Shenandoah Valley on one
side of the road, the Piedmont Plateau on the other. You're
riding a ridgeline, a narrow road opens its views. You're in the
Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Awesome. As you ride
south with your head twisting left and right to catch the views, you
cross I-64 and leave the national park. That was Skyline Drive.
But the adventure doesn't end there. The road's name becomes
Blue Ridge Parkway and your vistas continue. Lakes, rivers,
waterfalls all the way into North Carolina. about 400 miles from
one end to the other. Deer, bear, birds and other critters are
all over the place. You meet backpackers hiking the Appalachian
Trail and the rest areas. Don't worry about gas and food,
they're available.
4
CA
Yosemite
Any road! My friend
Manny and I came in from Fresno on CA-41 and wound our way down the
hill, through the tunnel and came upon one of the most spectacular
views in the world. There before us was an expansive view of El
Capitan and Half Dome along with the many other rock features.
The whole valley spread out in front of us. We rode into the
valley past waterfalls and rivers, then back up the other side and
over Tioga Pass. Must do, must do! gas available in a
couple of locations--plan ahead. Food in Yosemite Village.
3
CA
Old
US-101 Scotia to Garberville
Ever want to feel small
and insignificant? This is the place! Old 101 parallels
the new 4-laner but is in a whole other world. It's the "Avenue
of the Giants." I'm a believer in
the "loud pipes save lives" theory but I felt guilty rumbling through
this redwood forest with its trees that are hundreds of years old.
Stop, shut the bike down and listen to the silence. It's
spiritual, awe-inspiring and magnificent. Skip rocks on the Eel
River and watch the blue jays and other birds soaring overhead.
Walk down a trail and smell the wood. No problem here with fuel
or food.
2
WY
MT
US-212
SR-296 to Red Lodge, MT
Beartooth Highway, across
Beartooth Pass through the Beartooth Mountains. Great ride.
Great feeling. Even though the road switchbacks up to nearly
11,000', it's open and non-threatening. Dangerous, yes, but you
feel more confident here than on other twisty roads up steep
mountains. Views are spectacular. Gas is limited, there's
a store at the top of the first climb and vending machines at a rest
stop/vista point on the down side, but plan your trip and your fuel
stops.
1
CA
SR-108
US-395 to
Jamestown
Combine Mt. Evans,
Beartooth, Tail of the Dragon and a couple of other of my favorites
and you get 108. This is a scenic route with twists and turns
that climb to the sky. Just after Manny and I turned off 395 he
spotted a sign that announces 26 miles of curves. I saw a sign
that announced 26% grade. It was all of that. (In case you don't
know how grade is measured--26 means for every 100 feet you go forward
you go up 26. Most roads you ride or drive are around 6-7%!).
So we climbed and twisted through the Sierra Nevadas. It was 82
miles from the turnoff to the first town, Sonora. Once we'd
cleared Sonora Pass at about 9,600', we dropped down an equally steep
road through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.
What sets this road apart from all the others is traffic--there was
none. No bicycles, no trucks, no RVs, no campers. Just a
few cars. We went through on a late summer Tuesday, so it may be
more heavily traveled on weekends. Plan your gas and food--ain't
nuttin' 'tween Bridgeport and Sonora (except a little place
called Strawberry). Just a few
campgrounds. This road is not for beginners or the faint of
heart.
Shenandoah Valley on one
side of the road, the Piedmont Plateau on the other. You're
riding a ridgeline, a narrow road opens its views. You're in the
Appalachian Mountains in Virginia. Awesome. As you ride
south with your head twisting left and right to catch the views, you
cross I-64 and leave the national park. That was Skyline Drive.
But the adventure doesn't end there. The road's name becomes
Blue Ridge Parkway and your vistas continue. Lakes, rivers,
waterfalls all the way into North Carolina. about 400 miles from
one end to the other. Deer, bear, birds and other critters are
all over the place. You meet backpackers hiking the Appalachian
Trail and the rest areas. Don't worry about gas and food,
they're available.
our way down the
hill, through the tunnel and came upon one of the most spectacular
views in the world. There before us was an expansive view of El
Capitan and Half Dome along with the many other rock features.
The whole valley spread out in front of us. We rode into the
valley past waterfalls and rivers, then back up the other side and
over Tioga Pass. Must do, must do! gas available in a
couple of locations--plan ahead. Food in Yosemite Village.
Ever want to feel small
and insignificant? This is the place! Old 101 parallels
the new 4-laner but is in a whole other world. It's the "Avenue
of the Giants." I'm a believer in
the "loud pipes save lives" theory but I felt guilty rumbling through
this redwood forest with its trees that are hundreds of years old.
Stop, shut the bike down and listen to the silence. It's
spiritual, awe-inspiring and magnificent. Skip rocks on the Eel
River and watch the blue jays and other birds soaring overhead.
Walk down a trail and smell the wood. No problem here with fuel
or food.
Great ride.
Great feeling. Even though the road switchbacks up to nearly
11,000', it's open and non-threatening. Dangerous, yes, but you
feel more confident here than on other twisty roads up steep
mountains. Views are spectacular. Gas is limited, there's
a store at the top of the first climb and vending machines at a rest
stop/vista point on the down side, but plan your trip and your fuel
stops.
Combine Mt. Evans,
Beartooth, Tail of the Dragon and a couple of other of my favorites
and you get 108. This is a scenic route with twists and turns
that climb to the sky. Just after Manny and I turned off 395 he
spotted a sign that announces 26 miles of curves. I saw a sign
that announced 26% grade. It was all of that. (In case you don't
know how grade is measured--26 means for every 100 feet you go forward
you go up 26. Most roads you ride or drive are around 6-7%!).
So we climbed and twisted through the Sierra Nevadas. It was 82
miles from the turnoff to the first town, Sonora. Once we'd
cleared Sonora Pass at about 9,600', we dropped down an equally steep
road through some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen.
What sets this road apart from all the others is traffic--there was
none. No bicycles, no trucks, no RVs, no campers. Just a
few cars. We went through on a late summer Tuesday, so it may be
more heavily traveled on weekends. Plan your gas and food--ain't
nuttin' 'tween Bridgeport and Sonora (except a little place
called Strawberry). Just a few
campgrounds. This road is not for beginners or the faint of
heart.
