Suzuki Burgman USA Forum banner

Summer Trip advice

3K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  dkesterson 
#1 ·
My summer plans include at least three weeks on the road in my 2011 400 From West Texas to Albuquerque (where a friend will join me) To Flagstaff to Los Angeles and up the Pacific Coast Higway to Seattle. Then on to Salt Lake City, Moab, Denver and then home. I will be staying with friends a lot while on my trek, but when not I will be camping as often as possible. Will leave around the middle of June (HOT, I know). I seem to have everything set up, but wonder about camping along the coast. Does anyone have any camping recommendations along HWY 1 or beyond? Any cautions from you guys living in the area? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Can't say much about most of it, but I've been up and down the OR/WA coast a couple times.
Oregon should be considered a giant speed trap, as should the more populated areas of 101 in WA.
Camping. Sorry, I've taken the run in motels and in an old van I had (stealth camping).
Should be some info online about that, I recall there were a few places noted that had motorcycle spots tucked away in otherwise unusable corners. Not sure if they still do. Either way bring a pad if using campgrounds those sites are well stomped and like sleeping on a rock.
Avoid the Seal Caves if you have a sense of smell.
If riding at night carry extra fuel. 101 can get real lonely in some stretches.
Lock your doors when riding through Aberdeen/Hoquiam.
If you have the time follow 101 up & around, with time for some scenic stops on the way.
If you're going to come up on the west side of the sound and take the ferry I'd suggest the Kingston Ferry & cut south to hit Seattle proper.
If you don't want to do the Ferry and choose the narrows bridge do NOT deviate off your lane at all. The wind gusts can & have flipped cars, much less a bike.

Cheers
 
#5 · (Edited)
  • Like
Reactions: gec343
#6 ·
My wife and I have taken one bike trip from Grand Junction and looping over to and up the coast and back but, stayed in hotels that part of the trip. I would recommend stopping in on the Hearst Castle near San Simeon, California and, going to a play at the outdoor Shakespearian theater in Ashland, Oregon (tickets often sell out far in advance but, there is a gathering area where tickets can often be purchased at a fair price). We went through Zion National Park and Vegas, which included 116 degree temps. With that in mind, take cooling vests (wet them and wear under mesh jacket...evaporation keeps your trunk warm. Finally, in the days approaching your entry to Moab, if it is to be on a weekend I'd love to meet up with you and, as you travel east from there on the way to Denver, DO NOT pass Grand Junction without going over the Colorado National Monument and perhaps, the Grand Mesa. You will be welcome to camp at our place in Grand Junction, where we have a nice five acre place with good views. I could possibly also hook you up for camping at a friend's place about an your west of Colorado Springs, putting you in a good place to go up Pikes Peak. Feel free to PM me.
 
#7 ·
Crossing the desert in June? Yes, I have advice: mesh riding gear in a light color, wear a T-shirt soaked in water, and hit Walmart for a case of Gatorade in the flavor of your choice before leaving.

Stopping someplace air conditioned for a leisurely lunch and a cool-down during the hottest part of the day couldn't hurt.
 
#8 ·
If temps are experienced like we saw, a tee shirt will dry out in about one minute. Even with the thicker cooling jackets we wore, able to hold much more water, we still had to rewet them after 30-45 minutes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rusty J
#9 · (Edited)
When I crossed through that region (I-15 from SLC to Vegas and LA) I would ride for an hour, stop at a convenience store and go straight to the cooler with the Gatorade and stick my head in for about 5 minutes, then buy a bottle of the stuff and slam it. The next hour, I'd stop for gas and something to eat in an air-conditioned restaurant. Then, I'd repeat the process.

When you return to the bike (if you don't have a sunshade for the seat), place a rag on the seat and soak it with water. Once it's dry -- and it won't take long -- the seat will be cool enough to sit on again.

Having water you can get at en route (on a pre-'13 650, the upper glove boxes can each hold a fair-sized bottle) is a really good idea. Consider a camelback or something of the sort. Do not let yourself get dehydrated!

Light-colored clothing helps a lot also. In extreme temperatures, I figured heatstroke was a greater threat than a crash, so went with a long-sleeved t-shirt and lightweight gloves. Light-colored mesh gear and gloves would be better, though. In the desert, a full-tinted visor is better than a tinted drop-down visor behind a clear shield, but either is far superior to having your bare face exposed to the wind. I've used duct tape and cardboard to make a hacked-on oversize helmet exit vent; it seemed to help a little but good modern helmets might not need the help.

That said, you might just want to consider doing your riding at night instead. You may be surprised how cold high deserts (such as I-15 from SLC to St. George, UT) can get at night.
 
#10 ·
Yep, all those things. But I find the best method is to get up and leave early.....dawn comes early in summer, just before or about dawn when it is still very pleasant in the desert and pack on the miles. I start early and stop early.

Many wont believe it but riding very fast will also tire you out rather than riding at a reasonable speed. You can still do as many daily miles as necessary by getting going early.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Well everything everyone is saying is true. I think you are very brave to want to go through some of the hottest parts of our country. Personally I would rather travel the Northern route in the summer. As for camping what gear are you talking with you? A tent, cook stove etc. ? Sleeping in a sleeping bag in the desert you have to be very careful snakes and scorpion can sneak into your sleeping bag. Make sure you check your shoes or boots, things can crawl in them. When I was in white Sands New Mexico the Scorpions would clime in my boots every night. If you have AAA they can give you books of each state your going to go through. The books will list camping sites. Well enjoy your trip... Always Ride Safe... Scooter 68...till tomorrow...

P.S. When you're riding breath through your nose, you loose less moisture from your body that way. Old military training...
 
#18 ·
Why didn't you lock your boots in your luggage box, or boot them in a zipper bag or something??

When I road through the desert over there in 2002, it was something like 107 degrees, and all I had for a jacket was a heavy leather bomber jacket with fleece lining. I was toasty, to say the least (;
 
#19 ·
everyone, Thanks for your comments! I still have 21 days to make sure plans are all set up but I did take your comments seriously. Moved into a new house in town so have been away from the forum for a while but checked back in once in a while. It hit me a bit that I would be riding through the desert going from from Los Angeles to Las Vegas so I scratched that off my trip because to be honest I do not enjoy riding in scorching heat so I decided to ride up to Yellowstone (Camping at Teton - seems Yellowstone is booked for the summer) while camping along the way in the Rockies and staying with a friend in Denver. Then to Seattle to a friends house for a few days to stock up. Down to SF and Sacramento then may go to LA to see friends and up to Salt Lake City (or to SLC from SAC) then to Moab to Albuquerque to Cloudcroft, NM to home. That sounds more like a cooler ride. I love to hike so many of then places I will stop and camp.
@CapeCodScooter68, I will be camping with a 2-Person Vestibule backpacking tent, sleeping bag, small portable stove and a mess kit. I will be staying with friends along the way a bit but will mostly be camping at National Parks. Have an All-Access pass to want to take advantage of it.

Again, thanks for helping me avoid the Mad Max experience :) Not that young anymore. Now need to register for AAA.
 
#21 ·
You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't pop over to Grand Junction and ride the Colorado National Monument after Moab! I would suggest as soon as you have a specific route planned, you publish it so you can receive comments for tweaks. It would be a shame to miss out on some awesome stretch of road by a few miles for lack of knowing.
 
#23 ·
Scooter_Maniac, I responded to you last week but seems my post didn't appear... Anyway, I've decided to ride over the last evening to Grand Junction and stay a bit then ride down 50 and 550 down to Albuquerque. looks like a beautiful ride, too. I have a bucket list a mile long but the whole trip will be around 6500 miles long. I believe I will do maintenance when I arrive in Seattle which will be the halfway point.

I have a specific route planned but its a wibbly wobbly fuzzy wuzzy shift-changing ball at the moment and thats okay. But when I get it nailed down, I'll post it here for feedback.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” ― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

Read that to my son last night :smile
 
#25 ·
Scooter_Maniac, sounds great! I will keep you updated on my plans though I am trying to keep them flexible as possible because I may find things and places I really want to spend more time exploring but must get to Cloudcroft, NM on July 14 to play golf with friends and home on July 16. Will be working on the tentative itinerary dates this week but the general layout is:

(June 23) Big Spring - Amarillo - Denver - Rocky Mountain NP - Yellowstone NP (stay at Grand Teton NF) - Seattle - Eugene, OR - San Francisco (?) and/or Salt Lake City - Moab - Grand Junction - Albuquerque - Cloudcroft - Home (July 16).
 
#26 ·
dkesterson - Looks good. Since the ride from Moab into GJ is a relatively short one, get an early start and go through Arches NP. You can spend considerable time there but, can get a lot out of just a drive through with a few stops/walks to some of the arches closer to the road. They have brochures at the visitors center that give walking distance to each. If you have a GoPro or similar, have it going as you start out from the visitors' center, as you get right into some good curves. Then, take 128 out of Moab, along the river to get to I-70. Finally, take 340 at Fruita. Not very far out of Fruita is the Colorado National Monument. Depending on the day/time, I'd like to meet you there and ride through it. The other end of the road through the Monument ends up at Grand Junction. It will be a full day of very nice riding. For that matter and again, depending on day of the week, I may even be able to hook up with you in Moab. Just something to consider. Scooter on!
 
#27 ·
Will do!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top