Topic: Riding information for a couple places in the US

[Vatch]

It looks like there’s a good chance I’ll be moving this summer, and I want to get some info on the riding in a few of the places that we (me, wife & progeny) have good prospects.  What’s the riding like (season length, weather, roads, riding community, motorcycle salvage yards, etc.)? I’m trying not to make sweeping generalizations about climates and areas.
1.   southern Oregon
2.   eastern Texas
3.   Kansas City area
4.   western WV

I’ve ridden in WV (fantastic roads), but don't know much else about the area.

Feel free to mention the prevalence and names of any good microbreweries or brewpubs.

Thanks!

[Gordon]

The only one of those places I've lived is Oregon. Eugene to be specific.  I'm guessing you mean on the western side of the mountains, since hardly anybody lives on the eastern side.  The riding season, while it lasts, is amazing, and the scenery and roads can't be beat.  The problem is that riding season is only about 5 months long.  It rains for the majority of the other 7 months, and that was way too much for me!  Plus you only get about 8 hours of daylight in the Winter.  The Summer was perfect, but it wasn't enough to make up for the rest of the year.  My wife and I only lasted a year there before we moved to Denver.

Other people love it there, but I'm a Texas boy at heart, and that was just too much rain and darkness for me.

[siter81]

Try this site    http://www.motorcycleroads.us/

Hope this helps


ED AKA SITER81

[Uncle Ernie]

The whole Northwest is packed with micro-breweries.  The friendliest people on the planet live in Portland. so much so that you may get paranoid at first. Also the best area for coffee. Seattle is known as the suicide capital of the country because of the weather, and OR isn't much better. BUT- when the weather is nice, you can't beat it.  You'll be betwen two of the most gorgeous cities in the world; Seattle and SanFrancisco.  From SF to Seattle is a great ride. I'm not sure if you can find a bad place to eat. They talk about coffee and restaurants like most parts of the country talk politics. Lots of little bakeries.  Fantastic vintage bike and car scene- and people ride these bikes, too. The head of the Velocette Owners Club is out there, for instance.  And to top it all off- possibly the most expensive place to live, too.

East Texas; they finally outlawed dogs there. It was decided it was inhumane because there's no place for a dog to lift it's leg. They all died of exploded bladders.  Great sunsets, though. Lone Star beer.  Hottiehail. Big cracks in the backyard in summer.  Good watermelon.  Most of the interesting stuff is farther West.

Kansas... Kansas.... K    an              uh.....  they have good steaks and good blues? I like the old brick architecture.   I know a kid with a 400/4 somewhere in Kansas. If you want, I'll try to have him tell you more about it.

W Va- Great roads. Close to good things in NC and TN.  When I moved to this part of the country, I was amazed to see all-you-can-eat buffets at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Not a pretty site.  You'll learn how to make green beans with fatback and onions- yuuuummmmm.  Boys down here love white food- grits, bicuits, white gravy and such. Go to a really good "do" and the boys will talk smoked meat that you normally try not to hit in the road. Good music and musicians. Don't judge a book by it's cover. A lot of these good ol' boys are sharp.  One of the first things you'll hear; "you ain't from around here, air you?!"  Some Yankees are bring beer and coffee down here, but that's all yuppie stuff that the natives don't bother with.  Yankees wo come with a Zen mind will be pleasantly surprised.

[skamania19]

As mentioned above, Oregon is GREAT for riding. It's got coast line, mountains, forests, deserts, and everything in between. BUT the weather only lets you ride comfortably May - Sept with a few good days in March, April, and October. Depending on which climate you move to, the rest of the time it's either going to be cold or wet or both. I've seen a few hard core riders out there though. No sales tax but pretty high property tax.

[Vatch]

"you ain't from around here, air you?!"

I get the ‘you're not from around’ here in Wisconsin.  I guess my western-PA accent stands out, or maybe it's my Steelers hat. 

Thanks for all the info fellas.  I'm not sure the riding season's much more than 6 months (for most) here in Wisc or in the northeast.  The big difference is the weather is pretty dry compared to say PA, so if you dress for warmth you are ok.

All you can eat KFC?  Wow.  Bushy-tailed culinary delights are fine with me.  I grew up in the Appalachians, it was just pronounced differently. 

Sounds like a 'good' rain suit would be require or OR becomes the destination.  Those coastal roads do sound tastey.

[Dave Wyatt]

What little riding I did in eastern Texas back in 79, was less than exciting.  Long straight roads across flat terrain.  Boring!

In between Kansas City and West Virginia sits southern Indiana and southern Ohio.  The state roads through those areas have lots to offer a rider.  Illinois is in there as well, but it's not too great IMHO.

[Vatch]

siter81, nice link.  Thanks for posting that.  I've seen some others like it, but that's the most comprehensive.

[heffay]

vatch-
gonna try to make this concise... i can tell you right now that... as long as i continue to "drunk post" is't nto gnno happn!

I grew up in kansas.. so...  take I70 to the center of the friggin u s of a and you found the K that ends w/ ASS... but, i do appreciate it in all of it's "stinky cow ass" glory.  in fact, keep to the eastern part of the state and it doesn't smell all that bad.  venture off I-70 toward Manhattan "the little apple" and you find green rolling hills for miles... search around in "ashland bottoms" and you'll find something similar to the meandering creekside road that i have here in boulder... damnit, did i just compare kansas to colorado!

find any side road in kansas city and you've most likely found a fun, curvy, decently paved roadway... often times leading to the only stripclub for miles!

as elizabeth "my girlfriend"  stated to and from chicago to pick up the "ducktacktylpuss" (ex500) (don't ask!), "there are way too many museums in Kansas!"

Now, don't get me wrong... i've lived in many other places too.  places that i would much rather be than kansas.  for instance, colorado!  new mexico!  utah.  (notice that was not followed by an exclamation point!)  arizona!  ohio.  (a little too rainy for an exclamation point.) and of course, the country-in-itself... BIG FRIGGIN TEXAS... oh, wait, i don't recommend texas! (notice the use of an exclamation point!) 

what am i proposing... i have no idea, you decipher that... but, there are many places to explore and in all honesty... i'm not sure i could pick a favorite just a few of the highlights

so, here's the hi-lites of every place i've been

Kansas~ circumnavigate Tuttle Creek Resevoir (makes a great racetrack)- dad used to race his college buddy around the lake in his triumph TR-6 against the buddy's mg midget... (the lake is the longest in Kansas- 17-ish miles long!)

Phoenix area~ cruise Bell Road... (metro motorsports, hooters, jack-in-the-box,etc.) and the Salt River (some of the best "tubing" you can find... "tubing" includes some of the "nakedist" chicks on water)

Colorado~ come visit me in the Boulder Canyon and i'll show you some amazing twisties!

Ohio ~yellow springs ~ near Dayton "The Glen" (yes, you have to hike!) ... just go into yellow springs and ask ("where is the glen?"... they'll look at you as if you're an alien, and point        -->    )

New Mexico~ wide open roads... more desert than you can possibly imagine... (high desert, meaning, you must jet for higher elevation...) beautiful art~ the "Georgia O'Keffe Museum" is the epitomy of Santa Fe.

Texas... yes, i know, i talked some trash but, really... there are some amazing places except, it takes A REALLY LONG TIME TO GET FROM PLACE TO PLACE!



so, long winded- yes
informative- possibly
time well wasted- most definitely!

  Heffay

[Gordon]

The only thing I have to say about Texas is that as long as you're in Austin, there's nowhere else you need to be!  

My apologies to the membersr of the group who happen to be in other parts of Texas, but I've lived all over the state and love every damn inch of it, but Austin is the heart!!  The only reason I'm not there right now is because good friends mean more to me than the city I live in, but just barely!

[Uncle Ernie]

Heffay- you sound like you're fun before you pass out. 
Back in the early '70s, rednecks used to refer to Yellow Springs as the "zoo".  I had to get my hair cut when I realized the farm boys were finally growing THEIR hair long.  Went to high school in Springfield. Moved to San Francisco 6 months after graduating.

[Vatch]

Heffay,
I've seen Boulder Canyon, and I'm envious.  The only 3 years of my life since turning 19 that I didn't have a bike (it was in PA) were the ones I spent in Boulder.  Followed a chick out there and stayed for a while.  Slug down a Java Porter at the Mountain Sun for me.   

Kansas souns like central Wisconsin: open roads, some rolling, heavy scent of cow #$%* in the air.
 

It's sounding like Tejas, at least the rural east, is place to avoid.

Cheers,
Vatch

[Objectionableone]

I live in KC - I'm downtown at 1000 Walnut (my office) as I write this.  Only two downsides to to KC - no ocean and no mountains.  Other than that it is great.  Strong motorcycle scene and may guys ride all year long.  The vintage group is getting bigger all the time.  At worst the riding season is 9 months long.  Plenty of twisties and plenty of cruiser type roads.  Many, many items of historical interest within a days ride if that is your thing too. Micro brews, barbecue and live music (whatever your musical tastes are) are everywhere.

Here is link to some guys who meet at the upscale shopping area of town for coffee and a ride.

http://www.kcplazasportbikes.com/index.html

Here is a link to the local fast kids:

http://www.kcsbforums.com/

One of my favorite places:

http://www.bbslawnsidebbq.com/BBsMain.htm


People come here from all over the country and claim it's the best place they have ever lived.

[Bob Wessner]

Slightly off topic geographically, but found this along the same lines, but more for our friends across the pond. It does require a registration of an account, then when you log in use "Route Search" and it brings up a map. Appears to be a work in progress, members add favorite routes. Example, Norway only has one or two so far.

[url][http://www.bestbikingroads.com/index.php/url]

[heffay]

vatch... will do the "slug one 4 ya"

btw, they also started a southern sun, in (you guessed it) the southern part of town... beautiful view of the flatirons!

my only gripe about the suns:  they charge way too much for everything... "oh, more salsa, suuurrre"... check comes, $1.25 for extra friggin salsa! 

aren't chips and salsa supposed to be free?!

[hiwayman_750]

In my opinion, Kansas has some of the best and most diverse rides in the Midwest. less than two hours south and west on I-35 from Kansas City are the Flint Hills. Out west, there are places where you can drive for thirty miles and never see another vehicle, great for streching out the legs and open it up a bit. I'm in the process of building a website just for this reason, to show of some of the good places to ride, and that Kansas doesn't truly suck, as so many people think it does.

... Besdies, we also are devoid of the inspection laws, and smog laws that that tend to make owning a classic so tough.

Thanks,
David

[elisent]

I did WV this year for about the 10th time. Took my son for the first time this year. Eastern WV is actually nicer than western. Some of the best east coast roads around. No traffic, friendly people.  This summer I did my first trip since 93 and it is starting to attract more tourists and get a little more built up. Snowshoe is a great spot in the summer with Cass senic railroad right around the mountain. Summersville to Richwood over the WV senic drive then north to Seneca rocks and Canaan Valley is a great ride. I personally like the little hollers and visiting the people that live there. You will never find more uncomplicated people than at the local tavern in the rural parts of WV. This is my favorite state to ride in and I'm from go to fast Philadelphia. No better east coast riding roads. Eli


geocities.com/indian440

[Vatch]

Eli, Thanks for info.   I'm guessing you've ridden up in the Poconos. Yes?  If not there are some great roads along the Lehigh River around White Haven and Jim Thrope.  Only 1.5 hour shot north from Philly.  Another great ride is cruising through the Gettysburg battlefield on a bike, if you're into history type stuff.  What a way to do it.

Cheers,
Vatch

[elisent]

Hi Vatch, I've taken many trips in the Pocono area. Heading up 309 to Jim Thorpe and Hazelton. I Did a dumb day trip to the Grand Canyon of Pa. up near Williamsport years ago. I didn't realize it was almost 600 miles round trip and was ill prepared. I never took someone elses mileage estimates as accurate again. I was in Gettysburg,Hanover and a few of the western Md. and Pa. Civil war areas many times. A local MC club does an overnight camping trip to Gettysburg every summer ,it's alot of fun. I was riding in Northern Central Md. last summer and exploring some backroads near Cunningham Falls State Park. We road till we got lost and ended up at some back entrance to Camp David. They wer'nt very happy about us being there but we got out unscathed. The guns were a little scarey. We then got caught in a lightening storm and ended up at some backwoods bar with pickled anything you want. My friend and I asked for a couple of Buds (No ordering anything but Buds and Whiskey in those kind of bars) To my amazement the bartender had 6 fingers and no thumbs. I'm not making this up. I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying. Amazingly after 3 beers I understood them completely. Another fun trip.  Eli

geocities.com/indian440

[Bob Wessner]

To my amazement the bartender had 6 fingers and no thumbs. I'm not making this up. I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying. Amazingly after 3 beers I understood them completely.i