Guy Boutin's Motorcycle Touring and Travel Pages

Adventures in Sport Touring with the Honda ST 1100, 1300 and the BMW 1200RT

Exploring North America...One Road at a Time

                                South is Where the Heart Is
                           A Long Rider Tours His Native Land

For the past several years I'd been neglecting the south in my travels, and I kind of felt bad about it.  A long time ago, I was a regional rider.  I did not have the time or the means to ride cross country back then, so I spent most of my riding time close to home.  When I became a Long Rider I wanted to see and explore new places, so my recent riding in the south was only on the way to get somewhere else.  I usually blasted north or west on some interstate, till I escaped, and then settled in on back roads.

That was going to change on this tour.  I was going to revisit a few places, and explore new areas.  

The tour started with a quick jaunt down to New Orleans.  What southern tour is complete without a visit to the Crescent City?  From there, I went back north to all the way to Washington DC and Philadelphia.  Much of it on southern back roads and coastal highways.

It was a great ride, taking me past the gorgeous beaches of the Florida Panhandle, to the windswept shoreline of the North Carolina Outer Banks.  I stopped to visit my best friend in Albany, Georgia, and saw family in Washington.  I returned home via the Shenandoah and the east Tennessee hills, leaning the smoothest roads in the country.  I was lucky enough to see the south in all its glory from the coast to the hills.

I visited historical sights in Kitty Hawk, New Orleans, Charleston, Washington, and Valley Forge.  I also had a personal experience in Norfolk, Virginia, my boyhood hometown.

I was in my native land, where no one asked me where I was from, or if my accent was real.  I knew the customs and what to expect.   People called me sir, and said thank you.

This trip also saw me break in my new ST 1300, and folks what a sweet bike she is.  I love it.

Weather was outstanding for this tour except for 2 days in the Washington area, where high winds and bitter cold forced me to rent a car to sightsee the area.   Details about that indignity are in the pages to follow.  In fact, it was unusually cool and pleasant for this time of year, but I battled wind on all but the last 2 days.   

With the all the intros out of the way, lets go for a ride with a native son with time on his hands.

Day 1- a windy ride to New Orleans, and lounging in the French Quarter.

Day 2- The Florida Panhandle into south Georgia

Day 3- Visiting my old friend, and quiet ride across Georgia.

Day 4- The old south city of Charleston and to the North Carolina shoreline

Day 5- The Outer Banks, Kitty Hawk, Virginia.  Miles and wind

Day 6- Quick tour of the DC monuments

Day 7- Valley Forge Park and back to Washington

Day 8- In the hills to Gatlingburg