The Great River Road

[keysyrider]

I'm thinking of next year's ride (2012)and I came across The Great River Road. Following the meandering Mississippi River, it starts in Lake Itasca, Minnesota and ends in New Orleans. With the rich history surrounding the "Mighty Mississip" there would be no shortage of interesting stops along it's entire length. One interesting site would be the location where Bonnie and Clyde met their just reward a few minutes west of the River Road at Gibsland, Louisianna.

The only problem is it's length. It's a 3000 mile journey so I'd have to do it in two parts probably. Has anyone done this ride, or part of it?

[Uwe W.]

Ron, are you saying there's a road that actually follows the Mississippi throughout most of its length? That would be an incredible trip. I have fooled around with the river, mostly in the Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota area, but now that I'm looking at a map, I did ride on sections of the Great River Rd. without realising its importance.

[keysyrider]

Uwe: Here's the link for the route of the Great River Road. http://byways.org/explore/byways/2279/directions.html It's a 3000 mile run from Minnesota to New Orleans. Everyone I've talked with who has done it, or part of it, has said it's a great ride. I found it in a very cool book I boulght a few years ago called Road Trip USA

[Black Lightning]

Alton Brown, of Food Network fame, did a series of programs titled Feasting on Asphalt where he followed that very route with a camera crew on motorcycles even. Mostly his theme was finding old style diners before the cookie cutter chain "restaurants" ran them out of business but it is all good information and he did do it on a motorcycle. He started in New Orleans and I have no idea how long it really took them to do but someone just doing the ride could probably do it comfortably in a week one way.