Some Place To Go

[dadayama]

I'v read about people who jump on there bike and go, with no route planed, no destination in mind. But, I am not one of them. I wish I was, but I have to have some where to go. You can tell me to ride 500 miles to such and such store to buy a pack of gum and I am fine. But to jump on and ride with no idea in mind is hard for me.

I'm probably the only freak this way.

Pete in OKC, OK

[MANICMECHANIC]

Sometimes it takes at least a tank of gas to clear the cobwebs from the mind.

[stkmkt1]

Here is what you do. Get up on a Saturday morning, or any morning I guess, and fill the tqnk. Then find a road that leads out of town. Doesn't matter where. Just ride it till that road ends. An example: In 1982, I hopped on my 1977 Honda 750 automatic, rode over to route 51 (in Central Illinois where I live. I headed north. I carried an atlas, but the rule is, you cannot look to see where the road will take you. So about 500 miles later, I was sitting at a gas station, looking at Lake Superior. I ask the attendant where the nearest interstate was as I had just spent about 10 hours riding to the end of Route 51 and now needed to get back home - more quickly. He laughed at me and told me there are no interstates in northern Wisconsin. So I got my atlas out, and found he was right. And with that, I headed south back to Central Illinois and by about 7:30 the next morning, I was back home.

Try it. It really is kind of fun.

[criminaldesign]

this has me itching. may have to do this in the next week.

[Krpntr]

Yea I did that a few weeks ago. Started in Blaine WA and now I'm in Jacksonville FL. Is there a bridge over to the Bahamas?

[Omega Man]

I'v read about people who jump on there bike and go, with no route planed, no destination in mind. But, I am not one of them. I wish I was, but I have to have some where to go. You can tell me to ride 500 miles to such and such store to buy a pack of gum and I am fine. But to jump on and ride with no idea in mind is hard for me.

I'm probably the only freak this way.

Pete in OKC, OK

While I don't know your situation, if you have been a lot of places and done a lot of things it's hard to be a tourist.

[cheesewhiz]

Instead of picking a destination, pick a direction and GO!

[From MARS]

When I just feel like riding, I let the wind decide which direction I go. Rule of thumb: Always ride upwind first. Then, when you're ready to get home, the higher speeds don't hurt your gas mileage as much.

Forget the map. You know home is downwind, and eventually, you'll come to something you recognize.

Its about the ride and becoming one with the surroundings.
Tom

[MAYLETT]

I've read about people who jump on there bike and go, with no route planed, no destination in mind. But, I am not one of them.

Wow! I have exactly the opposite problem. I leave the house telling my wife I'm going for a ride, and she always asks where I'm going and how long I'll be. I always respond that I won't know until I get there, and although this is true, she thinks I'm just being evasive and purposely annoying.

Even when I have a destination, I never pre-plan how to get there, and always make spur-of-the-moment decisions as I arrive at intersections and road junctions. I never carry a map, never get lost and have always been this way.

[Visian]

pick a direction, turn left when you can (or feel like it), then right, then left and so forth.

[cheesewhiz]

Yer never lost if you don't care where you are....

[pmdave]

Although it's fun to sometimes just wander, the realities of being married, trip finances, etc. may dictate some sort of plan. I'ts not fair to your SO to head out somewhere, never report back, and come dragging in a few days later at 3am.

So, I suggest a compromise. Get out your map, and make a decision. Not a detailed route sheet, just a destination for the overnights or the turnaround point. Take a file card and write the route numbers that will get you there, especially any small, squiggly roads. You can insert that in your tank bag or clip it on the windshield to help you navigate. Make a copy for your SO, including the phone contact where you can be reached. (hotel number or cell phone)

I try to break up a journey into "travel" and "transit." Travel means I'll follow the narrow roads through small towns, spend some time lookng for an old fashioned soda fountain or covered bridge, and squander an hour or so talking with that old silverhair sitting on the bench opposite my bike. In other words, I want to experience the local scenery, features, and people.

Transit means putting my head down and getting from A to B in the shortest time. I might see something along the way, but that's not the point.

I might take three days to travel somewhere, and one day to transit home. Or, I might do a three-day transit, then spend a week traveling in that area. There are no rules for transits. For travel, my rules are two nights in the same location, and no more than 150 miles per day (average).

pmdave

[bunkyone]

Hey all: While I usually plan a trip or ride ahead of time, I will get on the bike just for the halibut on occasion. The Rt has a range of @ 230 miles per tank, and I fine that to be enough mileage to blow the cobwebs out. I will leave Sunday after church, and, because I don't have to back to work until Tuesday evening, I will head out... Just ride where ever I get an hankering to go. I limit my travel to one tank of gas. That's the only limit I put on it. One tank of gas out, find a campground or cheap motel, and then home on Monday. Of course sometimes I will take a side trip on the return route, and maybe get home on Tuesday instead. The wife says (claims) she doesn't worry about me, as she knows that I am a mature, level headed kind of guy (Boy do I have her fooled!!) with proper I.D., and insurance. Put the trip planner aside, and just be spontaneous, it's great fun, and you will see things that you would miss otherwise. Enjoy. Vaya con Dios, Dutch

[criminaldesign]

WV roads/backroads are great for killing time. Not so much a destination but to see where a road goes for the sake of curiosity.

This morning for instance, I filled up the tank, rode for 5 hours, did maybe 110 miles and never made it farther than 30 miles from the house.

$10 well spent.

[troyboy]

NavyDad and I rode from Chillicothe,Oh to Lexington, VA for an "Elvis burger" @ Pink Cadillac. Just a hair under 700 miles in 2 days. Rt 16,39 from GauleyBridge WV is very nice ride.Rt 60 has some nice spots too. We did it just for the heck of it. I was on my 78r100/7 and NavyDad has his "new"96 GS1100. Didn't spend alot and had FUN. This was my 1st weekender on my airhead. I'm happy to say she ran very well,seat could use some padding (or maybe I'm gettin tender) But no issues or problems.