Best roads from Carolina to Denver to Oregon and back?

[chrisskor]

I'm riding this July from Charlotte, NC to rally in Oregon. I've never been west of Denver before. Anyone have "roads you just gota ride"

Route East to West:
Charlotte July 10, 2013
to Denver,
to Moab, UT (Iron Butt 1000 to Salem, OR)
or to Rawlins, M (Iron Butt 1000 to Salem, OR)

Route West to East:
Salem, OR
to San Francisco (gota ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, bucket list)
to Reno, NV
to Salt Lake City
to Denver ?
to Cheyenne, WY ?

What's the ride like from Reno to Salt Lake City?
How much spare water do I need to carry for ride out west in July?

[rhyeks]

Sounds like you are planning a great trip! Lots of different routes to choose from but the things that may help decide are how much time you have, how far you plan to ride each day and which places you want to see. Pretty basic stuff that you probably have already considered. I did a similar trip when the rally was in Redmond three years ago and chose a few places that I "had to see" and tried to plan my route based on that.

I took a southern route after the Golden Gate Bridge and crossed the Mojave Desert in the middle of the afternoon with the rest of my trip through the southwest/southern states. If you plan a route similar to that, I would suggest not only a good amount of sports type drinks to replenish electrolytes, etc. but a way to keep whatever you plan on drinking and pouring on you cold. Either a cooler with ice, thermos bottles, Hydro Flasks, or something similar. Places to stop for something cold out that way can be few and far between.

[Polarbear]

The Interstate80 is a very pretty ride over the Sierra to Reno, but as a local out here, many greater options exist but timely! Take one of our great pass rides; Carson(Hwy88), Ebbetts(Hwy4), Sonora(Hwy108) or Tioga(Hwy120)YNP Passes are all best choices for mc travel. All are South of the Interstate 80 which is Donner Pass. I would not want to miss the famed US50 crossing Nevada, starting at Fallon,NV to Interstate 15 in Utah. You can cut it off at ELY,NV and get back to 80 at the Bonnevillle Salt Flats and on into SLC. My favorites above are Ebbetts and Sonora Passes. Tioga is in my back yard and a frequent of mine. Yosemite NP. Interstate 80 across Nevada is IF youre in a hurry only. Water? Always carry a quart or two of fresh water. Drink MORE than you think you need. If youre not pee'in at stops, youre in trouble. A really good guide to know if youre getting enough H2O!!! Randy

[kantuckid]

I suggest coming up from Carolinas into TN , then west through nwAR/ seMO ozarks then fast west to CO & linger through the mtns as time allows then aim for Tetons/YSNP then N & OR. OR meander through wine country/west coast, do your bridge thing then east per ideas above & back to CO & linger some more!!! Ride partner?

[Polarbear]

Utah has the most National parks of all states and Colorado has got to be on everyones list to hang out. Both states, plan well to achieve the most benefit. The Golden Gate Br. has got to be one of most folks higher priorities too, a great sight to see. The Summer on the bridge can be a toss up thing, as it gets very foggy at times during Summer months. Take a chance, its worth it. A walkway exists, so one can walk the GGB expanse one end to the other and a GREAT photo op on a clear day. Most days are clear in Summer, above the fog, so just play the odds and hope for a clear bridge. BTW, the whole West Coast gets fog in Summer at times, so no picking on bridge thing here. Usually riding inland a few miles or less gets you out of it, OR even staying on the coast can change from mile to mile. Enjoy, Randy

[chrisskor]

Thanks for the all the great ride suggestions. I'll have to rethink my packing to make sure I have enough room on the bike to carry extra water for the ride across AZ and UT. Maybe I'll just strap a bag of ice to my back and let it melt.

Ride Update:
-----------------
I'm planning 1 week to ride from Charlotte, NC to Salem, OR. Leaving July 10th, wondering westward across CO to Moab UT by Monday, July 15th. On Tuesday July 16th I'll get up early and start Iron Butt 1000 to Salem, OR arriving morning of Wed, July 17th. I'll setup tent, sleep, then volunteer at the start of the rally. As you can tell, lots of details to work out as I ride along, nothing firm, the road and weather will tell me where to go next. All are welcome to join me on the ride out.

My ride back will be more leisurely, no Iron Butt, 1 week riding down west coast, over GGB, then east back to Charlotte. I'll plan to ride as many of these great roads suggested as possible before time catches up to me.

For the first time I'm going to try motorcycle camping. My first test ride\camp will be this weekend at www.MarchMotoMaddness.com ride to Tellico Plains, TN, then RA Rally, June 20-23, Biltmore. Www.bmwra.org finishing with GA Mountain Rally, May 3-5, Hiawassee, GA, Www.bmwmoga.info. If you're at any of these rides, look for the blue R1200RT from SC with blue bag full of camping equipment. Still trying to figure out how to packed clothes, bike stuff, tent stuff, other stuff on the bike. Maybe I'll start another thread on camping tips.

--Chris Skor
--Charlotte BMWMOA

[W7lej1]

Chris, I respectfully submit that you are not budgeting enough time for all of the good roads west of Denver. Of course, (full disclosure) I have lived somewhere or other "west of Denver" for over 40 yrs and I have not yet found enough time for all of the good roads!

Enjoy "our" west! You will find it somewhat difficult to go far wrong...

Regards, Marty

[mule]

Susanville then north thru Mt Lassen wilderness to join I5 is great. Or from Lassen go 97 to Crater Lake then up and over to I 5 at Roseburg south of Eugene and on into Salem.


Or ?

[billner]

I drove west out to Utah 2 years ago in April (not the best of ideas due to weather) and found some great roads before getting to the Utah area which is sensational. If you cross from NC into TN on the Dragon (rt 129) you hit a great rd to start your trip. By staying just south of I-40 in rt 70 through TN, you get a nice drive with some surprising scenery to Nashville. From Nashville take the Natchez Trace trail southwest before heading west again toward Arkansas. In western Arkansas was a fantastic road called the Talamena scenic hwy that was terrific. Don't know what traffic will be like in July, but in April, I saw exactly one Corvette in 55 miles. Nice. Utah has too many options to list, but getting there through northern NM and northern Az are excellent bets with great scenery. Have fun!

[RTRANDY]

Thanks for the all the great ride suggestions. I'll have to rethink my packing to make sure I have enough room on the bike to carry extra water for the ride across AZ and UT. Maybe I'll just strap a bag of ice to my back and let it melt.
--Chris Skor
--Charlotte BMWMOA

Can't recommend enough riding with a CamelBak on your back. 70oz size is plenty and the ones made for cyclists will do the trick. Fill it with lots of ice in the morning with added water and it will stay ice cold all day. Simply place the bite tube under your chin guard when you need a drink and then let the tube fall away when not drinking. This way nothing to pack and you can drink ice cold water all day long avoiding dehydration while lowering core temp. . The notion that drinking often in heat will create the need to stop often for restroom breaks is nonsense.

Riding with packed water bottles in 115 degree temps in July will give you 115 degree water to drink when you have to stop to take a drink.

[128521]

I think it is called the million dollar highway, from Ouray Colorado to Durango, RT 550, the black canyon of the Gunnison is pretty cool too! actually every pass I have ridden over in Colorado was awesome!

[128521]

a less traveled option is 145 from Telluride to Dolores

[billy walker]

I'm riding this July from Charlotte, NC to rally in Oregon. I've never been west of Denver before. Anyone have "roads you just gota ride"

Route East to West:
Charlotte July 10, 2013
to Denver,
to Moab, UT (Iron Butt 1000 to Salem, OR)
or to Rawlins, M (Iron Butt 1000 to Salem, OR)

Route West to East:
Salem, OR
to San Francisco (gota ride over the Golden Gate Bridge, bucket list)
to Reno, NV
to Salt Lake City
to Denver ?
to Cheyenne, WY ?

What's the ride like from Reno to Salt Lake City?
How much spare water do I need to carry for ride out west in July?

Chris, you need to check out the Loneliest Road in America while you're out there:

http://www.ponyexpressnevada.com/

You can use this road either coming or going and will keep you farther north than I-40. By the way get your copy of "The Official Hwy 50 Survival Guide" from "TravelNevada.com" I believe it is and once you have completed the route you'll become eligible for a certificate. I know who cares about a certificate? But it will be fun imagining how they crossed this area back in the 1800's while we ride our BMW's!

I'm riding to the Bonneville Salt Flats in August and will be doing Highway 50 (the Loneliest Road) as well. I would prefer to pass on August but that is when the Land Speed Records for Motorcycles are held and they probably won't change the date for me so August it is.