Triumphrat

JasonS · 02-23-2005

The loop as shown in the map below is a 5100+- mile circle of the western USA. I am from Maine, so the first and last parts of my trip will be a fast 4800 miles roundtrip to Yellowstone area.

I've spent the last few weeks pouring over various posts here and on other web sites for good info on roads and sights to see. Great roads are a substantial influence on me...

Boise is a stop over at a friends house, but the rest is a mix that could change. National Parks and Great Roads of the West might be good subtitle.. Starting with the Going to the Sun drive in Glacier National Park, I'll head south to see my Buds in Boise over roads they say are a good ride.. from there west to the coast, with a stop to see Crater Lake.

I am hitting the southern 90 miles of the Oregon coast and the northern 115 miles of the CA coast. If you have ideas here let me know.

I drove Rt 36 in a rental car years ago and am going back for a turn on the bike. It is revered by many on the left coast as one of the best rides going. This route will take me into the valley, which while beautiful, it gets stuffy, so its is east for me through the hills towards reno.

I'm headed for Sequoia and Yosemite, by way of a zig-zag over the Sierra Nevadas between Sacremento and the park. Hwy 36 to Hwy 89 South East to Hwy 49 Southwest to Nevada City, Hwy 20 to I80, Hwy 89 South to 88 southwest to 49 south to 4 back up over to 89 & 395 and then back over the ridge again to the southwest on 108. Once I'm done with that list it is on and through Yosemite & Sequoia. I haven't worked out stop overs yet.

My next destination is the Hoover Dam, but getting there will be interesting. ANY ideas here are welcome. Going through Death Valley seems intimidating from here.

Then on to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, Million dollar Hwy in CO and a loop of 145 and 550 around Colorado, then north through Aspen over to 191 in Wy Gand Teton & Yellowstone

I plan to "ride like hell" from Maine to Glacier, then relax a bit to make the circle, then book it again from Yellowstone to home.. two 14 hour days up front and two more on the way back should leave time to make the loop 8-10 days. The trip is roughly 10k miles ... 14 hours at an avg speed of 65-75 gets me about 900 miles a day.. Phew.. that is a scary long day. And of course the higher the avg speed the more time I get for the trip.... mind you, if the lovely pillion decides to come, all nets are off and the trip is apt to change drastically...

I've got a nice gps to guide me, and a Valentine one to protect me. I figure I'll be buying tires in Colorado, depending on departure from here... I'm thinking May, late May, or maybe the 1st two weeks of June... September means two plus months past the longest day..

I'm tempted to mount the radar in the 3rd eye...

but then I'll loose rear detection.

Tire repair kit on board.

Just selecting a decent route has been quite an ordeal, but then that is part of the fun.. the planning and packing in ones head.

clues and ideas welcome

Oh yeah, and I may reverse the trip and run it the other way...

02-23-2005

I know everyone will be giving you suggestions on roads to take, so forgive me my spin. But, I've been all over this country and somewhere at the top of the heap are Rte. 12 through the Cuchara Valley (look for Cuchara, CO on your map program) and Rte. 24 as it climbs out of Manitou through South Park in CO. If you can do it, you won't be disappointed.

Bruce19

JasonS · 02-23-2005

That is precisely the kind of post i'd hope to get.... thanks for the tip!

Rat-Sass · 02-25-2005

It looks like a nice route good zig zagging across the Sierras. Of course, I'm probably the worst person to ask about that. I love just about everywhere in that area. Gold country is beautiful.
Death Valley is worth the visit, but summer heat can be nasty. In fact, that's true of anywhere in interior California, not to mention Nevada and Arizona. Be sure you can close the vents on your gear, because once (I'd love to say 'if' here but I believe you're going through both DV and Needles) the temperature tops about 100F it's wise to do so. It seems counterintuitive, and it's every bit as fun as it sounds. The west has a very dry heat, so the wind from riding can dehydrate you fast. Some people even resort to camelbacks and the like. Of course, on the flip side there's very little chance of rain.
As far as average speed, I always thought the rule of thumb was along the lines of 75mph cruise averages down to about 55mph once you add in gas and food breaks. Of course with a Sprint, that lower average might actually BE in the 65-75 mph range... :-D

Rat-Sass · 02-25-2005

It looks like a nice route good zig zagging across the Sierras. Of course, I'm probably the worst person to ask about that. I love just about everywhere in that area. Gold country is beautiful.
Death Valley is worth the visit, but summer heat can be nasty. In fact, that's true of anywhere in interior California, not to mention Nevada and Arizona. Be sure you can close the vents on your gear, because once (I'd love to say 'if' here but I believe you're going through both DV and Needles) the temperature tops about 100F it's wise to do so. It seems counterintuitive, and it's every bit as fun as it sounds. The west has a very dry heat, so the wind from riding can dehydrate you fast. Some people even resort to camelbacks and the like. Of course, on the flip side there's very little chance of rain.
As far as average speed, I always thought the rule of thumb was along the lines of 75mph cruise averages down to about 55mph once you add in gas and food breaks. Of course with a Sprint, that lower average might actually BE in the 65-75 mph range... :-D

Rat-Sass · 02-25-2005

Oh, I forgot.
Go here for descriptions of some of your CA route. This is our best local source for ride planning.

Rat-Sass · 02-25-2005

Oh, I forgot.
Go here for descriptions of some of your CA route. This is our best local source for ride planning.

JasonS · 03-19-2005

RatSass - much of the research I did in creating the trip came from Pashnit directly on his site or from other posts on the forums... but your suggestion is welcome anyway... enthusiasm is a good thing

Death Valley - this will be a weather call... the thought of running it at anything above 90F has me thinking twice... however I've also thought of an early ( 3am) run across.... I do want to get ISOLATED in the course of the trip, and it is out there...

I've been in west Texas at Big Bend a few times in the early 80's and the rate of water intake just standing there is amazing considering there is no perception of ones sweating... we used to party around Austin on the weekends, drank beer all day, never had to pee .. scary.. went to Willie Nelsons $th event one time.. emergency crews running around giving out salt pills with a required 32 oz of water..

I've modified the route again and again... I'll eventually get around to posting a new course map.. I'm also going to post the route in sections on pashnit and ST.N for feedback eventually too...

I'm having a lot of fun planning the trip... and buying farkles!