A visit with our son Florian at his ice hockey camp in Lake Placid, New York, this July presented an excellent excuse for Christa and I to explore the Adirondacks. But if you happen to be anywhere close - you won't need an excuse. However, you will need a lot of time to cover it all. Adirondack National Park is larger than Yosemite and Yellowstone combined.

Deep, hanging clouds at 7 a.m. and the heavy raindrops tell us we have to wait. Some four hours later, the wait is over and it's time to call Garry, and start our tour of the Nantahala National Forest.

A half a million years ago, tectonic plate movement in the Atlantic Ocean caused a massive upheaval of solid granite that eventually became the Appalachian Mountains. These lofty peaks at one time were over 100,000 feet high. Exposure to the elements, the many epochs of glaciation, and time itself wore down these great rocky crags to the thickly forested, sinuous terrain we know today.

For centuries, Provence in Southern France has served as a refuge for victims of persecution and for people who are just plain tired of modern civilization.

2,500 miles around Finland and Lapland on a Yamaha TDM 850 and a BMW 850 GS

Dual-purpose bikes are becoming more and more popular. No wonder, this type of motorcycle offers a great riding position, a comfortable suspension setup, good power and a tough chassis that handles well on bumpy asphalt streets and gravel roads.

The idea of converting a sportbike into a standard isn't new at all. But the better the material you start with, the greater your results at the end. The transformation of Yamaha's R1 into the FZ1 demonstrates that impressively.