My top 3 things that I HATE and LOVE about motorcycling the United States

Truth be told, this is not my first visit to the United States. I spent an entire 4 days in New York City, some ten years ago. But most Americans will probably agree with me, that doesn't count. So I consider my motorcycle journey through the United States as my first  real  visit. I won't be visiting every single state this time, but I try to see as much as I can while I'm heading north towards Alaska. I crossed California, the edges of Arizona and Nevada, a fair bit of Utah (albeit mostly in a car with my motorcycle in the back… ) and Colorado. Now it's time to write about the three things that I hate and love about riding through this country so far. Let's start with the negatives, so I can end this blogpost on a positive note! 

Food

I won't make it sound better than it is. The food situation in the United States is pretty bad. Fast food is widespread and you'll find the same chains everywhere. Subway, McDonalds , Burger King, Jack in a Box, Denny's, Starbucks… to name a few. Obviously, there are some family run restaurants to be found with healthier food. But without local knowledge of the "Mom and Pops" place, this is what you're going to get. I decided to cut down from 3 meals to 2 meals per day, so I wouldn't gain a pound every day on the road here. 

I do have to add one positive thing about eating (well, technically, drinking) in the United States. You get free coffee refills! Unbelievable! As a European, I must have missed out on so much free coffee. It just doesn't cross my mind that I get another cup for free. In some places you'll have to ask for the free refill but in others, the waitresses are incredibly eager to keep that cup filled. I had to hide my cup at some point as my caffeine levels were going through the roof. 

Western Culture

There are many, many culture differences between the United States and The Netherlands, where I am from. But ultimately, Europe and the United States are both Western societies. That means, I have the same problem in the USA as I have in Europe. I get a little bored. I can easily understand the language and communicate with everybody, everything is well organized. It's pretty predictable and overall… just a little too tame for my taste. Comparing motorcycling in the USA, to crossing through a country such as Iran, Turkmenistan, Namibia or Nicaragua, you get what I mean. Countries where I don't (or barely) speak the language, with huge cultural differences, and tons of animals running around the terrible roads... simply appeal to my inner adventurist more. 

Crowds

I don't do well with crowds. As soon as I see seas of vehicles parked and masses of people admiring the same view, I just want to do a 180. I can enjoy a view that is much less spectacular, more than the 'real' attraction, if I can admire it on my own in peace and quiet. I sound like an old woman now, don't I?! I am not sure whether the pandemic has something to do with it, but the national parks that I visited in California were incredibly crowded. To be fair, I shouldn't complain much because by riding the dirt roads in the National Parks, I could in fact escape most of the crowds. But it did mean that I often skipped the most spectacular viewpoints because it was just too crowded. 

Now that I've had room to do some complaining, it's time to share my top 3 things that I love about motorcycling in the USA. 

Off-roading paradise

Let's start off with the biggest positive of the USA for me: off-roading. I have been absolutely blown away with the level of off-roading in the USA. It is truly world class. There are millions of miles of dirt roads, spectacular mountain passes and lots of backroads where you'll find yourself all alone for hours on end. Exactly my kind of place! I was warned by many Americans that I would struggle finding dirt roads as everything is paved, but I found this to be the opposite! One of my favorite types of landscapes to ride a motorcycle is the desert environment. There is just so much of it in the USA, that certain areas are specifically allocated for off-roading. Whether it is on a motorcycle or a side-by-side, you can legally ride wherever you like and have the most amazing time. Top class professional riders come here for training and I can definitely see why! 

Variety of Nature

The views to admire on a journey through the USA are mind-blowing too. Fair enough, it is a large country, so a large variety of landscapes is to be expected. I couldn't cover every place on this journey of course, but the areas that I've seen were absolutely breath-taking. Without a doubt, I need to come back another time to explore more places. One could easily spend an entire year exploring the USA. I won't do that, for several different reasons I won't dive into in this blogpost, but there is lots more to see that's for sure! 

Wifi

The last of my top 3 things that I love about the USA is probably a little unexpected. As a content creator, my work is online and I use lots of data! Out of more than 50 countries that I rode a motorcycle through so far, I found the best and cheapest internet plan here. I couldn't believe my ears when I was told in the phone shop that I would get unlimited data for 70 dollars per month. There’s 5G network everywhere so it's fast too! Being so reliant on internet connections to run my YouTube channel, this sparked me with joy every single day. The things that keep this motorcyclist-slash-vlogger happy, right?