Ride across the USA

[Roper_imp]

I dont mind superslab in rural america, only in and around major cities, even then mostly at " rush hour" when it doesn't rush at all. Personally I'd rather slab it to the next thing I really want to see, than to ride thru yet another typical small town with stop lights and their own traffic issues. Can't imagine going all the way across this country on back roads only.

I can, but it's all about time and money. I'm from Kansas originally, but haven't lived there since I was 18. When I get to travel the midwest I love taking my time along the backroads...the seemingly endless fields, the "nothing out there" look, the small town funkiness--makes me feel at home. But if you got to "get there by..." then it's no fun.

On the flip side, after 30 minutes, I grow weary of curvy, forest-covered mountain riding--can't see anything because of the darn trees, and it all looks the same!

I completely understand this! I like riding in open country more than in tunnels of foliage. I'm from the piedmont region of Virginia, where it's generally hard to see the sky...you look up at it through a hole in the trees. No sunrises or sunsets unless you're on a bridge over a river. I lived for a year in Nebraska and was amazed at how much of the sky I could see, and how far I could gaze across the landscape. I like riding in Kentucky because in many areas you can ride along the ridgetops and get views of sky and land. Sometimes I ride to Indiana to experience quirky little roads and places that are off the beaten path. The roads are fairly straight but there's just something nice about being somewhere less traveled, without traffic, and with no rush to get anywhere.

A couple of years ago, when we were driving back home to Texas after visiting extended family in Idaho and Utah, my daughter exclaimed when we crossed the state line into Texas, "Finally! No more stinkin' mountains blocking out the sky!" We moved to Utah last year. I think she's getting used to those stinkin' mountains, now.