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Looking to take a big Adventure.. need help living the dream..

R80RTKen

By R80RTKen
in Local Anytime Ride and Event Planning

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R80RTKen

R80RTKen

Posted
Posted

Hey all,

so Im at lunch today talking with one of my co-workers about how much it stinks we had to skip Daytona to be here at work to make a deadline. We both go to Daytona Bike Week every year. So.. I was thinking, maybe this would be the year I ride coast to coast, Massachusetts to Cali and back.. Problem is, I only get 2 weeks of vacation a year..

 

I was wondering if any of you out there would be willing to help me ride out to Cali on weekends, by letting me leave my bike at your place for a week, so I can fly bakc to work, and return the following week to get it, and ride 2 more days.. I figure I could get my bike to Cali over 4 or 5 weekends depending on weather and my work schedule, then I could take my 2 weeks and ride it back..

 

Id be happy to buy dinner/beer/wash your bike in exchange... Im sorta talking the idea out right now, I dont have a real plan with dates and times etc, but Im serious and would really like to meet as many of you as a I can along the way.. Also..anyone interested in joining me on the ride too...

 

Thoughts? is this nuts? anyone travelled like this before?

 

Thoughts? Volunteers?

 

Cheers!

-Ken

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Deadboy

Deadboy

Posted
Posted

Sounds like a lot of money for the flights and hardly enough time to really enjoy the ride (every 2 days you have to stop again and find the airport etc etc)....why not take 2 weeks to ride out and then ship the bike back home (or ship it out and ride back)....I did this a few years ago (shipped it to New Hampshire) then rode Nova Scotia/Newfoundland and then back to CA....

 

Just an idea...shipping should be under $600 one way....

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R80RTKen

R80RTKen

Posted
  • Author
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Im open to the option as well.. What I was sorta thinking is that 3 flights will cost ~600.. Id be willing to spend ~1000 to have "ridden out and back" Not a Guinness record, but a personal goal acheived..

 

A little background, Im 34 and had a bad back injury 2 years ago. Ive been riding since childhood an a lot of my life long riding bud's have had kids, stopped riding, grown less adventurous etc etc, and my best pal who Id been talking about doing this with "next summer" since high school finally said "dude, I guess its just not going to happen"...so Im like ..OK.. Im going to do this.. ride coast to coast.. It really wouldnt matter if I shipped it, but If I can, Id want to look in the mirror and smile that I rode both ways...

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Frustrated_Diver

Frustrated_Diver

Posted
Posted

Mr. R80RTKen,

 

If DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) is on your itinerary your bike can stay in Garland. You can even count on livery service to and from the airport, with lodging thrown in too -- no extra charge. It would be an honor and privilege to assist in this trek of yours.

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bobbybob

bobbybob

Posted
Posted

It seems that the logistics of 3 back-and-forth flights would be a real damper on the trip, not to mention the extra expense. 3 flights for $600?? Tell me how that works? smile.gif If it were me, I would take the 2 weeks and really enjoy the trip one-way, taking my time and smelling the flowers...then ship the bike back.

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Joe Frickin' Friday

Joe Frickin' Friday

Posted
Posted
It seems that the logistics of 3 back-and-forth flights would be a real damper on the trip, not to mention the extra expense. 3 flights for $600?? Tell me how that works? smile.gif If it were me, I would take the 2 weeks and really enjoy the trip one-way, taking my time and smelling the flowers...then ship the bike back.

 

Wow, this sounds like a really good idea. Over here, we established that the cost per mile for an RT is around 30 cents; riding it back from San Francisco to Boston would cost about $900, not counting one's time investment. A two-week one-way ride to the west coast, followed by return shipment of the bike + a flight home probably works out to about the same total cost.

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TheTick

TheTick

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Posted

You have not determined a route yet, but you ARE going to pass through Ohio. If you are taking US-70 I would be more than happy to help. I'm in North Cincinnati/Dayton area, and US-70 is only 30 minutes from me. Dayton airport is cheaper too......

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R80RTKen

R80RTKen

Posted
  • Author
Posted
3 flights for $600??

 

Booked 3 weeks ahead on Southwest Providence RI to many midwest / southwestern destinations is 49-99 each way.

 

I flew Southwest PVD to OAK last month for $208 R/T, nonstop. the last flight would be 1 way.. so say I flew 5 one ways @$100..thats $500.

 

One way to look at it is the pain-in-the-butt facotr, the other is that Id have 3 or 4 "new-and-interesting weekend rides", followed by a big 2 week ride.. Id also have the luxury of taking the northern route one way, and the southern route the other. I agree completely its not the most cost effecient, and will probaly beat me up a little..

That said..Im a bit of a nutcase and like the adventure.

 

I live next to the airport so air travel is convienet. (Im in Warwick RI now, 1 mile from the airport)

 

 

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randy

randy

Posted
Posted

i have you covered in Atlanta, Ga either going out or coming back.

 

I would suggest something like this, ride out (two day increments) month of June , and ride back July 4 - 20. You get the extra day (4th of july) and you can join us in John Day Oregon for the 2008 Unrally.

 

just a suggestion.

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ShovelStrokeEd

ShovelStrokeEd

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You can get out and back in 3 days if you are determined enough, I wouldn't recommend it though.

 

9 days is easy to do and will leave you room for interesting stops or some out of the way touring.

 

Two weeks, including beginning and ending weekends gives you 16 days to play with. That is more than enough time to do it in a leisurely way. New tires (ME880's) will make it there and back with no problems. Lodging will be your biggest expense, with food and gas about comparable, depending on your tastes in food.

 

A lot depends on how and when you go as such options as camping become better in the warmer months. I don't do it but, I have so many frequent stay points that I could do this trip, staying in decent hotels and not spend a nickel.

 

There are many tricks to making the ride both enjoyable and easy on the mind. Learning what to pack and how makes getting in and out of hotels painless. Learning how to budget your riding time so as to both cover ground and actually see something other than a freeway divider is another art. Maps are your friends as is a good GPS for when you get lost. There are a couple of places where available fuel is scarce and you need to plan for those, although the problems seem to be getting better in that respect. So long as you have a bike with over 150 mile range.

 

I'm getting a little older now and don't pile on the miles like I used to. 600 miles in a day is enough to get me to most destinations in this country in 3 days from my home in S. Fla. If I want to push, I can still do a 3000 mile 3 day weekend but, it is tiring.

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Whip

Whip

Posted
Posted

I would prolly plan my trip around Torrey,Utah (May 16th.....18th) or the UN(John Day Oregon July 8th.....12th)

 

Take the Canadian route one way and the southern route the other.

 

 

Whatever you decide have fun and take pix for us.

 

 

Whip

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jjg3

jjg3

Posted
Posted

A coworker and his brother here in NoVA (DC area) with only 12 days to work with, shipped his bike to a bike shop in Seattle, flew out, rode back across Canada to DC (click the link and look through Alaska Canada cycle trip folder). Look closely and you'll see the more impressive part is that he's over 200lbs and was riding a Kawasaki Ninja 500, his brother (large but not quite as) was on a Kawasaki Ninja 650.

 

Shameless plug here: I did a NoVA to Vegas and back (scroll down to the Vegas ride) a couple of years ago in 9 days for a business trip. Great when work pays you to ride. They also paid me for riding to AirVenture in Oshkosh that worked out to be a large part of one of my IBA National Parks Master Traveler legs (another shameless plug).

 

He and I have a trip planned for this spring from NoVA to Hyder, AK and back. Again there are only a couple of weeks of vacation to work with.

 

I would recommend you spend time planning well and ride across the country and back in a couple of weeks. An alternative and more leisurely ride would be to ship the bike to CA, fly out and ride back. I think either would be less expensive than buying a round trip every couple of weeks, and infinitely more satisfying.

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Lets_Play_Two

Lets_Play_Two

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Being in Florida, the only kind of support I can offer is emotional. If you can get the storage you need and the idea sounds good to you...DO IT!!! Not because you may never get a chance again, but because it is too easy to let what you want to do get away from you.

 

My oldest son is a little older than you are. He quit his job once to ride a bicycle from San Diego to St. Augustine. He quit a second time to train for and participate in the Hawaii Ironman. Both things he wanted to do. The sabbaticals did not slow him down. He regularly takes his tent and bicycle to the mountains from Chicago to ride for two or three days or fly to triathlons and in two weeks 5 days to Arizona for Spring training. It may be a cliche, but life's to short to be spent anxious and stressed!!!! Take lots of pictures and give us the vicarious enjoyment!!!

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skinny_tom (aka boney)

skinny_tom (aka boney)

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I have a secure garage in Sonoma, CA where you could keep a bike for whatever time you need. Depending on the timing I could probably also help you with transportation to/from the airport and a night or two in the extra room.

 

 

If you consider shipping, you might instead consider Marty Hill. grin.gif

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amz

amz

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Posted

If you need a place to stay and store the bike around Omaha, Nebraska, let me know. Extra room w/ bed available, as will be courtesy shuttle to KOMA.

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AdventurePoser

AdventurePoser

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Posted

I live in So Cal, and would also be happy to give you storage space for your RT while you work!

 

Cheers,

Steve in So Cal

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