Traveling cross country

[TheAxeman]

Lets say that hypothetically one were to be traveling from New York to Utah. Which states, from a boredom standpoint, would be the most painful traveling through on an interstate and how can they be avoided.

 

[Barabus]

Nebraska- sorry for anyone that lives there. Avoid at all costs.

 

[05fjrBluedevil]

yep, Kansas 70 and Nebraska 80, kind of the same thing, try secondary roads for that stretch, like hwy 44 I guess it depends, when you are going and what your are driving in/on.

How long you want to take to get there, you could pick up 66 along the way.

 

[TexasFJR]

whatever you do...be sure to go thru Estes Park, CO and Moab, UT....your fjr will thank you.

 

[Ignacio]

Nebraska and Wyoming on I-80 are certainly not everybody's cup of tea. Fortunately XM radio reception is excellent in these areas and LEO sitings are less common and more forgiving than probably back East. Unfortunately, avoiding these states is a bit like Thelma and Louise trying to get to Mexico without going through Texas. One could try and go through the Dakotas, Montana, and down through Idaho, but you'd take a 2150 mile trip and turn it into 2700+ and I'm not sure North Dakota is any better. Similar problems if you choose a more southerly route.

I guess you could get there the Long Way Round Round. Immensely more interesting, but you'd need a bunch more time and funds....and maybe corporate sponsorship and a camera man.

I'd just think of the 750 miles of no-mans-land from Omaha to Evanston as a test to see if you can do it in less than 10 hours.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I'm planning on diverting through Canada. It's only a 1,000 mile detour and I should be able to do that in about 10 hours.

Barring MID (Moose Induced Deceleration).

 

[okmac]

I think it depends on how much of a hurry you are in. I only us the Slab at the last resort. As I live in Iowa I cross Neb. quite often as I like to tour out west.

Try Hwy. 30 thru Iowa and Hwy 20 thru Neb.

I also am going to Utah and will ride Hwy 34 thru the last half of Neb. as I want to go thru Colorado .

I think if more people would quit complaining about going thru this or that state and instead start learning about the states and stay off the Slab they would enjoy the ride much more. Just the fact of riding a neat machine and having good weather and being in a good frame of mind makes any trip anywhere enjoyable.

Just my 02

Mac

 

[Bustanut joker]

Iowa and Nebraska come to mind. Several trips to northwest Kansas as a kid and young man showed me that.

:jester:

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

+ 1 -- Mac

"Glass half full" versus "Glass half empty"

Great riding in NE around the Loup River, the Sand Hills, and really great from Valentine to Mullen.

In KS, KS 140 from Salina thru Ellsworth and KS 9 thru Logan are a couple I like. Really, there's lots of 'shun-pikes' out there -- it just takes a little more research.

Time can be a consideration, tho -- like a bucket full of water with a small hole in it. If you've got a really big bucket -- great. If your bucket's kind'a small -- you may need to resort to the 'slab'?

 

[TheAxeman]

Normally I would take a more leisurely, secondary road type of ride but I would need to beat feet on the way out there and back so I'm going to have to slab it for the most part. The idea is to get back to NY before my employees completely collapse the business... <_< I may have to do like ASHE and take the high road.

 

[twowheelnut]

I-40 through Western Oklahomo, Texas and Eastern New Mexico... If ever the U.S. needed an enema, that's were the wand should be stuck.

 

[Grumpy]

I-40 through Western Oklahomo, Texas and Eastern New Mexico... If ever the U.S. needed an enema, that's were the wand should be stuck.

Now that's not nice! My mother was from western OK and I'm offended!

jim

I-40 through Western Oklahomo, Texas and Eastern New Mexico... If ever the U.S. needed an enema, that's were the wand should be stuck.

Now that's not nice! My mother was from western OK and I know she'd be offended!

jim

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Be watchful for the smokies in OHIO, it is rated as one of the highest rate of speeding tickets in the country. My detector gets a real hernia in that state!

 

[FJRMGM]

the western halves of Kansas and Nebraska are like a Martian landscape only with less life forms living there.

 

[twowheelnut]

I-40 through Western Oklahomo, Texas and Eastern New Mexico... If ever the U.S. needed an enema, that's were the wand should be stuck.

Now that's not nice! My mother was from western OK and I'm offended!

jim

I-40 through Western Oklahomo, Texas and Eastern New Mexico... If ever the U.S. needed an enema, that's were the wand should be stuck.

Now that's not nice! My mother was from western OK and I know she'd be offended!

jim

On I-40?

On I-40?

 

[ponyfool]

Pretty much everything for 200-300 miles west of I-29, from Winnepeg, Canada all the way down to Kansas City, and west of I-35 from Kansas City to Dallas is the same on the main roads. I'm sure the locals have a road or two that don't suck quite as bad, but this is the heart of the plain states, where the meaning of the word plain not only refers to crops, but to motorcycle roads as well.

I mean, if you were to take a camera shot from these stretches of road on I-94, I-90, I-80, I-70 or I-40 in the middle of summer, with the exception of maybe some small rolling hills on I-80, they'd be damn near identical photos.

Without looking at the picture properties and cheating, can anyone honestly discern this photo's location? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

[James]

As said all the plains states can be long. In Kansas going e-w I'll often take 24 or 36 instead of 70, though 24 merges w/70 close to CO. Also, you always see a number of law enforcement vehicle's starting 40-60 miles from the CO border on the KS side till you get to the border. Always. Sometimes on motorcycles. Kansas tends to be more scenic going n-s, as does Nebraska, off the interstate.

James

 

[chornbe]

I'll let ya'll know after spring of '08 (trip clock is ticking down)

 

[FJRPierre]

I'm planning on diverting through Canada. It's only a 1,000 mile detour and I should be able to do that in about 10 hours. Barring MID (Moose Induced Deceleration).

?? After you write off everything between Thunder Bay and Calgary (2200km) what's left to divert to?

I wouldn't go so high. The I90 axis starts to get interesting midway through SD.