Unmissable in USA?
 

I'm just starting to plan a bike trip from Argentina to Canada. The US bit of the trip is tricky to plan because of the 3 month visa limit. (UK passport)
What would you say was unmissable in

1. West coast USA
2. The middle bit
3. East Coast

I've been to New York, LA and Las Vegas before. I really wanna go to San Francisco, and I need to enter Canada somewhere near Vancouver. Maybe up through Seattle.

Whaddya think?
Cheers...

3 months is plenty of time to hit all 48 lower states!! Coming up thru Mexico, I would enter the US through the Algodones port of entry. On a bike, you just scoot through the auto line to the front, and do your business, and you're in the US. (It's easy for me to say 'cause I'm a US citizen, and I usually walk across at that crossing to buy the necessities such as cheap tequila and cartons of cigarettes (for my wife, not me)). But I know that travelers have used that entry as I have seen them write about it.

The downside is you will be as far east in California as you can get before the Arizona state line. (About 150 miles/240 Km's from San Diego. (The other alternative is to "bite the bullet" and cross at Tijuana, which might not be as bad as I have heard it is, but someone who has done it would have to tell you first hand).

To get to San Francisco, there are many alternate routes, but the most straightforward is up Interstate 5. I 5 runs from the US/Mexican border in California (Tijuana port of entry), and goes all the way up thru Calif., through Oregon, thru Washington (state), and to the US/Canadian border. It will take you through San Francisco, too.

As this will take you less than a week to do, even with the L.A. traffic, lol, you can plan a route eastward, too. I have suggested to people before to try the Arizona sights in the northern part of this US state. If you were to come out of Mexico at Algondones, turn right and ride for about 10 miles on Interstate 8. At Highway 95 (be careful, there are two) go left and follow that one up for 150 miles. You will follow the Colorado River which is a nice sight to see. When you reach Lake Havasu, if you are homesick, you can take in "London Bridge" which is that transplanted bridge from your side of the pond!

A little to the north of Havasu is Interstate 40. Go east a couple of hours to the turnoff to the Grand Canyon. It is about an hour's drive from I 40 to the Grand Canyon, but is a great sight to see. A few hours east of the Grand Canyon is Canyon de Chelly (Chelly is pronounced "shay") This is, to me, a much better canyon than the Grand Canyon. It is not as deep, but is much more intimate, and not as many people are here. Worth a look.

Not too far is Monument Valley. That is well worth a look, too. You will recognize the rock formations from many a movie and from advertisements.

Then, find the road to Page, at Lake Powell. It is a man-made lake, but very nice. Head out of Page and to the northern side of the Grand Canyon which is supposed to be the better side to see it on. Keep going west thru Utah, which will lead you to Vegas. (You know you want to go back!!)

After Vegas, you can make your way further west to San Francisco. and then cut up north. But like I said before, 3 months will allow you plenty of time to see pretty much any part of the country as you wanted to. Maybe I misunderstood, and you only have 3 months total time, but you can take in the sights I mentioned in a week's time, including the time it takes you to get through California north of San Francisco, through Oregon, and through Washington. As I have never been north of SFran, perhaps someone could give you the sights to see from northern California upwards.

One thing we are blessed with in the US, and the Canadians are, too, is a good highway system. If you stick to the major routes, you can make very good times.

Excellent stuff! Cheers old boy.
You're right - I do need to go back to Vegas...

LOL LOL LOL after reading your wonderful thread, I don't think you will ever make it out of Vegas!!!

My 2 cents worth
 

My suggestions:
1) Don't ride any of the Interstate highways in the U.S., unless you have to get through major cities or need to get somewhere in a hurry. But, you're guaranteed not to see anything (like, don't ride up I-5 to get from California to Washington - it sucks). Ride the "red" highways (2 lane on US maps) or solid black roads (paved) on US maps. Its slower, but more interesting, and you'll run across much more interesting food, places to stay, things to stop and look at then you'll find at any freeway exit.

2) Plan to hit as many National Parks as possible. To me, that's the good stuff in America. If you're going to ride up the 2-lane highways from Arizona up along the California/Nevada border, try hitting the Grand Canyon, Redwoods, Yosemite, Lassen, Crater Lake, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Rainier etc. Buy a National Park Pass at the first one you hit - $50 - but its good for a year. Gets you into NP's and some others (National Monuments) where a daily vehicle fee is required (which is usually $5 a day minimum -camping is extra).

Riding the California, Oregon and Washington coast is also good, but it tends to be cooler and wetter than the interior, but certainly an enjoyable and interesting ride the whole way.

3) You can't go wrong just riding the west for scenery - from the front range of the Rockies (Denver) to the Pacific. Back and forth, up and down - you'll see some damn impressive country everywhere you go.

4) For American history - its the east coast. Some good scenery there as well in the Apalachians, but it's where the U.S. has all its most important historical stuff related to the colonies, the revolt from Britain, the U.S. Civil War battlefields, oldest architecture (nothing even close to Europe), etc.

5) A good way to see America if you are camping is doing BMW motorcycle ralleys (other brands may also have similar - I'm familiar with BMW's). You don't need a BMW to attend their rallies. What's great about them is, they are camping ralleys, and you'll have secure camping (to leave your gear behind while you are out riding the local area during the day), showers and other facilities (shelters), some meals (dinners and maybe some breakfast food) and the like for a modest price (like around $50/person, for showing up Thursday or Friday, departing Sunday weekend). You can get info on the BMWMOA website (www.bmwmoa.org) of where rallies take place, plan routes to each one accordingly to take advantage of your interests. Its a cheap, easy way to see a small area of the country (usually good motorcycle roads) with lots of people to offer suggestions of what to see, where to ride.

6) Drink beer only at micro-breweries -you can find them just about everywhere. Forget those major beer brands - piss water.

Don't insult piss water.

In 3 months you can just about see the whole lower 48. Use the interstates in the flat boring northern middle section and to get back west if you spend too long in the east.

As someone else said, unless you need to make time backroad it. We have LOTS of backroads that are 60mph.

In the south east, St Augustine Florida, Atlanta Georgia, New Orleans Louisiana, Fontana Dam, Deal's Gap North Carolina, Cheraholwa Skyway, Blue Ridge Parkway, drift north on the backroads to Maine, loop through Vermont, New Hampshire, into northern New York. In Michigan, the Mackinaw Bridge. Take at least a pass through West Virginia.

I tend to eat miles so I might not be the best to gauge how long a trip takes, but, 3 months would be enough for me to make 3 or 4 loops around the lower 48.

But the real Crown Jewels here are California Wines.
Best in the world....no contest....and so cheap its hard to believe. :clap:

Touring South West USA
 

In October 2002, after being in LA for work, I spend a week touring on a rented BMW R850R.
Maybe some of the routes I took and places I visited are interesting for you too.

You can read my trip report on my website:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~jkrijt/trips/usa2002/index.shtml

By the way, I enjoyed reading your weblog.

Actually, some of my best friends are British...

Yeah, I messed up with my highway/freeway geography, but 70 miles can be done in about an hour. Plus, the 5 was only an option as I wasn't sure how much time he had in the US. (Total of 3 months for the entire trip, or 3 months for the US part?) If he needed to "get there" then the 5 is an alternate. If he has some leisure time in the States, then, by all means, and by the grace of God, avoid any of the freeways/highways/interstates pretty much anywhere in the US, but California in particular!! (Take the backroads/biways/frontage roads)

BTW, if you read his trip through Africa, then you will probably agree that he will end up moving to Vegas, if he can help it...

I've just returned form a 3-month 15,000mile motorcycle ride around the US from the East Coast to the Pacific and back again. My bike was a Honda ST1100 Pan European.

Please feel free to have a look at my website http://groups.msn.com/FROMSEATOSHININGSEAANDBACK

I rode in the area you are discussing, from Yuma to San Diego then north up R5 to Los Angeles then Malibu. I then cut inland to Barstow and Las Vegas. After a few days, I headed west into Death Valley calling in at Badwater (one of the lowest places on the Earth's crust) staying the night at Stovepipe Wells (118f at 4pm), then on to Tioga Pass and Yosemite for a few days then on to San Francisco. I then headed down the R1 to Big Sur, a superb road but overtaking possibilities reduced by the speed limits and double yellow lines.

If your gonna be on the west coast around San Fran then you'll have to see the redwoods, crater lake then ride the Oregon coast from Goldbeach to Newport. Try to see as many of the parks as possible; Gran Canyon, Zion, Arches, Yellowstone, Glacier/Waterton all must do's. Just do like I do and get the N.P. pass for $50, it'll save you in the long run.

If you are in my little corner of the world (WAshington State) I would say that you shouldn't miss seeing Mt. St. Helens from the Windy Ridge stopoff as well as the Olympic National Park. Both are easily accessible from the main Interstate I-5 although I wouldn't recommend using I-5 for your travels (if that makes any sense). I-5 has way too much traffic, especially north of Olympia. Try to avoid this route but you may have to cross over it to get from say Windy Ridge on Mt. St. Helens to Olympic National Park. Don't miss these locations. Also try to hit the San Juan islands.

If you need more info, once you are up here feel free to contact me via email or PM.

USA ride
 

Hi , I will recommand the West states more than the East coast as the scenery will be so much more interesting , you can forget Florida state ( big long boring state , I live there), the mid west is full of incredible park and the riding will be easy if you are in the right season, if you can enter Canada close to Vancouver and then after a visit to the city head north for some incredible riding.You can buy a book from National geografic about the most scenicroad in the US , I use it many time and never been disapointed.

Hendi

3 month in U.S.A.
 

Hello Simon,
I don't claim to have been everywhere or done everthing,but I have ridden 250,000 miles or so here.I,ve ridden to the western states and loved them for what they are,and had agreat ride in NEW Jersey of all places.
As long as you stick to the back roads,the curvey ones it's all good.
So if your route brings you close Kentucky give me a shout, I can show you a world class ride in any direction from my home.And if you need aplace to stay you'll be welcome.I'm a farmer so most of May& June are pretty busy but you could check out my cows and tobacco crops.
As for a whistle wetter try Kentucky Ales Bourbon Barrel, it's real tasty.

Crazy Horse
 

Don't miss this one, Mt Rushmore pales into insignificance compared to Crazy Horse in the Black Hills of South Dakota. It blew me away!

Following is a quote from the web site "When completed the Crazy Horse mountain carving will be 641 feet long by 563 feet high. Crazy Horse's completed head is 87 feet 6 inches high. The horse's head, currently the focus of work on the mountain, is 219 feet or 22 stories high"

http://www.crazyhorse.org/

Enjoy
Glen

If you ride through the Rocky Mountains (Colorado > Wyoming > Montana > Canada) you won't be dissapointed-

Others have chimed in with particular destinations and there are so many it would be hard to know where to start anyway. However, I would think that with three months you could see a good bit. I do have a couple of pieces of advice.

The first is For God's Sake Stay Off the Freeways!!! The sideroads and little towns are what make travel the most enjoyable. You never know what sort of little unadvertise attrations you will run across in small town America. And you will miss them all if you travel those wide pieces of pavement we have crisscrossing the country.

And dont skip through all that flat space in the middle. The vastness alone is something to experience. And you never know what you might run across. The missus and I ran across this in Oklahoma a couple of years ago.

http://www.shattuckwindmillmuseum.org/

We woud have missed it for sure traveling down I-40.

Also, most all resturants, motels, rest stops and welcome centers will have little displays set up with handouts about local attrations. Some cost money however many are free or quite inexpensive. Be sure to check them out and adjust your plans according to what you come across.

Yankee Dog

Wow! Thanks!

unmissable in USA
 

With a three month span to see the USA you should have enough time to to cross the country several times so you will be able to check out the east, the west and the middle.Also since you stipulate an exit from the US to Vancouver,Canada you have pretty well framed it so that the time of your visit must be during summer.That is a very good season for motorcycling across all the USA. Unfortunately Mollydog's suggestion that ...
" summer can be way too hot for much of the country to be riding a bike '...
is too negative an assessment. Perhaps Pat meant that it might be too hot to be engaging in the extremely strenuous exercise of off-road racing dressed in all the protective gear , or road- riding around cities in full leathers during a heat wave.
As an experienced bike traveller in Africa you no doubt are already familiar with riding in hot weather, and after travelling fom Argentina north to USA you should be well aclimatised for anything you might encounter in the States.
My own opinion , formed in 40 years of motorcycling all over North America,is that I have never seen a single day where I thought it was too hot to be riding a bike . I have seen plenty of warm days, make it to the southwest deserts during July and August often, have crossed the Mojave when it was 118 degrees Fartinhot, the length of Death Valley when it was over 55C at Stovepipe Wells and lots of days elsewhere in the 35C to 40C range even in Canada(very rare ,that).Visit the USA during other seasons and you run the risk of too cold weather in the northern and the mountain states , no fun.Winter is absolutely out for a motorcycle in the great interior.
The solution is to adapt your route for any hot spells- stick to the pavement,avoid cities and their slow traffic, dress lightly and stop often to drink lots of water . The most strenuous thing you need to be doing is turning the throttle and putting the bike on the sidestand for fuel and water stops.
The smaller US , state and county highways all offer a variety of riding and scenery and the option to explore, but don't hesitate to do the occasional stint on the Interstate Highway for another aspect of the "real USA". There is something totally American to experience if late on a hot evening you set out with the sun at your back and head off onto the superslab across the desert , the car lights come on and you see a string lights crawling across a distant pass maybe 30 miles away, the fancy big rigs with their bazillion decorator lights,perhaps a distant thunderstorm providing a fireworks display with no worry of getting wet, the occasinal oasis of lights that looms up as you near some crossroads with the typical franchise restaurants and services.And , in the middle of the night you are still riding in a light jacket and it is still warm. Germany has autobahns where they can still, on certain sections , ride verrry schnell, elsewhere you can find heavy traffic, or hot weather but the combination of good highway, warm nights, and longhaul superhighway are summertime Americana .
As for the middle bit of the country , the Ozarks of Arkansas and Missourri have many great state routes running in all directions,pick nearly any one of the squiggly black lines on a map and you will have fun riding through mostly hills and forest.In Colorado the Rocky Mountain National Park is a great ride for a hot sunny day when you can look from the crest east onto the plains.So many good roads, so little time.

I'll through in a pitch for Idaho. Not well known, but we have the most rugged and remote (mountainous) land in the lower 48 states. See the threads in ADVrider.com for rides along:
- Magruder Corridor
- Hwy 12 & Lewis and Clark route
- St. Joe River corridor
- the Palouse
- Hells Canyon

All not to be missed if you are in this region. And since Yellowstone NP and Glacier NP are not far off this makes sense. The problem is if your eyes are bigger than your window of time. Always my issue! :eek3:

Cheers!

s

If you are riding from San Francisco to Seattle there is only one route to take, Highway 1 from SF north untill it hits 101 at Leggett. You will see the Coastal redwoods and more side trips than you can imagine. Keep on 101 through oregon and enjoy the coast. Here are some photo links

http://www.americanadventures.com/images/redwood.jpg

http://www.beckybuller.com/images/ph...%20Redwood.jpg

http://www.nps.gov/redw/

I've ridden the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway Rt1 and Rt101) from Los Angeles to Oregon a few times and it's spectacular...love it!

If you're a little further inland in CA, check out King's Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks on your way to San Francisco...amazing!

If you choose the Rockies...check out Mt. Evans and Rocky Mountain National Park in CO...then head up to see the Grand Tetons on the Wyoming/Idaho border.

These are the places that I've enjoyed most in the Western half of the US.:thumbup1:

Crikey, where do I begin? Must see places to visit in the US? Well before setting off on a 3-month, 15,000 mile ride around the US last summer, I sat down and made a list, marked them on a map then joined up all of the dots. As simple as that. Here goes -

1. New York - two days, just enough to walk miles around Manhattan and soak up the atmosphere.
2. Washington DC - hellishly expensive hotel, three days of walking the Mall and visiting memorials and superb museums.
3. Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive - saw my first Black Bear.
4. Indianapolis - visited the superb Hall Of Fame at the Raceway.
5. Badlands NP (National Park)
6. Sturgis - good motorcycle museum.
7. Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse - stupendous.
8. Little Big Horn - scene of Custer's Last Stand.
9. Yellowstone NP - buffalo.
10. Cody - Buffalo Bill Historical Centre and my first rodeo.
11. Rocky Mountain NP - near Denver CO.
12. Mount Evans and Pike's Peak - highest roads in the US, 12,183ft.
13. North Rim of the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon - stunning scenery.
14. Boothill AZ - Gunfight at OK Corral.
15. San Diego - my favourite US city.
16. Las Vegas - tacky by day, magical by night. Helicopter flight into Grand Canyon.
17. Death Valley - Stovepipe Wells.
18. Yosemite NP - tent at Curry Village.
19. San Francisco
20. Route 1 and the Big Sur - sensational coastal road.
21. San Antonio - The Alamo and the best jazz band in the US.
22. Bowling Green, Kentucky - The Chevrolet Corvette production line walkabout.
23. Williamsburg VA - Historical Colonial US history and Jamestown, an early English settlement, nearby.
24. Back to New York - McSorley's Ale House - 15th E 7th Street - NY's oldest pub, frequented by many historic figures.

Pick the bones out of that lot!

Stay on I-5 until you are north of San Francisco. 101 is so crowded it is crazy. Yes, it is beautiful, and with the traffic you will have LOTS of time to admire it, suck up the fumes, become agitated. AFTER San Francisco head for coastal route until you cross the Oregon border, cut inland to see the Redwoods, continue east to Grants Pass, I-5 to just south of Eugene (Drain< Yoncalla exit) and go back to the coast, stopping at the Elk refuge for photos of wild elk grazing in the pastures, then the Sea Lion caves, camping is all over. Stick to the Coast highway to Alsea, Lewis and Clark's winter camps at the beginning of the 1800s, the Pig War site in Washington. In Oregon, speed will not matter until you exceed 75. In Washington, the state police will nab you on I-5 for speeding and they really love to nail bikes. I will not exceed the speed limit in Washington. Time permitting, you might also forego the coast route at Alsea and cut east again to north Portland, picking I-80 easst for a short wasy to see the Bonneville dam and the wonderful falls along the Columbia Gorge. Just too much to see everytiing in 3 months, but these are a few things you might consider. Let me know when you are coming and if I am stateside, you have a place to rest, sleep and eat as long as you have some good tales to share.
joe

I LOVE McSorleys!
Therefore all your other suggestions must be great as well.

Thanks Paul.
And thanks to everyone else as well.
(Due to a slight issue with an empty bank account I'm now leaving Sept 2008)

Simon

Simon,

How is it, brother? All good?

USA - I'd gushingly recommend 'Road Trip USA' by Jamie Jensen - 35,000 miles of two-lane blacktop routes that run north to south and east to west. I used this book when I strolled from New York to LA on the 650 and it never steered me wrong. Great rides and loads of photogenic Americana detours.
ROAD TRIP USA

Faves? Following the Gull down the east coast's 'sand dunes and salty air' Route 1 to Savannah and Tybee Island - cutting across the soggy Great Dismal Swamp - chilling in (pre-hurricane) gulf coast Mobile - fleeing a New Orleans hangover that could sour milk on the Great River Road, route 61 - sipping a sunset beer at the Bonnie and Clyde memorial in rural Gibsland, Louisiana - spending what felt like a week of ground hog days racing across northern Texas' enormous skies, nodding donkeys and barbed wire fences - eating proper Mexican food in adobe Sante Fe and running loops round the Los Alamos and Tao mountains - ghosting along old route 66 from Kingsland to Oatman - getting lost in the strangely sanitised deserts of Joshua Tree - finally finding myself parked up under the street sign at Hollywood and Vine.

It really is a beautiful country - you'll have a blast. And there's always the option of crossing from Tennessee to Oregon on nothing but dirt on the TransAmerican Trail...
Trans-America Trail, Cross-Country Motorcycle Adventure, Motorcycling, Trans-Am Trail, Sam Correro, Dual-Sport, Motorrad Media, BMW, F650, GS, Road Less Traveled documentary,

Suerte, Dan

Your wrong Patrick........
 

In "Blighty" ( I'm an Ex-Pat for a reason!) we had the Snow and Ice Season,
The howling Gales Season, and The Foggy Season..... and sometime in August, usually the 13th and 14th we have Summer........ so as you can see, its not JUST :rain:, The Misery varies........

Martyn

Cheers Dan
That works for me you crazy muddafugga. Please let it be September next year when I wake up. I appear to be horribly pished.

Simon

There's no need to having to resort to drinking the typical Miller/Coors/Budweiser fizzy lagers, as you've already found at McSorley's Ale House in New York (15th E 7th Street). Before returning to the US last time, I armed myself with 'The Beer Lovers Guide to the USA'.

Amazon.com: The Beer Lover's Guide to the USA: Brewpubs, Taverns, and Good Beer Bars: Books: Stan Hieronymus,Daria Labinsky

It's superb and contains over a thousand breweries and brewpubs in the country, and their microbrew beers are every bit as good as ours. Many bars now sell them, and if all else fails, Sierra Nevada is pretty damned good. One of the best I tried was at the Snake River Brewery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; but there are many.

If you did not already know, US drinking habits are very different from what we are used to. Don't expect to go into an off licence (liquor store) and be able to buy (say) a bottle of wine. Some liquor stores only sell the usual fizz, and the low alcohol stuff at that. You may have to ride a few miles to a supermarket (and a lot of those don't sell booze either). Don't go into a restaurant and expect to drink wine either. One evening I walked into, and out of, six restaurants until I found one I could buy a bottle of wine. "We are a FAMILY restaurant" was one reply. From what I understand, getting a liquor licence over there is both difficult and very expensive, and under-age drinking is very seriously treated. If you are under 30 (honestly!) expect to be asked for I/D.

Nevertheless it's a superb country with some of the kindest most polite people you could wish to meet, and many are very grateful that you've taken the time and trouble to visit them. As you can guess, I love the country.

Thanks Paul.
Maybe I'll just use that book as the basis of the trip.
*lightbulb flickers into life above head*

re Crazy horse - totally agreed . . .2 years later and every time I feel I'm up against it I think of the crazy horse project and feel humble. one of the most awe inspiring things I've ever seen . . .

I thought that both Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse were awe inspiring, but quite different. Mount Rushmore was created by an army of workers between the wars, is complete and pristine, and was utter incrdible. Crazy Horse is a vast mountain and the sculpture largely the work of one man, and now after his death, his family. It is incomplete and will not be finished in the lifetime of anybody reading this. It's like comparing Stilton with St.Agur, they are different.

They are only a few miles apart to do as I did, and visit them both. Two of the big, big highlights of my 2006 trip.

This depends on which state you happen to be in. Utah is a good example of the restrictive extreme you list above. Some states seem to have lots and lots of booze, everywhere you go, but you still have to be of age (I think its 21 years old in every US state, now).

Arizona seems to have easy flowing booze, except on the Navajo Reservation, which I (still)would recommend seeing in spite of its no-alcohol stance. Simon, any word on when you are making it this way?

Here's the plan: ship bike to either Montevideo or Buenos Aires this September. Proceed in an orderly fashion down to TDF for New Year, then up the other side. Hit Mexico around Xmas 2009. Into US of A early 2010. Then up to Canada 3 months later (unless I can get a longer US visa) allowing a possible Alaskan summer.

So many great suggestions from everyone on this thread that I'm resurrecting it to say thanks to everyone - my fave bits were:

New Orleans,
Mesa Verde National Park in the snow,
Yosemite,
Northern Cal/Oregon coast,
the 49er Bar in Mariposa CA,
Moab UT,
the back roads of Mississippi in February,
Texas BBQ,
the 3 Rivers pub in Farmington NM,
Beaver St Brewery in Flagstaff AZ,
the Tiburon bar in Santa Barbara CA,
Durango CO,
Vegas again
...and Seattle fish market.

In every bar I went to (except in Hollywood - no surprise) some friendly person struck up a chat within half an hour. Excellent country!

UN-missable !
 

The Golden State - California.

It's not small but offers insane amounts of great roads, dirt and paved, unparalleled diversity of geography and ethnicity and weather you can count on. You'll never be far from great food, surfing, skiing, opera and bookstores. The variety of languages observed in a southern California strip mall will cause an (south) Indian to double take.

Kurt