Looking for warm places to ride after Xmas

[oldude]

Hello,
I live close to Kansas City, MO & have a couple of weeks of vacation time scheduled btw Christmas & mid January. I will be making my usual trip to Northern Oklahoma for Christmas to visit family & have this idea of heading south from there afterwards & riding in the warmth...lol. I'm looking for ideas on places to go.

I have a couple of options that I'm considering. I may just ride the S-10 to OK & head south from there, or load the bike on my RV/toy hauler & look for a campground to be based at. I'd rather just ride the bike, but cost of motels is a factor, & my old bones don't get along with tent camping as well as they used to...haha, so I'd be interested in all the options, rv/camping places & relatively inexpensive motels, etc.

As far as riding, not really looking for off road, but gravel/dirt roads as well as blacktop are good. Thanks,

Wayne K.

 

[20valves]

Check out the hill country around Austin and San Antonio. It can stay pretty nice down there through the winter. Or the east coast in the Carolinas and Georgia.

 

[markjenn]

Unless you have a lot of schedule flexibility, I'd be very hesitant riding across MO and OK in Jan. If I had access to a trailer, I'd take it and head S until it gets decently warm, then start riding. Even the Hill Country often has below-freezing temps in Jan and the occasional big snowstorm so you need the flexibility to hunker down and ride out a storm in a motel. Having the truck/trailer nearby would make me a lot more comfortable.

I wouldn't head W which gets into rising terrain and much colder temps.

Have fun,

- Mark

 

[klunsford]

If you come through Oklahoma City, give me a shout.... I was going to recommend the Hill country in Texas. it is always nice this time of year.

Send me a PM and I will give you some contact information if you are coming through.

 

[jajpko]

You may want to try Big Bend National Park in Texas. It's on the border with Mexico and is really nice for either dirt or blacktop. The whole area is nice riding.

 

[coastie]

It was about 38 F on my ride to work this morning here in the Houston area, so it does get cold down here. If you want warm you may have to head to Big Bend, or head down the straight and flat roads of Florida and visit Key West. Both states have members that know all the good places to ride, so when you figure out a tentative route hit the state forums up to get some suggestions.

 

[greg the pole]

Don't mean to hijack the thread...any california guys out there?
Hoping to truck down from Calgary to Redding CA, ride from there, week of Feb 15-22nd.
Planning on heading to the coast first, san fran, east to death valley, vegas or the neiborhood,
then south/sw near LA's fine hill roads, and back up north to Redding,

thoughts??

 

[markjenn]

Don't mean to hijack the thread...any california guys out there?
Hoping to truck down from Calgary to Redding CA, ride from there, week of Feb 15-22nd.
Planning on heading to the coast first, san fran, east to death valley, vegas or the neiborhood,
then south/sw near LA's fine hill roads, and back up north to Redding,

If you're not familiar with CA winter weather you may need to reset your expectations. In mid-Feb you've generally got to stay near the coast and away from elevation. Or be in the very S part of CA.

Also, if you want to do all the places you mention, I see a lot more than a week's trip, especially if you're including trailer time. CA is a huge state.

From Redding heading W to the coast, as I recall, both 36 and 299 peak out at about 4K feet elevation so while they are plowed, you really are going to have to watch out for snow/ice on the road. I wouldn't even think about it if there is any precip in the forecast. I've been up there in Feb before and it is pretty wintery. All the smaller roads in the Trinity Alps are either closed or treacherous. Going down the N CA coast is typically fine with little risk of snow/ice, although often foggy and wet.

The coastal range stuff S and W of SF is pretty good all winter, although it will be cold in the hills and you still want to be very conscious of ice, including black ice in the shaded areas. Once you get half-way to LA, it starts getting a lot warmer, especially towards the central valley.

Getting from SF to Death Valley essentially requires slabbing across Donner Pass on I-80 and then working your way S in the cold/high desert. Or you can go all the way S and go around the S end of the Sierras. Donner Pass at 7K is no picnic, as it will be often be compact snow/ice even in good weather - this is ski area country. All the other passes across the Sierras are closed in the winter. Death Valley will be great.

My advice is to get to Redding and then make the call. Unless the weather is really good, I'd continue S to the Bay Area. Work the great stuff in the Bay Area, both the Santa Cruz mountains and the East Bay hills, and then work your way S doing stuff like Carmel Valley Road and/or 25 S out of Hollister. Work your way down to the LA area, then head across the lowlands and high desert to Death Valley if you have time. Coming back, I'd chance I-80 only if the weather has been dry and good for a period. Otherwise, work your way back the way you came.

You could make a good week just doing day trips out of the Bay Area. One day in the Santa Cruz mountains, another N of SF up to the wine country, another in the East Bay, another doing Carmel Valley and back on Big Sur, and maybe a final loop down 25 towards Coalinga. In fact, if you are interested in such a trip, I might be able to join you - drop me a line. I know these roads very very well.

You need a lot of flexibility in Feb and there is always some chance the entire state will be slammed by winter storms. The weather you see in the LA basin and San Diego is a micro-climate and isn't remotely reflective of what is going on in the rest of the state in Feb.

- Mark

 

[greg the pole]

thanks for the detailed reply Mark,
best knowledge is local knowledge.
We're trucking down so the drive down should be fuss free. Realistically we have 6 solid days of riding.
i'm not crazy about snow on a bike, black ice and all that other white crap, god knows, we see enough of it up here.
I will definitely drop you a line as it gets closer/more realistic for us, and we can go from there,

greg

 

[markjenn]

Forgot to mention that if you're coming down I-5 from Eugene and want to get out to the coast to avoid snow/ice, the lowest/warmest way is to take 199 from Grants Pass W to Crescent City. The pass on 199 (there is a tunnel at the summit) is pretty low, around 2K feet as I recall. And this avoids the higher elevations of I-5 going down to Redding which top out at about 4500 feet at the Siskiyou Summit and the area around Mount Shasta.

I have done some trips in mid-Mar starting in Grants Pass and had a nice run down the coast to the bay area and back. Not consistently warm/dry, but some nice pleasant days with temps in the mid-50's. No big problems with ice/snow. But you've got to keep your eye on the weather all the time, especially if you're a month earlier. There are six or eight absolutely great roads going down this coastal route.

- Mark

 

[oldude]

I'm back, thanks for the ideas. I've been doing a bit of googling on the Texas hill country & it looks like a good choice. my plan is to load the bike in the rv & see if i can find a campground. Have looked at a place called Wimberly btw Austin & San Antonio. Looks like some good riding & some campgrounds. I'm going to post in the South Central forum. Thanks again!

wk

 

[oldude]

@ RoboCop...I will be coming thru Oklahoma City when I go. will shoot you a pm after a bit.
wk

 

[coastie]

I'm back, thanks for the ideas. I've been doing a bit of googling on the Texas hill country & it looks like a good choice. my plan is to load the bike in the rv & see if i can find a campground. Have looked at a place called Wimberly btw Austin & San Antonio. Looks like some good riding & some campgrounds. I'm going to post in the South Central forum. Thanks again!

wk

Check out Three Sister/Twisted Sisters, I was considering camping out over the Xmas/New Years holidays. Depending on the time you will be in the area, maybe I will ride out and meet up with Ya. Keep us updated on your plans.

 

[jajpko]

We stayed at this one. I's been a few years, but was very nice.
http://www.buckhornlake.com/

 

[oldude]

I have made note of the Three Sister/Twisted Sisters. Looks good & I will post back when I decide on dates when I'll be in the area. Thx
wk

 

[greg the pole]

Forgot to mention that if you're coming down I-5 from Eugene and want to get out to the coast to avoid snow/ice, the lowest/warmest way is to take 199 from Grants Pass W to Crescent City. The pass on 199 (there is a tunnel at the summit) is pretty low, around 2K feet as I recall. And this avoids the higher elevations of I-5 going down to Redding which top out at about 4500 feet at the Siskiyou Summit and the area around Mount Shasta.

I have done some trips in mid-Mar starting in Grants Pass and had a nice run down the coast to the bay area and back. Not consistently warm/dry, but some nice pleasant days with temps in the mid-50's. No big problems with ice/snow. But you've got to keep your eye on the weather all the time, especially if you're a month earlier. There are six or eight absolutely great roads going down this coastal route.

- Mark

thanks Mark,

Greg