I went for a ride in America and ended up doing 21,475 miles in 4 months.

[Aidan1150]

Originally Posted by Gary France

Wherever I stopped, I enjoyed talking to the locals. America is amazingly diverse, with so many things to see and people to meet. Almost everywhere I went, people greeted me warmly and wanted to hear my story about travelling across their country. They were genuinely interested in understanding what an outsider thought about where they lived.


I would like to thank America. All of it and all of its people. As a nation you have some extraordinary qualities and Americans are a very special people. I was touched by your generosity, politeness and overwhelming friendship.

I found the same to be the case when I rode coast to coast in 2010 Gary. Like you I wandered around some, covering 6500 miles in four weeks. It is an amazing country populated by great people.

[Spirit_Rider]

The book looks good but have you thought of a ebook version?

[Gary France]

Aidan1150 - I reckon you were therefore doing about 230 miles a day average, which is slightly more than me. I found daily mileages to be a balance between wanting to keep riding and wanting to stop and take pictures / meet people / see things. Mainly sticking to back roads, I found it difficult to get any more than about 200 miles a day in. Sure, I could have done more, but that would have been at the risk of failing to see what America is really like. 6500 miles in 4 weeks sounds about right to me!

[Gary France]

Spirit rider - I am looking at that very thing at the moment. I am old-fashioned when it comes to books in that I like to hold a real book and turn its pages. I totally accept there are people that like ebooks but I wonder how well mine will work, with some many pictures? I previously thought ebooks were mainly for text, but I imagine things have moved on now.

[Gary France]

Just thought some may be interested - A short while ago, I launched my book about this amazing ride. Full colour, crammed full of pictures, includes maps of the route I took, organised state-by-state, and coffee table sized, this 400-page book will appeal to many thinking of doing the same sort of trip.

Click on the link beneath my signature for details.

[CharlestonADV]

Originally Posted by Gary France

Spirit rider - I am looking at that very thing at the moment. I am old-fashioned when it comes to books in that I like to hold a real book and turn its pages. I totally accept there are people that like ebooks but I wonder how well mine will work, with some many pictures? I previously thought ebooks were mainly for text, but I imagine things have moved on now.

+1...Although I'm a big fan of ebooks for text-based content like news and novels...I much prefer print for publications that effectively use photographs as an integral component.

Congratulations on your journey across America. The Southwest is one of my favorite places for motorcycling. I'll be headed that way in June for a multi-state ride up the Rockies.

BTW, I took a motorcycle to the UK for a three-year work assignment. Lived in Nottingham and greatly enjoyed exploring the Peak District on the weekends.

[murdock84]

Very nice journey!

[KLRoger]

Well Gary I think you are going to have to do a part two on this ride. You still have way to much to see to stop now. You missed the pacific north west and the south. What about Alaska? And how can you say you've seen America when you missed Texas altogether? It's spring time so come on back and meet the rest of us.

One question though; do Europeans fear for their safety in the USA? If so why?

[Gary France]

CharlestonADV – The Southwest was one of my favourite areas of the USA to ride in. California, Utah, Arizona and Nevada have such great roads and scenery, it is motorcycling heaven! I wish you well for your June ride in the Rockies. A question for you – you say you took a motorcycle to the UK. Was that an American registered bike with a US licence plate? If so, how did you get on with the Police here> Ever get stopped with that plate?

[Gary France]

KLRoger – I am afraid you have touched a nerve there. You are so right about part 2, as I would love to be able to complete the map and say that I have ridden in every state. Alas, I have no plans currently for a part 2, but one day.....

I am however going to be able to cross a few more states off later this year, as I am riding from Daytona in Florida to Galveston in Texas. So, I will have covered the great state of Texas, or at least a pat of it!

As to your question about Europeans fearing for their safety in the USA. I have real mixed views about this. Before my long journey through America, I gave this a lot of thought. We hear so many news stories about mass-shootings and general gun crime in America that of course, it plays on your mind. It didn’t put me off riding a motorcycle across America at all, but I did worry about it a little before I started. During the trip, I hardly gave it a moment’s thought. I was staying in motels most nights and if I had been camping I probably would have thought about it more. I experienced absolutely no trouble of any kind on my trip and found that away from the big cities, the people were generally all very friendly and welcoming, to the point that I was very relaxed indeed. In the big cities I was much more careful of where I went and was deliberately more aware of my surroundings, but I do that in my own city of London.

Overall, I didn’t fear for my safety and that would never put me off travelling around America. As an Englishman, I tread very carefully about the current US gun law debate, for I can see it is a complex issue for America. I live in a country where most forms of guns are not allowed (except shotguns for hunting) and shooting incidents are rare. Am I happy about travelling around a country like America with such widespread gun ownership? Yes, I am, but it is only natural to worry about what could happen. I found the key was simply to be careful and not to get into any situations that could lead to confrontation. Having said that though, it is exactly the same approach I take when travelling anywhere in the world, so America is really not a lot different to most places in that respect.

[kreattur]

Hey !

This thread looks amazing ! I'm actually planning a very similar trip in the US (4 to 6 months), so I'll follow your story carefully :) (and have a look to your book...)
Thanks for sharing !

cheers