Exploring Iconic Historic Routes for Motorcycle Adventures

WEBVTT

00:00:00.094 --> 00:00:05.224
Get your kicks on Route 66 and a number of other historic and scenic routes.

00:00:24.379 --> 00:00:33.829
Welcome to the Throttle and Roast podcast. I'm your host, Niels Meersschaert. In this episode, we'll look at some historic and scenic routes that are worth a motorcycle ride.

00:00:34.369 --> 00:00:58.640
This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list of every single good road around the world, but I will hit on some roads that have significance from either historical perspective or they're just some really good roads to try out. Now, the vast majority of the roads I'm going to discuss are ones that I have personally been on. I'm based in the East Coast of the United States, so most of the roads will reflect that area. But I will cover some other areas of the world that I have visited.

00:01:01.962 --> 00:01:53.751
So let's start with in the U.S. and I'm actually going to start with some of the larger roads that are used for transcontinental travel. And the first one, almost a bit cliche, but we do have to bring it up is Route 66. This road stretches from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, and it was featured in the song Get Your Kicks on Route 66, also in the Pixar film Cars and even the Steinbeck novel The Grapes of Wrath. The Road has many nicknames like Main Street of America, The Mother Road, and it was a primary route for those migrating west in the first half of the 20th century. Much of it has since been bypassed by the interstates, but several sections still exist and pass through the towns that originally served, the motorists traveling along them with auto service, fuel, hotels and more.

00:01:49.334 --> 00:02:49.503
Just from an Americana perspective, this is a road that you have to just take at least a little bit of sections of it and just give it a go because it will throw you back to that earlier era of how automotive travel was in the United States before everything was bypassed with the large interstates. So if you like going on back roads, if you like seeing all of the images and the wonderful businesses that you can find along the side of a road, Route 66 is definitely one that should be on your list. now, the next one that I'm going to discuss is actually one of the first transcontinental roads designed for automobiles and it originated in 1913, and it traveled from New York City to San Francisco. And of course, I'm discussing the Lincoln Highway. Now. This is a very, very long highway traveling thousands of miles across the country. And there are still some wonderful, wonderful sections of it. I've been on several of them in Pennsylvania.

00:02:45.753 --> 00:03:03.200
It's phenomenal. You're traveling through farmland. It's just beautiful scenery, wonderful road. You're going to come up to a bunch of little towns that you can visit And you're off of the main drag. So you're not in the hustle bustle.

00:02:59.540 --> 00:03:08.931
You're not all the traffic that you're going to find on an interstate. It is a wonderful road to do and see the wonderful scenery that's around there.

00:03:11.844 --> 00:03:40.611
I'm going to focus a bit onto the East Coast I'm going to start with some of the roads that have been around for a long time. And I have to start with, of course, Boston Post Road. Now, this road was actually established in 1673. It runs from New York City to Boston over about 117 miles. And it was based on several trails from the local Indian tribes. Although U.S. One runs along, much of the path is called Boston Post Road.

00:03:40.611 --> 00:04:33.744
And that was actually the original pathway. It roughly parallels Interstate 95. I will say it's not necessarily the most fun road to ride. It is today pretty much riding with lots of traffic. Traffic light to traffic light. Lots of strip malls along the side. But it is the oldest road in the country, if not at least one of the oldest roads in the country. So from a historical perspective, it is something that you may want to explore. Now, the other road I'm going to do, and you'll notice a little bit of a theme in these first couple is also a post road Now, the history of a post road is essentially from the Postal Service and this allowed to make a very fast transit to move letters, communications from one part of the country to another. And in particular, that thoroughfare between Boston and New York was a very popular one. Another one was between New York and Albany.

00:04:30.624 --> 00:05:01.971
Albany, of course, is the state capital of New York. Roughly runs straight up the Hudson River And this road originally falls in an old Indian trail in Manhattan that became Heerestraat which is when the Dutch ran Manhattan. And today, it's known as Broadway. In 1669, the government of New York designated a postal route between New York and Albany that followed this path in Manhattan and other Indian trails of the Wiccoppee and Wappinger tribes.

00:05:02.482 --> 00:05:13.971
In 1703, the government decided it should become a public and common general highway following the same route starting in the Bronx. And it was named the Queens Road after Queen Anne.

00:05:14.572 --> 00:05:21.172
Now, Frederick Phillips built the bridge crossing from the Bronx to Manhattan to match up with the original Broadway path.

00:05:21.978 --> 00:05:35.298
The route continues north of the Bronx as it passes the old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow, which was, of course, featured in Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And it runs continuous with Route 9 along much of its length further north.

00:05:35.838 --> 00:05:57.901
Near Phillips Town, New York. A section now called Old Albany Post Road after a realignment of the main route is a six mile long dirt road. It's actually one of the oldest still unpaved roads in the United States and still contains milestones placed during the early years of American independence. It's a worthwhile diversion from the main route, and the dirt section.

00:05:58.403 --> 00:06:03.014
something you can absolutely do on any sort of a bike. Doesn't have to be an adventure bike, doesn't have to be a dual sport.

00:06:03.024 --> 00:06:15.803
It is a full public road just not fully paved. It's worth just exploring. But you do see a little bit of that history of this was the road as it existed a few centuries ago. All right.

00:06:15.814 --> 00:06:19.343
Next one we're going to cover is the Palisades Interstate Parkway.

00:06:19.733 --> 00:06:46.596
Now, this is a limited access highway, and the Palisades runs between New Jersey and New York in a North /South alignment, and like most parkways in the region, commercial vehicles aren't allowed along its route. It stretches from the George Washington Bridge, where the Hudson River cliffs, known as the Palisades, are near their highest elevations, and it continues north to the Harriman and Bear Mountain State Parks near the Bear Mountain Bridge that also crosses the Hudson.

00:06:47.475 --> 00:06:58.615
Now, the idea for the parkway began in the early 1930s and with a donation of about 700 acres of land running alongside the Palisades by John D.

00:06:55.345 --> 00:07:07.074
Rockefeller, it was off to a planning start. However, the New Jersey Highway Commission wasn't in favor of the construction.

00:07:03.144 --> 00:07:14.065
Instead, the Henry Hudson Drive was built for about eight miles in a route running parallel to the current Palisades Parkway.

00:07:10.375 --> 00:07:46.730
Now, that drive itself is also a lovely scenic route, though, with a lower speed than the parkway. Construction on the actual Palisades Parkway began in 1947, with the last sections completed by 1958. Now there are several lookouts along its length. When I lived in New York City, the Alpine Lookout, about five miles north of the George Washington Bridge, was a meeting spot for our local motorcycle riding group. Now let's move into Connecticut and we'll talk about the Merritt Parkway. Now, this is also one of the oldest parkways in the United States.

00:07:43.401 --> 00:08:43.386
And this was originally designed to support Connecticut's Gold Coast, it's listed on both the National Scenic Byway and National Register of Historic Places. But due to many low overpasses, trucks and buses aren't allowed along it. The first section was opened in 1938 and runs from the state line between New York and Connecticut and Greenwich and travels 37 miles to the Housatonic River in Stratford, Connecticut. filled with beautiful, gentle, winding turns in a tree lined setting, and it harkens back to an era long before the modern interstate highway. While it can get a lot of traffic at rush hour and on weekends, if you hit the timing right, you'll be rewarded with a charming road running roughly north south throughout Connecticut and beautiful, beautiful scenery along the way. All right. We're going to head a little further west now and take a look at the Upper Delaware scenic Byway.

00:08:37.929 --> 00:09:10.793
Also known as Route 97. Now, this is known by locals as a favorite motorcycle road. It follows along the Delaware River separating New York and Pennsylvania and the curves of the road mirror those of the nearby river. Near the end by Port Jervis is the famed Hawk's nest, where the route climbs up high above the river, offering outstanding views of New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. You are right at the tri point where the three states come together.

00:09:10.812 --> 00:09:40.907
All right. We're going to head a bit north and head into New Hampshire and the Kancamagus scenic byway or fearless one is named after the final Sagamore of the Penacook Confederacy of Indian Tribes. It was opened in 1959 and connected to dead end sections, though it wasn't fully paved until 1964. It passes through the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and it's locally called New Hampshire Route 112.

00:09:37.067 --> 00:10:00.421
Now, I rode this on a rented Indian chief classic back in 2014, and the views were outstanding. If you're in the New Hampshire area, you have to hit this road. Now, if we hit a little further west from New Hampshire and a little south, we'll head into Massachusetts and we'll find the Mohawk trail.

00:09:56.581 --> 00:10:16.504
Now, this was originally an Indian trail connecting tribes near the Atlantic with those in upstate New York and further west. And it followed several rivers in what is now northern Massachusetts. Today, the route follows Route 2 and Route 2A.

00:10:11.764 --> 00:10:20.044
It's a popular route with scenic views along the entire way.

00:10:16.504 --> 00:10:46.669
Elevation changes are in store with a high point of 2272 feet at Whitcomb Summit, with the nearby hairpin turn overlooking North Adams. And along the route is Shelburne Falls, with the famous bridge of flowers that draws tourists Just a little further south, of course, is Mount Greylock, which is the tallest mountain in Massachusetts. And it's a great diversion. You can take a road that will actually take you up to the summit of Mount Greylock and well worth of diversion.

00:10:44.120 --> 00:11:28.839
It's another great road on its own, like beyond the Mohawk trail. Now, as you head further south, another road that is very popular both for automobiles and for motorcycles, is the Blue Ridge Parkway. Now, it is gorgeous. It is outstanding in terms of the views, but it is prone to traffic and it has an almost insanely comedically low speed limit that happens to be strictly enforced. So if you're on a sport bike or you're in a need for speed, this is not the right road for you. But if you're willing to take a little bit of a slower pace and enjoy the scenery, this could be an amazing road for you to try out.

00:11:24.458 --> 00:11:37.883
And offshoots from the Blue Ridge Parkway also are numerous and plenty of great roads along the way, so you will find an enjoyable way. It's an outstanding road.

00:11:38.214 --> 00:11:41.124
So let's switch coasts.

00:11:38.214 --> 00:11:56.625
Let's head over to the West Coast. And there's a couple of there that I really want to highlight. The first of which is the Pacific Coast Highway. now, this is also known as California one. And this route runs along the coastline of California.

00:11:52.456 --> 00:12:11.865
Portions of it are actually national scenic byways. And I've driven this from Los Angeles up to San Francisco, staying in San Luis Obispo in the middle. And if you do follow that route, definitely take a look at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

00:12:08.145 --> 00:12:36.058
It's just an incredibly campy place to stay. But you'll be seeing some amazing, amazing scenery, all looking at the coastline. There are times, though, where part of it is washed out So you do need to be aware of it. And if you want if you need to take a diversion, there's some great stuff that you can do. I would also say, if you're going to take the route up there, do yourself a favor and stop over in Monterrey.

00:12:32.399 --> 00:13:03.347
There's a beautiful, beautiful peninsula for Monterey. Great diversion to just take a ride around and see this scenery that you'll see along there. Now, if you had a little further north from Pacific Coast Highway, I'd actually say another road. And this is the one that personally for me was probably one of the most humbling roads that I've ever driven along is. Spirit Lake Highway, also known as Route 504, near Mount St Helens.

00:12:57.878 --> 00:13:53.039
St Helens, of course, is pretty famous for being the volcano that erupted in 1980 it effectively blew out half of the mountain off to the side. And as a consequence of the sheer enormity of the power of that eruption, it knocked down trees for tens of miles surrounding it just from the force of the wind coming out. And you'll still see those on the sides of this road as you're riding along, because the carcasses, effectively the logs that were there have been left. As a reminder, it's effectively a natural museum that has been maintained. And it almost looks like these are matchsticks that have just fallen across the ground. You don't realize when you're seeing them from afar distance, you see them. It just it looks weird.

00:13:50.340 --> 00:14:26.472
It's like matchsticks or pine needles that are just fallen onto the ground. And then as you get closer, you start to see. No, these are actually quite large trees that have come down and just have been sitting there for 40 some odd years. It's remarkable. and there's a number of switchbacks and elevation changes that will definitely exercise the lean angle of your bike. And the views are spectacular. So it's a phenomenal way to do it. You can actually ride around the entire perimeter of Mount St Helens as well. Get a bit of a larger view, but I think the Spirit Highway is the one that to me really was the most impressive in that area.

00:14:27.062 --> 00:14:53.398
Now, I don't want to forget about some of our listeners that are going to be in Europe, because Europe, of course, has some other outstanding roads and there's three that I want to highlight here. The first one is the island of Sardinia in Italy. Now, this is a really fascinating place because It's relatively isolated from the coast. So there's no bridges or anything.

00:14:51.327 --> 00:15:10.559
You have to actually take a large boat or you have to fly there. But the coastline is rather breathtaking. And I remember driving around there and we were driving around the perimeter of the island, and we would come over a bend and think, this is the most beautiful cove that I've ever seen in my life.

00:15:07.440 --> 00:15:14.179
And of course, then we go over the next bend and find another cove that's even more beautiful.

00:15:14.190 --> 00:15:29.369
And it was like this the entire way around the island. So be prepared for amazing, amazing sights. And of course, this seafood was outstanding that you would find in each of these little villages along the way.

00:15:25.739 --> 00:16:18.658
They just prepare it and it's so delicious. It's absolutely wonderful. I would highly recommend anyone who is in Italy, take a diversion, go to Sardinia and see what it's like. It's really remarkable. staying in Italy, we have to actually then talk about probably one of the most infamous roads that exist is the Stelvio Pass. Now, I've not personally experienced this pass. I've been in other parts of the Alps, But it is often at the top of the list for amazing roads in Europe. In fact, it's so well-renowned that Moto Guzzi even named one of their models after that road. Now it is the second highest paved mountain pass in the Alps at 2757 meters, or about 9000 feet.

00:16:11.849 --> 00:16:21.568
So if you have a fear of heights, this is not the road for you.

00:16:18.658 --> 00:16:47.351
But if you want to see some amazing switchbacks, you want to see an amazing view of the valley below as you're coming through the pass or coming out of the valley. It's an amazing, amazing view. Now, the other route that I do want to highlight, and I will say it has been more than 20 years since I've been on this road, so I can't tell you that it's going to have a lot of traffic or that it's gotten less interesting.

00:16:43.032 --> 00:16:56.061
But I do want to highlight the route between Geneva in Switzerland, and Chamonix, in France and the whole surrounding areas. There are just amazing.

00:16:57.889 --> 00:17:11.298
You are going right through the heart of the Alps, which means you're going to have a ton of switchbacks, you're going to have a ton of elevation changes and just beautiful mountain scenery that you can look at.

00:17:08.269 --> 00:17:27.769
It's something that you could just spend days, if not weeks, riding around all the various roads in that area in just between Geneva and Chamonix. But that's that's one of my favorite sections that I've been on. It's outstanding to be able to visit.

00:17:23.749 --> 00:17:42.971
And if you have the opportunity, if you're either based in the United States or in Canada and traveling over to Europe, definitely take an opportunity to do it. And if you're in Europe, you're you're so close at this point, you may as well just make a diversion and give it a go. It's absolutely worth the view.

00:17:47.085 --> 00:18:32.521
So let's wrap up. We talked about a few transcontinental roads in the United States, such as Route 66 and the Lincoln Highway. we talked about a number of beautiful routes in the eastern part of the United States. And we also talked about some great roads in the western part of the United States, like Pacific Coast Highway and Spirit Lake Highway. And finally, there are definitely some routes in Europe that are breathtaking, whether it's in Sardinia, whether it's in northern Italy or whether it's in the Alps between France and Switzerland. There's a lot of outstanding roads that you can find. So my question for you is, is there a road or area I didn't mention that you think others should try. Share your thoughts through the text link in the show notes. Thanks so much for listening and we'll see you next time.