By Motorcycle: Seattle to Sturgis SD to South Florida!

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Hey Road Trip USA --

I will be traveling from Seattle to South Florida by motorcycle this summer.  Aside from a few days in Sturgis for the bike rally I have a wide open agenda.  I would like to avoid freeway riding as much as possible and stick to secondary roads.  I have about 20 days to do this.  Any suggestions on things to see and a possible route would be greatly appreciated...
 
Big

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Dear Big -- 

Many thanks for writing in to Road Trip USA -- hope I can help find you a good route down to Florida.  Seattle to Sturgis is pretty straightforward -- I'd recommend following old US-2 east over the Cascades as far as Glacier National Park, where you can ride my favorite road in the world, the Going-to-the-Sun Highway.  

I cover this whole route in my US-2 "Great Northern" road trip, in the book and online:  

From Glacier  I think I'd circle back down to Missoula and US-93, which follows a lovely route (with many appealing detours along the way.) Next stop: Yellowstone National Park, and the winding ride over Beartooth Pass (US-212, up to Billings MT).  Maybe run south to the Grand Tetons from Yellowstone, if the weather is cooperating. 

Then you can pay your respects to Gen'l Custer & Co. at Little Big Horn, and / or look for "Close Encounters" at Devils Tower, in Wyoming.  Then make your way to Mt Rushmore and Sturgis.  I'd give myself  5 days for the 1300-mile ride -- allowing some time to see the sights of Yellowstone and Glacier.

From Sturgis to South Florida, you have endless possibilities.  Tell me a little more about what you like to see and do -- history?  nature? BBQ?  music?  and I'll try to come up with some good roads for you to ride. I know many bikers love the region around the Great Smokies National Park -- there are some roads around there that go miles and miles without a straightaway to interrupt the mountain twisties...

:-)

Hope this helps get you started.  Happy Trails, 


Jamie Jensen
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Road Trip USA

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Hey Road Trip --

Thanks for the tips -- I've ordered your book, and am looking forward to the trip.

In the South I'm looking to do some of the Great River Road (for BBQ ribs!), then will make my way across Tennessee to some of those great rides in the Smokies. Tail of the Dragon, here I come...)