Traveling Well

Discussion in 'Trips & Events' started by Big_Jim59, Sep 5, 2014.

  1. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    I need some advice from you travelers. I have a problem with traveling well. Oh, I can make good time and I can sit in the saddle all day, hold the throttle open and pound on down the road like the best of em but when it comes to traveling really well I come up short. Last year I rode the VFR to Colorado, a round trip of 1700+ miles. My greatest memories were of the heat and the long ride through West Texas and both of which were not very pleasant. I have been planning my upcoming trip to Barber in October and it looks like I will be traveling alone. It is around the same distance and I want to travel better. I want better memories. I want to have a great trip and not just a hard slog with the throttle open. My questions:

    Do you stop often or take in some tourist type destinations?
    Do you talk to locals, get pictures and such?
    Do you ride Interstates just to get where you are going or do you take back roads on long trips or do a bit of both?
    Do you have a general rule about what you shoot pictures of?
    What are the best pictures from you trips?
    Food? I tend to be less adventurous eating at McDs while on the road. I know this is not good. Do you seek out eating adventure?

    You get the idea. I just need trips for traveling well.
     
  2. mofo

    mofo New Member

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    The best way for me to travel is to take the back roads our beautiful country has to offer as much as possible. I stop as often as I can, albeit for a few minutes, to take photos and enjoy in the scenery. I do mix in back roads and slabs, but my guess is that 85% of my riding time is on back roads.
    I love talking to locals about the town's history, take pictures of old, dilapidated buildings, and almost always I get new tips and ideas an roads that are less known. Sort of riding off the beaten path.
    I never book rooms in advance as I don't know where I'm going to end my day. I have the mentality that I may end up sleeping on a bench for a few hours, and don't mind that.
    I prefer Mexican food, but never go out of my way to find a Mexican restaurant. I'm happy with a full belly and can eat at any place on the side of the road to save time and keep riding.
    My first half of my riding life was spent riding the back roads of Mexico, the other half, up to this point, has been exploring the back roads of USA.
    If you have a specific question for me, let me know.
     
  3. marriedman

    marriedman New Member

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    Oh man, you are robbing yourself of memories! The thing about touring is not the destination. Might as well take the car for that. I'll slab it to get to an area I want to ride, but then it is all back roads.

    Pictures? If you have a digital camera, put it on a lanyard and set it to rapid fire. Take hundreds of pics while on the bike. Just hold it and snap pictures. Don't try and use the view finder. Out of 50 you may find 1 you want to keep. Delete the rest.

    Food porn is essential to touring. If you have ever been there before or if it is available at home, don't eat there. The best pork tenderloin sandwich I ever had was in a gas station in Muncie, IN. No joke. And if you get the shits from eating awful food, well then you have a great story!
     
  4. RotaryRocketeer

    RotaryRocketeer New Member

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    Exactly this.

    I never, EVER ride on tollways. People are in too much of a hurry and I don't like the idea of paying to use a road, something about it just doesn't jive with my vision of what riding is all about. I don't take pictures of things unless they are unique (like antique cars, etc.) or something I might never see again. Not too many landmark photos either. I have a photographic memory and if you weren't there to see it, then screw you :biggrin-new:, you should've bought a bike and come with. There's something really fun about making conversation with people I know I'll never see again as well. You learn some really interesting things once in a while.

    Sure, sometimes I get tired and sore and just want to get there (wherever "there" may be.) But I ALWAYS look back and realize how blessed I was to get to do it in the first place and furthermore, to make it in one piece. I have fond memories of every trip I've ever taken out of town on any bike I've had.
     
  5. GreyVF750F

    GreyVF750F Member

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    I plan my trips weeks in advance using Rand McNally and Google Maps. If it's a longer distance I'll super slab to get in the general area (depends on time set for trip). Then I hit #2 and #3 backroads. #2=good secondary two lane, #3= regular two lane down to cow paths. yea been there. You need Google Maps so you can blow up the pic to find short cuts thru neat areas. No paper maps break it down as far as Google.

    I get to meet a lot of locals and see how they live. Eat at the mom & pop diners, most have at least good to great food. Plus they will give me tips on different/better roads, scenery or things to visit/see. I also love the smaller mom pop motels. Most you can park in front of your room.

    When on the slap it's basically 100-150 miles, then gas and go w/may be 10-15 break depending. On secondary
    I stop whenever the urge strikes. You can boogie on some of the secondary roads better/faster than the slab at times or you can poke along. Must be careful around small towns and your speed. No need to go ripping thru someones town, cops don't like that. There's enough back roads for that. Most cops, troopers etc I've asked directions from have been great. As well as most locals.

    That's where the fun is for me. I basically travel alone also. That way I can go, stop or do what ever I want at any time. Even change direction because of new info from locals.

    Enjoy your trip. I'm planning a Barber trip in the future I hope.
     
  6. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    There is a neat book called "Blue Highways" by Least Heat Moon. He decided to take a couple of years off and drive around the country. His criteria was he would stick to "blue" roads on the maps (before Google Maps), then wrote about his travels. Great book. He loved the Mom & Pop diners, and he says the more calendars on the wall, the better the food!
     
  7. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

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    I try to never use major roads, I can't remember the last time I used a freeway.
    McDonalds? Come on man, life is too short to eat shit.
    There is always a good Cafe or Pub to eat or snack and meet people.
    Most of my destinations revolve around good roads or scenery, or events. I try and make the ride there the best part.
    Take it easy when you need, and enjoy the scenery/food/coffee/people, and have a blast when you hit a good bit of road.
    I always seems to take the long road to get anywhere.
    A group is much more fun, but sometimes you have to ride on your own.
    Get comfortable gear that is suited to the season, no point freezing to death, or cooking while you ride, either of them sucks the fun out of the trip very quickly.
    I take many breaks and enjoy photography, and food, and good coffee, and that stretch of bendy road that I'll have a second go at.
    Time is always a factor, so reality sometimes doesn't give you the freedom to make the trip the best it could be, the trick is to adjust and make the best of it.
    McDonalds? Was that the only option?
    It's not the destination, it's how you get there.
     
  8. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    I agree on Mickey D's, having said that, their grilled chicken wraps and sandwiches are the healthiest meal they got, and you can count on a reasonably consistent meal, forget the fries.
     
  9. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    I've probably done a hundred thousand miles easy on the bikes running around the country from coast to coast and north to south. And I've always traveled under the flag of "It's not the destination, it's the journey". I've always felt that as long as I never wanted to be in a car instead of on a bike it was all good. So far that's never happened, even in the nastiest, coldest, hottest, rainiest, windiest conditions, I've always been thrilled to be on a bike.

    I never eat fast food when I'm traveling, unless nothing else can be found, and that can actually happen in this day and age. I've seen some small towns that no longer have any kind of diner or cafe because the McDonals or Burger King or KFC take a lot less work to run. Some of the best meals I've ever had have been in small town diners, and some of the worst too. You get to see the people, see them interact with each other and you can get a bit of the feel of small town life at times.

    Needless to say I'll ride the back roads unless I've got an actual destination to be at a set time, which is pretty rare. Heck I'll usually ride Highway 36 across Kansas rather than I-70. And if you ride long enough you'll get the chance to see things change and mourn some of the things we've lost along the way.

    I'm not a big one for chit-chat with strangers, but will shoot the breeze with fellow motorcycle travelers when the opportunity arises. 45 years ago actual motorcycle touring people were still relatively rare, so you stopped and exchanged thoughts when you met out on the road. Heck, we were rare enough that kids in front yards and farmers out on their tractors would wave.

    I don't take many pictures when I'm by myself, but have lots from the past when I traveled with one wife or another.

    Just remember it's the journey not the destination. When someone asks me where I'm going, I always say "Home" because that is destination of the trip I'm on at the time. Until you get home again, the only thing that matters is the journey.
     
  10. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    I want to thank everyone for the thoughtful comments. This is something I have been giving a lot of though to. A lot of my problem with "traveling well" is due to my own personality. I am more goal oriented than given to exploration. My comfort zone is setting goals and then meeting those goals (number of miles.) Most of this is having to unlearn engrained behavior.

    I do have a set time for arriving in Alabama and for seeing the sights at Barber so I will always feel a bit of time pressure.

    As for McDonalds on the road, I'll admit to being lazy. I know what they have, I know the culture (ordering) and they are ubiquitous when on slabs in America. It's just being lazy.

    I like conversation with strangers, especially hearing their stories and getting their pictures.
     
  11. VFR Love

    VFR Love New Member

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    1) I take time to explore local attractions be they touristy or not. Riding twisties is fun, but unless I check out a locale then the ride just blends in with every other ride. Kind of like sex. Doesn't matter how attractive the sights, how far I went or how loud it was- the best memories happened because I went somewhere unique and unexpected along the way.

    2) tawking to da locals always makes for better stories. The one thing that always astounds me is how vast this world is and how many people there. Town after town of people, people and more people. That's a lot of liking a lot of the same things and feeling self-righteously opinionated.


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  12. VFR Love

    VFR Love New Member

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    3) I avoid treacherous roads laden with traffic when at all possible. Much prefer the scenic route unless as you say I am looking to make time (usually heading home).

    3) I take pictures mostly of nature and architecture and try to include my bike. Dawn or dusk for best light with the sun behind me if it's bright. And if I want to get a mountain range I try to include leaves from a tree or something in the foreground to help give a sense of scale and dimension.

    4) best pics? Ones I took not on my iphone, but a real camera which I apparently refuse to carry.

    5) coffee helps curb hunger even if it can leave me jittery or dehydrated. I don't eat fast food more than once every two days- it's nutritionally devoid and leaves me depleted. Eggs are usually a safe bet in any diner. Then some oatmeal or bread and some fruit... Pretty good anytime of day. Pbjs pack easily and really are great for sustained energy. Toast the bread a little to prevent it from getting soggy if it gets muggy. I'll take stale/chewy over mushy anytime.

    I have found a bungee cargo net to be of great value. If something gets wet I can speed dry it. If I overbuy or get frustrated with keeping luggage tidy I can chuck it under the bungee cargo net.

    Washing my face is almost as good to refresh and invigorate my spirit as music accompaniment on the ride.

    People are often friendlier when I tell them I'm from out of town and on a trip. Particularly if they ride themselves or share a wanderlust. Vicarious travel is the next best thing to the routine of life.


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  13. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    Thanks VFR Love. Those are really great suggestions. I carry a camera and a GoPro and still get what I think are pretty shitty pictures. That's good advice on the photography, keeping objects in the foreground. I had an old riding buddy that took excellent picture. One day a friend commented on his skill with the camera and asked for his secret. He said "I read the little booklet that came with the camera. I think people in the pictures really helps set them apart especially if those people can be identified.

    Also, good advice on the peanut butter. Talking food helps keep cost down and opens up other avenues for meeting people when you sit and have a sandwich.
     
  14. jev.

    jev. over there

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    When I went to Indy for the inaugural GP in '08 I ran back roads up and slabbed back. The only thing I remember of the trip back is it was looong. The fondest memories were the back roads and scenery of the trip up. I enjoyed that more than the GP.
     
  15. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    I think I made a considerable effort to travel well. I just got back yesterday and it was a better trip because I shunned national fast food chains, I made an effort to talk to people and I stopped more often.

    Stopping and just stretching my legs really helped ward off fatigue. When I felt my legs starting to cramp or my butt start to get uncomfortable I just stopped and walked around a bit. It worked wonders. The star of the trip was a small Thermos I purchased at Wal-Mart as an experimental trial. I am not a coffee drinker but I am an ice tea drinker. The Thermos was perfect keeping the tea full of ice and very refreshing. I could also make tea in my hotel room so I always had a beverage with me. It slipped under the cargo netting and was always at hand.

    The meals were fun. When you eat at local places the people working there are apt to be more friendly and less inclined to look as if they want to hang themselves. I don't know why I didn't notice this before. Conversations about what's good and what to order go on longer rather then shorter and that was half the fun. The best meal I think I had on the trip was in Jackson Mississippi at the Frisco Deli. The ribs (dry) baked beans and potato salad were recommended and they were fantastic but I saw the local patrons getting nothing but the fried chicken and fish. I must drop in again.

    20141009_190324.jpg 20141009_191918.jpg

    I managed to engage many people in conversation. I met a couple of guys as I pulled up at the Mississippi tourist center. They said they were on vacation and just knocking around until they needed to be in Nashville TN, on Saturday for an "engagement." I asked if by chance they were musicians? They looked at each other funny, smiled and said “no. We are on our way to a mortician’s convention.” They were a couple of undertakers on holiday!

    DSCF2682.jpg

    The hotel I stayed at in Birmingham was an older one that had been re-branded as a Quality Inn. It wasn't very quality with standing water under the toilet, a roach bed mate and a mattress that tried to dump me in the floor but the view was pretty nice.

    20141010_175631.jpg
     
  16. OZ VFR

    OZ VFR Member

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    Great stuff mate, the journey should be us much fun as the destination.
    Now you need to find a couple of mates that will go with you, better again.
     
  17. grabcon

    grabcon New Member

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    My wife and I ride a fair amount, I ride 20 to 25k miles a year while she does less since she still works. We typically take two bikes so for us stopping every 150 or so miles in in order. My old body just needs a break. We like to do something less than 500 miles a day. But that does not leave much time for tourist type of things. 300 a day would be better for that.

    We just did a trip to Marble Falls, Arkansas. We live just south of Denver and did about 2250 miles in 7 days. 2 days out and 3 days back and 2 days riding when there. For all of these miles only 20 miles of interstate. It is all about the back roads of America for us.

    For me it is all about the roads and what one sees. For the wife she likes to stop, see and do things. So I need to keep her happy every now and then.

    For pictures every time you stop take pictures. If you can do it will you ride too. I have a GoPro mounted to the front of my bike and I take stills with that when riding. The best pictures from trips is hard to answer because that changes all the time depending on the trip. Big scenic with the bikes in the frame, pictures while in motion, especially on highly technical and scenic roads.

    For food we try to eat somewhat healthy but it is hard, but we do not eat fast food unless we are in a real pinch. Food is like the roads you need to try what is there. You never know what you will find and like.

    Our trips are well planned when traveling together. The wife likes to know where she is staying. If I travel alone I will wing it on the lodging. I do however really try to plan the routes out well. I like to know where I am going. When I get there then I will wing it and do unplanned rides. I do everything in the GPS but I also print my maps before I leave.

    Safe travels. Remember motorcycling is A Journey of Discovery.
     
  18. GreyVF750F

    GreyVF750F Member

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    Big_Jim59 sounds like you had a good trip. Glad to see your expanding your traveling MO. (method of operation) That's funny about meeting mortician’s instead of musicians going to Nashville. Yep you never know who or what you're going to meet up with on back roads. That' the enjoyment of it for me.

    After a while of doing it the back road way you'll start to recognize which places to eat and stay are the ones you want. The smaller motels are a challenge at times Then other times the will surprise you like this one did me. Only $50 a night.[​IMG]

    I fine that a lot of this type are my style. They have old but very nice clean rooms that are up to date basically and I can park my bike right outside the door. Most are not expense and the owners are good people.

    [​IMG]

    Thanks for the ride report.
     

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  19. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    It's funny but it has taken me a life time to discover things that should have been obvious. Now I need to apply the lessons of "traveling well" to my life as in "living well" all the time.

    I also learned not to fear the rain. Ever since I spent two days in the saddle, soaking wet, I have dreaded riding in any kind of rain. This trip I kind of figured I would run into some wet weather and I did. I don't have a high end rain suit but I did buy a Frogg Togg suit that was just fantastic. I didn't get wet and I rode through some really hard rains. I got to the point where i was comfortable with the bike in the wet and I don't think I will ever fear rainy days again.

    I like the style of the smaller motels but they are a real crap shoot when it comes to quality.
     
  20. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    I tried pre planning part of my spring time trip homre from R3 on my gps this year and got so damned lost it was hilarious. For a whole day after leaving Ft. Collins CO, I only had a vague idea where I was until later that night, when I stopped at a roadside ma and pop motel and asked the girl atthe register des where I was. But that was neat. Stopped in some small hick town somewhere about two hours before at a rundown bar for a burger snd beer. Then had a great laugh with two locals while we had a smoke outside. I had a cheap cigar. They each pulled out a doobie. Great ride that was. Except for the tornadoes. Didn't really like those but I managed to get around two I think. South Dakota I think.

    Good on you for your adventure. They are great aren't they?
     
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