[LTFan]

Not as experienced as most people on this forum but I have spent considerable time in the saddle for daily commute and small weekend getaways. Most of my riding has been done solo. I am newly married and plan on taking my LT for a long (3-4 days) ride with my wife from Sacramento to Yellow Stone Park and back. She seems hesitant but willing to try it.

About her:
She likes adventure trips and adventure sports but she is a doctor and very very picky on cleanliness and freaks out if she thinks about insects and reptiles. I agree its a contradictory statement. If we understood women then we wouldn't be thinking so much about them, right?

How can I make the trip fun and pleasurable so she might want to do this over again and we both enjoy it?

I have been thinking about this for last 2 months and I have a set of new helmets, Sena SMH10 dual bluetooth headsets and a unigo trailer. I am seeking help to plan the trip for following items.

1. What should I carry?
2. Should I risk staying in a tent for this first trip or just book hotels to ensure a pleasant first trip?
3. Scenic routes to take from central valley California to Yellow stone national park. This is my first trip to the park.
4. Bike friendly things to do at the park or on the way.

 

[Knife]

Here's what I've learned from my wife after our recent 2,200 and 3,400 mile trips:
1) Put arm rests on for her. It will make her more comfortable and she will feel more secure.
2) Attach a small case of some kind to one of the arm rests for her to keep sundries in she can access easily while riding.
3) My wife says camping is a pain if only staying one night at a location. Setting up at night and tearing down in the morning wasn't her thing. Not mine either. Camp if staying for more than one night. Otherwise, get a room.
4) If she needs a pee stop, find a place immediately. Don't complain. For some reason, women have to pee a lot.
5) Make at least one ice cream stop each day.
6) Say nice things to her over the intercom.
7) Don't drop the LT over on her foot. My wife's foot is still swollen and bruised after doing that last Friday in Quebec. She doesn't complain, though. I just got a sore shoulder out of it.

 

[mtrevelino]

My wife is strictly a hotel person. Besides, you can save a little space by not having to pack camping gear.

 

[pagl57]

Give her something to do while driving, a little camera for taking pictures along the road. (Set the shutter speed at 1/500s to avoid blurryness).

About your sentence "I am newly married and plan on taking my LT for a long (3-4 days) ride with my wife from Sacramento to Yellow Stone Park and back."
I would have said "I am newly married and plan on taking my wife for a long (3-4 days) ride on the LT from Sacramento to Yellow Stone Park and back." ... No?

 

[LTFan]

Give her something to do while driving, a little camera for taking pictures along the road. (Set the shutter speed at 1/500s to avoid blurryness).

About your sentence "I am newly married and plan on taking my LT for a long (3-4 days) ride with my wife from Sacramento to Yellow Stone Park and back."
I would have said "I am newly married and plan on taking my wife for a long (3-4 days) ride on the LT from Sacramento to Yellow Stone Park and back." ... No?

words always reflect the intention :wave

 

[cws]

How can I make the trip fun and pleasurable so she might want to do this over again and we both enjoy it?

1. What should I carry?

A very nice bottle of champagne (we like Mumm), and someway to keep it cold..

2. Should I risk staying in a tent for this first trip or just book hotels to ensure a pleasant first trip?

Stick to a quiet hotel or nice cabin... upmarket of course! As this is her first bike trip you really want a nice place to stay at night that's not much hassle, even better if it has a spa... leave the camping for when she gets used to riding

The rest should be a breeze....

 

[PMitchell]

A very nice bottle of champagne (we like Mumm), and someway to keep it cold..
Stick to a quiet hotel or nice cabin... upmarket of course! As this is her first bike trip you really want a nice place to stay at night that's not much hassle, even better if it has a spa... leave the camping for when she gets used to riding

The rest should be a breeze....

+1 especially with new wify!
My pillion loves to ride but we stay at B&B's or mid-priced motels. Other benefits forthcoming as well

 

[bikerj]

Give her something to do while driving, a little camera for taking pictures along the road. (Set the shutter speed at 1/500s to avoid blurryness)...

Thanks for the photography tip! :wave

 

[LTFan]

Thanks everyone. thos looks very doable. at the moment she looks very excited about the trip and also a little nervous. hope evrtything works out well. i will post pictures and story by second week in July.

 

[powwow]

+1 especially with new wify!
My pillion loves to ride but we stay at B&B's or mid-priced motels. Other benefits forthcoming as well

+2 While my SO and I have done a number of camping trips, I wouldn't recommend that on your first trip with an SO who is a rookie for this type of travel.

We have also taken several trips where I booked B&B's in advance. These turned out to be great times and I would highly recommend that for your first trip.

One caution...for your first trip I would encourage you to be conservative on how many miles you want to cover in a day. Your wife will enjoy it much more if you've planned breaks during the ride and arranged to be at your nightly stopping place with plenty of time for a leisurely dinner and walking tour of the area.

 

[jkersh1]

Re: First trip with Wife

You have new helmets, but don't forget the rest of the gear. Good all-weather gear, (GoreTex or equivalent) are essential not only for protection, but comfort. Nothing takes the fun out of a journey like being sun-burned, wind-whipped, and/or soaking wet.

Before you drop a couple of grand on matching 'stiches, Cycle Gear, for example, has a good selection of reasonably priced gear to get started. And you can walk in and make sure it fits.

 

[hallzee]

Keep the pillion happy. In my wife's opinion:

Hotel is Grand Wailea Resort.
Camping is Holiday Inn Express.

 

[dantroop]

+1 on the good gear. Definitely need rain gear. Not sure how your bike is set up. My wife has an electric jacket liner. She can wear this under her mesh jacket or leather jacket. When we ride everyone else is bundled up with layers of clothes and are still cold. She's as snug as a bug. You never really know what you'll encounter weather wise. Keep her comfortable at all costs. (If you want her to ride with you in the future.)

 

[gerhard]

I just returned from a 20 day trip with my wife and we got along for the whole trip, except maybe the first ferry crossing were she became sea sick and then I became sea sick. We only had two days were we travelled 500+ km (300 miles) the rest were between 200 and 400 km, that was 4 hours or less riding. There would usually be two stops either for nutrition or an activity or both. If you do it that way there is always something to look forward to other than stiff knees and a sore butt. Other thing be honest about the length of the ride because if she is prepared for a three hour day and it turns out to be six she is likely no longer in great humour. I know that I enjoy the bike ride more than she does so I appreciate that she comes on the ride and that is why I plan things that she will enjoy.

Gerhard

 

[dantroop]

Sounds like you got the formula. Many happy miles to you both.

 

[Sheradan]

I think you need one more day. 900 miles one way plus cruising around park.

 

[rwbloch]

+1 on the "one more day comment" - maybe two or three - Yellowstone is bigger than Rhode island and Delaware combined, there are no straight roads and traffic moves slowly.

And you will probably want to vista jackson/Teton National Park while you are there.

For a great place to stay, try Chico's Resort Lodge and Hot Springs, in Pray, MT north of the Park.

http://www.chicohotsprings.com/

Fun old place with a great dining room and accommodations.

 

[Peter_MA]

Be careful not to set the bar too high or you'll always have to live up to those expectations :histerica

 

[LTFan]

Thanks everyone. I had a good time visiting an alternate place instead. Just as most of you recommended 5 days was not sufficient to reach Yellowstone and back so we instead went to Zion national park in Utah. Started on Wednesday morning from Sacramento and use the interstate all the way to Salt Lake city. Wife took most of the 650 miles with a smile on her face but I didn't have options of staying over in Nevada so decided to stop directly in Salt Lake city. City worked out very well on the bike. Spent Thursday and half of Friday in Salt Lake city and reached Zion national park on Friday night. Enjoyed the canyons and views in the park on Saturday and drove down to Vegas for the Saturday night stay. The ride from Vegas to Sacramento was not as much fun since it was one of the hottest days I have experienced in last year. Had to stop for ice and water every hour but made it home at a reasonable time.

The ride turned out very good for me and my wife. Thanks for all the tips. I am sure with these tips and the experience from this first ride I will be able to enjoy many more rides to come :wave

 

[gerhard]

Glad it worked out for you. One thing I forgot to mention in my original post is when we travelled to the east coast it was 2,000 km from our house so she flew there and I rode the bike out and she flew back after we did our touring.

Gerhard