2018 Ride Planning - Who, Where, When and What

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bigjohnsd

2021 BMW R1250GSA
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Seems like a good time to start planning for 2018.

I'm going to work the Daytona Bike Week, then hop on the Grey Ghost and head down the East Coast of Florida for Key West, back up the West Coast of Florida, across the Gulf Coast, down to the southern tip of Texas, up to and across New Mexico and if the weather is right up through Colorado, Wyoming to Spearfish.

I'll then be getting ready for Black Hills Roundup II.

The end of August event in Oregon looks interesting to me too. Might have to follow that up with a Jaunt up into BC and across to the East.

Other shorter jaunts I'm sure, the KLR will be raring to go with all of its newfound 685cc Horsepower 🤣

What do the rest of you see in your Crystal Balls?

 
All depends on how many pennies are in the travel jar.

Nakusp and Spearfish for sure. Baker City?? The Reuben is easy.

 
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Tour of Honor signed up and paid for already, memorial list comes out April 1.

SEO Ramble first weekend in May marked on calendar but no room booked as of yet.

ADVRider forum has a meet/campout May 18-20 in Romney, WV that looks interesting. All proceeds benefit a home for disabled/disadvantaged youth from a group home environment and those youth are invited to the event and many riders opt to park their bikes for the afternoon to allow these youngsters to at least sit on a motorcycle and talk to them telling tales of riding and camping that many of them may never get to otherwise even know about.

Mason Dixon 20/20 endurance rally Memorial Day weekend

Minuteman 1000 rally June 8-10th is a possible

Spearfish roundup room is booked. Plan on leaving PA on June 22 or 23 and hitting Tour of Honor stops heading west on a northern route then southern route home hitting more stops and maybe trying the IBA Pressed Penny Challenge since that requires 5 states west of the Mississippi River.

August 9-12th Roadrunner magazine rally in Roanoke,VA is a possibility

Sept. 20-23 is marked off for EOM then shortly after returning I have tickets to see Ed Sheeran in concert that were a birthday present.

Void Rally in October is a normal event for me.

I'm also hoping for a weekend trip to Wellsboro, PA and one for Williamsport, PA since they lost out on the EOM poll.

I really need more vacation time......and more money.

 
North Carolina again like every year. Because our son lives up there and also, well it NC. Kind of a big deal when you live in Florida.

We are also think of a trip out west. Probably the Black Hills area, but not during the big rally.

I am also wanting to hit the road and do a couple big mile days. Maybe not an Iron Butt 1000 but longer days then I have been doing.

 
Tracking all the meets on my calendar.

Don't know which ones I will make, but I need to complete New Years resolution #1.

Ride more, Stress less.

 
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SEO ramble now that I have the ticker in good order. We will be doing the Moonshine as always and will be heading to North Carolina to the mountains. Not sure what our exact plans are but we will be staying with our old friends at the Ironhorse Lodge.

 
This might be the year I make it to Alaska. Route through Canada to get there, visit the Arctic Circle sign, Anchorage, Homer, Seward etc. I would do some touring in the Northwest before returning home via mostly northern states. Probably on the FJR if I don't find anything bad with major maintenance this spring - it would hit the 200,000 mile mark on the way there. I would expect to take 4-5 weeks if I can squeeze that much time off work.

 
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Annie and I are heading out for two weeks in mid-June. Plan to ride Northern California then over to Colorado and northern New Mexico.

 
Trying to sort out if WSBK and Moto America at Mazda Raceway will be on the calendar this year. PCH and especially Fort Bragg to Bodega Bay on "CA-1" is a favorite scenic route.

 
SEOR kicks off the season in early May, Alaska (southern part) with a friend from Indy on a Goldwing early June, Spearfish ramble on the way back for a total of 3 weeks, EOM and not sure what else!

 
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SEOR seems within reach.

Putting together a very loose itinerary that includes getting to Naksup.

Some of those places include Dodge City, Pikes Peak, Rocky NMP, Dinosaur NP, Flaming Gorge, Promotory Point, Grand Tetons, Sawtooth Mountains, Hells Canyon, Palouse Falls, then Naksup.

I know that's laughable. No way we can get all of it in. But the choices are solid, and I doubt I will be disappointed.

After that make our way to Spearfish. By way of Banff, Glacier, Flathead Lake, Yellowstone, Bear Tooth, Devis Tower, Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and anything else.

This also is preposterous, but if we hit half of them, it will be stellar.

Oh yeah, after Spearfish, we are gonna ride the Mississippi River all the way home. Well at least to St Louis. Pants has a little further to get himself home.

Better leave with fresh rubber!

 
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Ride planning. That's funny. I just go where ever someone plans an FJR event. I don't have the motivation, brains, mapping, or organizational skills to plan my own trips. With that I am considering

SEO,

Trying to make CFR in Nakusp work but that would be a stretch,

Black Hills Roundup II for sure,

The WeSTOC in Baker OR has great potential,

I'd love to make NAFO but no one has stepped up with a plan yet.

Possibly EOM in Maggie Valley

Hooterville?

I have a lot of maybes but not much set in stone yet.

 
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My employer is in the process of selling our group. They have a buyer. I am part of the human capitol that goes along with the sale. It has been said that they will match our comp and benefits. I am in a holding pattern as I go to work for a new company and a new boss. Cannot make any plans until things are firmed up. 20 years. Thank goodness I turned 55 this year and locked in my pension.

 
I may hit the SEOR..I mean I DO live here...but I've got the boy that weekend so don't know if I'll be on 2 wheels or 4. Considering Lake Placid area around Memorial Day. Deals Gap in June. EOM. And various weekend jaunts when I've got the time and money.

 
I've got (literally) hundreds of vacation days to burn in 2018. I hope I have the courage to use as many as I can. My retirement is now less than 3 years out and BION, I've got to get busy with using my leave or I will lose it when I retire. I know that sounds insane, but I didn't make the rules.

Surely, I'll do a long camping weekend somewhere regional for Martin Luther King weekend.

At the end of January, I'm going to try something brand new. Snowmobiling. Talk about a fish out of (frozen) water.

Josh and I are already plotting the June CFR and Spearfish Extravaganza. I've already ordered a second camera memory card for that one. This much I know, it will take a brand new set of PR4s to get me out and back for that tour. Seriously, 7,500 - 8,000 miles. Holy cow, I'm a lucky man!!

I hope to make EOM my leaf peeping tour for 2018. It seems I can't get through the year without riding NC/TN/GA in some fashion anyway.

I'll fill in the gaps with some day trippin, for sure. And hopefully some writing....

If the Adventurer's soul dies without something to look forward to, I'm in good shape.

 
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Top priority = Big Money Rally. While that's not a ride, there's typically one or two in there somewhere that are SS1K level.

Reuben Run 2018. I've got blank spots in my visited states map, and lots of PNW and California folks I have not met. Wife hasn't "given permission" yet, but she understands my need. Seven or eight days on the road. Better be a damn good sandwich.

Two Atlanta trips. One to the Mackinac Bridge (Atlanta, KY, IN, and MI), and one to Niagara Falls (Atlanta, DE, and NY). The Reuben Run trip will bag Atlanta, IL, WI, MN on the way out, and MO on the way back. If possible, the Niagara trip will dovetail with NERDS.

 
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