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I have a motorcycle trip coming up the first few weeks of July with my son who works in New York. We will start in San Francisco and head generally north. Hopefully avoiding the crowds and heat in the southern states. Most likely spend time in Idaho/Montana/Glacier National Park area but no firm itinerary. Maybe take a detour at the start via the Blackhawk Museum which is not far from SF.

My question. What else should we see in the northern states? Doesn't have to be Packard related, but it would help! I've heard there are some good transport museums up that way.

Sorry if this is a bit off the topic of Packards. I figure that other Packard enthusiasts (ie those with the sickness) probably have similar tastes in places to visit, and have either been there before me or perhaps even live in the area.

Cheers Brian

A few suggestions

You would just miss The Graet Race
greatrace.com/news/2019-great-race-riverside-tacoma.html

For a challenging ride(no straight aways) in cooler weather, take Hwy 1 up the coast from San Francisco through Redwood forest up to Hwy 101. From there you can continue up the Oregon Coast or cut over to Interstate 5.

July 21st -forestgroveconcours.org near Portland, Oregon
Packard is the featured marque this year.

Take I-5 north to
americascarmuseum.org near Tacoma, WA

Or got east along the Columbia Gorge, Mt. Hood, Pendleton, Oregon

You can take your bike on a ferry to Victoria.

If you're coming back to San Francisco in August, Monterey Car Week south of SFO on the coast has car activities including racing and the Pebble Beach Concours.seemonterey.com/events/sporting/concours ... 4gIVhtlkCh0OegjZEAAYASAAEgJNp_D_BwE

For starters

Hi Brian

In no particular order for an immersive auto tour:

Studebaker National Museum, South Bend, Indiana.
Gilmore-CCCA Museum campus, Hickory Corners, Michigan
Sloan (GM) Museum, Lansing, Michigan
The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan
ACD & NATMUS Museums, Auburn, Indiana
Citizens Motors (Packard), Dayton, Ohio
Crawford-Auto & Aviation, Cleveland, Ohio
National Packard Museum, Warren, Ohio
Northeast Auto Museum, Norwich, New York
Saratoga Auto Museum, Saratoga Spring, New York
Owls Head Transportation Museum, Owls Head, Maine.

Others will add great choices I've missed as well. Hope you can take in most during your holiday, Each will give you many unforgettable experiences, show you cars available nowhere else.

Steve

The Packard Proving Grounds, north of Detroit. If you do go to the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, give me a call I live 1 mile away.

Thanks guys for all the helpful ideas - as usual!

I'll do a bit more digging on these and make sure to hit some along the way.

I've been to Pebble Beach several times - and taken my race cars to Laguna Seca - so probably won't go there on this trip. Most likely also won't make it to the east coast this time - lived in NY for many years. The run up the west coast from San Francisco sounds good, and some interesting things to see up that way.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions.

Cheers Brian

Yellowstone, Glacier Yosemite NP

If you are leaving San Francisco and heading north , I would include some of the National Parks . If you head East you can go to Yosemite National Park ...possibly the most spectacular entrance is through the tunnel from the West. From there you can head north east and visit Lake Tahoe which is reasonably empty in Summer, then head to Carson City( home of the Comstock Silver lode) and end up in Reno. Heading north from there you can hit Yellowstone Park from the south which will take you through Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons. Yellowstone may have some crowds but clearly worth the visit.
From Yellowstone the route back to San Francisco has loads of exciting towns and parks.
One caveat-- if you have not traveled in the American West before, the distances are HUGE!!!! I assume people visiting Australia think that you can take a casual day trip from Sydney to the Outback too.
I had friends from Australia who wanted to see New York City and then drive to the Grand Canyon...All in the same day. They were shocked to learn that it was a multi day drive.
Wherever you go there is some of the most spectacular sites in the world in the western states. I hope you get to squeeze in a few and hope the citizens are civil to strangers.
If you opt to head south to Los Angeles, there is an amazing Packard museum where they allow people to drive/ ride in the cars. I visited to see the Howard Hughes 55 Caribbean which may be the lowest mile Caribbean in existence. They had a terrific collection of other Packards.
Watch out for the bison in Yosemite....especially on a motorcycle.
RJR

Crater Lake in Oregon is interesting and if you get as far North as Glacier Park the Going to the Sun Highway (Logan Pass) is a must.

Swing south.

San Diego way.

Yes Glacier is definitely on our list. I lived in the US for quite a few years and have seen most of it from a car - or in the case of Montana - from a horse! I've heard lots of good reports about some of the roads up there, including Going to the Sun, so we're hoping to get up that way to try them. In two minds about Yosemite. Have been there before, but tussled with the crowds in summer which put a bit of a damper on it. Fabulous place. Not sure I want to brave the crowds again.

There are so many great places to visit in the US - and I've seen a lot of them - but feel like I haven't done the northwestern states justice. Have spent time there, but missed a lot of the good things - some of which I don't even know about, hence my question on this forum.