I've always loved the idea of just getting on my bike and riding wherever I feel like, no particular plan but have never done it. I'm planning my trip out East this summer and I've read a few ride reports of people who have a destination in mind, but no specific route. What are your thoughts?
I have a destination in mind, should I plan my route or just ride there?
My favorite type of plan is to plan major stops, every 2-3 days (nicer motel/hotel) for some good R&R (for safety reasons), and just see where I end up the rest of the time. So, if you leave some room for improv, and don't put too much pressure to ride too long every day, you can really enjoy it and relax at the same time. That's what life is all about, right? Not necessary to rack thousand more miles if you truly want to enjoy the ride. This way you can take it easy if it rains hard and you can have some time to talk to people and get to know some of them a little bit.
Just my 2cents. Good luck with the planning and please post up some pics of this wonderful trip.
C
Edit: I think I misunderstood your question (sorry). For the route itself, plan a few different ones and see how you feel that morning, combined with information from the locals about LEOs, pavement, engineering, scenery, etc.
I tend to look at a couple routes, a twisty takes some time route, a boring straight gets me there faster route and some ways to get between the two. . . granted, it's pretty easy to do when one you're going between Route 1, Hwy 101 and I-5. . . from there, I just base it how I feel and how soon I need to get where I'm going. . .
I rode from pa to az & ut last may. I knew the places I wanted to see, but just winged the route. I had a gps and maps, so I pretty much relied on them to get me around.
If I'm going on a long ride, week or more, I'll pick some where that I'll be able to use as many curvy back roads as possible. So it's more of a terrain choice than a destination.
As little planning as possible. My best trip was just short of a years ride. I carried a directory to all the drop-zones(PARA) in the US. went to one did some jumping, then picked another one.
On a multi day ride, I like to have a loose plan, but the main thing is to have a pretty good idea where to crash for the night. Searching for a motel after dark sucks....been there, done that.........
My destination has always been home. I've usually traveled before school lets out in the summer or after school has started in the fall so I tend to avoid the crowds. Therefore my stops are generally when I get tired of riding. Most of my planning has been pretty general, with rarely anything definite. Heck, one year we started out to go up to Banff and instead ended up down in Arizona. I don't travel long distances by bike anymore but if I did nothing would change. Just pack up and go.
[image: View Post]mello dude, on 08 February 2011 - 08:58 PM, said:
On a multi day ride, I like to have a loose plan, but the main thing is to have a pretty good idea where to crash for the night. Searching for a motel after dark sucks....been there, done that.........
Agreed. At night before I get some rest I tend to find a general direction for the next day. I try to find where I want to end up, look for squiggly lines that can get me there, and play the rest by ear.
I try to have a rough plan and leave open the possibility of going off on tangents as the mood may or may not strike. Motorcycle journeys have a way of creating secret destinations of which the rider is unaware. After all, 'tis more fun to travel than to arrive...usually.
For me, I first like to research the best motorcycling roads in the area I'll be visiting. Then add in whatever other attractions are in the area that I really want to see. Finally, loosely plan a route that takes in as many good roads/attractions as possible. This becomes the outline of the trip. I more or less follow that route, but feel free to modify based on additional local information or adjustments for time left.
I find it impossible to plan nightly stops ahead. Weather, fatigue, repairs, shopping, etc., are too big a factor. I generally start thinking about where to stop for the night at lunch each day, when I have a reasonably small list of potential towns to spend the night. A Smartphone, with an app like TripAdvisor, is then your best friend. You can find great hotels, restaurants, etc. that you'd never find otherwise.
I like to stop riding well before sunset. This gives some extra time if you�re plan is not working out. Also, there are just too damn many animals out at dusk! I hate dodging deer�
Without some preplanning, you miss more than you discover serendipitously. Too much planning, though, just forces you to do more than you want some days, while doing less than you want on other days. It can make any trip a grind.
I always map out a master plan on Microsoft Street and Trips first. Then I break it down into daily routes usually with a couple of options. I do this in Mapsource.
Then I ride. Sometimes it even works out that I follow my routes but..................you never know. The research and route planning makes it easier to divert if things change as I have a better feel for the alternatives.
As a backup I always load extraneous and extra waypoints or favorites into my Zumo so that I have more options for routing if I have or want to. This also minimizes the amount of spelling I have to do on the Zumo on the road.
I look for twisty roads regardless of my bike choice unless I have to get to a destination rapidly. I use scenic guides plus the Walmart Atlas which has the scenic roads marked for every State in the same format so you do not have to figure out a different code for each state. This goes along on the trip too as backup. Ride reports of course help too.
[image: View Post]FJ12Ryder, on 08 February 2011 - 09:07 PM, said:
My destination has always been home. I've usually traveled before school lets out in the summer or after school has started in the fall so I tend to avoid the crowds. Therefore my stops are generally when I get tired of riding. Most of my planning has been pretty general, with rarely anything definite. Heck, one year we started out to go up to Banff and instead ended up down in Arizona. I don't travel long distances by bike anymore but if I did nothing would change. Just pack up and go.
That's exactly what I'm thinking. I've tenatively mapped out a detailed route and hand picked a handful of roads from MN to NYC. It's time consuming and kind of takes some of the fun out of it. I plan to stop when I get tired and camp where I can find a secluded spot. I'm liking the idea of having major destinations and finding my way between them. I've always wanted to just head out on my bike an go where the road leads me. I'm liking the idea more and more...
[image: View Post]BonusVFR, on 08 February 2011 - 11:35 PM, said:
I always map out a master plan on Microsoft Street and Trips first. Then I break it down into daily routes usually with a couple of options. I do this in Mapsource.
Then I ride. Sometimes it even works out that I follow my routes but..................you never know. The research and route planning makes it easier to divert if things change as I have a better feel for the alternatives.
As a backup I always load extraneous and extra waypoints or favorites into my Zumo so that I have more options for routing if I have or want to. This also minimizes the amount of spelling I have to do on the Zumo on the road.
I look for twisty roads regardless of my bike choice unless I have to get to a destination rapidly. I use scenic guides plus the Walmart Atlas which has the scenic roads marked for every State in the same format so you do not have to figure out a different code for each state. This goes along on the trip too as backup. Ride reports of course help too.
My favorite maps are from DeLorme - the Alas & Gazetteer series. These maps are booklet type usually 80 - 90 pages that are incredibly detailed of the roads in the state. I probably have a dozen of them. Before a trip, I like to flip thru them to get ideas. Highly recommended... :fing02:
I wing it every time, even on long distance week + rides. My buddy and I just did 3500 miles and our only real plans were Custer battlefield, Glacier Nat'l Park, British Columbia, and the Pacific Ocean. We never had a particular route planned and route/distance varied from day to day. Our BEST RIDES EVER have all been like this.
I set an end date for the outbound journey, and a return date (usually determined by work). I use paper maps (CAA/AAA), spend a lot of time on Google Maps and Mapquest trying alternate routes, and check online for good motorcycle roads. I have thus far resisted buying a GPS. To have ultimate route and accommodations freedom, I pack a tent, sleeping bag, camp stove and some food. I try to be on the road before 8 a.m. and find a motel or make camp before 5 p.m. (unless I'm pushing for the finish line). With this formula I find I'm doing 400-500 mile days, I can choose my route depending upon conditions (weather, traffic, road work, need to make up time, etc.) and I can choose a motel or campsite (again, depending on weather, time of day, availability, etc.). If you're trying to save money, some great campsites can be found (with showers, etc.) for a fraction of the cost of a motel room.
I would love to just pack the bike and piss off for six months. Biggest decisions would be whether to go clockwise or anti-clockwise around Oz and on what timeline to arrive at PI for MotoGP and/or the WSBKs, the rest I'd like to leave to the gods. Unfortunately, it'll remain a daydream until I retire or win the lottery :dry:
[image: View Post]danmurphymn, on 08 February 2011 - 07:43 PM, said:
I've always loved the idea of just getting on my bike and riding wherever I feel like, no particular plan but have never done it. I'm planning my trip out East this summer and I've read a few ride reports of people who have a destination in mind, but no specific route. What are your thoughts?
I have a destination in mind, should I plan my route or just ride there?
I've done it both ways and I think each has it's pluses and minuses...
When you have a specific plan it's nice to know where you'll be going and that you have a sure place to crash for the night. On the flip side, I always kind of felt some pressure to hit the roads I'd planned and therefore it took a little out of the enjoyment. Plus, if the weather gets crappy or you just feel like hanging out at a cool spot for a while (like taking a nap on top of some mountain road in Oklahoma for example) then you can feel the pressure again to push it to get to your destination.
When you don't have a specific plan, it's fun to just get on the bike and go...or look at the map every few hours and go where the mood strikes you. However, you're always thinking about a place to crash in the back of your mind...so that's the pressure side of this version.
My last big trip was a combination of both. 7 days out but only 3 planned stops. I think it was a good mix.
I like to plan out my routes. Why? I think planning is half the fun. Looking at routes, picking where to sleep, and I just love looking at maps in general. I don't plan out every detail though. I leave rest breaks, food and fuel stops, and scenic photo stops completely up to chance. I just plan for about 6 hours of riding a day and go from there.
It seems to work out great for me as once I am on the road the only thing I need to focus on is the ride and seeing what's around the next turn as opposed to worrying about trying to figure out my next resting place on the fly.
Having done a couple of major rides, I like to wing it to a point. First time I studied the road atlas, chose some major points of interest, planned out a few options to get from one to the other and then went for it. I think there are a few things to consider;
1. Location and chances of having rooms booked. If you plan anything on the East coast during fall, book rooms in advance, check college football schedules for the local teams, once had to ride up a tiny mountain road in the dark to get to an overpriced ski lodge because it was leaf watching season and ASU had a home game and there were NO rooms for 75 miles...
2. Figure out how many miles you can ride in a day and want to get on the motorcycle the next day. I like about 350 miles, you can cover some ground, you can see some stuff. Get up early, eat, ride, stop for lunch, ride some more, find a hotel before 5pm, eat drink sleep.
3. If weather becomes an issue, find a route that let's you cover ground in a hurry, fun roads are not so fun in the rain...
4. If you do book rooms in advance, it does put pressure on you to get to it, sometimes you want to get off the road early, other times you want to keep on riding!
You want a plan go to six flags on days they give you a discount with a empty coke can.
You want to do something you can tell you kids kids about? WING IT
Best trip of my life I was headed south and the SouthEast got a massive Ice Storm. I went west instead. No plan. When I was on the rivers edge 5000 feet below the rim of the Grand Canyon looking at hiking back out after lunch, that is when I new I had found it. I found total happiness on that trip. I sat in hotsprings located just off the highways in Colorado. I camped 11 thousand to 13 thousand feet three times in the rockies. I trravel close to 5000 miles in a southwestern to northeastern route from St. Louis back to St. Louis around and in the rockies. PERFECTION
I sorta wing it -
I have a definite destination but decide nightly on how to get to the next stop. Weather forecasts often make the difference.
For example, I'm likely going to Nelson for the get-together in August but I don't know yet if that will be the start, middle or end of the trip, nor whether I'll go to the states, or Vancouver Island, or...
Nightly making tomorrow's plan is part of the fun.
I pick destinations that I'd like to see over the course of the trip. A few highlight roads that I "can't miss". Otherwise I book the destination hotel the night before online and play it by ear each day. Haven't been lost yet and I've found roads and seen things I wouldn't have seen if I did plan my route.
I'm definately leaning towards the wing it side. I'm waiting to hear about a June meeting that I will have scheduled so soon I should know which weeks are availble for the trip in June. The plan is to have a few large destinations and so far the only one is NYC which should leave much flexibility. Once I know the dates I'll post them in a new thread. One of my hopes in winging it is that I'll be more free to meet up with some fellow VFRD's and ride with you guys for a bit... Thanks for all of the input so far.
I like to plan out the general trip, and wing it on some of the details.
I've carried camping gear. Found some interesting places to pitch my tent a few times. :biggrin:
Better to be set up before dark though. I remember running around town looking for an affordable room in No Cal one time.
I'm thinking in Fort Bragg. Anyway couldn't find a room in my low budget of 20 years ago, and found Navarro Beach.
Pre cell phone, never mind smart phone, or laptop, if you can recall such ancient times. :laughing6-hehe:
Free always fits my budget just fine. For some reason winging it doesn't work as well with women, in my experience.
Easiest when flying solo. :mellow:
Basic plan, set departure, set arrival but wing the rest of the trip planning as I go. I usually have a basic idea of what I want to do, and sometimes suggestions made by friends for routing. At times this has meant that I have been left hunting down campsites in the middle of pouring rain at night. The most memorable "campsite" was in Utah in 2009. I stopped to ask a local for directions for a campground - it was quite a ways away. I then asked if there was anything closer, and the homeowner in question said "no, not unless you want to pitch your tent on my lawn". SOLD! I pitched my tent in the middle of someone's front lawn in small town Utah. Travelling this way does lead to the best stories!
Like others on this board I do not have a GPS, and travel with paper maps. It works for me!
I enjoy the planning nearly as much as the actual ride. I plan a ride coast to coast someday and will plan a general routes with points of interest along the way as well as waypoints for lodging and fuel stops. Whether or not I follow the plan or stay in those towns I'll pretty much decide on the fly.
I also like traveling with another like minded rider or a small group at least for part of the ride.
It really depends on what sort of personality you have. So, go with what makes you comfortable and enjoy the trip no matter which method you choose. The idea is to have an enjoyable, relaxing time, not fit yourself or your trip into some sort of category. For me, I get a VERY loose itinerary and then usually just chuck it when I come across the first interesting side trip or place to visit. I am an unstructured person who enjoys things in that "no real plan" mode. My wife (who is an auditor) plans everything to detail, and once the plan proves successful does not like to vary it. [At the grocery-"her: you are going off the list!" me - "the list is just a group of suggestions"] When we travel she is good about having me do the "planning" and always comments on how much she enjoyed all the interesting things we managed to find, see or do. It works for her since she can tell herself we had a plan and together how we have stayed best friends for a lot of years.
the homeowner in question said "no, not unless you want to pitch your tent on my lawn". SOLD! I pitched my tent in the middle of someone's front lawn in small town Utah. Travelling this way does lead to the best stories!
That's a pretty good one right there. :biggrin:
I'm a basic planner with a twist tripper. Our last trip went like this... Let's see Custer Battlefield, Glacier Nat'l Park, a bit of British Columbia, the Pacific, The Columbia River, Craters of the Moon, and the Snake River in Idaho. How we got there and how long it took was on a day by day basis. In the end, it took us 13 days. Perfect trip.
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