3,400 miles in 10 days

On March 31 I left home in the AM as usual, but this time I was loaded for an extended trip to visit my daughter on her 16th birthday. I went to work, left there around 3:45pm, and set out for the long road to Texas. My route took me from Delaware to Maryland, where I work, then after leaving work through Washington DC, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and finally Texas. The trip down was over 1,600 miles.

While in Texas I went to San Antonio for half a day (not nearly long enough), took the teenager shopping at the outlets in San Marcos (ouch!), went to school with her for most of a day (her idea), and goofed off quite a bit.

After visiting with my daughter from Saturday night to Thursday morning I set out again for the journey home. Since I didn't have anyone telling me what to do I decided to take a different route home. So I went from Texas to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, cut across the corner of Georgia, then through Chattanooga and you guessed it, up to Robbinsville, NC and through Deal's Gap. After contending with the Dragon only one way (I had to get home) I continued the rest of the way through Tennessee to Virginia, DC, Maryland and back home to Delaware. The return trip was slightly longer, but well worth it.

Like most people have said, an aftermarket seat would have been nice, but my shoulders bothered me more than my a$$. I have bar risers, but the VFR is still a sporty sport-tourer. One day on the way down I did probably close to 700 miles and that really hurt. It also was a long day because of weather and I had a schedule to keep. I think 600 miles is the most I'd like to do in a day and a little less would be better.

All that being said, I can't wait for my next long trip. I should like to go to Deal's Gap again and stay for a couple days just riding around in that area of the country. No time soon, though. My vacations for the rest of the year are already laid out. I'll have to settle for Virginia and West Virginia, which are accessable for a weekend trip for me. Some beautiful country and great roads there too.

This trip definitely opened my eyes and showed me how much fun it can be just putting some miles under my tires. Good stuff. It was everything I hoped. If you have been considering a long trip and aren't sure, just do it. If you plan and prepare carefully it will be something you'll always remember.

:beer:

Sorry this was so long.

link to my too-few pics: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/index.p...album&album=235

Sounds like you had a really nice trip. I like your pics too.

Hey 7K,

Sounds like a nice trip. I haven't done Deals Gap so I am very jealous. Did you ever consider doing an Iron Butt ride? Check out www.ironbutt.com No real big deal, but if you can do 1000 miles in 24 hours and keep some basic documentation, you could join their club. (Which means you get to pay them a few bucks for a cheesy certificate, license plate frame, and a "World's Toughest Riders" patch.)

It may not sound like much, but I've done one and I enjoyed it. Plus it makes for a great story when you tell people how far you've ridden and in what time.

Sounds like you had a good trip and would do it again in a flash. Any steps left to get the Viffer more 'touring' for the next long one? Gel grips perhaps or convertibars or something? (plus seat of course)

Thanks for the comments, guys. Tbzep, glad you liked my pics. There were so many others that I wish I'd taken. Lobster, I could probably do the Iron Butt thing with some additional mods as BOBINOTTOWA mentioned. The bar risers I have are inadequate for me to ride much further than I did, so Convertibars or something like it would be necessary. I have gel grips and love them. I also have a Vista Cruise throttle lock for occasional rests of the right arm. A Sargent seat will be my next mod without a doubt.

I also forgot to mention that my trip wouldn't have been nearly as successful or trouble-free without the advice of the members of this board. Really, thanks to everyone for all the info you post. It was invaluable. :thumbsup:

Sounds like a fun trip. To me 350-450 makes for a good travelling day. I know it seems to be a short distance for some of you, but I like to break up the day with stops and walking and sightseeing. Plus it makes me look forward to the next day of riding.