Tour of the US - any suggestions? Plus roads, places, restaurants etc?

[Windhound]

I am rolling over to 70 next April 2022. My birthday present is going to be a tour of the US on my Ryker Rally with my pup. I live by Olympia, WA so will starting from there.

I am in the planning stages of my trip so I am looking for suggestions for beautiful roads to ride, places of interest not to be missed and restaurant's that serve extraordinary local cuisine. Two of the places I am definitely stopping are Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota and Elgin AFB, panhandle of Florida, where my sons stationed. Will be camping and staying in motels and staying at bases. Also do you suggest open carry?

Thank you for your input!

[EdMat]

I would never suggest open carry. Why make yourself the first target?

Good luck on the trip.

[Bfromla]

Unfortunately too many states not carry friendly at any level & just public fear level quiet unpleasant. You want to enjoy your trip suggest not attempting.
Personal short list to visit (random order):
Cliff house INN
https://cliffhouseinnar.com/

Middle of no where diner
(http://eccentricroadside.blogspot.co...iddle.html?m=1)
Motorcycle museum http://www.nationalmcmuseum.org
&
Marquette KS motorcycle museum.
http://www.ksmotorcyclemuseum.org/

Harbor springs MI tunnel of trees ,

Marys pock tunnel Skyline drive VA,

Historic RT66, Needles Hwy, Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail of Dragon.

Newport Oregon at the intersection of 101 and Hwy. 20. There is a highway sign that reads BOSTON 3,365 miles,
& reportedly the opposite in BOSTON. ,

shooters grill Rifle. CO
http://youtu.be/EYMlzLMwv1M

[RICZ]

I consider the Barber Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham Alabama a rider's Mecca. It huge and it's one man's collection in a purpose built building. If you are passionate about bikes plan on spending the entire day there.

Of course the are the canyons; Grand, Bryce and Zion. If you are a vet, admission is free to national parks. Have your DD-214 with you.

In Auburn Indiana is the Duesenberg, Cord, Auburn museum. Another car guy place is the Henry Ford museum.

Like aircraft? Then the air museum at Dayton Ohio is a must.

If you are a big eater, you will waddle away stuffed at most east coast Jewish delis where the meat is 2"+ thick between the slices of rye bread. Look up Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives for those special local places.

Ask mature locals for info on whatever it is you are seeking - they know their towns.

[RapidSpyder]

Since your coming to Ellsworth, this is must ride in the Black Hills. You could even take a short detour to Mt. Rushmore before going up Iron Mountain rd.

https://youtu.be/dySi7tWslkA

[RICZ]

Good suggestion to ride the Black Hills, it's a real joy and a lot of eye candy. But it is a lot nicer in all respects when the Sturgis hoopla isn't in progress.

[pidjones]

Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive from Cherokee, NC to Front Royal, VA. A national treasure!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Lots of great places / roads in the North East ..... good luck .... Mike

[RayBJ]

Beartooth Pass, Badlands, Old Faithful, Needles Hwy, Million Dollar Hwy, Ozarks, Pig Trail, Cherahola Skyway, Moonshiner to name a few depending on your path.

[ARtraveler]

Your request is a good one, but you may end up with information overkill here. The good side...where ever you go on your trip, each state, city, etc. has some gems that may be of interest to you.

EG: you mention Air bases. Ellsworth in SD, has the South Dakota Air & Space Museum that shows much history. Wright-Patterson in Dayton OH, also has a really nice one. I have been to both and was not disappointed.

Suggestion: Map out a possible route, once completed, go State by state through your route and search for State and National Monuments and parks. They are NEVER a disappointment, IMO.

Eateries, that is a pretty subjective item, but every place has "something special" to the locals.

Bottom line, whatever you choose will be an adventure to you, and you should have a great time.

[Tslepebull]

River Road in the Texas Big Bend is definitely worth the price of admission. As is the entire Big Bend national park.

To me, open carry is sort of like letting everyone else at the table see your cards when playing poker.

[JayBros]

Glacier National Park Going to the Sun Road. If you're going to Rushmore you should also see the Crazy Horse Memorial. Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway the whole length from Front Royal to Cherokee. When you get to Cherokee you can take a side trip to the Cherohala Skyway. As you make your way home, Mesa Verde Nat'l Park, Pikes Peak, Mt. Evans Scenic Byway. Look ay Butler Maps, https://butlermaps.com/, for excellent routes on waterproof paper to help you plan your adventure.

[RykerRick]

I have to agree, I vacation ride from Florida to Tennessee & North Carolina every year just to spend a week riding those beautiful twisty Smoky Mountain roads. IMO, some of the best riding in the country. The Cherohala Skyway between Eastern Tennessee & Western North Carolina is just an epic beautiful twisty ride with some breathtaking scenery. You being from Washington state, you too have some really beautiful twisty roads with epic scenery.

BRP is nice too. IMO the Tail of the Dragon is over rated, lots of bike traffic and car traffic at certain times of the year, lots of car clubs like the Corvette clubs & Miata clubs running wide in the lanes too. Not to mention more state patrol there than any other riding roads. People come from all over the world to ride it, so I guess if you haven't ridden it, its worth doing at least once just so you can say that you did it. 318 curves in 11 miles.

Another beautiful scenic twisty riverside ride is Wayah Road between the Nantahala National Forest & Franklin North Carolina. There are so many great rides there that you cant possibly cover them in one trip.

Florida, the Panhandle area has nice beaches and is nice riding. But where I'm at (Tampa Bay area) its another over rated and over populated state. When I retire I'm moving and leaving the state to all the New Yorkers & Californians that screwed up their states and have mass migrated here and started doing the same thing here.

As mentioned about open carry, I wouldn't do it, too many different & varying laws from state to state with some states being very antigun. If you have a concealed carry permit, thats the way to go, many state are reciprotory.

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Carrying - there's no question that self defense, when on a long trip away from home and in the middle of nowhere - is a consideration in planning. If you haven't seen this site already, just click on the map for each state and it will provide the list of applicable laws. It is updated regularly. No purchase required.

https://handgunlaw.us

For example, NY won't allow a firearm either way, open or concealed, if you are out of state. So it would be a shame to miss out on the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain, etc, just because you happen to have your firearm with you. And there are others, not to mention the National Park Service regulations for entering buildings and facilities with a firearm. A lot to keep track of. You might want to consider dropping down a notch to OC (pepper) spray. It will give you something to use in a self defense scenario without the legal implication of a firearm. There's not one perfect answer, and it's up to you.

[WorkinRVer]

When visiting SD open carry is perfectly legal. In Rapid City visit Firehouse Brewery on Main St. downtown. Good food in the original fire station .... neat place. Iron Mountain Rd., Needles Highway, Badlands Loop are all good areas to ride. Visit Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial for sure.
If you find your way to Branson, Missouri visit Lamberts restaurant "home of the throwed rolls'! (and yes they really do throw hot yeast rolls to ya!). Plus a lot of good roads near Branson and North Western Arkansas.

[Navydad]

I don't open carry for most of the reasons already stated. My two cents. Stay off the freeways if you want to see the real America. I spent eight weeks on the road a year after I retired. Racked up 6000 miles and less than 200 of those miles were on a freeway. I found out that regardless of what FOXCNNMSNBCABCCBSNBC lead you to believe this is still a great country full of great folks, but you won't meet them on the interstate. Ride through small towns, have lunch at the greasy spoon diners, stop and chat with the old fellows sitting on the bench, ask folks what the neatest thing to see is around there. Do this and you will return home with a whole new perspective on life and our great country plus you'll see some pretty interesting things.

[RapidSpyder]

Great post above, thanks!

[Paulhackerllc]

I am rolling over to 70 next April 2022. My birthday present is going to be a tour of the US on my Ryker Rally with my pup. I live by Olympia, WA so will starting from there.

I am in the planning stages of my trip so I am looking for suggestions for beautiful roads to ride, places of interest not to be missed and restaurant's that serve extraordinary local cuisine. Two of the places I am definitely stopping are Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota and Elgin AFB, panhandle of Florida, where my sons stationed. Will be camping and staying in motels and staying at bases. Also do you suggest open carry?

Thank you for your input!

It’s nice to come across another member that owns a Ryker and lives in Olympia. Love to get together sometime and chat about guns, Rykers and stuff. Your trip sounds wonderful. My wife and I did a road trip by car from Olympia to Texas a couple of years ago. Even though we had a great time, I think it would have been more fun with his and hers Rykers. Got pulled over in a construction zone in Amarillo Texas while open carrying. I’ll shorten the story, but everything went well after standing on the side of the freeway with my hands up in the air for what seemed like forever. Those Texas troopers, you don’t mess with them. One of the restaurants we liked along the trip was Sego (435-644-5680) 190 North 300 West Kanab Utah. Paul

[RICZ]

Concerning food...
Avoid truck stops and fast food places...truckers and teens have the same appetites. The only exception is breakfast, it's hard to screw that up. Avoid fatty meals until dinner - fat makes you groggy. Salads for lunch is good and some fast food places make very good ones. That's the one fast food joint exception. You can pig out at dinner.
Take these with you: A high SPF sunscreen and apply liberally to face and nose; 81 mg aspirin - take in the am before riding; energy / high protein bars and/or high protein drink such as Boost. To conserve space, buy as you travel.
Concerning clothing....
A cool vest and cool tie. Wear longies or underliners under your riding pants for heat insulation. Cycle Gear's Heat-Out works! Have as little exposed skin as possible to prevent fluid evaporation and sunburn. A thin head covering/helmet liner (made of silk or similar) makes putting on a helmet easier and the ride more comfortable.
More later.

[Windhound]

I live close to OR, so am going to take a ride to Newport just to see the Boston sign...how funny! Thank you for the suggestion of shooters grill

[Windhound]

Good suggestions; especially the aspirin...I have a "dittybag" I carry with me for my hubby and I with sunscreen, energy bars and water. Thin head cover is something I had not thought of or high protein drink. Thank you!

[Windhound]

Yeah! another Washington duck person! With all this warm weather my webbed toes have disappeared and my moss is brown I will PM you with phone number...hubby and I love to go on rides.

[Windhound]

Hey Navydad...this is exactly what my trip will be. I am in no hurry and dislike freeways. This is one of the reasons I asked our wonderful group for suggestions, because the locals know the best places and I can road map my trip that way...one of the things I am planning on doing is if I find a place that is interesting, great people, good food I can chose to stay awhile. Being a ryker gypsy is fun!

[Windhound]

Will ride to Branson, Missouri just for Lamberts! How fun!
Thank you

[Windhound]

Good suggestion about pepper spray and I also will have my dog who is good about alerting. Really want to ride though Adirondacks...have read many stories about that area and how it was settled. Thank you for your input.