Shamrock Tour®

A collection of 123 posts

Mar/Apr '23 Premium Content

Hot Springs, North Carolina Shamrock Tour®

I was wrapping up another season of selling pumpkins and staring down the barrel of an open calendar when the Yamaha Ténéré 700 began to take on a life of its own from the bits and pieces I was adding to it for the trip. October is the month to

Jan/Feb '23

Snowville, Utah Shamrock Tour®

Snowville, UT, is located off an unassuming truck stop exit along I-84, about 110 miles north of Salt Lake City. I glided into the Earp and James Hitching Post RV park, pulling my ATC travel trailer with my 2017 Honda CRF250L Rally secured inside. This type of moto hauling is

Nov/Dec '22 Premium Content

Washington, Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®: Forgotten Corners

Jeff Arpin and I have been eagerly anticipating our Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®, but historically high August heat promised sweltering rides. A more recent weather forecast, however, now predicts cooler temperatures. But there’s a meteorological catch-22—the remnants of a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico are set to

Sep/Oct '22 Premium Content

Cleveland, Mississippi Shamrock Tour®: The Heart of the Delta

Two days of riding south from Music City gave us the chance to become acquainted with the motorcycles we would be paired with on this Shamrock Tour®—an Indian Chief Limited and Indian Challenger Dark Horse. I’m not sure there could’ve been a better choice of machines for

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

Fayetteville, Arkansas Shamrock Tour®

I grew up in Arkansas, so it’s fitting that I’m heading to the Ozarks for my first Shamrock Tour®. I plan to spend roughly a week in northwest Arkansas, with Fayetteville as my home base. The Bikes, Blues, and BBQ 2021 rally was set to provide plenty of

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Leesburg, Virginia Shamrock Tour®

“The Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads.” —Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative Mid-Atlantic Civil War Trails Between 1861

Mar/Apr '22

Moab, Utah Shamrock Tour®

Jan/Feb '22 Premium Content

Ann Arbor, Michigan Shamrock Tour®

"Bill, your mission—should you choose to accept it—is in Michigan. Your weapon will be a Harley-Davidson.” To an adventure rider, these words are akin to telling a Cordon Bleu chef they just won a free gift card to McDonald’s. Michigan, especially around the Detroit area, was not

Nov/Dec '21 Premium Content

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Shamrock Tour®

Moravians settled land in North Carolina in 1766 and called it Salem. Just one mile north, Winston was founded as the county seat in 1849. In 1913, they merged to create Winston-Salem. R. J. Reynolds built his tobacco empire here, and many recall the cigarette brands Winston and Salem. The

Sep/Oct '21 Premium Content

Galena, Illinois Shamrock Tour®

We woke to clouds and drizzling rain. We waited and studied the forecast to see if it would relent. No such luck… Marisa and I decided that — since we were riding Can-Am Spyders with wind protection comparable to a convertible—we’d hit the road despite the precipitation. Our quick

Jul/Aug '21 Premium Content

Palm Springs, California Shamrock Tour®

Ya gotta love Palm Springs, CA, where the summer never dies, the architecture is retro-cool, and the town spirit is as invigorating as an iced martini. Where else can you golf in the morning, go snowshoeing in the afternoon, and enjoy a cocktail by the pool in the evening? As

May/Jun '21 Premium Content

Johnson City, Tennessee Shamrock Tour®

Johnson City lies just on the edge of the Cherokee National Forest in the northeastern corner of Tennessee. The city is claimed to be one of the first settled areas in the state, originating in the late 1700s, but it didn’t get its name until 1856 when Henry Johnson

Mar/Apr '21

Zanesville, Ohio Shamrock Tour®

Ohio is where I met my bride, Sarah. If Steve had not subscribed to RoadRUNNER, I probably wouldn’t have met her. I love coming here and riding the thrillingly curvy roads of southeastern Ohio. As part of our “at home” series, you can trust that these four loops are

Jan/Feb '21

Phoenix, Arizona Shamrock Tour®

Touring the Valley of the Sun It’s been six years since Kris and I decided to relocate from Michigan to Arizona. The impromptu move was brought about by a job opportunity for Kris and my “restless leg syndrome” (meaning my inability to stay in one place for too long)

Nov/Dec '20 Premium Content

Chattanooga, Tennessee Shamrock Tour®

Luke was stripping down to his underwear in the middle of a park somewhere outside of Cleveland, TN, not too far from our hometown of Chattanooga. Just behind him flowed the Hiwassee River, over which stretches a bridge from where he claimed he’s seen people jump. It was 50

Sep/Oct '20 Premium Content

Seven Springs, Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®

The old and weathered Allegheny Mountains run through north-central Pennsylvania and portions of neighboring Maryland and West Virginia. The range was once the furthest reaches of a young nation, and within the mountains' wrinkles lie stories and tales that, like tree rings, reveal the past. History It's early October and

Jul/Aug '20 Premium Content

Etna, California Shamrock Tour®

“How long have you been delivering supplies up here?” I ask. “Oh, about 20 years now,” replies Roger. Cora jumps in, eager to add more to the story. “Roger was a logger up in these mountains before that.” “Yeah, that’s true,” Roger says. “But I wasn’t gonna make

May/Jun '20 Premium Content

Lewiston, Idaho Shamrock Tour®: A Three-State Odyssey

The Lewiston Shamrock Tour® promises diverse roads in a land of canyons, prairies, mountains, and forests. This rough country was settled by tough people eking out a living off the land, and they built roads through the canyons and high on the prairies. Their hard work sets the stage for

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

Clemson, South Carolina Shamrock Tour®: Reunion Ride

This story started in 1999, and it’s quite special to me. It’s a story of four friends who are more like brothers, who have somehow managed to keep riding together even when life tries to get in the way. It all began in rural northern Michigan at a

Jan/Feb '20 Premium Content

Eau Claire, Wisconsin Shamrock Tour®

Northwest Ridge Routes With a Side of Pie Creating a Shamrock Tour® around Eau Claire, WI, presents an interesting dilemma: Four loops cannot begin to cover all the challenging and scenic roads available. A double—or even a triple—Shamrock Tour is possible, considering all the interesting road and scenery

Mar/Apr '19 Premium Content

Laconia, New Hampshire Shamrock Tour®: Autumn Leaves

Long after Laconia Motorcycle Week is over, and long after the summer vacationers have left Lake Winnipesaukee and gone back to school and the humdrum of workaday life, Gary and I show up at Weirs Beach on a pair of black-as-night BMWs (me on a K 1600 Grand America, Gary

Jul/Aug '19 Premium Content

Wellsboro, Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®: Among Penn’s Woods

Pass through any restaurant or transportation center in or near the state of Pennsylvania and you’ll find brochures for every type of tourist attraction imaginable: adventure parks, amusement parks, historical landmarks, wacky and wonderful private collections of stuff, and more. One brochure in particular is unique; instead of promoting

Nov/Dec '19 Premium Content

Natchitoches, LA Shamrock Tour®: The Heart of Creole Country

Founded in 1714 on the banks of what was then the Red River, Natchitoches, LA, is named after a Native American tribe that lived in the area. It is the oldest European settlement of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase territory. People flocked to the area, but eventually the river changed course,

Sep/Oct '19 Premium Content

Fredericksburg, Texas Shamrock Tour®: The Hill Country Flood!

“Idon’t think we should try it,” my wife suggests as she cautiously wades through the rapids. We are communicating through our Sena 30K headsets over the incessant rush of a river overflowing its banks. I am sitting astraddle my 2018 BMW R 1200 GS Rallye. Susan is scoping out

May/Jun '19 Premium Content

Gallup, New Mexico Shamrock Tour®: Heartland of the Ancients

Northwest New Mexico is home to several of the state’s 23 Native American tribes: the Navajo, Jicarilla Apache, Acoma, and Zuni are among those who reside in the region. Despite westward expansion in the late 1800s and the federal government’s efforts to “Americanize” the native people, Indian culture