My most visited states on a motorcycle

Since I stared riding a motorcycle I’ve been through 39 different states. Some states I’ve been through numerous of times, others I’ve only been through once or twice. I know how many states I’ve been to on a motorcycle and even when my first ride to each state occurred. Now I’m curious to know which states I’ve been to the most. So in a way, this post is a is ‘Part 2’ of “Visited states on a motorcycle” but now it's not about where and when, it's about how many times.

After seven years of touring, I don't remember all the trips I've done, especially not the shorter trips. I have to look this information up on my blog and website. But before I looked it up I took a guess. I was surprised by the results, since when I thought of the states that I’ve been to the most, I was thinking in terms of ‘destinations’ not states that I’ve ridden through on the way to other places.

I'm not listing Illinois because I live here. Also, I listed only the times that I have “sport-toured” through a state (meaning stayed overnight somewhere else, not at home). I also counted the times I towed my bikes to another state to ride and the times I borrowed a bike to ride in other states. Basically the only rides that are not listed here are day rides I did from my house.

Also, if I passed through the state twice on a particular tour, once going somewhere and once coming back home, I only counted that as "one ride" or "one visit" through that particular state. Since each visit to a state that I was counting is actually a separate new ride.

[Drum roll please] The results: my top 3 states that I have visited to the most are .... Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota. The other states that I’ve been through multiple of times are Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas.

Most visited states and number of visits:
Wisconsin 23
Iowa 19
Minnesota 17
Indiana 12
Ohio 6
Pennsylvania 6
Kentucky 5
Tennessee 5
Texas 5



So why did I visit these states more than the others? Well, there is a very good reason why Wisconsin is at number one. If you know Chicago, you might have guessed that the best place to ride a motorcycle around here is in Wisconsin, since the roads in Northern Illinois are straight and flat.

Every year I do a bunch of day rides to Wisconsin, but I also do a lot of sport-touring trips since Wisconsin is a big state and the best roads are in the Southwest of Wisconsin, kind of far for a day ride.



Wisconsin: curvy roads and dairy farms and so much more

Iowa is at number two with 19 visits although I've only been to two parts of Iowa. Most of the time I ride the roads near the Mississippi River because they are really curvy and scenic. I have not toured Iowa the way I have toured Wisconsin, the only time I travel west through Iowa is when I’m riding toward the west coast.




Iowa: view of the Mississippi River

Minnesota is at number three with 17 visits but if Minnesota was closer to Chicago it would probably would be at number two, because I really like riding in Minnesota and I’ve been to a few different parts of the state over the last few years.



Minnesota: natural beauty of lakes, rivers and forests

Indiana is at number four with 12 visits and it’s another one of those states that I ride through on my way to other places. I have not seen very much of northern Indiana, since I’m usually on the interstate trying to get away from Chicago as fast as I can. Southern Indiana has some curvy back roads and usually once I get past Indianapolis I exit the interstate and get to enjoy the nice back roads.



Indiana: winding backroads and small towns

Ohio and Pennsylvania are tied at number five with 6 visits. Ohio has some great roads in the southeastern portion of the state, I have not been able to make it out there yet for a tour but I try to hit some good twisty roads when I ride through Ohio to get to other places. Over the years I’ve been to many motorcycle meets in Pennsylvania, but I have not had the pleasure of touring Pennsylvania. Each time I’m there I do ride a bunch of good roads, so I think I’ve actually seen a bit of Pennsylvania by now. Even though I've been through Ohio just as many times, most of the time I take the interstate so I've seen very little of this state.



Pennsylvania: twisty roads and old charming cities

Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas are also tied at number six with 5 visits. Kentucky and Tennessee are great states to ride in, there are many awesome roads there and these states are not that far from Illinois. From Chicago I’ve ridden to Tennessee and to Kentucky in one day, it’s not that long of ride.



Tennessee: it's all about the twisty roads



Kentucky: hills, curves and empty roads


Texas is a different story. To this day, I have not been able to ride from Chicago to Texas. I have always towed my bikes to Texas or near there. It's my favorite place to ride in the winter since the temperatures are so mild. Texas is a really big state, but for motorcycling Texas Hill Country and Southwest Texas, near Big Bend National Park, are the best places. I’ve even been to east Texas on a bike a couple of times, which was also fun and much different from west Texas.



Texas: the beauty of hill country

States that I’ve visited less than 5 times:
Louisiana 3
Michigan 3
Missouri 3
North Carolina 3
Alaska 2
Arizona 2
California 2
Colorado 2
Mississippi 2
Nebraska 2
New York 2
Utah 2
Virginia 2
West Virginia 2
Alabama 1
Arkansas 1
Georgia 1
Kansas 1
Maine 1
Maryland 1
Nevada 1
New Hampshire 1
New Mexico 1
North Dakota 1
Oklahoma 1
South Carolina 1
South Dakota 1
Vermont 1
Wyoming 1

From the list above the only thing that really amazes me is how little time I’ve spent in Michigan, Missouri and Arkansas considering these states are not that far away from Illinois. I haven’t been to Michigan mostly because the only way to get there is through the city of Chicago and Northwest Indiana using the interstate, that route is very congested with traffic and not fun at all. To get up to the Michigan's Upper Peninsula is easier since you can go through Wisconsin, the only major city that you travel through is Milwaukee, but UP is too far to go just for a weekend. Missouri is another one of those places that requires a lot of interstate riding and going through congested St. Louis. I finally made it to Arkansas last year, I’ve planned many trips there before but bad weather always made me ride somewhere else.

I guess you can say that I would rather ride to destinations, where getting there is not a huge hassle, where there is less traffic and the trip doesn’t require a lot of interstate travel. From Chicago I like to travel North or West, then South, but traveling East is the most time consuming.

Precious Lanvin

Fall 2008 Ready-to-Wear Lanvin – Runway

Many are surprised by Elbaz at Lanvin, their creations are always intimate, designs like princesses, and the charming French chic that characterizes the mark of perfection and femininity. Lanvin is always a great unknown, a mark which in the past did much to women and that was the precursor to the dictatorship of his majesty, the child. Following the explosion of color, fury and passion comes the chic French. Great Alber.

Lanvin is the black, black truth. Black past Balenciaga, black velvet, black radiant. Black light.

For the night the proposals Elbaz ladies are gorgeous style rock, disinherited princesses, actresses melancholy. All good but not all elections.

Precious arrogance Petite Robe Noire by Alber Elbaz, the elegant decadence Gothic mysticism loaded with lyricism, ladies and cold furtive glances dyed black. Black thick and dense.

A wink to the despotic eighty femmes fatals with its radiant with black leather heels and printing. That call Nadja top fetishists roam with high-heeled shoes or excessive always Halston.

Grandiosos eighties great women and great Lanvin. A full of talent.

The straight cut but that domed Albez has shown that dominates mercilessly again work wonders with the material but now with a new texture, glossy and a new color, the sobriety of the luxurious and opulent black.

Ladies with Gothic reminiscences triumph, seriousness, a halo and a supernatural aspect gloomy and lustful.

The High Society seen by a real smart and not by one of these ladies that only with money and not caste. For Alber Elbaz, the black is a privilege, a game, a life and not a boring entertainment.

If Elbaz revised their long pearl necklaces, gold seen as the new black and the most it is more like the new slogan of Elbaz, in their golden years, this would create. Everything said.

True, Alber Elbaz is a genius, a real genius with dyes dictator. It is a great man, a magician of fashion, a tyrant and a disruptive. A collection that has burned Paris, has returned to proclaim the genius of Elbaz and revision of eighties, lyrical charm Parisian decadence, the world of black decadent, opulent and glorious. A beautiful Lanvin.

Designer Handbag Collections

Bags of autumn-2008 collection for Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton in Paris yesterday presented its proposals for next autumn-winter 2008 and these are the bags we saw on the catwalk.

Marc Jacobs returns to gamble this year by the shades of gray and earth, but we are surprised with handbags and white light beige, more typical of summer. As usual, the monogram is very present in the collection, which has a couple of models Metallic leather.

Malibu bag of Juicy Couture

Last year, the Riviera Beach Straw Food and Colony Beach were two of the most attractive Juicy Couture to go to the beach.

This year, we are confident that the bag will be the favorite Malibu (102 €). It's rubber, and is available in translucent green and pink, and both carry the signature logo stamped on the front.

Of course the towel Juicy Couture is included, drawings chocolate brown on the model pink and pistachio green on the model.

Handbags collection of autumn-2008 Prada

The simplicity is not part of the new collection of handbags from Prada autumn winter 2008, in an abundance of lace and ruffles.

The two bags that can be seen in the photo, are a good proof of the absence of simplicity in design of the firm. Both are manufactured in leather and coated with a thick and sophisticated lace that will match the dress in the model.

Purse Ada Chloé

let's take a look at one of the new bags of Chloé, a design that go back in time and follows the aesthetics of the era in which the signature triumphs with the Paddington.

The full bag is made in skin color black high quality (hence its price rise to 1,549 €), crowned in the bottom of the handles with tachuelas silver. Moreover, the bag Ada Chloé is pretty straightforward, although it is worth highlighting the side pockets that goes into one skin intertwined.

Purse Majorelle Volcano Yves Saint Laurent

Another handbags that marked trend this summer will be the Majorelle Volcano Yves Saint Laurent, especially in its latest version, size XL and Metallic leather bag that will make this cause sensation among the most fashion.

His name does represent to the shape of the volcano that has wide at the base and narrow as they reach the end (of gilded metal).

The price is € 1,292 and now you can only get it for touring in Neiman Marcus can do with an estimated waiting time of 2 months.

Bag of Patent Francine Coach

Coach is one of those signatures, although it is not well known in Spain, is always in the spotlight of the most fashionistas, their bags are usually simple, but always have designs to last.

The bag of Patent Francine Coach (525.41 €), is one of its new models, produced in skin effect and charol available in a magnificent color palette. We chose the turquoise because it is the most striking and original, what you choose?

Original Post by: www.bolsoblog.com

Luxurious Hermés

Winter arrives in Hermés, a signature of past prestige and suitable only for those who still believe in good taste and residing in a particular social ladder. The cradle of High Society lies in Hermés, sophistication, chic and money. Women Hermés Jean Paul Gaultier is simply perfect, wears leather cut to perfection by the flagship house of tradition "handmade" and combines with a touch of youthful, carefree and sophisticated, just brilliant. Winter is winter is Hermés, the leather is careful to detail, the cuts are perfect and the color palette is better than ever and continues Hermés that combining air decadent European and transatlantic air of India with Oriental touches. A parade sensational.

Wonderful coats cutting perfect. When you see what you can be idle for one on the Upper East Side or for a lady of steel, and powerful current. Skin, leather, alligator. The courts are perfect.

Gaultier dominates the essence like no other functional pret a porter without losing the traditional charm of Hermés. The set might find it anywhere, but what Hermés sells is perfection.

When Chanel said that the limit is not stylized concerned that, the lightness, the lightness can be carried even in winter and always sophisticated because it can only be done with select garments.

Middle Gaultier always inspires both in the color palette as in the concept interior. Rough skins, wool combined with the best of hides and look rugged and feminine while combined with silk skirts and the most delicate accessories.

The scarves made mythical Hermés to be reinvented, longer, more colorful and more irregular combined with masculine jackets and, of course orange Hermés.

A leather coat and napa with buckles and worked with hair and skin closed for a delicate silk blouse and combined with high boots color chocolate.

Reminiscences of the old views of cashmere and silk, it creates Gaultier coat stamped decorated with fringes. Essence East.

The night, a marvel Hermés. Dark, secret beautiful. And luxurious.

A great parade for Hermés with which one could define the true pret a porter and no delusions of grandeur of certain creators. The pret a porter is something glorious and residing in the luxury, we could say the miserable luxury but that definition falls by its own weight to the view Hermés. The pret a porter of Hermés with Gaultier at the head is a brilliant blend of luxury and tradition of Europe and Asia, charm and femininity, chic and glamorous. The concept that explores Hermés is all that can be found anywhere if you understand a coat as a mere shelter but Hermés means an overcoat as a pledge or catapult capable of ruining a woman.

A short and wet dual-sport ride

Even though rain was in the forecast today, the temps were finally going to be warm. I don’t mean a bit warmer either, I’m talking twice as warm as what we’ve been having lately, which is the mid to high 20’s for the high temps.



Ready to go for a ride

Nope, no cold weather today, it was going to be a balmy 44 degrees. It’s these rare warm-ups during winter (usually less than three days a month) that make living in Chicago tolerable for a motorcyclist. The only thing is, we usually don’t get this much snow. Usually when the warm up comes I can jump on my bike and go, but the last two winters, with all the snow on the ground, it just doesn’t melt quick enough. And if the driveway isn’t clear of ice or snow, no matter how warm it is, there is no riding. Today there was still quite a bit of ice in the driveway, but it was melting quick.



Driveway today



Driveway yesterday



Driveway a few days ago

Our last ride was mid January on the bikes so we were itching to ride, if only for an hour or two. We took the dual-sports since the melting snow was going to make a mess of the roads.

The XT225 and XR650L have been sitting in the garage since we came back from Alabama January 1st. It has been too cold to wash the bikes, so they were still dirty from the last dirt ride and from the snow, dirt and salt that may have gotten on them when they were being towed home in that blizzard.

And I still haven’t bought a trickle charger for the XT, mostly because I can run it even when it’s a bit snowy outside, well, I could last winter, this winter we’re getting so much snow that I’m having problems getting out of my driveway with my car. So the XT has sat in the garage for the last two months, in a cold non-heated garage, with single digit overnight temps, and it started right up. On the XT if you empty out the carbs and then park the bike, the bike can sit for a while and will start back up with no problems. But if you leave the gas sitting in the carburetors, even for three days, the XT will not want to start.

So we headed out about noon. The weather channel was saying it was 44 degrees outside but on the bank signs I was reading 49 and 52 degrees. I was actually warm, I bundled up since I have no electrics on this bike and I may have over done it.



This XR650L has never seen snow before



A bit of nature in the western suburbs of Chicago

This is Chicagoland, there's really is no where to ride dirt here but two suburbs away near my work there are a few short dirt roads that lead to the electric towers, that was our destination today.



Heading down the electric tower road





I thought the snow would have melted but when we arrived the dirt roads were still covered by snow and the snow was kind of heavy and hard, since it had melted and froze so many times. It made my front wheel slide out every once in a while, especially on the deeper, slicker snow. Riding in old snow was kind of like riding in deep sand but easier then sand. I have ridden in snow last winter with the XT and it wasn’t as hard to ride through, since the snow last year was fresh and dry.





It was already drizzling on and off, so after we did the few short roads we headed about 12 miles north toward Chicago O‘Hare Airport where I know of some more dirt to ride. Unfortunately, just as we arrived the rain started and we decided to head home.



This little lake was still frozen



But before going straight home, we topped off the gas tanks in the bikes with fresh gas and hosed the bikes down at a car wash. The sun came out again just as we reached the house, the rain was over, but the bikes were now clean and the roads were wet and dirty, so the bikes had to be put away and the street bikes were still “hibernating”, so this is all the riding we were going to do today.



More dirt riding in the suburbs, scenic isn't it?

There is more snow in the forecast for next week, so who knows when we'll get to ride again but since it's already March, I’d imagine that this month there should be less snow days and more riding days - I hope.



Finally, we have clean bikes