Crossing the country (CA->IL) question

[eric]

Here's a question I was hoping anyone who lives anywhere between LA and Chicago could help me with:

Due to family reasons, I'm contemplating moving from LA to Chicago sometime in the spring or early summer next year. For the journey there, the choice between crawling in a rented U-Haul versus hauling ass with a L-twin motor seems clear enough. I'm thinking very roughly of following a CA->NV->UT->WY->SD->IA?->IL route. So the question is, what would be the earliest month something like this would work? Temperature-wise I'm pretty resilient, but my main concern is the elements (i.e. snow, ice on the roads, etc.). Would something like early-mid April be too early in the year? What would be the weather across these states be like around March-April-May?

I'm thinking of allotting ~2500 miles, ~7-8 days, zero interstates, solo. Not sure about camping yet. The only place I"m dead set on hitting is Badlands NP. Otherwise I'll go where the wind, sun, and empty roads are.

Bad news for last though. In all probability I will not be taking the S2R. With 44k hard-traveled miles on the odo (nearly 35k in two years), I think it's time for some rest. I'm slowly kitting out the dame seen below for such a trip. But then again, a part of me does still want to take the S2R, and truly make it the most well-traveled Monster in the Monsterdom  

[Rudemouthsky]

Anytime in March is out of the question IMO...Lake Tahoe got hammered just last March and that's the start of your journey...and everywhere from SLC to Chicago WILL see snow through mid to late March, guaranteed. Iowa>CHI is especially unpredictable until late April...and we've seen it snow as late as early May here!!! (not common but it does happen)

I would say for ultimate peace of mind you'd want to wait until at least mid April...but then you're gonna get soaked...so if you really wish to enjoy yourself...it's mid May.

<---(over half a million miles traveled over the lower 48 states in the last 5 years, former Chicago resident, lifelong midwestern resident)

P.S: take the Guzzi!!!

[ChrisK]

I live in central Illinois, town called Dixon, and in the last week of March last year I went snowboarding at a small resort here in Illinois… so if you have to plan a specific week, I wouldn't pick one in March.

Midwest weather is so unpredictable that time of the year, and so the later you can wait, the better. Memorial Day weekend in May is usually very nice around here, it seems.

It's a good thing you're wanting to go to the Badlands, because that will take you up north and you'll miss Kansas and/or Nebraska. Those two states are absolutely the worst. So if you're planning on coming by way of South Dakota/Iowa, I would plan on dropping into Illinois at the bridge in Dubuque, IA. If you commit to this, let me know and I'll hook you up with a fun route over to Chicago that will avoid as many perfectly straight, flat roads as possible (pretty tough to do around here). I'll even buy you lunch/dinner in Dixon, two hours before your final destination, and maybe even ride into Chicago with you.

Final note, you're spoiled out in Cali as far as motorcycling goes. Hope you're ready for that! 

[zooom]

no matter what Eric, I think you'll make a VERY memorable trip out of it...

[Randimus Maximus]

From LA, you are better off taking the southern route (I-40) that time of year. 

No sense at all going through Wyoming as you'll probably encounter either shitty ice-covered roads or ridiculous winds.

On I-40, you may encounter a late season snowfall near Flagstaff, AZ or Albuquerque, NM, but after that you should be good to go.  You can cut up I-44 to Tulsa then I-55.

The ride will be the suck, regardless if you head north, central or south.  It's all pretty much straight, slabby road, as DDE intended.

[Skybarney]

Don't listen to Randimus!  Screw some sheet metal screws into those tires and go North!   

Okay honestly Stay South that time of the year.  There are a ton of cool little side roads that will still get you there via southern routes.  I know this sounds old school but go to triple a and pick up some other their maps.  They have a fantastic feature in that they show every single scenic road.  I killed a ton of time in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona and Colorado.  I rode all over those four states for three weeks with no purpose other than to ride every twisty road on the maps.

As long as you don't mind going out of the way you can still have some fun!

[Privateer]

end of last May I drove through the Rockies, enroute to Denver, and had the unfortunate pleasure of hitting a snow storm crossing the Loveland Pass.  Both directions.

Agree about swinging south on I40.

[DucDucGoos]

If you come through Boise, you'd have a place to stay 

[pitbull]

I 40 runs some pretty good altitude through NM and Arizona and is just as unpredictable as I 70 or 90. The last time I came home in early June, from Las Vegas, on the bike, I rode in snow most of the way through NM and Arizona.

Had I chosen one of the northern interstates it would have been warm and dry.

You're best to plan a few different routes and make a game day decision based on 7 day weather forecasts along each route.

[Kev M]

Hell, back in the mid-90s I rode old 66 from Il to LA and then on my return trip turned North through Bryce/Zion, across the Rockies in CO and down into Kansas.

It was MID SUMMER and there was snow (at least on the side of the road) while crossing the Rockies.

So yeah, I'd say stay south, and way till at least late April, maybe early May.

[OT]

Sounds like a great trip, and that MG looks really nice 

FWIW - Probably too far north of your route, but avoid those areas (e.g., ND) where the oil/gas boom is on.  Hotels are nearly impossible to find without advanced reservations and crime is a growing problem.

[Jarvicious]

What everyone else said.  March is gonna be chilly as all getout and while I'm sure you're resilient to the cold (I'm the same way) 3x degree temps AND precip just makes for a miserable ride.  Also, as a former central missouri resident I could get you from Arkansas to Northern Illinois on nothing but twistie roads if you come from down south.

Let me know if you need a garage and a bed in St. Louis.  I'm sure Daisy would like a buddy who isn't an old beat up 70's 4 cylinder

[ChrisK]

I just realized we're all giving him advice on how to stay away from the cold and snow... yet isn't this the guy that rode his Monster to Alaska and back? 

[eric]

Hi guys, thank you so much for all the input and the offers! I think yeah, I will wait a little later in the year to begin the trip. Cold is fine but like any other (sane) rider, I very much hate rain.

Happy holidays for now, and hopefully later on next year I can come up with a more detailed route plan with your input 

[WarrenJ]

One thing to watch around the Black Hills - Badlands, especially in the spring and fall is the winds.  I spent 3 days in a trailer house in Sturgis one October with constant 70 mph winds, blue skies and the wind just howled without letup for days.  The Black Hills have some beautiful roads for motorcycles, but once you get on I-90 coming East, you can just wire the handlebars straight and take a nap - except for 20 minutes on either side of the Missouri River.  Wyoming is my favorite place to be, and it is beautiful, but the weather is violently unpredictable and aid can be very far away, depending on where you are at.  If you end up in central Wisconsin, I have a bunk and a good meal on tap.  3 hours from Chicago - empty roads and a few that are pretty nice to ride on.