| Author | Message | ||
     Okc99 |
It's gonna be warm out there in a few weeks and I know some of use are planning new trips we've never been on. I'm curious if anyone has found a "hidden gem" of a town for a weekend getaway. As I'm Googling, I think there might be some potential in Southern MD, small towns along the shore. Other ideas... Small towns in: -Maine -Vermont -South Carolina | ||
| Rotorhead |
Here are some teaser articles http://www.roadrunner.travel/category-shamrock-1.p hp for some tours all over. The mag is worth the money. Then you can read the whole article and download the maps. I don't work for them just really love the MAG. | ||
| Supertoon |
Ditto for Roadrunner, excellent mag! I would venture that Vermont and Maine will be VERY chilly until the mid/end of April..... Lets hope for an early spring!  | ||
| Babired |
Try Grafton, West Virginia It's right on route 50. Not alot of tourists go there they go to the Skyline drive and Blue Ridge. The roads are excellent along with scenery. There is a motel in Grafton that offers large rooms with huge concrete porches and chairs real cheap. Last time I was there a lot of Canadian motorcyclists where all staying there, teasing me about what I was drinking from the Camelback I was wearing. The motel is family owned and operated. I'm going back sometime. It was cool in July you are right in the mountains. K | ||
| Mainstreamer |
Give some thought to Annapolis, Md.. The old waterfront area is charming, a touch of the 19th century, and many good restaurants. A day trip across the bay to St. Micheals(sp?) would be nice!! | ||
| Babired |
 non mountainous go south of Annapolis and try Chesapeake Beach, North Beach and Rose Haven on the way down to Point Look out. Then on the Potomac side where Bobby B lives White's Ferry and the Poolesville area is nice K | ||
| Crackhead |
solmon's island is a nice place to stop, there isn't much there but the restaurants are nice and a great view of the bay and patuxent river. | ||
| Tginnh |
Stay away from New England for a spell. It's not so much the cold as the cr*p that can fall from the sky into April - sleet, freezing rain, hail, not to mention plain old snow. A patch of black ice can ruin your day. I know there are some New Englanders that ride year round, but they are familiar with the conditions. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Okc99- What are you looking to do for your weekend? As far as coastal SC, Pawleys Island is pretty cool. Lots of houses to rent, no commercial development there at all, but eateries are only a few minutes away and Myrtle Beach area is ~30 minutes up the road with all its touristy stuff. Farther south, Beaufort, SC is kind of laid back with a nice waterfront area. Everything else on the coast is pretty heavily commercialized. | ||
| Kellaupat |
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a good ride. Start at Assateague Island and ride north in to Ocean City. (No traffic this time of year) Stay on the Coastal Highway all the way to Lewes Delaware and if you have time take the Cape May-Lewes ferry over to Cape May N.J. Ferry ride is about 75 mins to cross over the Delaware Bay. The Ferry crew seems to be vey motorcycle friendly also. Cape May and Wildwood are crowded little towns but there is lots to see from a bike. Have fun and be safe where ever you choose to go! | ||
| Dfishman |
Might check out the Outer Banks Of NC.Weather is always changing this time of year.40 degrees today 60 tomorrow.Off season here & rooms are cheaper than in season.Still lots to check out.And real pretty deserted beaches.Fish are biting offshore & some good restuarants are open. | ||
| Cyclone8u |
If you can handle the weather this time of year, check out www.ridemaine.net otherwise, best to wait until summer to come up here.... | ||
| Mainstreamer |
Tginnh, said it right! I would say away from the NE, even if the weather is good the road can be a b$tch. They're very liberal with the use of salt and sand on the roads for ice control. Can be dangerous riding and corrosive to the exposed metal and chrome, especially alloy wheels. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Why would you NOT want a trip in the mountains? | ||
| Rubberdown |
It'a a big world out there, lots to see. I like variety. | ||
| Mainstreamer |
"It'a a big world out there, lots to see. I like variety." + 1 Rubberdown. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Note that he's in Oklahoma City and he says "weekend trips". I think that pretty much rules out using his Buell for transportation. I figured he just wanted someplace to hang around for the weekend(s). Of course, it'd be nice if he'd clue us in just a little more. | ||
| Hooper |
Okc hasn't updated his profile yet...he recently moved down the road from me in the Washington, DC area. There have been some great suggestions on here...I really enjoyed the Eastern Shore of MD. After you have lunch in Annapolis, cross the Bay Bridge on Rt. 50 (always interesting on a motorcycle, especially in bad weather or if you have a phobia of humongous bridges - it's a toll bridge, by the way), then head south to the towns of Easton, St. Michaels, and Tilghman Island. Oxford is a quaint little waterside town - say hello to the sheriff there...he'll remember me - he politely reminded me what the speed limit was there, and gave me a financial reminder to remember them by. Keep heading south on 50. I hear from Babired that there's a Hoopersville...gotta' go there sometime - sounds like a great place with good people. I also see on the map that there is a town across the water from Hoopersville called "Crapo". I may not go there. Anyway, that whole region is so interesting, full of old towns, fishing/crabbing/maritime industry, farms, swamps, and then the resort towns and wealthy enclaves (Rummy and Cheney prefer St. Michaels). Oh, and Delaware is right over there too, so you can add a new state to your list if you've never been there. Don't blink... | ||
| Conchop |
Try all of the eastern panhandle of WV. Shepherdstown, Harpers Ferry, Shenendoah Valley. Then go to 219 - top to bottom. Hit scenic 150, too. | ||
| Pso |
On the Eastern Shore where I live, there is also a Hoopers Island with great winding level roads leading to it. Also check out Blackwater refuge another great day ride just outside of Cambridge. Also taking some back roads north yu can run up to Centerville, or Chestertown. Let me know if you are coming over and perhaps we can make a ride together. I live just outside Easton, Md | ||
| Ulynut |
If you end up going to Delaware, watch your speed!! I think there are more radar guns than people there. | ||
| Ocbueller |
+1 on Hoopers Island and other Eastern Shore rides. I'm in Ocean City and like to ride thru the Pocomoke State Forest, backroads to Chincoteague, and Greenbackville, Va.. Feel free to look me up for a ride. SteveH | ||
| M2nc |
If you want a sight seeing cruise, OBX and NC Ferries are always fun ride.         | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
St. Micheals is an excellent suggestion as is the outer banks. I love Ocracoke Island, a fantastic place to unwind and let life reset. I don't take my SS but the family truckster and do some surf fishing, great times. M2c great pics. We stayed about 1/2 mile from the fort in Atlantic Beach. I have pictures of my kids standing on the cannons when they were 3 and 4 years old. (Message edited by Lost_in_Ohio on February 18, 2009) | ||
| Kaiser |
There are a bunch of "gap" roads over the Green Mountains in Vermont that are a ton of fun. You can spend all day criss-crossing between State route 100 and State route 7 in central Vermont. The Northfield mountains are a ridge to the east of the Green mountains in central Vermont, and they have some interesting gap roads as well. These aren't always as well developed (read as dirt roads at times), so tend to be better for dual-sport types. Once you are out of mud-season they would be perfect for the Ulysses, which is exactly why I'm aiming that way for my next bike purchase. My favorite gap roads are SR125 and SR17. I think 17 at the top of the pass in particular, is as good as it gets anywhere in the country. It's too bad the weather cuts the season down to six months or less (see comment on dirt, mud, and road debris below). Watch out for the road bicyclists though. There's a very strong road-cycling community in the state, and they roam 17 and 100 in packs. As for snow, it should be fully off the roads in May, and out of the shadow/hollows areas by the first week of June. It's the dirt/mud that won't get cleaned off the pavement until after a couple of strong rain storms that you need to watch out for. All part of the challenge. | ||
| Hooper |
I did a bicycle trip from the south to the north of Vermont...bought a t-shirt on that trip...it said: "VERMONT AIN'T FLAT". I lovermont. Gorgeous state! |
