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[JCZ]

Most of you know that Andy (AK on this site) and I are planning a trip back east next year.  We plan to ship our bikes out, fly out, tour and then ride them home (due to me only getting two weeks vacation).

Our problem is we're just not sure where we'd like to go in that two weeks so I'm soliciting your help.  If you're on the eastern side of this great country, please take photos of areas close to you that you think we should see and visit and post them here.  You can write your own description, too.

We'll either ship to the north and then head south as far as time will allow or we'll ship to Florida and ride to the north.  You tell us what you suggest.

Thanks in advance, for all the input on this thread.....we appreciate it! [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]

[Jock]

JC,

I will post some pics of different locations and you can be the judge of their value to visit...Any ideas as it relates to your interest?  i.e. - Historical Area, Scenic Area, etc.

Good Luck in choosing...

[Twolanerider]

JC, many of the good spots we've already had pictures shared of.

[ccr]

What is the time frame for your planned trip?  This would definately influence our suggestions.  I live mid country from the N to S measurement, and have travelled the east completely N-S, and the time of year of your trip would influence suggestions.  Lets put it like this.  In summer, the South is HOT!  They call it HOTLANTA for a reason!  Fall and winter, the North can be COLD!  They have snow tires on vehicles in NY and there is a reason for this!  If you land any where near Richmond Virginia, I will ride out to meet both you and AK, so let us know where you are riding and what your destinations are. As far as terrain, I think you will find that Florida is FLAT and the roads Square, but if you are attening BIKEWEEK 2006 - who cares. The more North you head for, the better the country roads get. I am most familiar with SC, NC, VA, PA, and there are more good roads than you will have time to drive on.  North of here, need other members input on.  Are you trying to butt up the mid year Colorado trip with your eastern trip, or is this separate? Our responses will change depending on your trip time frame.

[JCZ]

Good question Candy.......it'd be early June, just before the Rally In The Rockies (we'll catch that on our way back home).

Scenic, historical.......you guys show us the places that interest you.

I rememer many of those photos Don, however, I'm trying to get a lot of photos from all over, in one thread.........so that we can just go to one thread and see all the photos and make some decisions rather than trying to search all over the place for them.  And some description, too.  I remember a photo of stone mountain but didn't have a clue as to what the big deal was about it.  Just looked like a big rock to me but nothing compared to Half Dome in Yosemite and I'm thinking there had to be something there a little more significant than just a big rock and I missed it cause I've never been there.  So a short description for somebody who hasn't been to those places since my years in the Marines (Aviation) when I ran all up and down the east coast, back in the early 70's.

[ccr]

While a lot of the CVO owners from this site are on their way to Cripple Creek next year, My husband and I will be heading for Americade in the northern east part of the US.  This event is the World's Largest Touring Rally, from June 5 to 10, 2006 at beautiful Lake George, NY.  We would love to be able to make arrangements for a CVO meet and ride during this event. We had already made commitments for June before the announcement of the 06 CVO Owners Rally In The Rockies.  

 [smiley=cherry.gif]

A lot of people are going to meet here already, it is a great part of the east coast to be on for that time of year and it would be a lot of fun.  A North East CVO GTG and ride.  Then you can head towards Colorado from there.  

[JCZ]

[Fired00d]

........ So a short description for somebody who hasn't been to those places since my years in the Marines (Aviation) when I ran all up and down the east coast, back in the early 70's.

JCZ
I know this is a little off topic, but I too was in the Marines 1975 - 1978 (not quite early 70's, but thought I would ask). Last unit I was with was 2/2 @ Camp Lejuene where I was the NCOIC of TACP (Tactical Air Control Party). Perhaps we have spoken to each other before?

[Twolanerider]

Just looked like a big rock to me but nothing compared to Half Dome in Yosemite

Yosemite or something like Bryce and Zion or the Redwoods make for pretty tough comparison JC.  You can still find pretty or fun and interesting wherever you want to go though.  I just did a real quick look through pics that are less than five years old (so stuff won't have changed much) to see if I had some decent examples for at least a few areas.  Here's some simple stuff:

This one is pretty representative of a lot of the area along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This isn't right on the Parkway itself (the speed limits there can be tough to live with) but is from a pull off on an adjacent road.  If memory serves this was just a little ways south of a little place called Poage's Mill, VA.

[Twolanerider]

Here is on some barely nothing road along side Eagle Lake in New Brunswick if you're thinking of going that far north.

[Twolanerider]

And from the same trip here's what I think is the US's northern most National Park.  This is a view down the rocky coast line toward Bar Harbor, ME from Acadia National Park.

[Twolanerider]

Will try to sort through other photos later.  But to get you out of the northeast here's someplace you'll go right by on the way to Cripple Creek.  This is a stop I made one evening and pulled the bike off the road literally right on to the old Sante Fe Trail.  If you look close behind the bike you can still see wagon wheel tracks from the compressed dirt left by the wagon trails during that great rush to the west.  This was at a spot by the The Trail crosses what is now US 50 about halfway between Dodge City and Garden City, KS.

[ccr]

I don't have a lot of photos except in my mind, but a quick search engine find the top ten scenic drives in the east and it is full of pictures, maps and directions. New Hampshire scenic drives. Asheville NC routes, to include Maggie Valley of course. And when you get to Colorado, there are a lot of scenic routesthere too.

Of course if you do the Americade rally even for a couple days, you could plan to let your course take you to NY, see the Ground Zero from 9/11, see the Statue of Liberty and the obvious NY stuff, come down to Washinton DC and tour the monuments and Smithsonian, head out to the scenic skyline drive, meander your way to Hubbard's and Otis' place, and they could tell you from there. I have never been in the center of the US. Course from Washington, a trip to Williamsburg and Yorktown could be great too.

[WFP]

Well, Northern New England does offer some nice riding, Bar Harbor as Don posted is nice, here is my picture taken there from atop Cadillac MT.  For you trip, I would skip FL personnaly and start in Savannah, GA.  Work my way to the Smoky Mountains, cruise up the Blue Ridge Parkway and Possibly Skyline Drive.  Ride some of the backroads in PA, to upstate, NY (Finger Lakes and Adirondacks) then into Northern New England, VT, NH and ME.  Then down to Cape Cod.  Leaving the Cape stop at my house Friday Night, June 16th.  I have a couple of spare bedrooms and will always make room in the garage for a couple of bikes.  Then Saturday Morning meet up with naitram and ride the 2100 miles to the Rally in the Rockies over 3 days.

/Bill

[Screamin]

Wow guys. Two weeks is tough and especially if that counts the trip home. You might want to consider a couple of alternate plans. The weather's a huge factor in any June trip. Laconia's always had a rainy and cold spell. I've been in the Carolina mtns. in June in a tee or bundled up against the cold. I'd consider three routes, one on either side of the mtns. and one down criss crossing the peaks. There can be dramatic differences between one side and the other and totally different up top. I prefer God's handywork to man's so I always think of natural stuff w/ good roads instead of culture and history. That being said, I think Don's right on the coast of Maine. Rugged and beautiful. Then cruise down through New Hamp. and work your way to western Va. and N. Car. Gettysburg National Park, battlefield, in eastern Pa. ought to be a stop. Kind of a good for the soul stop. No trip, in my view, would be complete w/o doing some of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I often jump on at Fancy Gap and head S/W on the Parkway. It's slow going w/ the 40 mph speed limit but I'm generally oooing and aweing anyway. In June the Rodadendrum's bloom (bazillons of them) and that bloom is very variable depending on atltitude. Cherokee, N. Car. is always a stop for us. It's kinda cheesy touristy but lots of places to lay over, casino and it's on the way to US 129 (the dragon). A good little loop is north through the Smokey Mtn. Nat. Park and then over to 129 and back into the mountains. If you jump off the parkway to see Maggie, you'll probably miss a fairly long and maybe the best part of the parkway. Maggie's alright but there's some rugged stuff on the parkway that's worth riding that you must double back for.
An often overlooked jewel is southern W. Va. The New River Gorge area is very pretty and the bridge (60 - I think - over the river) is really quite a marvel. That's also in the Hawk's Nest park area and it's fun just getting lost there.
I'll try to post some pics, if I can find them, of various places I've taken over the past years. Sounds like a neat thing you two are into and we'll see what we can do to help you plan.