck.

Thank you for any help and advice you can give me.

 

Very sorry for your loss. Riding is good for the soul. It bought me back from the edge after losing my wife.Life goes on.Take it one day at a time.I have Route 66 on my bucket list.At least some of it might be just what your looking for. Take your time and don't push yourself too hard and enjoy the scenery. I try to limit long trips to 8 hours or less in the saddle. It gives you time to explore some small towns. have a good dinner and good nights sleep and meet people along the way.

 

I'm sorry for your loss.

You have a very ambitious list to say the least. It would be helpful to know how many hours / miles a day you expect to ride. If you PM me your address I'd be happy to send you a state map of UT. I probably have a Colorado and Wyoming too.

 

Most of the best places are concentratred in the west...i would spend and make a base camp of a few day at each ofmy numbered spots.

San Fran > Reno ( yosemite ) > las Vegas > flagstaff > Page > Hurricane > Moab > Jackson Hole > Kalispell > sturgis > colorado....> then back home as there really isn't much in the flatlands.....

Lots of great roads to see and do.....

 

So very sorry for your loss...I would honestly cut over before L.A. and head up to Yosemite. It's a beautiful place. As for Arizona, I would definitely make it to Williams, AZ (west of Flagstaff) and head up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Ride the south rim east towards Tuba City and up to Page. While you are in page, you will definitely want to check out some of the canyons there. Lots of iconic beauty there!

In Utah, I would highly recommend riding State Highway 12. It runs between Bryce Canyon on the south, up past Escalante and Boulder and up to Torrey, UT. This will take you to the north entrance of Capitol Reef. I believe there is a road where you can actually get in the south end of Capitol Reef and ride through the park itself.

While in Moab and Canyonlands, make sure you visit Dead Horse Point state park. The first time I was there I didn't bother stopping there because "it's only a state park"... Big mistake. It's absolutely breathtaking! Get there at sunrise when nobody else is there and there's no better place for soul searching.

When you head north, make sure you go through Jackson, WY and head up through Grand Teton national park. They are the most famous and most beautiful peaks in the country. From there, it's a short, nicely paved jaunt into Yellowstone.

Highway 212 out of Yellowstone may be a crap shoot that early in the year. This takes you over Beartooth Pass and into Red Lodge, MT. The pass is almost 12,000 feet and can be snowed in, even in June and July. If you can make it over though, it is absolutely beautiful and is consistently voted as the AMA's #1 rated motorcycle road in the country.

Depending on when you make it there, the weather, etc, I would also suggest going to Glacier National Park and riding the Going to the Sun highway. It's a beautiful ride along the sides of mountains, but it is also often not open until mid to late June, or sometimes into July.

Other than the Black Hills and the Badlands, there really isn't a whole lot to see in South Dakota (including trees). Wind Cave at the south of the Black Hills is pretty cool if you are into that kind of thing. It's a huge natural cave system with hundreds of miles of caves, etc.

Hope these suggestions help!

 

OddJob......I guess you agree with me....4 1/2 weeks is pleanty of time to see and ride all of those beautiful roads......
I don't have that many roads left to do, except the OK/AR area....but if she follows my map she will easily hit 80% of them.

Good luck to her....

 

LOL I would have that done in about a week and a half, but I'm not really a rose sniffer, and 500 miles is an average day for me.

 

So sorry for your loss. A long road trip sounds like a good way to start healing the pain.


Ride the two lanes as much as possible, an interstate in CA isn't really much different than an interstate highway anywhere else. Small towns are more interesting and a mom n pop local diner beats fast food every time.


I will only suggest a couple things to not miss while in CA. - The PCH from SF south as far as Santa Barbara, past that you will run into a lot of traffic. If you've never seen Redwood trees up close, stop in Big Basin Redwoods, near Santa Cruz.


Yosemite. Ride through the valley, take one of the short hikes through a redwood grove, and don't miss the view from Glacier point.

 

I can't comprehend the tragedy of loosing a child, so good fortune to you. If you are going to the Grand Canyon area try to spend a night in Sedona, Az. Might want to call a day or so in advance for a reservation. Sunrise and sunset at Sedona in Oak Canyon are almost spiritual. Take a quick look at Jerome also. Take in the Grand Canyon and then on into southern Utah. Then on to Colorado where you can wing it for a week or so if not more. Once you head east out of Colorado, there is absolutely no reason to not cross the great plains at 85 mph with only stops for fuel and a lite snack. Northwest Arkansas is beautiful riding and Eureka Springs is a great little town. Lots of interesting characters. Don't forget the Monterrey Peninsula south of SF.

At this time of the year, one advantage to taking in Yosemite is that the waterfalls will be beautiful.

 

I am so sorry for the loss of your son. That, I cannot fathom. What a great trip you have in front of you! I'm guessing you are shipping to Dudley Perkins? I shipped to them last year and headed back to Mass. OddJob mentioned State HW 12 in UT and I loved that road. SW Utah is spectacular. I also loved Death Valley(different trip), but that was during February. I'm sure its a heck of a lot hotter in June. Have fun and safe travels!