Tours

Jul/Aug '20 Premium Content

Oklahoma: The “Reel” Wild West

“Let’s go take a look,” said Bill, a familiar gleam in his eye. I sighed, knowing nothing would deter him. As we made the turn for Hwy 80, which snakes along the eastern edge of Fort Gibson Lake deep in the Cherokee Nation, a road sign announced, “High water,

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

Peru: Following the Dakar Rally

Few things in my life can compare to the almost monthlong trip I took around Peru to follow the Dakar Rally on a Kawasaki KLR650. It sounds melodramatic, but it was really that good. Starting on January 1, 2019, and ending just before February, my Dad and I experienced all

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

May/Jun '20 Premium Content

South Africa: The Cape Crusader

It doesn’t get better than this. I’m on the pegs, piloting the Honda Africa Twin up a steep, rocky climb in the middle of the vast Cederberg Wilderness Area. Ahead of me, a troop of baboons scatters away from the track and up into the deep red cliffs,

May/Jun '20 Premium Content

New York: Adirondack State of Mind

Moody morning fog shrouds the woods around Fort Ticonderoga, but by the time Cameron and I climb the short, steep hill up to Mount Defiance, the August sun has burned away the morning mist. We have a clear eastward view across narrow Lake Champlain to Vermont and the Green Mountains.

May/Jun '20 Premium Content

California: Chasing Butterflies and Wildflowers

The perfect time to see the migrating painted lady butterfly and witness one of California’s rare wildflower super blooms is early March to early April. It doesn’t happen every year, but when weather conditions are just right, a simultaneous blooming of wildflowers occurs in California’s arid regions.

May/Jun '20

City Escape: Atlanta, Georgia

Escape Atlanta’s sprawling urban landscape by taking a series of secondary roads to the unique, picturesque Little River Canyon National Preserve in Alabama, and then return via rural roads in the foothills of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Charming, historic settlements along the way include the Georgia towns of Dallas,

May/Jun '20

City Escape: Laramie, Wyoming

Take your time on this inspiring ride through southern Wyoming that originates out of Laramie, the “Gem City of the Plains.” Open country and the breathtakingly beautiful Snowy Range Scenic Byway through the Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests are the hallmarks of this ride. On the way back you’ll ride

Mar/Apr '20

City Escape: Fresno, California

The towering trees and winding roads of Sequoia National Park are on the itinerary for this ride east of Fresno. There are interesting things to see and great stretches of road outside the park boundaries as well. The route starts at the desert elevation of 300 feet above sea level

Mar/Apr '20

City Escape: New York City

Escape from the busy and noisy Big Apple metropolis into the picturesque, relaxing farmlands and forests of northern New Jersey. Experience beautiful mirror lakes and running streams in the unspoiled wilderness. Small, rustic towns and villages will take you back 100 years. View the majestic Buttermilk Falls and ride the

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

Greece: Beyond the Postcards

Anticipating our journey to Greece, we were expecting to see the whitewashed buildings with blue rooftops clinging to the coastline—the scenes that we knew from pictures. But those iconic sites are found only on two specific islands, and Greece has literally thousands of islands. We traveled the mainland and

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

Yukon: Tuk or Bust

Over the years I have motorcycled through many of the world’s most exotic places, but in recent years I have been dithering about options for the next great ride. Can you hear a bit of desperation there? Finally, I was presented with a new road I could not refuse,

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

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

New Mexico: Land of the Ancients

Some of the earliest humans who migrated to North America occupied the high desert region of Northwest New Mexico. Remnants of ancient structures and other historical artifacts bear testimony to the presence of the Ancestral Puebloans, a pre–Columbian Native American civilization dating to about A.D. 100. The area

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

Kentucky Adventure Trail: Backroads of Appalachia

Our starting point is Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville, KY. It’s mid-March, and the mornings are expectedly chilly. Marisa and I quickly find ourselves shedding additional layers of clothing as the sun warms the Kentucky hills, but as we descend into deep, wooded valleys, where the morning

Jan/Feb '20 Premium Content

Ra’anana to Eilat, Israel: Watch Out for Camels & Tanks

I left the house at 8 a.m. and loaded my Honda CBR250R with a tankbag and a small 10-liter Kriega pack that fit nicely on the pillion seat. This was a solo trip. I wanted to escape from the city for a few days, and a ride through the

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

Jan/Feb '20 Premium Content

California : A Light Bike Adventure Ride

The southwestern corner of the United States is arguably both an adventure bike paradise and an ideal testing ground. Seemingly endless deserts stretch in all directions, containing virtually every type of terrain imaginable. However, the difficulty of this terrain comes in large doses at times. Where the fuel range and

Jan/Feb '20 Premium Content

Ghosts of Mississippi: Exploring the Magnolia State

Many communities have their share of ghost stories, most of which are fueled by active imaginations and are not for the faint of heart. These stories are best told on a chilly night around a campfire, so bundle up and get cozy. This journey takes us through one of the

Jan/Feb '20

City Escape: Louisville, Kentucky

Escape the congested urban humdrum of Kentucky’s largest city, and motor into a pleasing rural landscape west of town. Traveling through two states, you’ll discover soothing scenic vistas, meandering country lanes, back-in-time river towns, and enlightening historical sites that help tell the American story. Spring and fall are

Jan/Feb '20

City Escape: Tulsa, Oklahoma

Historic US Route 66, an ancient old-growth forest, a world-class museum, and some quirky attractions give this day loop an eclectic appeal. Ride west across Keystone Lake and south on a twisty backroad along the Cimarron River, intersecting Route 66 in Warwick and then enjoying small-town appeal and sights of

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

Portugal: Stone Age

Few corners of Europe are as remote as northern Portugal, a fact that makes a journey to this region particularly worthwhile. The fisherman’s pub in Viana do Castelo looks like the place to go. It was even recommended to my wife, Danica, and me. But our timing is wrong: