TheNewDude
Well-known member
Thanks for the pointers. Ging to have to give all that a try. Too bad the weather was so unpredictable today. I did go for a ride but it was just a quick spin.
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What' your favorite road to ride?
- Thread starter Gary64
- Start date
Thanks for the pointers. Ging to have to give all that a try. Too bad the weather was so unpredictable today. I did go for a ride but it was just a quick spin.
+1 for Lake Placid and the entire Adirondacks. Also Mount Washington and New Hampshire. First is just an easy day ride away, the second a hard day ride. I've camped in lake Placid KOA for a few days and rode the area pretty extensively - it's hard to find a bad road as long as you keep away from the major thoroughfares.
I've been up Mount Washington on the bike but just passing through and I've been wanting to explore the area more thoroughly ever since. We stayed in a great little mountain motel close to MW and the owners told me they are pretty much empty in the summer because it's their off season. A great patio for breakfast and kayaks/canoes to borrow for a paddle straight from the back yard. Could be a great base for a long weekend (or a week long) ride.
ditto on Placid - was fun even late in the riding season and good roads - not enough time in the area. Be careful on summer weekends with accommodation - it can be hard to come by as it's play ground for many sports and there are tons of fairs and meetups for this and that.
Really would like to get farther east and have some time to explore. Maybe I'll try and sneak in a long weekend somewhere.
Really would like to get farther east and have some time to explore. Maybe I'll try and sneak in a long weekend somewhere.
Im up in Thunder Bay this week for work again, so I thought i'd take the 129 to Chapleau and report back.
I actually took 546 north from Iron Bridge and then onto 129 as it was the most direct routing, so i missed the first ~32k of 129. Road conditions on 546 are poor. Pavement is frost heaved, and in over all rough condition. Lots of washboarding makes for a bumpy ride. Once onto 129, conditions were better. I'd say road surface was fair. Still some wash boarding and rough sections but much better then 546. How ever if your riding a bike with limited suspension your probably not going to enjoy it. The road gets smoother the further north you get. For the first 20k after i got on 129 I was doing 20k under the posted limit (80) due to rough roads. I even considered turning around, because I just couldent see putting up with that for another 250km
There is an almost 4km section of road that is all torn up ~75kms from 17. It is now very loose, deep, sharp gravel. The signs leading up to it are orange construction signs, but it dosent look like they are paving it anytime soon. I would NOT take most street bikes through it. Maybe a dual sport with knobbies. I could feel the van squirming around and had the traction control kick in going up one steep hill with a curve on the bottom and the top. Once past that section, the road condition improved and there are no other hazards of note.
I passed 2 trading posts with gas pumps. One is at Tunnel Lake ~50k north of 17 and the other is ~125km north of 17. There is a section that is posted as 150km with no gas near the north end.
If this road ever got a complete repave, or even and shave and pave I'd be tempted to setup a motorcycle only motel on one end of it and I'd make a fortune. Nice road but winters have taken their toll
I actually took 546 north from Iron Bridge and then onto 129 as it was the most direct routing, so i missed the first ~32k of 129. Road conditions on 546 are poor. Pavement is frost heaved, and in over all rough condition. Lots of washboarding makes for a bumpy ride. Once onto 129, conditions were better. I'd say road surface was fair. Still some wash boarding and rough sections but much better then 546. How ever if your riding a bike with limited suspension your probably not going to enjoy it. The road gets smoother the further north you get. For the first 20k after i got on 129 I was doing 20k under the posted limit (80) due to rough roads. I even considered turning around, because I just couldent see putting up with that for another 250km
There is an almost 4km section of road that is all torn up ~75kms from 17. It is now very loose, deep, sharp gravel. The signs leading up to it are orange construction signs, but it dosent look like they are paving it anytime soon. I would NOT take most street bikes through it. Maybe a dual sport with knobbies. I could feel the van squirming around and had the traction control kick in going up one steep hill with a curve on the bottom and the top. Once past that section, the road condition improved and there are no other hazards of note.
I passed 2 trading posts with gas pumps. One is at Tunnel Lake ~50k north of 17 and the other is ~125km north of 17. There is a section that is posted as 150km with no gas near the north end.
If this road ever got a complete repave, or even and shave and pave I'd be tempted to setup a motorcycle only motel on one end of it and I'd make a fortune. Nice road but winters have taken their toll
Thinking of going up there this weekend (thanks for the reply in the other thread btw!), would you say 129 was a worthwhile detour? Don't mind gravel and rough road too much if the views are worth it.
Is it a worthwhile detour? Depends on the trip, and if you've ever been up this way before. Parts of the scenery on 129 are amazing but it was mostly a tree covered tunnel through the bush. A very twisty, hilly tunnel. Overall very nice scenery and very technical road. This road is more enjoyable for the ride then the scenery.
Personally, I think 17 north from SSM to Wawa has better scenery. The road still has no lack of twists and turns but they are of the gentle sweeper type. Lots of panoramic views of Lake Superior, elevation changes, rock walls and smaller lakes and rivers. Every 5th turn or so rewards you with a post card like view. The road surface is in really good shape the whole way as well. A fun rode to ride, but not technical like 129 is.
The gravel on 129 is only 4km long, but I would expect you would be walking the bike through most of that. It's so deep and loose that my sprinter felt like i was on the beach. I dident stop and take a good look at the gravel, but it looked sharp. It was local crushed bedrock. I would take a look at it before riding on it and see if it was sharp enough to damage a motorcycle tire.
Now, that being said if you ride up 129 ~75kms to the gravel and have to turn around and come back to 17 I don't think you will be displeased. Even just up and back would be worth while compared to the roads in southern ontario.
The best long weekend trip would be up to Tbay taking 129 on the way up, then 17 to SSM on the way back. I wouldent bother with the US side of Superior, the Ontario side is much nicer.
Thanks for the report. It looks like the road conditions are significantly worse than when I was there last fall. I took 546 from Iron Bridge as well and don't recall any road hazards either on it or on the southern half of 129 (I only rode it for the first 100-150Km from Thessalon). If anything the pavement was near perfect throughout. I hope they repave whatever is damaged, but even if they don't it will still remain a nice scenic road. I remember a few spots suitable for a swim in the Rapid River or a mid day picnic break, one being just below the bridge at the intersection of 556 and 129:
If they ever pave 556 I'll be all over it, but I may give it a try anyway the next time I'm up there. Before I take a gravel road I always tell myself I can turn back if it gets too difficult. Then my stubbornness and determination to see it all kicks in and I end up riding the whole stretch. Some of these roads made me scream with joy when I saw pavement again
.The "road" to Agureberry Point, Death Valley:
A rural "road" near Creemore, Ontario:
_Motorhead_
Active member
anywhere but the GTA and southern ontario.
My top pick is to head towards Pennsylvania, especially in the middle part of the state. there's no one out there.
http://goo.gl/maps/iHA1
My top pick is to head towards Pennsylvania, especially in the middle part of the state. there's no one out there.
http://goo.gl/maps/iHA1
kiwi
Well-known member
I'm with you on the PA roads!
This is mostly true, especially for those that consider roads less than 50Km in length just a tease. Some can be connected like Peterson/Elephant Lake/507/503, but it still breaks the rythm.
That would be my first choice too. Look at the Google map and pick a region that has a lot of green (national parks/forests) and very few yellow lines (highways). That route you did looks fantastic, I would just add a little detour to Centralia at the Eastern side of the route. An amazing and eerie place to see, especially if you know it's history and the roads to/from are great. You can take a tour of a real coal mine in nearby Ashland.
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