36-states-in-6-months road tour

[Anthony_marr]

I was planning a continental tour by bike last year, but had to postpone it due to a radio talkshow commitment. I'm now planning a book tour starting March 31 and ending mid-October. It will be my 7th road tour. The 1st (2003) was by RV, the 2nd through 6th were by car. This 7th may be by bike, but this is contingent upon whether there could be a support vehicle with driver, and preferably another bike with rider, or two... If solo, I would take my car again.

I'm toying with the idea of towing a trailer and trailering my bike for interesting rides only, but my car may not be suitable as towing vehicle.

One way or another, the tour will happen, since it involves an entire team. Here is the tour map and the state-by-state itinerary. If I end up taking my bike, do come on out and ride with me for a stretch, or take me on some off the path twisties.



ITINERARY:

BC
WA - 03-31 - 04-03
OR - 04-04 - 04-06
CA - 04-07 - 05-07
AZ - 05-08 - 05-12
NM - 05-13 - 05-15
TX - 05-16 - 05-22
LA - 05-23 - 06-25
MS - 05-26 - 05-28
AL - 05-29 - 05-31
FL - 06-01 - 06-14
GA - 06-15 - 06-17
SC - 06-18 - 06-20
NC - 06-21 - 06-24
VA - 06-25 - 06-27
WV - 06-28 - 06-30
MD - 07-01 - 08-31
DC - 07-01 - 08-31
NJ - 07-01 - 08-31
NY - 07-01 - 08-31
CT - 07-01 - 08-31
MA - 07-01 - 08-31
NH - 07-01 - 08-31
VT - 07-01 - 08-31
PA - 09-01 - 09-05
OH - 09-06 - 09-10
MI - 09-11 - 09-14
IN - 09-15 - 09-20
IL - 09-21 - 09-23
WI - 09-24 - 09-28
MO - 09-29 - 09-30
KS - 10-01 - 10-03
CO - 10-04 - 10-07
WY - 10-08 - 10-09
MT - 10-10 - 10-13
AB - 10-14 - 10-18
BC

[Snake]

This sounds like a great trip. When you get to my area we need to meet for a meal and/or ride depending on if you bring the bike.

[Slabrocks]

wow thats a long trip! id be glad to help you with a pitstop or at least some riding company when you get in the ohio/indiana area.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Snake

This sounds like a great trip. When you get to my area we need to meet for a meal and/or ride depending on if you bring the bike.

Hey Rick, at this point, it is 50/50 whether I will bring the bike or not, but I will keep you posted right here in this thread.

By car or bike, I'll be in Louisiana May 23-25, so hopefully we could do some riding together, a lunch at least. One of the things I'll be doing in Louisiana will be to check out the new coastlines after a 1 meter, 3 meter and 6 meter sea-level rise. Alexandria might become a sea port and your city lot may become a waterfront property!

[ally99]

Wow!!! My husband and I are planning a cross-country ride next year. This looks like QUITE an exciting route you have planned. Have fun!

[Snake]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

Hey Rick, at this point, it is 50/50 whether I will bring the bike or not, but I will keep you posted right here in this thread.

By car or bike, I'll be in Louisiana May 23-25, so hopefully we could do some riding together, a lunch at least. One of the things I'll be doing in Louisiana will be to check out the new coastlines after a 1 meter, 3 meter and 6 meter sea-level rise. Alexandria might become a sea port and your city lot may become a waterfront property!

Sounds good Amthony. Lunch will be my treat.
I've always wanted waterfront property. Oh wait, that may not be such a good thing due to all the people that will be dissplaced.

[CC Cowboy]

If you have never taken a motorcycle on a long trip like this I would highly recommend it before, well, before any other means of transportation (I didn't want to say before youget to old or something else). Where as the 250 is a mighty bike, I would highly recommend buying a big cruiser just for the trip. You can get one for cheap right now, ride it on the trip and sell it when you get back. It would have more space to carry your shiiite, be more comfortable, and be much less tiring. I have done many cross country trips and the ones on a cruiser were the easiest on my body and soul.

As far as the itinerary, everything looks good but the stretch between IL and WY. The northern route would be much more scenic.

Forget about support vehicles and other riders. The best part about doing a cross country trip is the people you meet. If you are by yourself you are forced to meet many more people than if you had company with you. You are more approachable when you're by yourself and people will be glad to talk, help, and all the other benefits of traveling alone.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Slabrocks

wow thats a long trip! id be glad to help you with a pitstop or at least some riding company when you get in the ohio/indiana area.

Hey Slab, I'll be there in September, and a pitstop will be needed! What part of Indiana are you in? I'll probably be staying at South Bend for a couple of days.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by ally99

Wow!!! My husband and I are planning a cross-country ride next year. This looks like QUITE an exciting route you have planned. Have fun!

Good for you and your husband, and best wishes for your plan.

I'll update my tour with this thread, so please check back in periodically.

[Slabrocks]

Originally Posted by Anthony_marr

Hey Slab, I'll be there in September, and a pitstop will be needed! What part of Indiana are you in? I'll probably be staying at South Bend for a couple of days.

im in fort wayne, which is close to the ohio border and about an hour from michigan.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

If you have never taken a motorcycle on a long trip like this I would highly recommend it before, well, before any other means of transportation (I didn't want to say before youget to old or something else). Where as the 250 is a mighty bike, I would highly recommend buying a big cruiser just for the trip. You can get one for cheap right now, ride it on the trip and sell it when you get back. It would have more space to carry your shiiite, be more comfortable, and be much less tiring. I have done many cross country trips and the ones on a cruiser were the easiest on my body and soul.

As far as the itinerary, everything looks good but the stretch between IL and WY. The northern route would be much more scenic.

Forget about support vehicles and other riders. The best part about doing a cross country trip is the people you meet. If you are by yourself you are forced to meet many more people than if you had company with you. You are more approachable when you're by yourself and people will be glad to talk, help, and all the other benefits of traveling alone.

Thank you, Cowboy. Quite a piece of advice.

1. I may already be too old for this, but I'm gonna give it a go. Chances are I will end up taking the car (and I've done this 6X before, and going by car is no stress whatever), but I know that once on the road, in a cage, I'll be kicking myself.

2. About getting a bigger bike, I've thought about it, but that would create other problems, not the least of which being money. I know that the Ninja is much less comfortable, but since one of themes of the tour is global warming, its fuel efficiency is a statement unto itself. I've read about other people doing fairly long ride on 250s, and they survived it in good spirit. I do have a question about how long the ninja 250 engine can last revving at 8000+ rpm constantly. If I decide to switch to a bigger bike, financially, I would pretty well have to part company with my ZZR, and I'm sure everyone here understands how that would feel.

3. About the Itinerary, as I mentioned, I've done long road tours 6X before, so I've been on most highways and through most states, and I know what you're talking about, but I do need to go to Kansas and Colorado, which is why I'm dip south after Wisconsin. The stretch from Denver --> WY-MT-AB-BC--> Vancouver will be almost all mountainous terrain, and I'll have one hell of a grand finale.

4. About meeting people, I have a team making speaking engagements for me, setting up places to stay, so mine won't be as free wheeling as a normal bike tour would be. As is, I'll be meeting thousands of people, whether I want to or not. But I do know what you're talking about. When I go around riding by myself, I do get some very nice impromptu encounters.

Thanks again for the advice my friend(s), and I'll keep you posted on this thread.

Anthony

[noche_caliente]

Anthony - I'd love to meet you when you're in VA - looks like you'll be down in our Neck of the woods! I'll likely have a newborn then, so plans will be touchy, but I never pass up a chance to meet forum members! I know you mentioned places to stay, but our home is always open to members if needed

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by noche_caliente

Anthony - I'd love to meet you when you're in VA - looks like you'll be down in our Neck of the woods! I'll likely have a newborn then, so plans will be touchy, but I never pass up a chance to meet forum members! I know you mentioned places to stay, but our home is always open to members if needed

Kim,

Congratulations on your newborn-to-be in advance. But I can't see why mom's can't ride, and I'm sure you will again if not now. I will drop by for a visit around late June if not dragged off course, and looking forward to it!

Have you seen my new pics in "Best pictures of your baby" and "Who's still riding? I am."? Just took them on Sunday.

Anthony

[JeffM]

everything looks good but the stretch between IL and WY

If your sight seeing why not drop into Yellowstone / Teton Nation Parks from Montana. Its' very good.

Looks like a great trip. Enjoy it.

Jeff

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by JeffM

If your sight seeing why not drop into Yellowstone / Teton Nation Parks from Montana. Its' very good.

Looks like a great trip. Enjoy it.

Jeff

Hey Jeff, you bet I will, and Glacier National Park in Montana.

Be crossing the Rockies twice, once in Montana and again in Alberta getting into BC. And then in BC, there'll be the Selkirks and Cascades ranges. The BC ride will be almost all twisties - hundreds of miles of them.

Hey, why don't you guys come out for some of these rides? They sound too good for me to have them all to myself.

AM

[JeffM]

Hey, why don't you guys come out for some of these rides?

Anthony, I bet you pick up some members to ride with along the way I'm south of Salt Lake City so you will be a bit north of my local. Ya never know.

Jeff

[Anthony_marr]

Here I was yesterday, riding across the Golden Gate bridge. WOOHOO!



Unfortunately, I got soaked moments later on Hwy101 near San Rafael.

[CC Cowboy]

How did you get the camera to follow you?

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

How did you get the camera to follow you?

It is a hugely magnified shot from a satellite passing over Brazil.

Actually, it was taken by a friend in a car behind me.

[CC Cowboy]

Besides the rain, how has the trip been? Any problems? Any things of interest happen?

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Besides the rain, how has the trip been? Any problems? Any things of interest happen?

I was also soaked in a torrential downpour on the freeway south of Seattle for about 1.5 hours, with an 11 year old boy in back clinging on to me for dear life. It was 45F with a 30 mph cross wind. I had to turn my head repeatedly to get rid of the rain drops on my face shield, which also got fogged up, and when I lifted the shield, my eye glasses go the blasted rain treatment. At times the wind got so strong my helmet seemed to want to take off all by itself. One of the most unpleasant rides in my life, but memorable.

[CC Cowboy]

Be safe, have fun, and check in often. I envy you to the max.

[Alex]

Sorry for the iffy weather in the bay area! We really got blasted today, rained out a planned ride to Mendocino.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

Be safe, have fun, and check in often. I envy you to the max.

Will do, my friend. I'll be riding down Hwy 101 to LA via Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Barbara later this week. Looking forward to it. Will be taking pictures along the way, and sharing. Stay tuned.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Alex

Sorry for the iffy weather in the bay area! We really got blasted today, rained out a planned ride to Mendocino.

Storm brings hail, heavy rain

By RANDI ROSSMANN & NATHAN HALVERSON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 10:44 a.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 10:29 p.m.


Large hail pelted Sonoma County late Sunday evening as a thunderstorm roared off the Pacific Ocean, capping an already wet day.

“A couple pieces we grabbed were near golf-ball sized,” said Brion Borba, a firefighter at the Calfire station in Monte Rio. “I've never seen hail like that in my whole life, at least in California. It covered the whole ground.”

The thunderstorm moved quickly off the ocean and passed directly over Guerneville before heading northwest. It reached Santa Rosa about 10;30 p.m. as lightning illuminated the sky.

“It made my lawn look like it snowed,” said John Monticelli of Guerneville. “I have lived here all my life, and I've never seen hail come down that size.”

Steady downpours Sunday led to significant rainfall amounts and some minor landslides, fallen trees and vehicle accidents around Sonoma County.

About two inches fell in the hills and about one inch was recorded in Santa Rosa and surrounding cities by Sunday evening.

April typically averages 1.67 inches of rain in Santa Rosa, but the city already has more than 2.37 inches — .97 of an inch in the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m.

The rain reached the North Bay after 7 a.m. and by mid-morning almost an inch had fallen in the hills above Healdsburg. By mid-afternoon the CHP was reporting several minor spin outs and crashes. Also a tree, rock and mud slide had covered part of Highway 116 near the Cazadero Highway.

As expected, the rain eased late Sunday afternoon, but showers and possible thunder storms and small hail were expected overnight in areas, said Tom Evans, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

“A couple pieces we grabbed were near golf-ball sized,” said Brion Borba, a firefighter at the Calfire station in Monte Rio. “I've never seen hail like that in my whole life, at least in California. It covered the whole ground.”

The thunderstorm moved quickly off the ocean and passed directly over Guerneville before heading northwest. It reached Santa Rosa about 10;30 p.m. as lightning illuminated the sky.

“It made my lawn look like it snowed,” said John Monticelli of Guerneville. “I have lived here all my life, and I've never seen hail come down that size.”

Steady downpours Sunday led to significant rainfall amounts and some minor landslides, fallen trees and vehicle accidents around Sonoma County.

About two inches fell in the hills and about one inch was recorded in Santa Rosa and surrounding cities by Sunday evening.

April typically averages 1.67 inches of rain in Santa Rosa, but the city already has more than 2.37 inches — .97 of an inch in the 24-hour period ending at 4 p.m.

The rain reached the North Bay after 7 a.m. and by mid-morning almost an inch had fallen in the hills above Healdsburg. By mid-afternoon the CHP was reporting several minor spin outs and crashes. Also a tree, rock and mud slide had covered part of Highway 116 near the Cazadero Highway.

As expected, the rain eased late Sunday afternoon, but showers and possible thunder storms and small hail were expected overnight in areas, said Tom Evans, meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

Showers are expected throughout Monday. The weather front includes strong wind, and high-wind advisories were issued Sunday for Bay Area bridges.

Temperatures were expected to stay a little cooler than normal into the week. High temperatures should creep into the low 60s by Thursday, Evans said. Morning lows should be in the lower 40s.

Though the weather front should move on by tonight night, a slight chance of rain remained in the forecast through next weekend.

[ninja250]

Sounds like an adventure/a blast!
Have fun on the rest of your trip and be safe!
How is the lil Ninjette holding out at 8k? That's what I worry about driving to Bishop/Mammoth later this summer.
I guess no problems but kinda creepy riding 8-10krpm for so far ey?

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by ninja250

Sounds like an adventure/a blast!
Have fun on the rest of your trip and be safe!
How is the lil Ninjette holding out at 8k? That's what I worry about driving to Bishop/Mammoth later this summer.
I guess no problems but kinda creepy riding 8-10krpm for so far ey?

So far, so good. I think the engine will last longer than my wrist. The buzz gets to you after a bit.

I have a 15-teeth front sprocket in my bag ready to install, but I haven't yet, because it will soften low-gear acceleration. But in the long run, on high gear, it will lower the RMP somewhat.

[Anthony_marr]

Riding 40 miles of tight twisties in Carmel, near Monterey and Marina Del Rey, California, in glorious weather, with local Ninjette rider Emily C.

[Snake]

Great pics Anthony. Looks like a great adventure.

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Snake

Great pics Anthony. Looks like a great adventure.

So far, so good, Rick. The Ninjette is perfect for this stretch. A bigger, less flickable bike would in fact be slower, I suspect. (except maybe JC Girl Jenn on her CBR 600 F4)

I will be riding down Big Sur tomorrow. Stay tuned.

[Scott1620]

Sounds like a great trip, if you want to add a state to your list I could show you some twistie somewhat scenic roads in northern Delaware/PA. Do you have a google map of your route? I am thinking about doing a week long trip in late summer, not as long as yours though

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by Scott1620

Sounds like a great trip, if you want to add a state to your list I could show you some twistie somewhat scenic roads in northern Delaware/PA. Do you have a google map of your route? I am thinking about doing a week long trip in late summer, not as long as yours though

Hey Scott, northern Delaware/PA is on my route. I'll be there around the last week of July. Would be delighted to have our two trips merge for a day. There is a national level tour map at the head of this thread. But there is no detailed route map for any particular locale, since the route is flexible on the local level. Let's see if we could fit it in.

[Scott1620]

Cool, let me know when your in the area if you can fit a short detour in...

[Anthony_marr]

My Monterey via Big Sur to Paso Robles ride, in company of another Ninjette rider. Enjoy!

[Méké]

Thanks a lot about your trip Anthony , your pics are so wonderful , WOW , l lost my words ... thanks again man , from a French guy from the east

[Alex]

More great pics!

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Méké

Thanks a lot about your trip Anthony , your pics are so wonderful , WOW , l lost my words ... thanks again man , from a French guy from the east

It says you're from Canada!

[Anthony_marr]

Originally Posted by CC Cowboy

It says you're from Canada!

Yes, from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Come on over and I'll show you around. This applies to all.

[backinthesaddleagain]

Great pics, stay safe.

[Slabrocks]

rotten pics. (hey, i figured i would be different).... just because im not there

around what dates did you think you were going to be around ohio and indiana?