ROAD-TRIP AMERICA

[SPYD3R]

SPYD3R's & SPYD3RETTES;
Now that Winter is upon us, a lot of us are thinking (dreaming) about road trips for 2017... I thought I'd share with y'all the 2 websites that have been a tremendous help to me for planning my X-country rides over the years:
1. ROAD TRIP AMERICA http://www.roadtripamerica.com
2. MAP QUEST PLANNER https://www.mapquest.com/routeplanner

When accessing ROAD TRIP AMERICA, the 1st thing you should click on is; HOW TO USE THIS SITE.... this link is just to the right of the 1st picture... RTA has hundreds of great suggestions, and will give you ideas of where to go, as well as where NOT to go, depending on your likes and dislikes...

On MQP, it gives you the ability to plug in all the cities/towns/states you wish to visit, and you can also click on motels/eats/gas, etc etc etc to find those items...

I utilize both sites, then combine the information from both to plan my rides... yes, there are times that i find myself wondering from my plans while on the road, but hey, it's all well and good....

Plan well and ride safely.... see you on the road ways of America in 2017....
Dan P
SPYD3R

 

[DDT]

Great timing. My wife and were just talking about this very subject yesterday. We are getting ready to plan a 4-5 day trip next spring. We will be leaving from near Atlanta so if anyone has any suggestions that would be great because this will be our first trip.
Maybe even some does and don'ts for us beginners.

 

[SPYD3R]

DDT

Great timing. My wife and were just talking about this very subject yesterday. We are getting ready to plan a 4-5 day trip next spring. We will be leaving from near Atlanta so if anyone has any suggestions that would be great because this will be our first trip.
Maybe even some does and don'ts for us beginners.

IN WHICH DIRECTION WILL YOU 2 BE HEADING....??? NORTH, EAST, SOUTH OR WEST....?
DAN P
SPYD3R

 

[GA_Spyderman]

No matter which way you go, don't try to go too far in a day. We went on our first long trip with a group of experienced Goldwingers, and we traveled well over 500 miles a day. That was too long on the bike for us new riders. It's not like tripping in a car; you need to build up your endurance when doing cross-country on a motorcycle. Safety is #1.
BTW, where are you from?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SPYD3R]

BTW, where are you from?

No matter which way you go, don't try to go too far in a day. We went on our first long trip with a group of experienced Goldwingers, and we traveled well over 500 miles a day. That was too long on the bike for us new riders. It's not like tripping in a car; you need to build up your endurance when doing cross-country on a motorcycle. Safety is #1.
BTW, where are you from?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

you ask: BTW, where are you from?
DDT is from Oxford, GA
SPYD3R is from Greenville, SC
in both our profiles, you'll find the names of our cities... look to the very left...

 

[Papahoosh]

SPYD3R's & SPYD3RETTES;
Now that Winter is upon us, a lot of us are thinking (dreaming) about road trips for 2017... I thought I'd share with y'all the 2 websites that have been a tremendous help to me for planning my X-country rides over the years:
1. ROAD TRIP AMERICA http://www.roadtripamerica.com
2. MAP QUEST PLANNER https://www.mapquest.com/routeplanner

When accessing ROAD TRIP AMERICA, the 1st thing you should click on is; HOW TO USE THIS SITE.... this link is just to the right of the 1st picture... RTA has hundreds of great suggestions, and will give you ideas of where to go, as well as where NOT to go, depending on your likes and dislikes...

On MQP, it gives you the ability to plug in all the cities/towns/states you wish to visit, and you can also click on motels/eats/gas, etc etc etc to find those items...

I utilize both sites, then combine the information from both to plan my rides... yes, there are times that i find myself wondering from my plans while on the road, but hey, it's all well and good....

Plan well and ride safely.... see you on the road ways of America in 2017....
Dan P
SPYD3R

Good info, thanks for sharing.

 

[Gray Ghost]

Great timing. My wife and were just talking about this very subject yesterday. We are getting ready to plan a 4-5 day trip next spring. We will be leaving from near Atlanta so if anyone has any suggestions that would be great because this will be our first trip.
Maybe even some does and don'ts for us beginners.

You could easily hit a beach in Florida. 4-5 days isn't enough to do an easy ride to Key West and back, but there are other areas with nice scenery and weather. Or if you are more into mountains, head north on back roads and take the time to enjoy the ride. Obviously the Gatlinburg, Pigen Forge area is out, but anything around Cherokee is pretty nice.

Enjoy your ride wherever you go.

 

[MRH]

Depending on where you are in the country, www.Rever.co, for a reasonable fee, gives you planning access to the Butler Maps (which map and categorize great motorcycle roads). Their app and planner is far from perfect, but being able to access that info that way made my California ride far more interesting than I would have been able to manage on my own.

I've attached a photo so you can see where Butler has mapped out rides.

 

[Dgdecker]

Nope, Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are open for business. In fact they are advertising as the folks there need the visitor business and jobs that are dependent on visitors. The business districts wee untouched. So, by all means head to that beautiful area for riding.

You could easily hit a beach in Florida. 4-5 days isn't enough to do an easy ride to Key West and back, but there are other areas with nice scenery and weather. Or if you are more into mountains, head north on back roads and take the time to enjoy the ride. Obviously the Gatlinburg, Pigen Forge area is out, but anything around Cherokee is pretty nice.

Enjoy your ride wherever you go.

 

[PrairieSpyder]

Great timing. My wife and were just talking about this very subject yesterday. We are getting ready to plan a 4-5 day trip next spring. We will be leaving from near Atlanta so if anyone has any suggestions that would be great because this will be our first trip.
Maybe even some does and don'ts for us beginners.

I hit Gatlinburg on my way to Maggie Valley and it was crazy crowded, got through it ASAP and went over the hill to Cherokee. Maggie Valley is nice. Or do the southern part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a beautiful drive.

 

[Large1]

No matter which way you go, don't try to go too far in a day. We went on our first long trip with a group of experienced Goldwingers, and we traveled well over 500 miles a day. That was too long on the bike for us new riders. It's not like tripping in a car; you need to build up your endurance when doing cross-country on a motorcycle. Safety is #1.
BTW, where are you from?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2017 will be my first year to my annual ride to somewhere and I am looking forward to June 4th.
I don't know how long it will take on the Spyder but the 8000 +or- miles should be interesting, Plan on Riding the Blues Highway Memphis south to New Orleans , Houma for a couple of days then stop in TX on the way to Nogales AZ to start my 3 flags ride up to Canada then back home to Boise with a short loop around the Going to the sun Highway,
Its not just Goldwings that put miles like that on in a day, 4 years ago on my HD I rode to Alaska taking it easy 7 days then made it back into the lower 48 in three days. My riding buddy ( Road Gluide) and myself like to say we can be anywhere in the continual us and be home in three days = NY to Boise 3, NC to Boise 3, Houma to Boise 3 (On the Wing) Now it the Spyders turn to see what it can do.
Trying to keep pace with some long distance riders can get you hurt I say ride your own pace.

 

[blacklightning]

The wife and I did a 5 day/4 night trip in the Maggie Valley, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area in August of 2014. I took her to explore all the areas that the fellas and I go to on our annual June mountain trip. On the last day we followed the BRP up to the Boone area and visited with our daughter before heading back to Apex. It was a simple trip, but the most fun vacation that we have had in our 22 years of marriage. We did it that year on my mustang, but now that we have the spyder, we plan on doing nearly the same thing again, just the 2 of us. Here are a few places that we visited.

 

[SPYD3R]

NICE

The wife and I did a 5 day/4 night trip in the Maggie Valley, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg area in August of 2014. I took her to explore all the areas that the fellas and I go to on our annual June mountain trip. On the last day we followed the BRP up to the Boone area and visited with our daughter before heading back to Apex. It was a simple trip, but the most fun vacation that we have had in our 22 years of marriage. We did it that year on my mustang, but now that we have the spyder, we plan on doing nearly the same thing again, just the 2 of us. Here are a few places that we visited.

NICE 'STANG.....

SPYD3R

 

[The Bee!!]

I like Road Trippers; https://roadtrippers.com. Like their off beat and they also have scenic routes. I also use the Microsoft trips and streets between them i can get the mileage per day. When we are on the bikes we don't like to go more than 300 to 350 miles a day. Have done up to 500 miles in a day, but that is a ruff day. I like about 300 miles. Love planning trips...

 

[BUZZARD II]

First get yourself a good atlas. I like the National Geographic Adventure Edition. They have thousands of interesting spots noted in small red print. Then get a highlighter. On long winter nights study the atlas and highlight every road and place you find interesting. Don't stop looking just where you think you may go, cover the whole country.

Here's why. I never take a map of where I plan to travel, I take an atlas for where I might end up. Because you never know for sure, until you get home.

This fall two tropical storms in a row coming up the Baha shut down my trip to the desert. Fine, I turned toward NM and hit a bunch of places I had already researched, Los Alamos, the Blue Hole and Billy the Kids grave. I took the southern route home and had a great ride.

You guys in Georgia and South Carolina, have you ever been to the Coondog Graveyard? It's in NW Alabama and not far off the Natchez Trace. Way off the beaten path, very few have ever heard of it, much less been there. It's listed on the NG Adv. atlas. I took my wife and two other riders there two years ago on our "Music Tour" of the south.

I've been detoured by snow, flood, fog, forest fire and road closings. And I always had a plan B ready. So should you.

 

[blacklightning]

NICE 'STANG.....
View attachment 141286
SPYD3R

Thanks,

This is a popular sport for all my pictures.

 

[BamaJohn]

Surely you jest.....

First get yourself a good atlas. I like the National Geographic Adventure Edition. They have thousands of interesting spots noted in small red print. Then get a highlighter. On long winter nights study the atlas and highlight every road and place you find interesting. Don't stop looking just where you think you may go, cover the whole country.

Here's why. I never take a map of where I plan to travel, I take an atlas for where I might end up. Because you never know for sure, until you get home.

This fall two tropical storms in a row coming up the Baha shut down my trip to the desert. Fine, I turned toward NM and hit a bunch of places I had already researched, Los Alamos, the Blue Hole and Billy the Kids grave. I took the southern route home and had a great ride.

You guys in Georgia and South Carolina, have you ever been to the Coondog Graveyard? It's in NW Alabama and not far off the Natchez Trace. Way off the beaten path, very few have ever heard of it, much less been there. It's listed on the NG Adv. atlas. I took my wife and two other riders there two years ago on our "Music Tour" of the south.

I've been detoured by snow, flood, fog, forest fire and road closings. And I always had a plan B ready. So should you.

I'm glad you sampled the cultural side shows of Alabama :bowdown: ..yes, I too have been there. Now, consider taking in the Wichahpi Commemorative Wall near Florence AL...it's a tribute to Tom Hendrix's Great-Great Grandmother, Te-lah-nay, who (along with her sister) was sent to Oklahoma during the Trail of Tears, and spent 5 years walking back to the Tennessee River (aka "The Singing River") . Tom spent 30+ years building a stone wall that has become a Spiritual Place for all people. If you're lucky (as was I a few weeks ago), Tom might come tell you the whole story...it's not to be forgotten. His book "If The Legends Fade" tells the story.
jb

 

[DDT]

IN WHICH DIRECTION WILL YOU 2 BE HEADING....??? NORTH, EAST, SOUTH OR WEST....?
DAN P
SPYD3R

North.

 

[JayD]

Great timing. My wife and were just talking about this very subject yesterday. We are getting ready to plan a 4-5 day trip next spring. We will be leaving from near Atlanta so if anyone has any suggestions that would be great because this will be our first trip.
Maybe even some does and don'ts for us beginners.

I live in Cumming, Georgia and do a lot of 4 to 5 day trips up in the Smokies. A great 4 day run is up the Blueridge Parkway and back.