Lolololo I quit my job to motorcycle across the southern USA

[pintle]

Im thinking fly into New Orleans, buy bike and gear, head west on I-10, join I-49 at Lafayette, follow that to Shreveport then take the I-20 all the way across Texas to El Paso, then I-10 Via Phoenix to LA, then up the I-5 to San Fran. (lol ty google maps )

I would much prefer to take back roads etc (zzzz 6th gear cruising on motorways) but obviously I dont really have an idea how to plan that, probably better to do it based on local knowledge.

I would really appreciate any of you guys who live over there offerring any advice about must-see destinations, awesome roads, national parks etc that you think I shoud see.

Conversley, is there anything I should really avoid? I'm not hugely keen on biking thru the outskirts of LA, I don't have a huge desire to see the city of angels, I'm more interested in the geography/countryside than big cities, and from what I have read about LA traffic it would be hell on 2 wheels for me.

Tbfh im not even sure east-> west is the way to go, this may sound kinda weird, but a lot of my decision over direction will be based on prevailing winds...

My route is very open to revision (for eg should i be going through north or south Texas?) so any input would be sweet

So yeah, I think i would like to end up in Cali and hang out there till the money runs out/I get homesick.

and no, i will not bring any of you bastards beer!

[Dragon45]

Dude, America is AWESOME and highway cops will probably let you off easier for random shit if you have a thick british accent because they'll be entertained. Just dont carry weed or drugs on your person and you should be fine...


there's a lot of good times to be had in a lot of big cities depending on how much $$$ you have - if a lot then there's a lot of good gaucho restaraunts (think texas style bbq + mexican influence) in the south.

also, what are you going to do as far as sleep/waking goes? motels, even cheap ones, can be pricey, so you'll wanna be careful there and budget accordingly - you absolutely cannot survive summer nights in the desert because it gets very cold very quickly.

make friends on some college campuses on your way and hit them up if you at all can; parties and bitches and etc are just absolutely great in campus towns - especially f.ex university of phoinex arizona is MASSIVE HOT CHIX so be sure to hit that up - make friends first.... network and just say you're a british guy traveling the US; chicks dig the accent

Don't go to houston, it sucks, but parts of downtown dallas are wonderful. if you have the chance be sure to hit up some remote hills and go stargazing; it's qutie a treat.

also, california - you watn to spend as much time as possible here; i've ben there several times and LOVE IT every time. weather's great, girls are great, beaches are great. basically - do cali lots! there's so much to do in cali it's ridculous and i wont even bother enumerating stuff here.

[BaNa]

http://www.couchsurfing.com/

should get you ppl to stay with and hang out with along the way, if you are so inclined.

I've traveled a lot that way and IMO its a lot more fun to check out a new place with some locals who show you all the fun places than with a guidebook.

Sounds fucking awesome man, the best of luck.

Also: check out the national parks. Most you can cruise through if you are not a fan of hiking, and they are the really fucking sweet. My fav were yosemite and bryce canyon. The south of utah/north of arizona has grand canyon, bryce canyon, arches and zion canyon, those are all really sweet, you may want to swerve that way.

http://www.nps.gov/ <- national park map

[pintle]

Great stuff so far guys, thanks! Keep it coming please :)

[CarRepairer]

L.A. is a hole and nothing of value would be lost if an earthquake separated it from the mainland and caused it to sink into the sea and Kurt Russel can go ahead and sue me.

[Noruas]

You might even encounter a Noruas if you drive in Texas.

[SwiftSpear]

If you want to do back roads, get a good GPS device. Those things make it obnoxiously easy to do stupid stuff that would normally get you lost in 10 seconds, even with a map and compass. I don't know how long you're planning to make a go of it, but most of the places that sell those things have at least a 30 day return policy too, so you can buy it in NO, and return it whereever the hell you end up if you bought at a big box store, like staples or wallmart.

You could keep the thing and bring it back home too, but you'd probably have to buy/download European maps, as most of the GPS only cover one continent out of the box. Some of the cheaper one's won't update very easy, so if that's a factor ask the sales person.

[Cabbage]

Ive been to new orleans a couple of times, French quater / bourbon street is nice, get your nipples out and start rubbing htem infront of all the girls and you'll get a load of beads.. rest of the citys seems a bit rough / scary though tbh.

I drove there from dallas / ft worth on the first occasion and flew the second, drive was a bit dull although going along that massive causeway was novel

Try diverting through san antonio, its a nice city if you can put up with all the alamo crap ^^

[overkill]

Read Stephen King's Desparation
Even though its farther up north (I think, cant remember) Its related to this.
Yeah cali is awsome, been there twice.

[smoth]

good luck in nevada and arizona, bad shit.


DO DO DO go to lake tahoe.

DO DO DO hit up san fran and san diego.

DO TRY SOME Gumbo or boiled crawfish in louisiana.

DO enjoy the bayous in louisiana, they are marshes but they are the only thing I have ever liked about that state. 2million years of alligator shit is pretty.

DO HIT UP the water walk in san antonio, it is beautiful! DO NOT stay late... or at least be sure to secure a safe place to stay the night.

dallas is pretty nice also!

[Panda]

If you will be in Louisiana from 2/28/09 through 4/3/09 you might want to go to the Ponchatoula Strawberry Fesival. There's bound to be some good food. There are also numerous events such as the Strawberry Ball (Masquarade Madness), Talent Show, Baking Contest, and Strawberry Day In the Park: http://www.lastrawberryfestival.com/index.html

If you would like to tour a "haunted" antebellum home, the Myrtles' Plantation is lovely and, the last time I checked, there are some great looking and very large oak trees there, but there are many others. I definantly recommend you eat boiled crayfish and tour the swamps. The marshes always have good nature and sometimes pirate stories on the coast and maybe you'll get to see an alligator or alligator snapping turtle.

The Grand Canyon is great to see especially if your into Geology and want to know about fossils and unusual rock formations. There are also some great cave tours in the west and adorable wildlife like marmots and bats.

[pintle]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

Afraid I wont be eating any of the more animal-based dishes you guys recommend, I'm a little too vegetarian for that

Can anyone recommend a motor insurance firm?

@swift: Bike gps has to be water and vibration proof, generally with a much larger display/touch screen interface. In the UK at least, they cost significantly more than equivalent ones for cars. Im *fairly* competent at orienteering (four years as a scout/snowdonia coast to coast/tour de mont blanc/duke of edinburgh award expeditions). That is... assuming american cartography is up to scratch

What makes Arizona and Nevada such bad shit?

[Peace]

Haha, just read the topic. Sounds like an awesome idea, have fun mate :)

[Cabbage]

I love you peace!

[smoth]

the drug wars in mexico are getting bad at first it was just us citizens in mexico now it is happening in the border states that people are being kidnapped.

[BattleMonk]

you should join a biker gang while your at it

[REVENGE]

You are invited to visit the nice beaches of SoCal! Bike along the Pacific Coast Highway, I recommend stopping by Newport.

[Felix the Cat]

Dude, I'm a travel fanatic, I love to travel anywhere, and even I wouldn't want to drive the Texas-NM-Arizona-Cali route for pleasure.

From San Antonio to San Bernandino is simply a massive, empty desert, punctuated by (from east to west) oil rigs, cows, mesas (they're pretty, but see one and you've seen them all), cacti, and illegal immigrant border crossing parties.

Phoenix is pretty much the only thing between San Antonio and San Bernandino, and it ain't a destination.

There's about 100 better routes you could choose for a trip like this.

If you are fixed in your route, make sure you stop in Las Cruces, New Mexico for lunch. A short way off the freeway from the town's main exit there you will find a Mexican restaurant (forgot the name of it) across the street from a Pep Boys auto shop. Order the chilles rellenos; they're to die for.

[pintle]

Dude, I'm a travel fanatic, I love to travel anywhere, and even I wouldn't want to drive the Texas-NM-Arizona-Cali route for pleasure.

From San Antonio to San Bernandino is simply a massive, empty desert, punctuated by (from east to west) oil rigs, cows, mesas (they're pretty, but see one and you've seen them all), cacti, and illegal immigrant border crossing parties.

Phoenix is pretty much the only thing between San Antonio and San Bernandino, and it ain't a destination.

There's about 100 better routes you could choose for a trip like this.

If you are fixed in your route, make sure you stop in Las Cruces, New Mexico for lunch. A short way off the freeway from the town's main exit there you will find a Mexican restaurant (forgot the name of it) across the street from a Pep Boys auto shop. Order the chilles rellenos; they're to die for.

That route is pretty much the result of google maps "directions from/to" with me putting pins in a map on new orleans/san fran. My route is completely open to revision, based on suggestions from people and information i gather over the next couple of weeks

[smoth]

if I was on your route I would invite you for some redbeans and rice. I am four hours out of your way though.