ok im headed out west july 16 till july 31 from maryland ,,

[eric in md]

rock and roll tour pt 2 , no plans really want to spend some time in gunnision co. , Million dollar hwy, pikes peak, might even hit big sur on the west coast , big horn hwy, and ideas from this great club would love to read.  """already did yellowstone, tetons,  glacier ,beartooth, sturgis, mt rushmore, devils tower, area , """ any thing you all cam think of have to see or ride ? cant wait to hear thanks already folks ..

[Michvalk]

UUUUMMMMM; Izane XI?

[Reb]

Illinois River Road TRASH!!! 

[..]

Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Hwy 149 south from Gunnison thru Lake City to South Fork

I believe it's one of the most picturesque roads in the lower 48

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorado_State_Highway_149

Mt. Evans.

http://www.goldbeltbyway.com/

Red Rocks amphitheatre is worth taking a look at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Rocks_Amphitheatre

Any two lane road that goes over a pass. 

[Moonshot_1]

First off, before you get to the midwest, check the local road ways. The flooding has some roads closed. This can change from day to day. Things are rather saturated so a moderate rain fall creates havoc for a while.

Next, check out the dams along the Missouri. There is one in Yankton SD (Gavins Point and was there on Tuesday) and one farther down the road at Pickstown SD (Ft. Randall) Gavins Point is releasing 160.000 cubic feet of water per second. That's about 1.3 million gallons per second. It is impressive and that rate of flow is supposed to be through August. The other dams are having similar record releases as well. If one is along or close to your route, it's worth a stop.

Went to the Black Hills last year.

Badlands are neat. Ride through during sunset and sunrise for a spectacular sight. (there are campsites and motels very near by so you can easily do both)

Wall Drug of course.

The Buffalo will chase you in Custer State Park. If they look at you funny, they'll be a'commin. Just your presence is enough to set them off apparently. While they didn't actually touch our bike, one slid it's hooves under it. Way to exciting.

Mt. Rushmore is worth the stop. Not real impressed with the Crazy Horse Monument though. Looks the same as it did 30 years ago. Apparently the funds they get are used to increase the commercialization of the place. Nice parking lot and visitor center though.

Iron Moutain Road, Needles Hwy, Spearfish Canyon road, are a must.
Devils Tower is worth going to see as well. That's as far west as we've got so far.

Have a great trip.

[Slvrvalk1]

If you are coming as far as California, you should try to hit Yosemite.  If you come into the park from the east side, you can see Mono Lake.  There are a lot of spectacular views in the park.

If you hit Big Sur, come farther south and see the elephant seals and Hearst Castle.

Dave

[Red Diamond]

Hwy 92 goes thru Black Canyon of the Gunnison after leaving Gunnison heading West. It loops back to Hwy 50 near Delta, Co. If you are headed south on 550 (Million $ Hwy), take a peek at Teluride and  you may as well do Mesa Verde, probably make your rear end pucker very tightly. Before you get to Gunnison though, there is Garden of the Gods I forgot to mention, in Colorado Springs.
Ride Safely.

[Oss]

+1 on the east entrance and exit for yosemite  

88 and 89 south from tahoe also were well worth the ride

if you get to SF just north of sausalito is muir woods  the access road is curvy and the trees make you look like a munchkin  the coast highway north of wine country to oregon is all great  just watch the road you think it goes one way but it doesnt esp in the fog
sw colorado was all beautiful esp the san juan mountains around 550
give vrcc members a heads up when you come into their area and you may get some escorted rides

[Sodbuster]

Colorado Hwy 14 from Fort Collins to Walden & Steamboat Springs.  The Moose Creek cafe in Walden has great food and camaraderie.

http://www.moosecreekcafe.net/

And if you're in the mood for a northern state take a look at riding into Idaho !!. I've been thru several western states and Idaho ranks at the top for long winding scenic roads. Hwy 12 from Lolo Pass to Kooskia, and the road from Banks to Stanley and then thru Salmon (Hwy 93) to Lost Trails Pass is unbelievably beautiful with open vistas along the Salmon river.   

[DenverDave]

Trail Ridge road through Rocky Mountain National Park  elev. 10,758 ft

"The 54 miles of winding road through Rocky Mountain National Park make Trail Ridge Road a popular ride for motorcyclists"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_Ridge_Road

Any help you need, please ask.

Take it easy and drink lots of water

Dave

[MarkT]

Trail Ridge road through Rocky Mountain National Park  elev. 10,758 ft

"The 54 miles of winding road through Rocky Mountain National Park make Trail Ridge Road a popular ride for motorcyclists"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trail_Ridge_Road

Any help you need, please ask.

Take it easy and drink lots of water

Dave

Actually Trail Ridge is significantly higher than the elevation of Milner Pass at 10.7k ft.  My GPS indicates the highest point is about 12,300 ft.  Milner Pass, West of the higher section of the road, is actually where the continental divide is crossed by the road - there's a sign just west of the pass that says "Two Miles High (10,560ft)".  Trail Ridge is the highest paved pass on the continent - well above timberline into arctic tundra elevation.  BTW, If you ride with a GPS, you might notice that the timberline at the Denver lattitude is about 11,400 ft - where the bristlecone pine gives up and tundra takes over.  Interestingly, I noticed, only about 300 miles further North in lattitude, the timberline comes down over a thousand feet - on Beartooth Pass which is on the Wyoming-Montana line, the timberline is right close to 10,000ft.

[flatsixlover]

Did a 17 day trip last Summer from Baltimore to Colorado, was fantastic!  PM me your email address and I can send you a bunch of rides I put together, definitely a target rich environment for great roads.    We spent 5 nights camping at the KOA in Ouray, really biker friendly, so have a bunch of mapped loops from that area, Gunnison is a must!  I think I mentioned sending you this document at the Hillbilly ride.
The Mad Maps for Colorado is really good, the Bucksnort in Sphinx park is a must also!  Great roads in and out.

http://thebucksnortsaloon.com/

Ride Safe!

[BigAl]

Rocky Mountain National Park is a good ride. Stayed in Peaceful Valley in the park, Dude Ranch and all.

Saw about a million motorcycles go by while sitting at the cabin,, along a glacial stream.

AL

[eric in md]

  im lovin it plz keep them coming im takein notes .. and tryin to talk little short  9 1/2 finger gorden into going on our rock and roll trip #2

[OP2]

We just went out that way last year. I'd say that the Beartooth pass was one of my favorate things and it comes out in Yellowstone national park (going from east to west). Also did the Million dollar highway,very nice, stop in Silverton and go to the old west photo shop and the general store right next door, over by the train staion, and say hi to Patty and Tommy (my wifes aunt and uncle). Mounterushmore I would say is a must, also the Devils tower. If you are going further west, I would say to go to the "Going to the Sun Road", didn't do it on our trip, but wish I would have.

[T.P.]

HEY ERIC!!   make sure you stop in lake City, CO  rent a jeep and do the Alpine loop.

something you will never forget!

http://www.lakecity.com/index.php/business-directory/outdoor-recreation/jeep-a-4x4-rentals

http://www.alpineloop.com/HTML/index.html

[fudgie]

Next, check out the dams along the Missouri. There is one in Yankton SD (Gavins Point and was there on Tuesday) and one farther down the road at Pickstown SD (Ft. Randall) Gavins Point is releasing 160.000 cubic feet of water per second.

We stop at Ft randall every year. Its our morning break stop. They got a old church in the bottom (low road) that kinda neat. Toured the visitor center last year. Kinda neat. Ran outta gas there in 08.  The best view is from the south/west side of the river. One of my fav views of SD.

[fudgie]

You could stop at the Little bighorn Battlefield. Also there is a big Indian medicine wheel NW of devils tower about 100 miles. Big ebough you can see it from space.

[Strider]

Safe winds brother man!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy the trip!  You are going to have a ball!

[DDT (12)]

Hey Eric!

Like Strider says, yer gonna have a ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats on being able to pull off a trip like that. As long as you stay in the mountains and on two lane roads, you can't go wrong! California may be a bit ambitious, or at least it would be for me in only two weeks, but you're still going to see some awesome sights... Dont' overlook Utah... It always amazses me how stunningly beautiful and varied it is... We'll all be looking forward to pics and a ride report when ya return...

DDT

P.S. I hope you're able to talk Gordon into going with you. Ya'll make such a lovely couple... I'll always remember the pic somebody took of ya'll standing next to each other at Cheaha time befpre last...

[Sodbuster]

You could stop at the Little bighorn Battlefield. Also there is a big Indian medicine wheel NW of devils tower about 100 miles. Big ebough you can see it from space.

Hey Fudgie - I think you're thinking of the Medicine Wheel just east of Burgess Junction in the BigHorn Mtns.  That would be about 250 miles from Devils Tower.

[fudgie]

You could stop at the Little bighorn Battlefield. Also there is a big Indian medicine wheel NW of devils tower about 100 miles. Big ebough you can see it from space.

Hey Fudgie - I think you're thinking of the Medicine Wheel just east of Burgess Junction in the BigHorn Mtns.  That would be about 250 miles from Devils Tower.

Yea I am. Been a year since I looked it up. Guess I was off a few miles.