PLANNING MATTERS January 1, 2010

I hope Santa brought you a gift or two to make motorcycling more enjoyable. As the blanket of white outside grows for the next few months it’s a good time to start planning where to ride for 2010. Is this the year Jackie and I travel to Wing Ding? What about Americade from June 7-11? For the last seven years I’ve joined a group of friends for a week long tour. Where will we go for tour number eight?

When teaching MSF courses I spend much of my time repeating the phrase, "Look where you plan to ride." The expression reminds students to turn their heads and look completely through their path of travel. I coach the students for a weekend, but the "Look where you plan to ride" mantra has just as much importance when making multi-day journeys to distant locations.

Some prefer to let the wind chart their course and hope for the best. I’ve experienced unplanned trips that turn into too many miles in one day, with a lousy motel for the night. My #1 co-rider has an abundance of patience, but when I tell her we need to log another hour because I didn’t get reservations her patience is tested. My military background makes me one who prefers a planned, organized and well executed experience. January and February are perfect times to read about places, look at maps, check out websites, and begin planning your paths of travel for 2010.

By spending winter looking over possible routes I’ve found some great places. Route 215 in North Carolina, Taughannock Falls in New York and Ozark Orchard Restaurant in Missouri are places the wind would have never carried me. Often I learn about unique places by talking with fellow riders. Planning also helps avoid bad weather. First I need to go on record; weather forecasters LIE! Even with that said a search of www.weather.com lets me know which months historically have the least rainfall in the areas I plan to ride. Also, a list of average temperatures helps me plan the gear for a trip.

My cold-month planning takes several phases, first is the brainstorming about where and when to ride. That is followed by how much time I have to ride. The time element helps me plan my miles-per-day. The final and most limiting phase is how much is in the budget?

Once I’ve determined the general location I spend time on-line, read travel books and look over detailed maps of the area. My focus is roads that allow me to take full advantage of what motorcycling has to offer. Call them twistys, sweepers or backroads as long as they take me through the scenery, not around it, I’m a happy biker. One good resource I’ve used is www.madmaps.com. They sell foldout maps with detailed routes that include points of interest.

Last year my friends and I completed a nine day tour based out of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Without planning our annual ride could have been a disaster. Because we checked the weather, reserved rooms, read tourist information and looked at detailed maps it was outstanding. Only a ½ day of rain, backroads surpassing the finest in New England, and local cuisine made for another great chapter in my memory book.

Plan now so you can ride smarter when the snow melts,

Mark Bennett
Maine District Educator
mbennett86023@roadrunner.com
Home 207-636-7992
Cell 860-918-3065