Jan/Feb '16 - RoadRUNNER

Baja California, Mexico: Rip to the Tip

I used to write for myself as a way to catalog a fraction of the memories to look back upon in the future. I wrote as a way to stimulate my mind with words and vocabulary, organizing my thoughts in a creative, descriptive way. I wrote, yes even for the

Jan/Feb '16 Premium Content

Western Arkansas: Up and Down in the Natural State

Millions of years ago a supercontinent drifted inexorably into ancestral North America. The resulting collision compressed and uplifted sedimentary rock, forming what is now called the Ouachita Mountains. Farther north, the same geologic forces uplifted the Ozark Plateau. Add another million or so years and travelers see streams and rivers

Jan/Feb '16 Premium Content

Southeast Oregon: Empty Land Full of Adventure

As I open my eyes and look out of my tent, the Milky Way has almost an overwhelming brightness, and I momentarily feel as if I’m being catapulted through space before I realize that I’m just lying in the middle of a remote high desert road.After months

Jan/Feb '16 Premium Content

British Columbia and Washington: The Border Tour

The Canada-U.S. border disproves the old saying that good fences make good neighbors. It’s famously the world’s longest, undefended international border and, in much of the West, it’s simply a line drawn along the 49th parallel. There are no walls or fences, just a column of

Jan/Feb '16 Premium Content

Wytheville, Virginia Shamrock Tour®: Virginia Really is For Lovers

It’s my favorite time of the year. The main season is over, life is a little less hectic, and I have some time to take deep breaths and reflect on an eventful summer. Yes, fall is here. Gone are the humidity and high temperatures. The first trees have started

Jan/Feb '16

2016 Harley-Davidson Lineup: The S Series, New Sportsters, and the Road Glide Ultra is Back

The S Series, New Sportsters, and The Road Glide Ultra is Back! Unlike most other OEMs, Harley-Davidson likes to unveil an entire model year’s worth of bikes all at once, instead of one at a time. For 2016 that means a dizzying array of mechanical upgrades, new engine options,

Jan/Feb '16

2016 BMW R 1200 RS: Sport-Touring With Grunt

“We’ll take it slow,” they said. “Keep it at a reasonable speed,” they warned. I guess words have a different meaning depending on when and where they’re spoken. Their definition suits me just fine. This thing is a blast to ride.In the December issue we featured a

Jan/Feb '16

Milwaukee City Escape

When the glaciers melted, they left the area north and west of Milwaukee with gouged and rolling terrain. These glacial kettles and drumlins make for twisting and undulating backroads. This trip on two-lane roads through the Kettle Moraine State Forest is best attempted between mid-May and mid-September.LengthApproximately 125 miles

Jan/Feb '16

Denver, Colorado City Escape

The highest continuous paved road in the United States is in Rocky Mountain National Park—Trail Ridge Road. Connecting Estes Park (the town that inspired Stephen King’s novel, The Shining) to Grand Lake, home of … well, a pretty big lake! But then again, why settle for ghost stories, big