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So I can get plenty of time off in march to do a cross country trip.
Last year we had snow in April here in Chicago. Which brings me to belive the mountains can be even more unpredictable.
Is it all a bad idea? Was planning Chicago>Omaha>Denver>Salt Lake>SF As stops. So that's 3 nights. Majority I-80
I don't care about the cold. I ride in the 30s whenever there's no snow here.
My main concern is what the rules are out in the mountains about motorcycles in the mountains. Don't they ban them during certain seasons? Basically if you can't have chains you can't pass. Does that apply to interstates?
I don't know anything about the laws in CO, but March in the Rockies is still winter. I'm like you- riding in 30deg air is no big deal, but even on roads that are supposed to be cleared, black ice around the next bend can be a real problem. Way not go south thru TX to CA and up the coast to SF?
Secondly, you're talking abut 1000 mi/d. Brutal. At 100mph you get beat up by the wind and at the speed limit, you're riding 12+ hrs a day. Why not slow down and sight-see a little? Enjoy the trip. If you just want to get to the destination, take a plane.
If you got that much time, why not follow old Rt 66 and get to know America a little?
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago_Person
So I can get plenty of time off in march to do a cross country trip.
Last year we had snow in April here in Chicago. Which brings me to belive the mountains can be even more unpredictable.
Is it all a bad idea? Was planning Chicago>Omaha>Denver>Salt Lake>SF As stops. So that's 3 nights. Majority I-80
I don't care about the cold. I ride in the 30s whenever there's no snow here.
My main concern is what the rules are out in the mountains about motorcycles in the mountains. Don't they ban them during certain seasons? Basically if you can't have chains you can't pass. Does that apply to interstates?
I've been through a fairly healthy snow storm on I-80 west of Reno in mid-September, I have to believe March can likely be just as bad. Mountain weather can be very unpredictable, I was in S Lake Tahoe in June one year, one day it was 28 degrees in the morning and 95 later that same afternoon.
I don't know anything about the laws in CO, but March in the Rockies is still winter. I'm like you- riding in 30deg air is no big deal, but even on roads that are supposed to be cleared, black ice around the next bend can be a real problem. Way not go south thru TX to CA and up the coast to SF?
Secondly, you're talking abut 1000 mi/d. Brutal. At 100mph you get beat up by the wind and at the speed limit, you're riding 12+ hrs a day. Why not slow down and sight-see a little? Enjoy the trip. If you just want to get to the destination, take a plane.
If you got that much time, why not follow old Rt 66 and get to know America a little?
It's supposed to be fun. Buon viaggio.
It is actually an average of 550 miles a day(About 7 hours a day). I meant 3 nights of travel to the west coast. Spend a week there. Come back in another 4 days. If I diverge south I'd probably add an extra 2 days to travelling and take away 2 days of resting on the west coast.
I kind of wanted to make a straight shot there, but Yeah. Maybe heading south is a bit better. I wish I could get 3 weeks off.
By what everyone just said it sounds like ice/snow is will still be a problem during spring break. Which sucks.
I guess if I can squeeze in 4 more days I can head south via I 40
From what I've been seeing on the news lately, maybe you're gunna need chains for driving in SF too. That human ***** on the streets can get pretty slippery, I bet
Keep us posted so we can enjoy the vicarious experience. Will you be riding alone?
I asked on various forums and everyone basically told me not to do it.
Even I-40 can get snow in the Santa Fe-Flagstaff route.
Spring break is really the only time I could get 2 weeks off. So summer was not an option.
After calculating the costs of hotel/gas I think I'm better off just doing the coast from SOCAL to NOCAL with a rental in 3 days. And just stay with family in the bay area... enjoy my time off.
But I already did the northern half of highway 1 so I was hoping to see new things. Even then I have to watch for rain up in the bay.
When I was in my teens with a beater YAM two stroke....a gas and oil mixer....had a couple days of snow in Oregon.....you can do it with "outrigger" legs and do about ten mph.....LOL......and have no regard for man or machine
Month of March along the I-80 corridor in Wyoming through Utah is frequently the "snowiest" month of the winter season.
It's not uncommon to have road closures lasting a day or two due to the storm lessened visibility and road surface conditions (especially black ice) along this route in Wyoming.
As well, you're not looking at 30F daytime temperatures along this route where it runs at higher elevations on many days in March. It wouldn't be uncommon for daytime temps to be in the 'teens or even lower ambient temperatures.
The route you plan can be problematic at this time of the year along I-70, I-25, and I-80 due to the prevailing weather patterns anywhere in the higher elevation areas.
Your alternative plan to tour the CA coast is a much better option. IMO, however, doing this in 3 days doesn't do justice to all the attractions and places of interest along the coast. You might consider taking a couple more days to explore the area and enjoy the travels instead of just having "windshield" time for your vacation.
So I can get plenty of time off in march to do a cross country trip.
Last year we had snow in April here in Chicago. Which brings me to belive the mountains can be even more unpredictable.
Is it all a bad idea? Was planning Chicago>Omaha>Denver>Salt Lake>SF As stops. So that's 3 nights. Majority I-80
I don't care about the cold. I ride in the 30s whenever there's no snow here.
My main concern is what the rules are out in the mountains about motorcycles in the mountains. Don't they ban them during certain seasons? Basically if you can't have chains you can't pass. Does that apply to interstates?
i can only speak of CO. I live here and I ride dirtbikes/dualsports/ADV and yes we do have snow. sometimes march will just bomb snow over the roads and will be extremely slick. if you do, just be careful. good news is, it melts within a day or 2. no chains needed on motorcycles out in CO. not sure about other states
So I can get plenty of time off in march to do a cross country trip.
Last year we had snow in April here in Chicago. Which brings me to belive the mountains can be even more unpredictable.
Is it all a bad idea? Was planning Chicago>Omaha>Denver>Salt Lake>SF As stops. So that's 3 nights. Majority I-80
I don't care about the cold. I ride in the 30s whenever there's no snow here.
My main concern is what the rules are out in the mountains about motorcycles in the mountains. Don't they ban them during certain seasons? Basically if you can't have chains you can't pass. Does that apply to interstates?
(Chuckle). Trying to put this in perspective.
In my late teens to about age 37, I was a total bike head. Sport bikes, GTs, raced three seasons, did four years of track days after that , E or 300 group, Expert AFM, AMA reciprocity for awhile.
Four summers ago, rode 2,700 miles in southern Africa in four countries w/Bill Biketruck and Charlie Boorman. Astounding trip, on a BMW 1250 GS.
I don't ride much anymore, I don't know why other than I'm 51 and seem to enjoy sports cars more. But I certainly have been hard-core and could be again, if I needed to be. With some prep, I'd ride cross country given sufficient time to complete the task. Probably four days, min. In fact I did a third of it, in September, mid-southern route (I-15) and it was oven-hot through Needles, cooling into New Mexico. I'll take dry heat in a second vs. snow and ice, though neither are ideal.
SO: guess I know a little a LD riding too, with two Saddlesores completed (1000, and 2000). More than that does not really grab me. I have some fantastic Africa gear more for hot weather than cold, but good to about 45-50 degrees F to about a hundred F.
In my opinion, born and raised in Michigan and traveled over most the country, Chicago to Omaha in March is a major gamble. I drove a BMW car (540i) from Detroit to Iowa and points west (through Nebraska) March 2002. There was a major blizzard day before I blew through. They plowed it, but there was salt, and ice patches, everywhere. The 540i did okay, but I was dddskating around on the ice part of the time. Tensest 45 mph on an interstate I've ever done that half-day from Davenport to points-west. I was not far behind the plows.
I wouldn't do it, that's waaaay too optimistic. You could win, or you could be in a blizzard. If you can do a go/no-go the week before, disregard and go for it. Some years are great, others incredibly heinous.
Crossing the Rockies? Hard core. Donner Summit? Ditto. You might, or might not, get away with it and it will be a breeze. Or, you may end up eating your party at Donner Summit (cough).
Some of the BMW crowd in particular just load up the heated vest, heated gloves, wool socks w/other insulation, and go for it, to hell with ice sleet and rain. I rode to Alaska and back end of May 2004 on the same theory, worked out great on my Honda Blackbird (GT bike) but there were some cold sections. I was ready for it. I was riding with hard-core IBA guys. These guys just say, "It's Do-able!" and trek out, man. They just crack on, as the British say.
I was hard core, but never quite THAT hard. That attitude wins the IBA bi-annual. Kills guys, too, but with great victory sometimes comes great risk.
Report back if you live, please.
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