(07-16-2022, 11:16 PM)EmptySea_imp Wrote: All - Thanks for following along and your kind comments

On trips like this to and through unfamiliar areas, I’m often busy navigating or thinking about navigating and I forget to take photographs. Thank you, Ferret for filling in the blanks.

As to finding “gems” and avoiding u-turns: research and a great co-pilot are my secret weapons. I enjoy planning the routes on trips like this and I “virtually” ride as much of the route as possible via Google Street View in advance. I try to pick rest/fuel/meal/lodging stops based on how long we can ride before needing each one of those, but also the quality and/or value of those stops. So, I’ll try to pick a food stop with a view, one that features a local specialty, or one that has good online recommendations over the chain restaurant across the road because I think that adds value to the trip. While I prefer to take rest breaks at a park or other point if interest, sometimes the better value is to stretch and snack at a gas station. On this trip, the “World’s Largest” and Tour of Honor attractions were value-added rest stops and were worth the cost (in time) of a second nearby stop for fuel.

I pay as much attention to my Nav screen as I do to my mirrors and that keeps me generally on track, but my sweeper and life-partner also has the route in her phone and reminds me of upcoming turns/stops. I doubt I’d have arrived at our desired spot without a U-turn nearly as often without her assistance.