2013 Rally = Who's going?

[JimOKC]

I wasn't asking you doooshbag....Im ditching you in Kansas, so take off...eh!

So you call it ditching, in the real world it's called "YOU CAN'T KEEP UP" !!! I just hope that the DOT doesn't make me put a handicap sticker on my bike just because I ride with you!!!
I can't wait for this trip, the hard part is to figure out which way to go!

[Rpbump]

Camping.

+1 on camping RIDE SAFE

[okiegman]

Thinking maybe OkieGboy and myself may ride from Lake Eufaula. Trouble will be getting enough time off work to make the trip. If we go, we will do about 50/50 camping/hotel and will probably stay at a hotel (Marriott) during Rally b/c I have points running out my ears.

[Oklabeemerfan]

The route planning is starting to take shape....all is decided until we get to Oregon. Do we turn right and head to Canada via Seattle...or keep heading west to Salem?....There is lots to see in Oregon as well. My riding partner says "hey...we should camp along the way!" I say "Hozer...we will be riding through Bigfoot country...besides that, you don't camp"...I'm thinking after 8 to 10 hours on a bike, sleeping on the ground and no hot shower sounds great! I'm not saying it should be all Marriott Hotels and IHOP...I know I know I know..."but Donnie, it's an adventure you wimp!" ....How about Motel 6 and Waffle House?...hmmm, responsible decisions need to be made and I'm really not qualified. Being a grown up is overrated

[RINTY]

I'm thinking about it.

Haven't been to one for 12 years.

[glenfiddich]

Still trying to figure out the best route for Barley and me to sidecar from Vermont. I opted against Yellowstone and Grand Tetons because of the traffic, but if I go north we'll hit the east entrance of Glacier NP on a Saturday, which I'm thinking is probably not much better than Yellowstone.

For those who have been there on a weekend in July, just how congested is Going to the Sun Road from east to west? Would we be better off checking it out on the return trip on a Monday or Tuesday?

Pete

[Coloradoclc]

Starting from Lenexa, KS and riding to Napa, CA. Spend a couple days in Napa and Sonoma Counties indulging in the fruit-of-the-vine. Then taking a day and a half to Salem. After the festivities in the beautiful Willamette Valley head back to CO via Idaho and....well I haven't exactly figured this out. But I will end up in Paonia, CO for the Top Of The Rockies rally. After all this fun, I'll slab it back to Lenexa!

[HexST]

Leaving from either St. Pete or Blairsville north to Canada hopefully the Rocky Bow Lunatic Fringe rally the week before Salem then Paonia the week after it's all written in fog for now though.

[stkmkt1]

I will stop by the Rally during my Alaska trip. A nice 30 or so day trip is just what I need. So in Late June I'm off to Alaska. Wife is flying out to Salem to meet me at the Rally where we will stay for the whole thing. She flies back home, and I continue on. Should be a blast. Just me ridin' in the wind. My hotel is about 1/2 mile from the rally. Had it set up since right after last year's rally.

[Oklabeemerfan]

I think I've got hotel/motel reservations taken care of for the trip out....now it's time to work on the return trip. I would really like to just wing it...but...because it's in July, camp grounds and hotels are filling up fast, and I don't want to get stuck camping at a truck stop.....Does anyone have any good travel tips or "can't miss" things to see on the trip? My riding buddy and BFF (Hozer) made the mistake of picking up a book at Barnes and Nobel about motorcycle routes in the Pacific NW....more decisions to be made.

[RINTY]

For those who have been there on a weekend in July, just how congested is Going to the Sun Road from east to west? Would we be better off checking it out on the return trip on a Monday or Tuesday?

Pete

It's pretty busy all through July and August, and there is ongoing road construction, which causes minor delays. There are short sections of smooth gravel. I don't know if there would be much difference in traffic volume between weekdays or weekends; the best bet is to hit it early in the morning.

Here is a recent (2011) shot of a gravel section:

[LngRdr]

I'll be heading out of OKC on the Monday prior to the rally, headed to Casper, WY for a day or 2 with grandkids, then over to Salem. On the return trip, I plan to ride back across the north and hit Glacier NP. Probably be home by the 26th or 27th, camping most nights.

[kantuckid]

I'm thinking I'll go. I ride longish days when slabbing it and prefer to take the scenic route when not. Leaving from 1.5 hrs E of Lex,KY and might consider a return route that takes in B.C.,CA and back across CA heading eastward. I lean toward a mixture of El Cheapo motels & camping.

[martinph]

For those who have been there on a weekend in July, just how congested is Going to the Sun Road from east to west? Would we be better off checking it out on the return trip on a Monday or Tuesday?

Pete

Riding through is a precession at best. Lots of time to look around.

[glenfiddich]

Thanks, Martin. I have plenty of time to figure out the best route. I might leave Glacier and Yellowstone/Grand Teton for another year so I can give them the time they deserve. The more I hear about the PNW the more I'm inclined to scoot right out there and maximize my time in the area.