2014 Motorcycle Travel & Rally Plans

I say it every year: our motorcycle travel goal each year is to travel at least 5,000 miles (as opposed to running errands by motorcycle, trips to the post office or grocery store - which can often be the MOST challenging riding for me). We also want to go on at least three camping trips via motorcycle.

2013 was a really bad year for travel for us, because of all the obligations of buying a house and what not. So we had a LOT to make up for in 2014.

Unfortunately, Stefan had just the usual two-weeks USA vacation (have I mentioned lately how much I hate my country's vacation policies?).

Two other things interfered with our 2014 motorcycle travel plans: the care of our darling Albi in her final days in April, and me getting overseas job offers I could not refuse - in nine weeks in Ukraine, a week in Ireland and a few days in Poland, plus a brief stint in Barcelona. So, while I got to travel abroad a lot, we didn't get to do even all of the motorcycle day trips in Oregon & Washington state that we had planned.

We did get to do the centerpiece trip of the year: Two-Weeks Mostly in Utah, Nevada & Oregon, in June 2014. We traveled 2989 miles total on that trip, which included Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Moab, Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park (the most under-rated national park), Goblin Valley - Utah State Park, Anasazi State Park Museum, Bryce Canyon National Park, Great Basin National Park, camping on BLM land, Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, and my first motorcycle wreck, on Shafer Switchbacks.

It's been an awesome gauge to see if family and friends really do read my travelogues - I never posted specifically about the wreck on Facebook or Twitter, but I wrote at length about it on my travelogues for the Utah, Nevada & Oregon trip. Yet, most of my family and friends STILL don't know I had a motorcycle wreck. Very telling...

So, while we had a wonderful time in 2014 via motorcycle, we didn't make our annual 5,000 mile goal - though I think I did go over 4000 miles. But I'm not down about it - it was an amazing trip.

Oh, to win the lottery, and just travel whenever we want, as long as we want.

Also see this list of my motorcycle travel dreams, big and small!

Since then? And before then?

In 2018, we went around Steens Mountain, and toured Great Basin National Park and Rachel, Nevada, and more. We spent 13 days, going over 2657 miles / 4276 kilometers, mostly in Nevada. It was a terrific, but incredibly hot and smokey, trip.

In 2017, we traveled for 10 days in Washington State on a Smokey Motorcycle Adventure in August. Yes, it was ridiculously hot. But it was still a terrific trip.

In 2016, we went to the exotic land of Idaho. Included at least 120 miles of gravel. Hells Canyon, Silver City, Idaho, Bruneau Dunes State Park, City of Rocks National Reserve, Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Salmon River Scenic Byway, Custer, Idaho, Ft. Missoula, Montana, historic Wallace, Idaho, Lake Coeur d'Alene, White Pine Scenic Byway, Hell's Canyon Overlook, Oregon, Joseph, Painted Hills, and Little Crater Lake in Mt. Hood National Forest. It has been one of our favorite trips to date - nothing in North America has been more beautiful and interesting as this trip.

In 2015, our motorcycle trips included two weeks mostly in British Columbia, but including Hydar, Alaska (Stewart-Cassiar Highway and the Alaska Highway). We went all the way up to the Yukon and back. Lots of bears, which was awesome. The wind almost ruined the trip at the end.

Our Motorcycle Travel & Rally Activities in 2013 (a sad year when we bought a house instead of doing a two-week trip)

Our Motorcycle Travel & Rally Activities in 2012, including camping in Antelope amid the ghosts of the Rajneesh colony, seeing the Alvord Desert for the first time, amd a big Motorcycle Journey in Northern California, Nevada & Southeastern Oregon.

In 2011, we went to Yellowstone, Western Montana, Wyoming & more
in June 2011. 15 days, 2680 miles. The trip ended at the legendary Burning Moto Man 2011, in Westfir, Oregon. We also spent one week in Washington state, September 2011 to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday, visiting Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Ape Cave, ice cave and lava tubes, Gifford Pinchot National Forest and a bit of Mt. Hood.

Our Motorcycle Travel & Rally Activities in 2010, my first long-distance motorcycle trips! Acutally, we took two! One to the "Lost Coast" of California, and another to Canada (Alberta and British Columbia, Jasper, Banff & Kootenay National Parks) and Glacier National Park.

Before I started riding my own bike, and before we moved to the USA, I went on a few trips on the back of my soon-to-be husband's bike.

2008 Motorcycle Travel (pillion): Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia
2007 Motorcycle Travel (pillion): Northern France
2006 Motorcycle Travel (pillion): Scotland
2005 Motorcycle Travel (pillion): Bruges, Belgium
2004 Motorcycle Travel (pillion): Norway & Sweden (my first motorcycle trip)

Also see these resources (all by me):

Traveling in the USA: Advice for Camping
Everything I wish someone had told me, a person who did NOT grow up camping. Also helpful for people from other countries coming here to camp (or, at least, I hope so).

Saving money for travel (or to pay off your debt).
This is how we do it.

Ideas for Funding Your Volunteering Abroad Trip
If you are going on a short-term volunteering or mission trip, you have to pay all costs yourself. This is how you do it.

For women who travel by motorcycle (or want to). Includes information on packing and accommodations.

transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good."
Advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping, whether in your own country or abroad.

Adventure Motorcycle Luggage & Accessories
www.coyotetrips.com

Aluminum Panniers and Top Cases,
Top Case Adapter Plates,
Tough Motorcycle Fuel Containers, & More

Designed or Curated by an experienced adventure motorcycle world traveler
Based in Oregon
You won't find these exact products anywhere else;
these are available only from Coyotetrips
(my husband)

Disclaimer
Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.

coyotebroad's motorcycle resources | return to coyotebroad abroad home page | contact me

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women travelers: general information and advice (especially for women novice travelers, NOT geared towards just motorcycle riders)

Saving Money for Travel (or to pay off your debt)

transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping.

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