Wouldn’t consider leaving home without my Mad Maps–I think I almost have them all now. We took off from Lake Tahoe using the Sierra & Northern Nevada map as we headed down 395 to Independence, CA for our first day. After meeting Henrietta, our innkeeper at the Mt. Williamson Motel, we couldn’t stop after all the tips she gave us and 3 hours of daylight left to burn. So, off to Manzanar, Mt. Whitney Portal road and the Alabama Hills to play Lone Ranger and Tonto–this is where all the early Westerns were filmed. Then, to end it all, we watched the sunset during a casual dinner at the Seasons Restaurant in Lone Pine (right on the corner–can’t miss it.)

Off to Death Valley the next morning for a full day of touring the National Park. It was 105 degrees at Badwater and warm all day, even in late April. Don’t forget to take lots of water or you’ll have chicken legs when you get off the bike. Seriously–ask anyone. Picking sections of the loops provided by MAD Maps led us a Red Rock Canyon ride the next morning at 6am. Get there early for the morning colors; this was a great 13-mile loop (one way, the only way to see while riding). And all for only $2.

Then the wind started. Avoiding traffic on US95 the next day, we rode by ourselves for 6 hours on US93 north to Ash Springs, and then it was E.T Highway to the Lil Ale’Inn in Rachel to check out the latest sightings from Area 51. It was too bad the crosswinds were 35mph all day because the were no stealth fighters overhead. Oh, well, no worries as we had the road to ourselves all the way to Tonopah north to Hawthorne, Walker Lake, Yerington, Wilson Canyon and back to Lake Tahoe.

1,144 miles in 4 days. Love it.

I was playing on my iPhone the other day looking for a cool road trip to take near my home in Phoenix. I was glad to see that MAD Maps just launched a very cool iPhone app for Harley-Davidson! I purchased the app for just 99 cents–less than a penny a mile–and received five day trips in the Phoenix area. I took the Wickenburg-Jerome-Sedona trip on President’s Day and had a great time. The MAD Maps scouts definitely know the best roads–they saved me a lot of time trying to plan a trip for myself. You can’t beat that price and time savings!

I’m looking forward to getting back on the road next weekend since I have four more great trips to try.

Thanks, MAD Maps and Harley-Davidson!

It is a blast using your maps. I ride with a group of guys from different parts of the country. We started using Mad Maps about a year and a half ago. It has been a great tool to use, but there is a problem . When we go on a trip, we get your maps and try to do each trip that is in the region that is on the map. Last month, we were looking at Mad Maps for Texas and decided to do Big Bend and the Hill Country. When we got to Big Bend, we ended up with a Mad Map of New Mexico and Colorado. We should have headed home, but the map got us intoxicated to continue!

So, we went up to Taos, New Mexico and around that region using your map. What a great ride! Check out the cool pictures taken by fellow rider Scott Marsh of Nashville.

My friends said no more Mad Maps until next year. I am now sending them Maps to get them going for the first of the year. If anybody goes touring, it is a must to use these and do the routes. We have conquered Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Southern Utah and Nevada. The first of next year will be Florida, then when things warm up it’ll be time for Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. Finally, it’ll be up to the Northeast to New England.

From Clint C. Blackman III, Sunday Drive Director of the Maverick Region Porsche Club of America in Dallas, TX

Oh, wow, Wow, WOW….. what fun we had on Sunday! Your Sidewinder Route was a blast! We had great sunny/partly cloudy 68 degree weather. The road was smooth and had “little to no” traffic….but the scenery–that was the best! It was West Texas rolling hills, vista views for miles and miles, mesas in the distance. We even crossed the Brazos River gorge. Great road twists and turns. Wide open space touring. Your Dallas map was great.

A total of 32 Porsche cars attended the drive. We started in Weatherford and went north on 920, starting at 1:45pm and stopped at about 3:00pm in Perin at a little convenience store. Boy, were they surprised to see all those sports cars.. We then got back “on the trail” and went down Texas 4 to Palo Pinto, where we detoured on US-180 and went to Mineral Wells. We arrived in Mineral Wells at 4:25pm.

Mineral Wells used to be one of the most famous mineral “healing waters” spas in the world. Seriously, in the 1930s the rich and famous came to Mineral Wells. Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich…they all came to Mineral Wells. The original mineral water company is still operating and we took our group by to “take the waters.” Oh, what a hoot we had! The Famous Mineral Water Company is the home of “Crazy Water.” The company is family-owned and they host tours. The company started in 1904 when the Lynch family stopped there and drilled a water well. The water smelled funny and after a while they discovered it made sick people well. The Crazy Water name stuck when a known crazy woman started drinking the water and became sane. The original well and pump house is still there and producing this miraculous water.

For our tour, the Famous Water folks hosted a water tasting on the patio for us (the patio used to host the best card games in town…they gambled for money…can you believe it!) The company has a nice store with all types of specialty goods including Crazy Water No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. We all sampled the waters and enjoyed ice cream as well. They sell great looking “Crazy Water” T-shirts, old cards and photos, local specialty foods, soaps and lotions. It really is a very fun place to stop and see something special and unusual. And, besides, that pain in my neck went away after a shot of “Crazy Water No. 4.”

Thank you so much for helping our group have such a fun time. Most agreed that this was the best Sunday Drive we have ever had.

From MAD Maps Fan Russ Prothero of Jacksonville, Florida

Director JAXHOG, Chapter #0681

We took a great trip out West in July using MAD Maps’ Regional Maps for USRT050 and USRT060. My wife, Kelly, rode with me on her root beer-colored ‘09 Harley Street Glide (her fourth bike); she has ridden close to 85,000 miles in just over five years. I rode an ‘09 Road Glide that has all the bells and whistles of an Ultra Classic. We live in a small town just north of Jacksonville, where I’ve got one of best jobs in the world teaching sailors and marines how to ride motorcycles. This was Kelly’s first trip west of the Mississippi. We made one attempt in 2006 that suddenly ended when a cage hit me head-on while sitting still in a left turn lane. Needless to say, we skirted that town this time around.

We spent several days riding through the Black Hills, visiting Mount Rushmore two days before their big 4th of July celebration; we also checked out Crazy Horse, which will dwarf Rushmore when it is finally completed. Custer State Park is a must for anybody heading to Sturgis for the annual summer rally. It took us a while before we were able to find the pigtail bridges, but once we did we found them were very interesting to ride. Our next destination was several days in Yellowstone. Travelers need to spend several days riding there; be sure to visit both sides of the park, as they are completely different. We continued south to the Tetons, then our route took us down the west and southern part of Colorado, which proved to be breathtaking. The homeward leg took us through the likes of Dodge City, North Little Rock (check out Shorty Small’s for some great ribs) and Memphis.

In all, we rode 6,200 fantastic miles in two weeks, visited six national parks and got rained and hailed on. Best of all, we now have memories to last a lifetime.

Hey, MAD Maps fans: send us your trip images and we’ll try to post them on our blog. Just email your images and all the pertinent trip details to info@madmaps.com today. Let us know which of our maps you are using. We’ll even send you a free map of your choice for your next trip, so send along your mailing address, too.

“After purchasing the Pacific Tour Pack and brand-new Wild West Tour Pack, I just can’t stop riding. I purchased my 2009 Heritage Softail on March 1st and bought my first Mad Map the same day! Now, six months later, I have 17,000 miles and at least ten National Parks under my belt thanks to Mad Maps.  My trip started in Lake Tahoe and headed through the canyons of Utah, Mesa Verde, Ohio, Michigan, Badlands, Devils Tower, Yellowstone, Jackson Hole, Sawtooths of Idaho and back home. Then it was off to Portland, Mount Hood and Shasta. I just can’t stop and the roads are perfect–nobody in the rear-view mirrors. Just open roads and no traffic. I love these maps. Can I get a scouting job with you all?  Since 1983, I have been riding a bicycle cross-country seven times. Now I’m just reliving the past as my ancestors were in the first wagon train over Carson Pass in 1848. Maybe you should produce a wagon-trail series?”

Hey, MAD Maps fans: send us your trip images and we’ll try to post them on our blog. Just email your images and all the pertinent trip details to info@madmaps.com today. Let us know which of our maps you are using. We’ll even send you a free map of your choice for your next trip, so send along your mailing address, too.

Looking through the windshield...in the Rockies

We just received this cool image from MAD Maps fan Penny Salzman of Fairbury, Illinois. Penny decided to  head out West using our brand- new USRT040 Colorado/New Mexico map. Looks like our local MAD Scout who researched this area sure did good! Keep on ridin’, Penny!

Hey, MAD Maps fans: send us your trip images and we’ll try to post them on our blog. Just email your images and all the pertinent trip details to info@madmaps.com today. Let us know which of our maps you are using. We’ll even send you a free map of your choice for your next trip, so send along your mailing address, too.

We’ve been getting great feedback from our loyal MAD Maps customers. One guy who goes by the name G-Man–aka, “Gordo“–has been updating us as he rides famed Route 66. So, we thought we’d share some of the cool pictures he’s been sending us as he journeys around the Southwest.

Send us your trip images and we’ll try to post them on our blog. Just email your images and trip details to info@madmaps.com today. Let us know which of our maps you are using. We’ll even send you a free map of your choice for your next trip, so send along your mailing address, too.

Thanks, G-Man!