Tours

Destinations

Destination: West Virginia’s Coal Heritage Trail

The story of the southern West Virginia “smokeless” coalfields is a remarkable legacy of working-class culture, industrial might, racial and ethnic diversity, and the creation of a unique and distinctive culture of national significance. The winding Coal Heritage Trail juxtaposes scenes of early West Virginia coal mining against a backdrop

Destinations

37 Years Ago: Route 66 Decertified

June 27, 1985, was historically a rather uneventful Thursday. But it did mark the end of an era for riding and driving Americans. On that day, U.S. Route 66 stopped being Route 66. Without much fanfare, the Mother Road was removed from the U.S. Highway System. The end

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Following The Cherokee Trail of Tears

Missionary Daniel Butrick kept a journal of his travels with the Cherokee People as they were force marched to Indian Territory during the winter of 1838-39. It is one of the saddest episodes in American history, with the depths of despair grippingly described by him in this entry: “… the government

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Appalachian Byway of Ohio

This 105-mile scenic byway was added to Ohio’s roster of 27 state-designated scenic byways in September 2019. The Appalachian Byway of Ohio follows SR 78 from Clarington to Nelsonville, OH. The region’s natural and cultural heritage are on abundant display throughout the route, and some of its rich

Jul/Aug '22

City Escape: Tucson, AZ

Tucson, AZ, offers on-road and adventure rides within minimal miles of the city. Tucson is in southern Arizona, between the Santa Catalina and Tucson Mountains. Mount Lemmon, Picture Rocks, Signal Hill, and the Saguaro State Park have cacti-lined roads and plenty of twisties. Incredible landscape changes unfold as you leave

Roundtrip Tour

Adirondacks Roundtrip

The boundaries of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York correspond generally with those of Adirondack State Park. Because they form a separate circular dome, instead of a mountain ridge, the Adirondacks are considered geologically separate from the Appalachians and other mountain systems. The mountains’ billion-year-old rocks were uplifted some

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

Racing Thoroughbreds From Tennessee to Kentucky

We are lucky, living in the Nashville area, to have so much spectacular riding within a few hours of our house. Regardless of the type of bike we may be on, there are options to suit. While usually finding ourselves on dual-sport styled bikes capable of off-pavement exploration, we also

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Kansas’s Flint Hills National Scenic Byway

Destinations

Ohio’s Windy 9—Something for Everyone

Most every rider knows Ohio’s Windy 9. If you don’t for any reason, it’s time to hop in the saddle and zip and zoom over to Ohio. This collection of routes includes some of the best motorcycling roads in the U.S. and it’s something every

Jul/Aug '22

Stories From the Road: That Night in the Pyrenees

It was a dark and stormy night. No, seriously, it was a dark and stormy night. My lady and I had arrived at the end of a month-long motorcycle sojourn through Spain and were doing our best to prolong the experience. We had detoured up into the Pyrenees for one

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

A Solitary Quest From Anchorage, AK to Portland, OR

It wasn’t supposed to be a solo trip. A group of three or four of us had decided we’d ride from Anchorage, AK, to Portland, OR, taking advantage of the tour company MotoQuest’s seasonal transporter special offer. By agreeing to ride MotoQuest bikes from Alaska to Oregon,

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Kentucky Adventure Tour: Delayed Gratification

I hear the sharp pop of metal moving. An orange flash falls into the maple tree, getting caught on the handlebar like a makeshift kickstand. The bike has fallen against the tree, settling into it's final resting place. This is a fairly good outcome, as the tree safely

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Scootering in Saigon, 1971

The motor pool for the US embassy was in a middling-sized windowless building, with maybe 20 sedans and a few International-Harvester Scouts, and I was there to get my own wheels. "And what you like, Mr. Salvadori?" the manager, a local hire, asked. Parked by his desk were

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Texas FM 170

> There are plenty of excellent roads in Texas. The Three Sisters in Hill Country, ocean-view routes by the coast, and rides along the Arkansas and Louisiana borders are all great. But the one that should always be in the same conversation is the farm-to-market road FM 170 from Presidio

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: US 212 & Beartooth Hwy

If you’d like to ride through America the Beautiful, you can’t do much better than the Beartooth Highway. But don’t take just my word for it—this roughly 70-mile stretch of US 212 has been called “the most beautiful road in America” by both Charles Kuralt and

May/Jun '22

City Escape: New Orleans, Louisiana

Roundtrip Tour

Following the Delaware River: A Roundtrip Tour Through New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York

This epic roundtrip of the historic Delaware River begins and ends at Washington Crossing Historic Park. As depicted in the famous painting by German-American artist Emanuel Leutze, this is where General George Washington led his Revolutionary War soldiers across the Delaware River on that fateful Christmas Day night. Historic sites

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A Colorado Plateau Odyssey in America's Four Corners Region

It’s early September and the summer tourists have abandoned the 130,000-square-mile red rock landscape known by geologists as the Colorado Plateau. It contains the largest concentration of scenic wonders in America. Roughly centered where the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona meet, the plateau was once

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Ohio’s Triple Nickel

Southeast Ohio may not sound like an exotic riding location, but the region has some very challenging roads in the Appalachian Mountain foothills. SR 555, which winds its way 65 miles south from Zanesville, OH, to the banks of the Ohio River, is one of the most difficult routes that

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Riding Through Argentina

Months ago, I was sitting in a comfy cafe chair, pushing pie into my face. We were in Ushuaia, southernmost Argentina. I was reading a folk tale about a revered gaucho who robbed the rich to give to the poor, congruent with our Robin Hood tales. Currently en route to

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Colorado Adventure Ride: The Pinnacle

Motorcycles differ from any other mainstream form of motorized transportation. Because they must be balanced, they require a great deal of skill to operate well, especially off pavement. By comparison, four-wheeled vehicles are incredibly easy to operate over difficult terrain. The very characteristic of a motorcycle that makes it challenging

May/Jun '22

City Escape: San Jose, California

Winding through redwoods on the way to the ocean is a great way to escape the daily grind. This loop ride southwest of San Jose combines much of what makes California’s central coast uniquely spectacular. Following a serpentine path through vibrant old-growth forests, this green canopy ultimately opens up

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Exploring the Vermont Countryside: Local Favorites and Covered Bridges

We had been riding for several days and had been fortunate with the weather. It’d been absolutely gorgeous, and clear days and perfect temperatures had welcomed us to the Northeast. But this particular morning, that warm welcome came to an abrupt end. We woke to find the mercury in

May/Jun '22 Premium Content

Scramblin' Through the Floods, Part 2: Flood-Scoured Motorcycle Wonderland

In Part 1, I traveled from Portland, OR, to Missoula, MT, and northwest to Sandpoint, ID, where our Ice Age Floods Tour picks up. These ancient floods profoundly shaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest. As the last ice age was ending about 10,000 years ago, there were a

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Florida’s Unique SR 30A

Florida is notorious for its ruler-straight roads. But riding on straight pavement gets much more interesting when you can do it in a picturesque setting. Florida’s SR 30A—the Crown Jewel of the Southern Riviera, as it’s called—is the perfect opportunity to embrace your inner beach bum