CA to The Dakotas

[blurry vision]

Thanks for all the info I received last October. I took my first long trip and it was a blast. I'm hooked now. I am riding from CA to the Dakotas in July. MY route will leave CA heading for AZ, NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, MT, ID, OR and back home to CALI. What are the must see points of interest and roads to ride? I will camp at a KOA every other night if weather permits. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Aasland]

Avoid Yellowstone NP - it's a parking lot with frequent stops.

But don't avoid the Beartooth Highway and Chief Joseph Highway (between Cody, WY and Red Lodge, MT).

In Bozeman, MT: Eat at the Pickle Barrel up by the Montana State campus. Best sammiches EVER!

 

[Slade]

Big +1 on the Beartooth Hwy and Chief Joseph Highway to the Sun. Also if it can be worked in try out the Wind River Canyon (near Thermopolis) and Powder River Canyon (through the Big Horns) rides. Well worth it.

 

[FJReady]

I enjoyed the Bear Tooth Pass very much. Twice in fact, last year. Also + 100 on the Cheif Joseph. One of the nicest motorcycle roads I've ever been on. Don't miss it. Also I dont know the name of the road but if you head west from Mount Rushmore there are several miles of fabulous riding in eastern Wyoming. If I remember too I'll check my maps from my trip last year and post the route number.

You'll have a blast.

 

[blurry vision]

Avoid Yellowstone NP - it's a parking lot with frequent stops.

But don't avoid the Beartooth Highway and Chief Joseph Highway (between Cody, WY and Red Lodge, MT).

In Bozeman, MT: Eat at the Pickle Barrel up by the Montana State campus. Best sammiches EVER!

[/quote

Thanks for the advice. My friend I'm riding with said we will ride around the NP. I put the pickle barrel on my list. Thanks

 

[blurry vision]

Big +1 on the Beartooth Hwy and Chief Joseph Highway to the Sun. Also if it can be worked in try out the Wind River Canyon (near Thermopolis) and Powder River Canyon (through the Big Horns) rides. Well worth it.

I will look at the map and check these roads out. I will be at KOA every other night. I need to see if these roads are near one, if not its hotel night. I really appreciate the info. Thanks

 

[ctfjr]

Thanks for all the info I received last October. I took my first long trip and it was a blast. I'm hooked now. I am riding from CA to the Dakotas in July. MY route will leave CA heading for AZ, [SIZE=12pt]NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, MT[/SIZE], ID, OR and back home to CALI. What are the must see points of interest and roads to ride? I will camp at a KOA every other night if weather permits. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here is a link to a ride my son & I took several years ago to (parts of) the states highlighted - with pix

Should be a great ride - enjoy the hell out of it!

Adam & Jerry's Ride

 

[bigwhited]

Thanks for all the info I received last October. I took my first long trip and it was a blast. I'm hooked now. I am riding from CA to the Dakotas in July. MY route will leave CA heading for AZ, [SIZE=12pt]NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, MT[/SIZE], ID, OR and back home to CALI. What are the must see points of interest and roads to ride? I will camp at a KOA every other night if weather permits. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here is a link to a ride my son & I took several years ago to (parts of) the states highlighted - with pix

Should be a great ride - enjoy the hell out of it!

Adam & Jerry's Ride

The 12 and 24 through Utah is a great ride. The 141 and 550 "million dollar highway" through colorado is amazing!

 

[FargoFeej]

I live in eastern ND. Not much to see here except lots of green things growing on very flat land. In Jamestown though there are a couple of white buffalo, albinos I guess, very rare and sacred to Native Americans. So, we built a museum for them.

In western ND the scenery is much better, especially west of the Missouri River. Best thing to see in southwest ND is the Medora musical, in a former ghost town now a touristy trap place. But the musical is a real treat, and the Pitchfork fondue before it is excellent. You know, steaks on a pitchfork, quickly cooked, very tasty that. The show often sells out so you hafta get into town early or book ahead.

Clicky: https://www.medora.com/

There is a campground on the west side of town; I do not know if it is a KOA--check the site above. A wonderful ride through the Teddy Roosevelt National Park starts there also. Buffalo, wild horses, large prairie dog villages, stuff like that. (And now you can carry your firearm through the Park legally, but I'm pretty sure the buffalo are still off limits.)

My younger brother and I will be taking a trip from Fargo to Boise from July 28 to Aug 8. He's a V-Star guy. We're taking Hwy 200 across ND to avoid I-94. It's a wide two lane and cuts across the middle of ND, avoiding the heavy truck traffic on Hwy 2 in the north and I-94 in the south. Medora is on I-94 so you would need to take freeway some of the way. In the southern part of the state Hwy 46 runs across much of the state, but it is very straight. As in so straight that you should practice swerves once or twice a day to keep your steering bearings from seizing.

If you get to the NE part of the state, we have a Minuteman missile silo that has been restored and is open to the public. (The missiles are gone, probably converted to Gen I engines, if the guys on this forum can be believed those bikes go, like, a THOUSAND miles an hour!)

In the middle of the ND is one of the best fishing lakes in the US, Lake Sakakawea. Even better is Devil's Lake in the north central part of the state. West of Devil's Lake on Hwy 2 is the geographical center of North America in Rugby, ND--could be a good photo op.

I am sure there is a lot more, but for a quick visit these are highlights. If you have any specific interests let me know and I'll ask around for you. We have all of 600,000 people here and I probably know someone from every town in the state to ask about things you might want to see or do.

Richard

Fargo, ND

 

[blurry vision]

Thanks for all the info I received last October. I took my first long trip and it was a blast. I'm hooked now. I am riding from CA to the Dakotas in July. MY route will leave CA heading for AZ, [SIZE=12pt]NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, MT[/SIZE], ID, OR and back home to CALI. What are the must see points of interest and roads to ride? I will camp at a KOA every other night if weather permits. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here is a link to a ride my son & I took several years ago to (parts of) the states highlighted - with pix

Should be a great ride - enjoy the hell out of it!

Adam & Jerry's Ride

The 12 and 24 through Utah is a great ride. The 141 and 550 "million dollar highway" through colorado is amazing!

Thanks for the info. I haven't ridden Hwy 141 yet. I'll see if were going on the western side of Colorado. I rode Hwy 550 last October on my Birthday ride. It was fabulous. I stayed in Ridgeway the night before I rode over Hwy 550. Nice little town.

 

[blurry vision]

Thanks for all the info I received last October. I took my first long trip and it was a blast. I'm hooked now. I am riding from CA to the Dakotas in July. MY route will leave CA heading for AZ, [SIZE=12pt]NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, MT[/SIZE], ID, OR and back home to CALI. What are the must see points of interest and roads to ride? I will camp at a KOA every other night if weather permits. Any info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Here is a link to a ride my son & I took several years ago to (parts of) the states highlighted - with pix

Should be a great ride - enjoy the hell out of it!

Adam & Jerry's Ride

WOW! Looks like you had a great time. The pics were really nice. I am chopping at the bit. Two more weeks. Thanks for sharing the views.

 

[blurry vision]

I live in eastern ND. Not much to see here except lots of green things growing on very flat land. In Jamestown though there are a couple of white buffalo, albinos I guess, very rare and sacred to Native Americans. So, we built a museum for them.
In western ND the scenery is much better, especially west of the Missouri River. Best thing to see in southwest ND is the Medora musical, in a former ghost town now a touristy trap place. But the musical is a real treat, and the Pitchfork fondue before it is excellent. You know, steaks on a pitchfork, quickly cooked, very tasty that. The show often sells out so you hafta get into town early or book ahead.

Clicky: https://www.medora.com/

There is a campground on the west side of town; I do not know if it is a KOA--check the site above. A wonderful ride through the Teddy Roosevelt National Park starts there also. Buffalo, wild horses, large prairie dog villages, stuff like that. (And now you can carry your firearm through the Park legally, but I'm pretty sure the buffalo are still off limits.)

My younger brother and I will be taking a trip from Fargo to Boise from July 28 to Aug 8. He's a V-Star guy. We're taking Hwy 200 across ND to avoid I-94. It's a wide two lane and cuts across the middle of ND, avoiding the heavy truck traffic on Hwy 2 in the north and I-94 in the south. Medora is on I-94 so you would need to take freeway some of the way. In the southern part of the state Hwy 46 runs across much of the state, but it is very straight. As in so straight that you should practice swerves once or twice a day to keep your steering bearings from seizing.

If you get to the NE part of the state, we have a Minuteman missile silo that has been restored and is open to the public. (The missiles are gone, probably converted to Gen I engines, if the guys on this forum can be believed those bikes go, like, a THOUSAND miles an hour!)

In the middle of the ND is one of the best fishing lakes in the US, Lake Sakakawea. Even better is Devil's Lake in the north central part of the state. West of Devil's Lake on Hwy 2 is the geographical center of North America in Rugby, ND--could be a good photo op.

I am sure there is a lot more, but for a quick visit these are highlights. If you have any specific interests let me know and I'll ask around for you. We have all of 600,000 people here and I probably know someone from every town in the state to ask about things you might want to see or do.

Richard

Fargo, ND

Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate it. I will have to get a Central states map tomorrow. North and South Dakota are not covered on my Western states map. I was going to look up the roads tonight. I will check them out tomorrow. I never thought about bringing my classic collapsable fishing pole until now. Collapsable fishing pole, one hook, one lure and maybe dinner.

 

[FargoFeej]

Addendum:

If you are interested in aircraft and military history, the Fargo Air Museum is a great place to visit. They have a Vietnam Memorial "Week" in May and June each year. I've gone several times and they go all out. It lasts much longer than a week, thus the quotes. I'm from that era (USN but not in country), and it seems that many of us on this forum are. It is definitely worth a side trip if you are on the road that time of year. Fargo is on the eastern end of ND, bordering MN, and is reached on I-94 from the west or I-29 from the north or south. Hwys 46 and 200 will also get you close from the west.

https://fargoairmuseum.org/index.php

You have to dig a little to find photos and descriptions of the last Vietnam week.

https://fargoairmuseum.org/pdf/FAM_NewsletterWinter2010.pdf

They also have WW2 and Korean War exhibits.

Have a great trip! And watch out for roadwork--we have just a short period of good weather to get the roads back in shape...

Richard

Fargo, ND

 

[loomer]

Now you're talkin' my neck of the woods! I grew up in western South Dakota and here are some of the places you have to hit. First of all Mount Rushmore, it's a national icon, but unfortunately the rustic charm it used to have has been replaced by paved, concrete, and black marble "monument structures" but none the less is a must. Also make sure to check out the Crazy Horse Memorial, pay the admission and go see what this man has started and his family continues, also the Indian museum there has the best collection of artifacts and artwork from every tribal nation. Then circle down and catch Custer state park, you can ride with the buffalo there and two of the best roads in the hills are there. One, the Needles Highway which is relatively short but packs natural beauty punch. Second is Iron Mountain Road (which connects the park with Mt. Rushmore) this road is a marvel of beauty and engineering with "pig tail" bridges and several tunnels cut through with breathtaking scenery. If it gets to hot for ya consider talking a tour of one of the many caves in the area, they are beautiful and a nice cool break. Jewel cave, Rushmore Cave, and Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns are the best. To the south is the Mammoth site in Hot Springs, it is an old sink where wooly mammoth used to get stuck and die, now it is a really interesting archeological excavation area. If you like fossils check it out. Going north from Rushmore is Deadwood, which now has legalized gambling so it's a bit of Reno with more history and cheep drinks. Near Deadwood is the Spearfish canyon, also excellent riding and beauty and it's on the way to devils tower in eastern Wyoming which is another awesome and odd geological formation sticking out of the ground.

East of Rapid City on I-90 is the town of Wall and the Wall Drug Store. This place is hokey roadside American at it's best (DO NOT MISS THIS PLACE) if just to say you have been there. It's fun and dumb and there is nothing around for miles so it's well worth the stop. South of Wall are the badlands, again one of the most visual stunning sites you are bound to encounter, and the site of filming locations for several movies. Most of the roads are in good shape but do keep an eye out for deterioration asphalt. Oh and make sure you have a buffalo Burger and an Indian taco while you are in SD.

That is the must see for western SD, but if you need more info on lodging, good eats, and roads drop me a note.

I did want to tell you about a few places in Colorado that we have visited that are also awesome. Check out the Million Dollar highway near Durango, and if you get off the beaten path look up Bishops Castle near Colorado springs.