Motorcycle Trip Out West

I'm trying very hard to make a 22-state cross-country motorcycle trip late this summer.  I intend to stop at some of the big "tourist traps" like Mt Rushmore, Devils Monument, and Monument Valley since I've never seen them myself.  Although I'm not planning on an extremely rigid schedule, will have about 140 hours of vacation time, I will need to make the most of my time while at some of these areas.

  Can anyone provide suggestions on what I should think about when composing the shots since I may stop at mid-day in some places and not staying more than an hour or so?  Keep in mind I will only be wearing my motorcycle boots and won't have a lot of time to do much hiking depending on where I am.  Should I perhaps think of bringing other aids, filters or such, with me?

If it matters, I have a Nikon D3000 camera with two lenses - a Nikon 35mm f1.8 prime and a Nikon 55-200mm zoom

If stuff like this was already covered I apologize but I couldn't seem to narrow down the search requirements enough, even using titles only, to find recommendations for others I'm sure travel like this.

G'day mate

Good for you to do some wide-ranging travels ~ esp on 2-wheels

As a "fellow traveller" (but in our case a motorhome and for about 250+ days each year) -- you have little choice but to accept weather / sun location / external buildings / etc- as you find them ... although you will find some latitude towards the end of each day in the inevitable question "do I move on to the next town or stay here?"

One thing I try to do with each place we stop overnight, is to do a before-brekkie walk around the town or park etc, and shoot lots of post-sunrise pics before the locals populate the streets or footpaths

Other than this - there is the regular "stuff" of vote-with-your-feet to get a better view of the 'something' you are photographing ... the rule of thirds ... the landscape biz of 'foreground - middle distance - background' for depth within the image and all that sort of stuff

ps- look up "Travellers Tripod" sometimes called Table-top Tripod for a small but very useful tripod to take with you

Hope this helps -- and travel safely
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/

Thank you Ozzie, I bought an Oben AT-3535 travel tripod over a year ago that fits very nicely into my 2007 Suzuki GSF1250 Bandit's side bags.



I understand what you mean by walking around town at the end of the day/before breakfast in a new town.  I rode down the Blue Ridge Parkway this past August/September and had a pretty good ride if I discount the heavy rains and fog on the second and third days.  They aren't great but here's a sunset picture in Elkins WV from my motel and pea-soup fog in Appomattox VA outside of a fantastic little mom and pop breakfast place

Wow, that sounds like a nice trip to take.  It sounds like you'll be doing a 3 week trip or so.  I'm sorry, I don't know how many bike trips you've taken, but one thing to remember, space is a premium.  Even going with no extra footwear, you still need a jacket and hoodies and a rainsuit and clothes (on a long bike trip, even a toothbrush takes up space, lol). If you have a passenger, now you have to give up at least 1/3 of your storage and the next thing you know, you'll be deciding what to leave at home.  And if you are sleeping outside at all, there's sleeping bags and maybe a tent to strap on top of your trunk. This is not like using your car, or truck, or motorhome. Whenever I used my van, none of this was ever considered.  On my trips, I always had a camera case strapped to the back side of my fairing so my camera was in reach for quick access like a holster (I use a full frame Canon with a 24-105).  Storing it in a saddlebag or trunk takes extra time and you'll start cursing every time you stop to grab a quick shot.  Your short lens is a 35, so that's like nifty 50 on a full frame.  I find in my travels, a wider lens is preferable for those landscapes (like Rushmore and other places you mentioned). I don't know what lens are available for your Nikon, but I would maybe look into a lens comparable to a 24-105 (or whatever Nikon offers), to get the best of both worlds.  A long lens is nice, but it does take up space. A baby tripod is good too. I have always loved bike trips, but there is definitely much more to consider than if you are in a vehicle. I don't know your situation at all, but these are just a quick few things I've encountered on my bike trips.  I have also trailered my bike behind the van and found a nice camping area for a few days at a time and then took day trips on the bike. This worked really great too. Then when you get back, you fire up the barbeque, have a steak, load and view your day's pictures on your laptop, then fall asleep in a nice comfy bed with a pillow, lol. Then you wake up refreshed, and on for another day of riding and shooting. Anyway, I envy your coming trip.  There's is nothing comparable to riding through the mountains on a bike.  I hope you have a really great holiday and please ride safe, and stay safe.  

Thank you Peterock33.  I have taken quite a few long trips on the bike though none as long as this will be.  Here are links to two of my more recent trips on my Flickr account where I went down the Blue Ridge Parkway coming back up over Cherohala Skyway and then also through West Virginia.

Blue Ridge Parkway 2020:
flic.kr/s/aHsmQffZU9

Beckley WV 2019: (Please forgive these pictures as I had just bought my camera and was still learning how to use it)
flic.kr/s/aHsmHHXtK6

I have the two sidebags and a top case and yes, space is definitely a premium.  The Blue Ridge trip reinforced the idea that I need to think about how I pack.  Primarily, the backpack holding my camera and lens needs to go in the top case and not the side bags for my longer trips.  I will stop at hotels for the night only because of the hot shower and good rest idea; camping on a bike might be nice just not for me right now.

As far as the lens, I have an 18-55mm lens that I accidentally dropped towards the end of my run down the Blue Ridge before I turned back north.  I have the part to fix the mounting tab but need to buy a different set of jewelers screwdrivers as the set I currently have won't fit right.  I just haven't gotten around to it yet and may just buy a replacement lens instead.

I also mount a GoPro on the left side of the fairing right behind the windshield but I use it more for videos than still pictures.

cowboyup3371 wrote: Thank you Ozzie, I bought an Oben AT-3535 travel tripod over a year ago that fits very nicely into my 2007 Suzuki GSF1250 Bandit's side bags.

I understand what you mean by walking around town at the end of the day/before breakfast in a new town.  I rode down the Blue Ridge Parkway this past August/September and had a pretty good ride if I discount the heavy rains and fog on the second and third days.  They aren't great but here's a sunset picture in Elkins WV from my motel and pea-soup fog in Appomattox VA outside of a fantastic little mom and pop breakfast place

Beautiful skyline in the 2nd shot. Nice landscape.