Another
surprising road. After riding through Sequoia National Park, I
checked the map for a good route home. I spotted this one just a
little south of where we'd come out of the land of giant redwoods.
This one works its way to over 6,000' and through Sequoia National
Monument. Once you reach the summit and head back down the
mountain you're treated to grand granite views seen only by those
who've discovered the area. With a left turn near the bottom,
the pavement twists down to the Kern River, through Kernville and to
Lake Isabella. Gas up before you leave. Food available in
a couple of places.
9
USA
US-30
Astoria, OR to
Atlantic City, NJ
If you want
to find out how big the USA is, just ride the Lincoln Highway.
You'll see it all--the Columbia River Gorge, Rocky Mountains, Great
Plains, farms, factories, small towns and big cities. Along the
route there are short detours to the National Motorcycle Museum in
Anamosa, IA; the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH; Gettysburg
Battlefield; the Harley factory in York, PA; Shanksville, PA where
Flight 93 went down on 9-11; the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia; and the
casinos of Atlantic City. Take at least two weeks to ride this
one way--there's a lot to see!
8
MS
Natchez
Trace
Natchez to Tupelo
Ok, so this
is just the lower end of the Trace and the upper half is supposed to
be even better. But I spent so much time stopping at the dozens
of displays, monuments, swamps and other interesting points I ran out
of time. This was an awesome run through history. Before the days
of trucks and railroads, farmers and others built rafts to float their
goods down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. When they got to New
Orleans they sold everything, including the wood their rafts were made
of. They then walked home up the Trace from Natchez to
Nashville. Watch out for the 'gators! For gas and food
you'll have to leave the Trace on one of many cutoffs along the way.
7
AZ
US-89A
Flagstaff to Prescott
When you
think of Arizona it's probably sand and cactus that comes to mind.
But not in this corner of the state. From Flagstaff you work
your way down to Oak Creek Canyon and then on to Sedona. You may
recognize this area from many movies filmed in the area. Then
you can wander a little farther to the "ghost town" of Jerome.
That's special to me because my grandfather owned a store there when
it was still a boom town. Gas and food are plentiful.
6
CA
SR-49
Jamestown to
Mariposa
This is
mining territory. A nice curvy road through the Sierra Nevada
foothills. One of my friends calls this California's Tail [of
the Dragon]. It's an up and down, left turn right turn route
that'll keep you awake and enjoying your day. Gas and food are
available, but plan ahead.
Another
surprising road. After riding through Sequoia National Park, I
checked the map for a good route home. I spotted this one just a
little south of where we'd come out of the land of giant redwoods.
This one works its way to over 6,000' and through Sequoia National
Monument. Once you reach the summit and head back down the
mountain you're treated to grand granite views seen only by those
who've discovered the area. With a left turn near the bottom,
the pavement twists down to the Kern River, through Kernville and to
Lake Isabella. Gas up before you leave. Food available in
a couple of places.
all--the Columbia River Gorge, Rocky Mountains, Great
Plains, farms, factories, small towns and big cities. Along the
route there are short detours to the National Motorcycle Museum in
Anamosa, IA; the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH; Gettysburg
Battlefield; the Harley factory in York, PA; Shanksville, PA where
Flight 93 went down on 9-11; the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia; and the
casinos of Atlantic City. Take at least two weeks to ride this
one way--there's a lot to see!
Ok, so this
is just the lower end of the Trace and the upper half is supposed to
be even better. But I spent so much time stopping at the dozens
of displays, monuments, swamps and other interesting points I ran out
of time. This was an awesome run through history. Before the days
of trucks and railroads, farmers and others built rafts to float their
goods down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. When they got to New
Orleans they sold everything, including the wood their rafts were made
of. They then walked home up the Trace from Natchez to
Nashville. Watch out for the 'gators! For gas and food
you'll have to leave the Trace on one of many cutoffs along the way.
in this corner of the state. From Flagstaff you work
your way down to Oak Creek Canyon and then on to Sedona. You may
recognize this area from many movies filmed in the area. Then
you can wander a little farther to the "ghost town" of Jerome.
That's special to me because my grandfather owned a store there when
it was still a boom town. Gas and food are plentiful.
This is
mining territory. A nice curvy road through the Sierra Nevada
foothills. One of my friends calls this California's Tail [of
the Dragon]. It's an up and down, left turn right turn route
that'll keep you awake and enjoying your day. Gas and food are
available, but plan ahead.
