Tours

Mar/Apr '16 Premium Content

Italy: Fire and Ice

Italy has many well-known sights, from mountain ranges, volcanoes, valleys, and towers to magnificent coastlines overlooking choppy seas. Still, a journey into the country’s deep unknown southern region comes along with surprises. Riding Italy’s Backbone The pass sign indicates “Vado di Sole.” This means something like “The way

Mar/Apr '16 Premium Content

Baja California: Digging Sand–Desert to Surf Towns

For one week we have been full blown tourists in Cabo San Lucas. We’ve done all things Cabo and had a great time with our friends that flew down to meet us at our condo. Now I’m ready to dig into that dirt path once more—away from

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. Length Approximately

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 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

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

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

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

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

Nov/Dec '15

City Escape: Richmond, Virginia

> This route transports riders from Richmond, VA, the former Confederate capital, across rolling farmland in central Virginia to several iconic locations, marking the final days of the American Civil War in the spring of 1865. Riders interested in Civil War history should factor in plenty of time to peruse

Nov/Dec '15

City Escape: Salt Lake City, Utah

> This route travels the rural “Wasatch Back” beginning at the mouth of Emigration Canyon in Salt Lake County and loops northward on twisty canyon roads, over mountain passes, and through the pastoral Morgan and Upper Ogden Valleys. June, September, and October are the most scenic months to ride. Length

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Jefferson, Texas Shamrock Tour®: Bayou Chiefs

It is 1901. Dirt roads are evolving from indian trails and wagon routes to connect a country in the midst of a technological revolution. George M. Hendee and Carl Hedstrom have just completed their first 1.75-horsepower prototype of the Indian Motorcycle in Springfield, MA. More than 114 years later,

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Michigan: A Quest for Pie

Polishing off a pre-tour mahimahi taco and Key lime pie dinner while watching the sun slide behind a row of tethered yachts, I wonder if my preconceived ideas about the tour are about to be blown out of the water. I envision four days of sleuthing small town diners with

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Catskills, New York: A Man Out of Time

A short ride turns into a big adventure and poses a big question, “Can a Royal Enfield take you back in time?” The midday sun pokes through the canopy of leaves and warms my face. I hear a distant voice. “Wake up.” I’m in a deep slumber, swimming in

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Newfoundland, Canada: Licking Ice

I’m a Newfoundlander born and bred and I’ll be one till I die. I’m proud to be an Islander and here’s the reason why. I’m free as the wind and the waves that wash the sand. There’s no place I would rather be than

Nov/Dec '15 Premium Content

Reader Ride–Southern California: Scootouring

Scootouring (v.) the act of traveling long distances on a scooter. Sometimes the right word just doesn’t exist. Such is the case with touring on a scooter. With the advent of maxi-scooters (scooters with motorcycle displacement engines and similar performance), major manufacturers have embraced this growing market segment. But

Sep/Oct '15

City Escape: Las Vegas, Nevada

> This loop south of Las Vegas is a serene escape from the urban bustle. Once free from the neon lights and the traffic of Sin City, riders will experience the raw beauty of the Mojave Desert. The clear desert air allows awe-inspiring views of rugged mountains, expansive sand dunes,

Sep/Oct '15

City Escape: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

> This Bucks County covered bridge route is meant for laid-back scenic cruising. Along the way you’ll be rewarded with canopied country byways, crossing eight beautifully maintained covered bridges and through historic villages with an abundance of eclectic shops and restaurants. Riders will want to stop often. Length Approximately

Sep/Oct '15

City Escape: Tucson, Arizona

> This southern Arizona loop ride includes varied road types, picturesque scenery, and well-placed historic towns. Riders will get a taste of the Old West, peruse eclectic art, and enjoy rich desert flora and fauna. It’s a fall, winter, and spring ride since the summer temperatures in the southwest

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

San Francisco, California to Seattle, Washington: The Unusual Route

For simple navigation it would be easy to connect both cities via Highway 1 along the coast, but the inland route, including an occasional coastal intermezzo, promises much more diversity. Wow! This is steeper than it looks on television—and much better. We don’t know what to do first.

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

Folkston, Georgia Shamrock Tour®: Sand in the Swamp

Stretching across the Florida-Georgia border lies an impenetrable wall of stoic old oaks draped with Spanish moss and rooted in the dark, murky waters of the Okefenokee Swamp. With rumors of unexplained and supernatural phenomena, the swamp is full of secrets to be discovered. Sand Belongs on the Beach Folkston,

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

The Oklahoma Adventure Trail: Mission Impossible

“We’re taking the bypass,” a wise James Pratt belts out from aboard his faded yellow Suzuki DR-Z400. “I’m out of gas and there is no way these guys will get those pigs through the woods in this muck.” The “woods” we are about to enter are a segment

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

Labrador, Canada: Just Keep Riding North

Bouncing down the endless gravel roads of the Trans-Labrador Highway (TLH), it becomes clear why Labrador is nicknamed “The Big Land.” It’s vast with a capital V. “How far north can I ride from Lake George, NY?” That question arises with an email from Tom Nelson, an architect, sports

Sep/Oct '15 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Kaslo, British Columbia “Lookout” for Your Friends

Our 2010 KTM 990 Adventure easily rolls along the smooth forest service road adjacent to the Columbia Wetlands, the largest of their kind anywhere in the province of British Columbia. This portion of our tour was unplanned, but we did take the advice of our innkeeper the night before to

Jul/Aug '15

City Escape: Austin, Texas

> More sweepers than tight curves—explore the countryside southwest of Austin, which will appeal to every type of motorcyclist. From President LBJ’s ranch to German culinary delights, this route has it all. To include all stops along the way, plan ahead and hit the road early in the