Your road trip plans? (and dreams)

[Igo]

A bunch of you are setting up you NT for commuting, some are setting up for the open road. What are your near future aspirations? Are you looking to repeat a 300 mile trip to a favorite place? Do you have greater plans? Most of you know about the North Shore lake road I live by and am in love with but I have much bigger plans.
In May I am going through Zion National Park, Bryce Canyonlands NP and Monument Valley. This is a test run.
Next Summer I am going from Las Vegas up through the Tetons and Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Jasper and Banff. Down through North Cascades then over to the Olympic Peninsula then down the length of Washington, Oregon and California Highways 1 and 101 and taking in some side on the Volcanic Rim. This is a life dream and its finally happening. It's what the NT was all about for me.
What's your story?

 

[karl]

I would like to ride out to my "little" brothers place in WA. A back road trip, with stops where they happen...

 

[oldyaler]

Some day, after I win the lottery, I would like to travel the country riding on nothing but 2 lane roads.

Can you tell I just finished watching "Then came Bronson"? LOL.

 

[Chuck 500]

I have a "list" planned:

SS1000 (probably in Texas) better do this one before I get much older
Meteor Crater
Key West
Natchez Trace end to end
Any of several scenic roads in the Texas Hill Country

I'll think of others I am sure

 

[Igo]

Well Chuck, I know yours the best so far. I've been as far south as the Everglades but would love to ride out on the Keys. I went through the Everglades while doing a SS1000. I did BB1500 riding from Dallas to El Paso and back then to Abilene and back. I've ridden all the Texas Hill Country. I ridden to Meteor Crater several times and I've taken the Trace end-to-end. If you are ever out this way maybe we can meet at the crater.

 

[Phil Tarman]

For the next year or two, I don't have any long trips planned. The NT Rally in Hill City; possibly a BB or BBG this year; maybe the COG Rally next year or NT Rally # 2.

But then I retire at the end of June in '13. Sometime around the 3rd week of July, I'll leave here and go up through BC and the Yukon to Alaska (Fairbanks, Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula, Valdez). Then I'll come back south on the Cassier Highway to Hyder. After that, Vancouver, a Four Corners Tour (including a CC-50 from San Diego to Jacksonville), and when I leave Madawaska, Maine, the fourth corner, over to Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Then home. Only 19,000 miles.

And I'll be retired! So I can stop any time, won't have a rigid schedule, and can even quit, come home, and restart the ride at my leisure. Joanne will still be working, and maybe I can sweet-talk her into sending me money!

 

[taldric]

Any time any of you are in the Washington Cascades or west, give me a heads up. It would be great to see you and ride together for a day or two (if schedules work out).

I'm still employed full time, have two teenage sons, wife, house, and a live-in mother-in-law, so making big plans is a bit complicated for me. I will be going to the rally in the gorge this summer, and I'm hoping to get to the rally in SD if possible (still working on that one). Otherwise it's just commuting on the NT as often as possible and squeezing in quick rides around the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

 

[Igo]

That is a fine plan Phil. You are going to have to figure out how to leave reports from on the road when you do this one. People would love to follow your progress.

 

[Igo]

Any time any of you are in the Washington Cascades or west, give me a heads up. It would be great to see you and ride together for a day or two (if schedules work out).

I'm still employed full time, have two teenage sons, wife, house, and a live-in mother-in-law, so making big plans is a bit complicated for me. I will be going to the rally in the gorge this summer, and I'm hoping to get to the rally in SD if possible (still working on that one). Otherwise it's just commuting on the NT as often as possible and squeezing in quick rides around the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

I've got a week in August. 3 days will be spent backpacking in the Grand Canyon but the other days will be spent learning the new bike and riding at elevations right around here possibly.

 

[Herb]

I've mentioned this before but I'm excited so I'll mention again. My wife and I are flying to Prague at the end of June where a former student and motorcycle enthusiast has used our trip to convince his wife that he needs another bike- an FJR for us to use for our European adventure. Three week tour. My only regret is that it won't be on the NT and won't count for the mileage totals. Looks like my number 4 finish last year is doomed, based on the plans I hearing. What me competitive?

 

[Igo]

My bucket list has me touring Italy and some in my life time.

 

[vzshadow]

I'm fairly new to motorcycles so just exploring rural Maine near Bangor has been great fun. This summer I intend to see what the Maine coast looks like from an NT instead of a car. I'm sure I'll get to New Brunswick, probably Fredericton and maybe all the way up to Moncton. We visit family in Ohio every summer so I'll trailer the NT and my wife's Burgman out there for some riding, hoping to link up with a couple of other forum members. Rural southeastern Ohio is really good riding.
The only big plans are to ride up to Quebec City and explore some of the north side of the St Lawrence River.

 

[karl]

I was looking at a motor sports hero cameras out put posted to a web site daily for part of the trip report. Anyone interested in sponsorship....

 

[Igo]

I'm fairly new to motorcycles so just exploring rural Maine near Bangor has been great fun. This summer I intend to see what the Maine coast looks like from an NT instead of a car. I'm sure I'll get to New Brunswick, probably Fredericton and maybe all the way up to Moncton. We visit family in Ohio every summer so I'll trailer the NT and my wife's Burgman out there for some riding, hoping to link up with a couple of other forum members. Rural southeastern Ohio is really good riding.
The only big plans are to ride up to Quebec City and explore some of the north side of the St Lawrence River.

Exploring the coast of Maine would be a dream come true.

 

[Igo]

You might want to consider the Croatian Coast instead it is prettier and the road traffic is a little safer than Italy. I have ridden in both places and prefer Zagreb to Trieste then down to Dubrovnic along the coast visiting some of the Islands such as Vis, Brac, and Miljet. Italy except for the Salerno to Brindisi then up the coast was a big let down for me. Insurance in both places is a nightmare for rental bikes. Croatia was a lot cheaper!

I used to live in Sicily.

 

[Dee G]

Nothing special planned here. Usual PNW weekend rides, maybe a four or five day trip on the little dual sports across the Magruder Corridor and that area. We have to go to Chicago in September, not sure if we are going to ride or drive.

 

[Igo]

In the US I plan to ride up to the Pacific NW sometime during good weather. I would love to tour the Olympic national park area on my ST.

My dream vacation is to tour New Zealand on a bike. An ST rider is currently doing it on that forum and his photos of the trip are amazing. Looks like I might need a dual sport for the full experience though.

And as long as were being purely whimsical, I may have been watched Charlie Boorman and Ewan McGreggors Long Way _____ series too many times but I would love to have the skill and resources to do a trip like that one day.

I would have to fully agree on all accounts.

 

[CoolNT]

I originally planned on a trip from Houston to Vancouver, BC., this summer. Now I don't know if I'll be able to since I have to take some summer courses.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I got to ride in Europe in '08. 18 days on a borrowed Connie/GTR. Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein. About 3800 miles. Truly an awesome experience.

 

[vacanefan]

I have a "list" planned:

SS1000 (probably in Texas) better do this one before I get much older
Meteor Crater
Key West
Natchez Trace end to end
Any of several scenic roads in the Texas Hill Country

I'll think of others I am sure

Chuck, when you do the Key West trip, I'd be happy to join you. I have friends in the Keys and family in Ft Lauderdale. ...Let me know if this happens.