Need help with great ride locations

[Patch]

Hey members, I'm working on national tour route that will be completed in the span of two months, potentially starting in April but all likelihood will probably be Mid-May. I have attached a map we are basing the trip on that gets us through all 48 lower in 52 days (giving us a week+ of extra days to add where we see fit). Each marker represents a location we will be bringing out the sleeping bags (so to speak), and while most of the journey is no where near a full days ride, we want to be able to get out and experience some great local spots as we traverse the country.

I'm looking for input from forum members to roads or locations that are absolutely a must see or experience that doesn't take us more than an hour to get to from the path presented...although the locations or ride can take several additional hours to complete.

Without spilling too much. I'm taking this journey with a friend of mine who's riding his Goldwing (a 98 model) for the last time. He has terminal cancer and is not expected to survive past 2016. We made a promise back in our college years that a national tour on motorcycles would happen before we reached 50. Unfortunately, that promise has to happen a year early. He wants to see several places on this map but also want to ride some of the most scenic or best bike roads there are.

Two are on our list right off the bat...Deals Gap (The Dragon) in Tennessee/N.C., and the Three Sisters just west and north of San Antonio. If you know of a "must not miss" location along the way, please let me know a starting point and any info you have so I can add it to our route. We will even be adjusting the route to add days if necessary. This is a no regrets trip.

Thanks a bunch in advance.


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[Cool Hand Luke]

You ought to include the Blue Ridge Parkway or a part of it on your route. It starts at Cherokee NC and goes for over 500 miles north into Virginia at Roanoke. Plenty of scenery along the route.

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Also, while in Florida you should ride through St. Augustine on A1A, and also stop in downtown Mount Dora while riding across the state. There are some very scenic roads around there as well.

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Mount Dora is on Lake Dora:

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[Travelor]

Looks like you are going very near Philadelphia, PA. PA has done a great job of restoring the original part of the city - where the Continental Congress building, the Liberty Bell, Christ Church, etc are located. Lots of street parking available. Full of History, you can eat at a tavern that is over 200 years old and still serves meals on the original plates. Right close is Reading (pronounced "Red-ing) Market, the site of the original Reading Train Depo. Don't forget to get a cheese steak!! May your trip be safe and create memories that will be recounted and revered for years to come.

[Python]

The upper part of Michigan is nice both Lake Michigan m 2 and m28 along Lake Superior

[leroysch]

Do not..repeat do not....miss the Badlands in SD.

[53driver]

If your friend is an aviation enthusiast, the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola is AMAZING.
Let me know when you come through NW Florida. If welcome, I'll ride a few hundred with y'all. If not, I understand. No worries.

[carpdm]

Sorry to hear about your friend.

Get yourself a road atlas published by Harley Davidson. Scenic roads in all states are clearly marked. If you can't find one, I'd be more than happy to send you one.

Contact me when you pass through MN. Breakfast, lunch or dinner is on me.

[53driver]

It also looks like you have Glacier Natl park on there....
When I was there, 30 Jun, they had just opened the Highway to the Sun that day for the season.
Make sure the road is open and you ride it. Absolutely breathtaking scenery.

[53driver]

Looks like your initial route doesn't get you near Deals Gap, which is almost due north (with a wee bit East) of Atlanta.

[blueverclear]

I see that you are coming right through New Orleans, LA which is where I live. It's one of those places, if you've never been, that you just really need to stop and spend a couple days downtown in the French Quarters. Its sooooooo rich with culture, music, and historical artifacts and building, and THE BEST FOOD IN THE NATION HANDS DOWN!!!! Give me a call when you come though and I would be glad to bring you guys around to see some of the sights and point you in the right direction.

I will second the blue ridge parkway from Cherokee, NC and add the cherohala skyway, tail of the dragon, foothills parkway, and the great smoky mountain national park as a whole. That should be somewhere that you spend at least a full 3 days riding through. Its about the best riding in the country for sure. I go every year in September for a week and still after 3 years riding haven't ridden all the nice roads through those mountains. Really from North Georgia where the smoky mountains begin all the way up the blue ridge parkway and up to Virginia/Maryland area is just absolutely beautiful, especially off of the interstate.

Grant