Tours

Sep/Oct '22

City Escape: Portland, Oregon

This route includes a ride through some foothills of the Cascade Range, awe-inspiring waterfalls, and a cut across the Willamette Valley into Oregon’s Wine Country. There are good stopping points in some of western Oregon’s colorful small towns. From mountain views to working farmland, rolling hills and

Travel Guide

Top 10 Motorcycle Rides to See Fall Colors

One of the best things about motorcycle touring is experiencing an area with all of your senses. You hear, see, and feel more than you would from inside a windowed vehicle. At RoadRUNNER, we always feel more connected to an area after a bike tour. Fall is one of our

Sep/Oct '22 Premium Content

New Beginnings and Mystery in Arizona and New Mexico

I dispensed warm goodbyes to riding friends in Arizona, saddled up, and turned the key in the ignition with a growing reluctance. Internalizing my petulance in the process, I was happy where I was. A heavy sigh betrayed a sadness in parting from the place. Our stint in Yavapai County

Sep/Oct '22

City Escape: Boston, Massachusetts

The White Mountains of New Hampshire and roads like the Kancamagus Hwy get all the attention. But there are some fine roads and thinly-settled areas to explore when heading from Boston, MA, to southern New Hampshire. The region is filled with quiet roads to nowhere and crossroads with little

Destinations

Explore West Yellowstone, Montana

For the next great ride, head for West Yellowstone, Montana, the scenic entry point to Yellowstone National Park. Not only are the views of the Montana skyline and mountain range from a bike epic, there also is plenty to do during the warm months (and year round!) when it’s

Roundtrip Tour

The Hudson River Valley: New York Roundtrip

The Hudson River Valley is a place of natural beauty, which was the scenic inspiration for the first American landscape painters. The valley also contains the historic presidential homes, a Vanderbilt mansion from America’s Gilded Age, Revolutionary War battlefields, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, stunning mountain

Sep/Oct '22 Premium Content

Sunset Boulevard After Sunset: Hollywood Midnight Ride

In the realm of paved American thoroughfares, there are iconic names that speak to the character of specific places. New York City has the bold and lively spectacle of Broadway, as well as the nefarious shenanigans of Wall Street. There’s the pursuit of musical fame on Beale Street in

Accommodations

Review: Hidden Cave Ranch Bed & Breakfast—Burkesville, KY

Hidden Cave Ranch is a working American Curly horse farm in Cumberland County, KY, just minutes from Dale Hollow Lake and Lake Cumberland. American Curlies are a hypoallergenic breed known for being mild-mannered. Jaro and Marion, who are originally from the Netherlands, moved here to raise Curlies and share

WEB Exclusive

In Pursuit of Wildness: Manzanar National Historic Site

Once upon a time, Manzanar National Historic Site was called Manzanar War Relocation Center. It was one of 10 camps where Japanese American citizens were incarcerated during World War II. I had never been there, and I knew little about this site, though I knew that it is managed by

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

A Decade-Long Riding Tradition

Every summer we do at least one group ride. We used to spend the whole week together,  but now, three days is about the best we can manage. This year, we chose Oregon and Washington State. Most of the group flew into Portland and rented BMWs. With a fresh Ducati

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Double Crosse Near La Crosse, Wisconsin

The city of La Crosse, perched on the banks of the Mississippi River, bills itself as the top Midwest motorcycle getaway destination. It may very well be the case, as it has incredible riding roads, unique destinations, and a location that is close to Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago, and Des Moines

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Wild Winds Across the Badlands of New Mexico

Rarely do I heed a warning before a long-distance ride. This message, however, is from my nephew Ruben, who is a wildlands firefighter stationed in Silver City, NM. A credible source. His message is, "It's supposed to be very windy across New Mexico, starting tomorrow."

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Mongolia: In the Footsteps of Genghis Khan

We’re stopped at the top of a hill on the outskirts of Karakorum, the ancient capital of the Mongol Empire. Ahead of us is a vast valley framed by impossibly large mountains that stretch into the distance. From our vantage point, we can see the criss-cross pattern of

Jul/Aug '22

City Escape: Minneapolis, MN

Minnesota is called the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but this counterclockwise loop from the Twin Cities into Wisconsin follows large and small rivers. You’ll be riding along the mighty Mississippi, the Chippewa River, and the Saint Croix River. Two of these waterways are so big that at certain

Destinations

In Pursuit of Wildness: Death Valley National Park

> Death Valley National Park is the hottest, driest, and lowest national park in America. It’s a summer day and I’m filling up my motorcycle gas tank in Baker, CA, when I asked the gas station attendant how hot it is. I’m a bit surprised when he

Jul/Aug '22 Premium Content

Georgia: The Little Great Country

Canyons like Utah, glaciers on 16,000-foot-high mountains, prairies like Mongolia, and a subtropical coastline—Georgia has it all and much more. Yes, I came because of the great landscape. But already my first day on the bike reveals a flaw in my travel plan. I didn’t

Classic Roads

Riding the Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon

These two classic roads, taken together, offer motorcyclists one of the most challenging days of mountain riding available anywhere. The full 138-mile route starts and ends in Tellico Plains, TN, at the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center. From there the road rapidly gains altitude on SR 165. At around the

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Bluewater Highway & Seawall Boulevard

Any time I can ride alongside an ocean on a motorcycle, I will do it. Make that motorcycle a new Indian Super Chief Limited, and I have a great excuse to spend some time island hopping in south Texas. The perfect combination of cruising and ocean is riding from Surfside

Destinations

Destination: Beaumont, Kansas

A Stay With Ghosts Although it’s considered a ghost town today, Beaumont, located in the rolling grasslands of southeastern Kansas, was a thriving railroad and cattle town in the 19th century. The indigenous prairie bluestem grass was the nutritious fodder used to fatten up cattle before their transport by

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Flaming Gorge With A Hot Date

I have really great friends. They give me stuff—boots, jackets, motorcycles… You know, the usual. A few years ago, two of them invited me on a group motorcycle trip to Europe. It was to be an extreme Alps ride, as in Stelvio Pass and about a dozen others. Then,

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: US 1 in Florida, Part 2

We covered the first 250 miles of the 545-mile Floridian stint of US 1 in Part 1: Down from the North. Riding southward from Georgia, we ended our journey in the city of Melbourne. Now, it’s time to cruise along the last 300 miles or so that will

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

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

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

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

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