Travel suggestions

[3fan4life]

4 extra days would be worth it. Beg, borrow or steal to get'em if you can. It's worth it. Really.

I would love to add 4 days to the itenerary but my riding buddy can't.

I can take the extra days off from work but he can't and he's too good of a friend to make him ride home alone.

There is one extra day in the schedule, if it's still available to us when we get to Yellowstone we may use it there.

Mo will be hot and humid, Ks will be just HOT - think Hell. The areas that might be worse are in the Desert SW and Death Valley. Over 100 is common in August - 110 is not unknown. You will be looking forwards to rain so you can cool down (if you get any).

People are generally friendly out here. Plan your fuel stops - gas stations can get scarce.

I'm in hopes of good weather.

My buddy is an early riser.

So the plan is to start each day at first light so that we can get as many miles behind us as possible before it gets unbearably hot.

[F6Dave]

I'm late to this discussion, so I'll just chime in on what's already been said.  I'd scratch Four Corners.  It's a huge disappointment.

But I would definitely add Beartooth Pass.  It is probably the most spectacular road I've ever ridden.  But check the weather reports carefully any time of year.  These photos were taken when I rode it during the week of July 4 in 2017.  There was heavy snow (6-7 inches) the next day.

[3fan4life]

Scenery like that is the main reason that I'm planning this ride! 

[scooperhsd]

Oh - West of KC (I435 on the KS side) until Topeka - I-70 is an 80MPH toll road. At least I ride / drive it that fast . Some people go faster.

If you get to KC for dinner, I'm close to I70 and I635, and Willow is down in Olathe (about 15-20 miles away). KC is KNOWN for great BBQ . I'm still working on building my knowledge base of good places to go.

St Louis is kind of a mixed bag on roads. My last pass through last August moving out here, we took I64 through until it joined I70 west of St Charles (Wentzville ?). Watch your speed in Columbia and maybe some of the other Missouri towns. Avoid KC and St Louis rush hour if you can.

Coming from VA - you'll probably want to take the WV turnpike. Yeah , its toll, but the roads are good and there's enough curves that you're not bored. West of the Appalchians - you can make pretty good time on I64.

[3fan4life]

Oh - West of KC (I435 on the KS side) until Topeka - I-70 is an 80MPH toll road. At least I ride / drive it that fast . Some people go faster.

If you get to KC for dinner, I'm close to I70 and I635, and Willow is down in Olathe (about 15-20 miles away). KC is KNOWN for great BBQ . I'm still working on building my knowledge base of good places to go.

St Louis is kind of a mixed bag on roads. My last pass through last August moving out here, we took I64 through until it joined I70 west of St Charles (Wentzville ?). Watch your speed in Columbia and maybe some of the other Missouri towns. Avoid KC and St Louis rush hour if you can.

Coming from VA - you'll probably want to take the WV turnpike. Yeah , its toll, but the roads are good and there's enough curves that you're not bored. West of the Appalchians - you can make pretty good time on I64.

My plan is I-77 to I-64 to I-70.

I haven't been west of the Missippi River on I-64 since the early 80's.

Back then getting through St Louis and Denver wasn't much of a problem, but like everything else that has probably changed for the worse.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Oh - West of KC (I435 on the KS side) until Topeka - I-70 is an 80MPH toll road. At least I ride / drive it that fast . Some people go faster.

If you get to KC for dinner, I'm close to I70 and I635, and Willow is down in Olathe (about 15-20 miles away). KC is KNOWN for great BBQ . I'm still working on building my knowledge base of good places to go.

St Louis is kind of a mixed bag on roads. My last pass through last August moving out here, we took I64 through until it joined I70 west of St Charles (Wentzville ?). Watch your speed in Columbia and maybe some of the other Missouri towns. Avoid KC and St Louis rush hour if you can.

Coming from VA - you'll probably want to take the WV turnpike. Yeah , its toll, but the roads are good and there's enough curves that you're not bored. West of the Appalchians - you can make pretty good time on I64.

My plan is I-77 to I-64 to I-70.

I haven't been west of the Missippi River on I-64 since the early 80's.

Back then getting through St Louis and Denver wasn't much of a problem, but like everything else that has probably changed for the worse.

It’s been a few years now. But on our way to Inzane Spearfish, going thru Denver sucked. Construction was everywhere. Ron (one of our members) hit a break in the road so hard it cracked his front fender. I’d try to skirt around it if you can.

[gordonv]

But I would definitely add Beartooth Pass.  It is probably the most spectacular road I've ever ridden.  But check the weather reports carefully any time of year.  These photos were taken when I rode it during the week of July 4 in 2017.  There was heavy snow (6-7 inches) the next day.

I was going to add bring winter riding gear for the passes. During the InZane at Billings, we had 104' at Little Big Horn, and lite snow flurries at the top of the pass. Others had snow the same week, the week of June 6 if my memory is right.

[3fan4life]

But I would definitely add Beartooth Pass.  It is probably the most spectacular road I've ever ridden.  But check the weather reports carefully any time of year.  These photos were taken when I rode it during the week of July 4 in 2017.  There was heavy snow (6-7 inches) the next day.

I was going to add bring winter riding gear for the passes. During the InZane at Billings, we had 104' at Little Big Horn, and lite snow flurries at the top of the pass. Others had snow the same week, the week of June 6 if my memory is right.

Yeah I already thought about that.

I was telling my buddy that I was packing my heated jacket liner instead of my heated jacket to save space.

He was like, What are you taking that for it's August?

I told him that we would be in elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 ft and that it can snow there in August.

He hadn't considered that possibility.

[Jess from VA]

I got the Tshirt on that one.  I have a fancy tourist sweatshirt I paid way too much for at a tourist shop, because I was freezing my ass off on Skyline Drive one summer.

The bikes now always have some hi tech insulated gear in them for such cases, but this was before that.

Rain gear, which should always be on every bike, is always a fallback in the sudden cold.

[fudgie]

But I would definitely add Beartooth Pass.  It is probably the most spectacular road I've ever ridden.  But check the weather reports carefully any time of year.  These photos were taken when I rode it during the week of July 4 in 2017.  There was heavy snow (6-7 inches) the next day.

I was going to add bring winter riding gear for the passes. During the InZane at Billings, we had 104' at Little Big Horn, and lite snow flurries at the top of the pass. Others had snow the same week, the week of June 6 if my memory is right.

Yeah I already thought about that.

I was telling my buddy that I was packing my heated jacket liner instead of my heated jacket to save space.

He was like, What are you taking that for it's August?

I told him that we would be in elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 ft and that it can snow there in August.

He hadn't considered that possibility.

Ive ridden it a few times. Done it 1 time in full leathers and others in just a sweatshirt. The gf has done it in short sleeves a time or 2. Inquire in Red Lodge or Cooke City (depending on how u go) for current weather info. Red Lodge HD has the "I survived Beartooth Pass" shirts.

[3fan4life]

I got the Tshirt on that one.  I have a fancy tourist sweatshirt I paid way too much for at a tourist shop, because I was freezing my ass off on Skyline Drive one summer.

The bikes now always have some hi tech insulated gear in them for such cases, but this was before that.

Rain gear, which should always be on every bike, is always a fallback in the sudden cold.

In July 1986 I was riding the BRP with my now ex wife.

We wound up spending the night is Asheville, NC.

When we left the hotel that morning it was 70 degrees.

This was the trip that I made my first trek up Mt. Mitchell.

Dressed in my usual summer riding attire of a t-shirt and blue jeans it got so cold that I thought my nipples were going to freeze and fall off.

I paid $25 for a sweat shirt (in 1985 $$) for the ride back down the mountain.

That trip and some experience hiking around in Mt. Rainier National Park taught me that the weather can change in a heartbeat at higher elevations.  

[Jess from VA]

No kidding Mark.   

I think I paid close to $70 for my fancy print/picture front tourist sweatshirt, because 1) it fit and 2) was the heaviest/warmest one they had (some years later).  I don't even like the sweatshirt, it sits in a drawer.

However my nipple story is different.  The first time I rode with my Gerbing liner, I could not get my boxing glove gauntlet fingers on the tiny controller knobs, and I about burned my nipples off, before finally just pulling off and ripping all the wires off the bike.  They tell you to only wear a long sleeve T under the liner, and that didn't help.