Unobstructed Views

[hppants]

Absolutely no apology necessary - I think your post was spot on, sir!!!

Pista - your post touches me. I certainly don't profess to be God's gift to motorcycle touring. But I have had some wonderful experiences and they have moved me to write with the hope that others will venture out more and see the world for what it truly is - fantastic and beautiful.

But again, I digress.....

When I'm wandering a State, at stops, I like to look at the map. The PAPER map. The one you get for free from the State office of Tourism. Ahhh - the old farts will know what I mean......

Anyhoo - the map always shows State parks, historical sites, landmarks, scenic byways, etc. If it looks neat - I go. Plain and simple. Once you get there, there will be signs and other information. One thing leads to another and before you know it, you are on a bonified adventure.

Couple of other suggestions:

1. When in doubt, find a river and follow it. I know it sounds stupid, but people need water. There is always a road that parallels the water. It is usually curvy and it is always scenic.

2. Pay attention to the brown signs. There is always something neat to see there.

 

[marcusorelius]

We go on a lot of ride & hikes, it's so nice to sit on the bike & ride home, especially after a long hike!

 

[rbentnail]

We go on a lot of ride & hikes, it's so nice to sit on the bike & ride home, especially after a long hike!

Which is where the NC State Park system has excelled! Falls Lake Rec Area alone has 26 miles of hiking trails and Gorges State Park itself has 24 miles. We're lucky in the aspect of mtns in the west and ocean coast in the east and everything in between in between. The mtn "Piedmont" stretches for a quite a while and the "Coastal Plains" even farther. Heck, we even have one state park accessible only by boat or kayak. Talk about pristine! I've mentioned before that travel like this has been a real treat in that most parks I've visited and hiked are on dead end roads- not normally taken by riders as they don't loop in a big circle- so I've seen places and things I never would have before.

There's always the work-in-progress Mountains-To-Sea hiking trail: about a 1000 miles (literally!) to be walked. Maybe an afternoon jaunt, eh?

https://www.carolinaoutdoorsguide.com/HikingMST.html

Get out and see and do, even just in your own state. As West By God Virginnie says, its "Wild and Wonderful"!

 

[SacramentoMike]

Pants, you've started a pretty good thread--good RR, lots of philosophy about the joys of motorcycling, and a dumping ground for lots of good ideas, like rbentnail's: "visit all the state parks in your state." That one inspired me to look up this, in fact. Got some explorin' to do.

Also liked your thoughts about being in the picture, instead of just looking at it through a window. I never smelled the smells in a car like I have on a bike--pine forests in clean mountain air, new mown grass in pastureland, the odor surrounding the Foster Farms turkey farm just off the freeway a ways south of here. Well, OK, they're not ALL great. But hey, it's part of the experience. Whatever your friends and family think.

 

[Jer]

Pants I enjoyed the pictures and narrative and will pass it along to my wife. She really enjoys your stuff even though she is a non rider.

 

[FJRPittsburgh]

Great ride report Pants! This is an excellent way to treat my PMS. Thank you.

 

[Niehart]

hppants;Couple of other suggestions:

1. When in doubt, find a river and follow it. I know it sounds stupid, but people need water. There is always a road that parallels the water. It is usually curvy and it is always scenic.

2. Pay attention to the brown signs. There is always something neat to see there.

And if the highway sigh says "Old such and such highway" it's almost always worth checking out.

 

[Big Sky]

hppants: fjrforum.com's Peter Egan. That's the feeling I get; a very good one. Pants is an excellent writer in my opinion. A nice, easy, readable style. It's not his words or sentences or syntax; it's what he makes you see, feel, hear, smell and taste with them. And what he makes you think. Seriously, Pants, you need to be collecting and saving all these; file and organize. I hope you shoot high-res. Someday hook up with an editor and you've got yourself a fine book on "Why I Ride and What I Learned While Doing So." Internet publishing these days is cheap. Build a book in PDF. I'd buy it. And what a legacy for your family and survivors and offspring.

 

[hppants]

B/S (pardon the pun, sir) - high praise for sure! Especially knowing about your own literary talents. Many thanks.

I have kept all of my ride reports. I'm keeping the picture too, but quite frankly, they are relatively low res and, well... that is an issue.

I've thought about starting a blog when I retire. Hopefully, SWMBO will be willing to edit (er..... proof read) for free.

 

[jonjonboo]

great ride report (as always sir) sorry I could not make the trip. I am planning a trip to Big Bend National Park last week of Feb, hope you and mike can make it. Will contact you with details soon.