J
jadesystem
Guest
I am planning a nationwide road trip within 3 years to see all of America.
I want to take 3 months from June to August and see all 48 contiguous
states (excluding Hawaii and Alaska). I want to time it right so I can visit cities and small towns that have shaped America for what it is. With their summer events and historic reenactments going on when I am there. i.e. Taste of Portland, DC, Philly, Cincinnati, Dallas, Chicago, etc...., Civil War reenactment in the south, Portland RI Jazz Festival, Cape Cod festivals, flea markets, outdoor events around the country, Space Shuttle launch
at Cape Kennedy, 4th of July celebrations in DC, Boston marathon, NYC marathon, old ghost towns, mining towns, wine tasting, etc....
I'm looking for that one serious bike partner who has the time to do it,
the desire to see and experience new roads and adventure through
the love of motorcycling, possesses the intellect and common sense
for adventure, and to appreciate and to enjoy the splendor and heritage
of what this country stands for, and what it has to offer. It will be unlike anything I've ever done or experienced.
I will take my time and stay at campgrounds up-close and personal with nature and to visit places in America I've only dreamed of. I'm a history buff, and I do appreciate how our country was founded - by
independence, self-reliance, and taking action towards your God-given talents and freedom of choices and convictions that shape our own character. What better way to experience this freedom than to see
and feel America by motorcycle !!
The bike ride will start in the SF bay area where I live. From San Jose
to Los Angeles on scenic coastal Pacific Coastal Highway (PCH) from Santa Cruz to Monterey, (Big Sur) CA of Highway 1 to Highway 101
near Santa Barbara south to Los Angeles. I will then take the Mother
of all Highways - the Historic Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Once I reach Chicago, I will head towards Florida via highways 65, 24,
and 75. The cities I would pass through are Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, Homestead, Key Largo, Vaca Key, Plantation Key, Matacumbe Key,
Long Key, Grassy Key, Bahia Honda Key, Big Pine Key, Cudjoe Key, Sugarloaf Key, baca Chica Key, and Key West. I'm hoping to avoid the mid-western states to avoid areas with serious weather issues like hurricanes and tornadoes. I will have the latest in GPS navigation, ham radio, CB radio, cellphone, and a website to track our whereabouts and daily progress.
After visiting Disney World and a ride to the entire length of the Florida Keys, I leave Florida and travel north on 95 to the eastern seaboard up
to Maine. I visit Boca Raton, Jupiter, and hopefully to catch a space shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. I pass through Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savanah, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Providence, Cape Cod, Provincetown, Boston, Portland, and Bangor, Mine.
From Bangor, I head back on 95 to Boston, and take Highway 90 west
to Springfield, Troy, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffallo, Cleveland, Detroit,
then on highway 75 south to Dayton, then 75 to Cincinnatti, 71 to Louisville, 64 to St Louis, 70 to Kansas City, 29 to Souix Falls, 90 to
Rapid City and Mt Rushmore. From Rapid City, continue on 90 to Billings
to Yellowstone NP, Spokane, Seattle, Anacortes - San Juan Islands -
Victoria B.C. Canada via ferry, Nanaimo-Vancouver B.C. via ferry,
Highway 5 south to Seattle, Tacoma, Mt St.Helens, Portland, Mt.Hood,
then take highway 101 Portland coast to the California coast of Crescent City, Klamath, Eureka, Leggett onto Highway 1 Pacific Coast Highway
onto Ft Bragg, Mendocino, Point Arena, Bodega Bay Point Reyes, Stinson Beach, Sausalito, San Francisco, and back home to San Jose.
As for the equipment, I may completely rebuild one of my GS1100/1150
for this trip of a lifetime. I may opt to get a newer, better engineereed
touring bike that can handle the long haul and route. I expect to put
12-15,000 miles on this road trip.
As for the maintenance, I will have an extensive parts kit with me for an unforeseen breakdown. I will also have a list of bike parts distributor/ resellers and bike dealerships in every state and in every large city I
pass thru. I will have a schedule on when to change the oil and when
to change both tires prior to the departure. I will pay in advance any preventive maintenance (PM) with the estimated mileage calculations beforehand. Say 8-10k miles later would put me in South Dakota - I
would order my size tire set in advance at Joe's Bike shop in Sioux Falls and have them schedule an installation when I get there. An
oil change every 4k mile is also scheduled.
As for costs, I would figure $10,000 is more than enough for the entire trip. Campgrounds would be no more than $10/nite average. And some days is free on a plot of ground anywhere we tip our hat to. 90-days x $10/night = $900 just for the "lodging". The food is cheap depending where you eat. I'm into health and eating right, so vegetables and fruits always is cheap with the most nutrition pound for pound. I can easily live on on $25/day. You could plan this trip at only $6k., which is very cheap for 90-days.
As for the gas, figure at least 12,000 miles. 12,000 miles / 45mpg = 266 gallons of gas. 266 gallons of gas x $4/gal = $1064.00. So $2,000 right
off the bat is for gas and campground lodging. $25/day x 90 days = $2250 for food. So roughly $4250 is accounted for in the road trip. The remaining $5750 are for incidentals such as entertainment, breakdowns, etc.....
As time progresses, and within a few months to a year, I will have this route clearly defined and refined and will add more comments to this thread, as well as add more routes so I can visit as many states as possible. I will take my time as not to rush it so I can stay the maximum time and see as much as I can without ending my trip early. That can easily happen if I rush it, but I will limit my average daily mileage of 133 miles per day. i.e. 12000 mile/90 days = 133 miles.
If I want to stay longer at a certain town, or event, I'll double my daily mileage allocation to compensate for time.
Any interest, comments, or ideas, please feel free to reply.
Thanks in advance
KT
San Jose, CA :-D\\
/
I want to take 3 months from June to August and see all 48 contiguous
states (excluding Hawaii and Alaska). I want to time it right so I can visit cities and small towns that have shaped America for what it is. With their summer events and historic reenactments going on when I am there. i.e. Taste of Portland, DC, Philly, Cincinnati, Dallas, Chicago, etc...., Civil War reenactment in the south, Portland RI Jazz Festival, Cape Cod festivals, flea markets, outdoor events around the country, Space Shuttle launch
at Cape Kennedy, 4th of July celebrations in DC, Boston marathon, NYC marathon, old ghost towns, mining towns, wine tasting, etc....
I'm looking for that one serious bike partner who has the time to do it,
the desire to see and experience new roads and adventure through
the love of motorcycling, possesses the intellect and common sense
for adventure, and to appreciate and to enjoy the splendor and heritage
of what this country stands for, and what it has to offer. It will be unlike anything I've ever done or experienced.
I will take my time and stay at campgrounds up-close and personal with nature and to visit places in America I've only dreamed of. I'm a history buff, and I do appreciate how our country was founded - by
independence, self-reliance, and taking action towards your God-given talents and freedom of choices and convictions that shape our own character. What better way to experience this freedom than to see
and feel America by motorcycle !!
The bike ride will start in the SF bay area where I live. From San Jose
to Los Angeles on scenic coastal Pacific Coastal Highway (PCH) from Santa Cruz to Monterey, (Big Sur) CA of Highway 1 to Highway 101
near Santa Barbara south to Los Angeles. I will then take the Mother
of all Highways - the Historic Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Once I reach Chicago, I will head towards Florida via highways 65, 24,
and 75. The cities I would pass through are Indianapolis, Louisville, Nashville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Macon, Valdosta, Gainesville, Ocala, Tampa, Clearwater, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Ft Lauderdale, Miami, Homestead, Key Largo, Vaca Key, Plantation Key, Matacumbe Key,
Long Key, Grassy Key, Bahia Honda Key, Big Pine Key, Cudjoe Key, Sugarloaf Key, baca Chica Key, and Key West. I'm hoping to avoid the mid-western states to avoid areas with serious weather issues like hurricanes and tornadoes. I will have the latest in GPS navigation, ham radio, CB radio, cellphone, and a website to track our whereabouts and daily progress.
After visiting Disney World and a ride to the entire length of the Florida Keys, I leave Florida and travel north on 95 to the eastern seaboard up
to Maine. I visit Boca Raton, Jupiter, and hopefully to catch a space shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. I pass through Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Savanah, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Richmond, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philly, NYC, Providence, Cape Cod, Provincetown, Boston, Portland, and Bangor, Mine.
From Bangor, I head back on 95 to Boston, and take Highway 90 west
to Springfield, Troy, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffallo, Cleveland, Detroit,
then on highway 75 south to Dayton, then 75 to Cincinnatti, 71 to Louisville, 64 to St Louis, 70 to Kansas City, 29 to Souix Falls, 90 to
Rapid City and Mt Rushmore. From Rapid City, continue on 90 to Billings
to Yellowstone NP, Spokane, Seattle, Anacortes - San Juan Islands -
Victoria B.C. Canada via ferry, Nanaimo-Vancouver B.C. via ferry,
Highway 5 south to Seattle, Tacoma, Mt St.Helens, Portland, Mt.Hood,
then take highway 101 Portland coast to the California coast of Crescent City, Klamath, Eureka, Leggett onto Highway 1 Pacific Coast Highway
onto Ft Bragg, Mendocino, Point Arena, Bodega Bay Point Reyes, Stinson Beach, Sausalito, San Francisco, and back home to San Jose.
As for the equipment, I may completely rebuild one of my GS1100/1150
for this trip of a lifetime. I may opt to get a newer, better engineereed
touring bike that can handle the long haul and route. I expect to put
12-15,000 miles on this road trip.
As for the maintenance, I will have an extensive parts kit with me for an unforeseen breakdown. I will also have a list of bike parts distributor/ resellers and bike dealerships in every state and in every large city I
pass thru. I will have a schedule on when to change the oil and when
to change both tires prior to the departure. I will pay in advance any preventive maintenance (PM) with the estimated mileage calculations beforehand. Say 8-10k miles later would put me in South Dakota - I
would order my size tire set in advance at Joe's Bike shop in Sioux Falls and have them schedule an installation when I get there. An
oil change every 4k mile is also scheduled.
As for costs, I would figure $10,000 is more than enough for the entire trip. Campgrounds would be no more than $10/nite average. And some days is free on a plot of ground anywhere we tip our hat to. 90-days x $10/night = $900 just for the "lodging". The food is cheap depending where you eat. I'm into health and eating right, so vegetables and fruits always is cheap with the most nutrition pound for pound. I can easily live on on $25/day. You could plan this trip at only $6k., which is very cheap for 90-days.
As for the gas, figure at least 12,000 miles. 12,000 miles / 45mpg = 266 gallons of gas. 266 gallons of gas x $4/gal = $1064.00. So $2,000 right
off the bat is for gas and campground lodging. $25/day x 90 days = $2250 for food. So roughly $4250 is accounted for in the road trip. The remaining $5750 are for incidentals such as entertainment, breakdowns, etc.....
As time progresses, and within a few months to a year, I will have this route clearly defined and refined and will add more comments to this thread, as well as add more routes so I can visit as many states as possible. I will take my time as not to rush it so I can stay the maximum time and see as much as I can without ending my trip early. That can easily happen if I rush it, but I will limit my average daily mileage of 133 miles per day. i.e. 12000 mile/90 days = 133 miles.
If I want to stay longer at a certain town, or event, I'll double my daily mileage allocation to compensate for time.
Any interest, comments, or ideas, please feel free to reply.
Thanks in advance
KT
San Jose, CA :-D\\
/
