Tours

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

San Francisco, CA to Denver, CO: Over the Barriers

To travel from San Francisco to Denver you have to cross several major ranges, endure blistering heat and frosty cold, and carve a path for yourselfup some steep and twisty inclines. There’s plenty of excitement to be had. The great traveler Marco Polo would be jealous. It took him

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

Prince Edward Island: Carving Coastal Canada

Thomas Wolfe said you can’t go home again, but every summer I try to prove him wrong by taking a motorcycle trip to Prince Edward Island, where I grew up and learned to ride. In 2015, I tried something new; I took my brother-in-law Ty on his first two-wheeled

May/Jun '16

City Escape: Washington, D.C.

Beginning halfway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, MD, this City Escape traverses verdant, back-in-time Maryland countryside. Enticing byways wind through pastoral settings, along streams, and into the heart of historic villages. A stop for lunch just north of the Pennsylvania border gives riders an even closer glimpse of a

May/Jun '16

City Escape: Boise, Idaho

This loop northeast of Boise is a microcosm of the rest of the Pacific Northwest. It is varied and spectacular. Throughout the ride, the ecosystems change from high desert foothills, to chaparral, to alpine. Then there’s the water! Lakes, lazy rivers, white water rapids, and hot springs are the

Mar/Apr '16

City Escape: Miami, Florida

Only two routes cross the Florida Everglades, Alligator Alley (I-75) and the Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41). This City Escape treks across approximately 60 miles of the Tamiami Trail through the heart of the Florida Everglades. This ride is best experienced between the months of October and May; after that

Mar/Apr '16

City Escapes: Billings, Montana

Wide open spaces, hundred-mile views, and light traffic highlight this loop southwest of Billings, MT. Enjoy the sights and sounds of nearby waterways with most of the route flanked by beautiful Montana rivers like the Yellowstone, Stillwater, Rosebud, Bear Creek, and Clark Fork. This is a ride best made in

Mar/Apr '16 Premium Content

Northern California: Golden State Warriors

Northern California is a land of superlatives. There seems to be more of the “biggest,” “tallest,” and “most” here than any one state has a right to. Of particular interest to motorcyclists are NorCal’s roads, which more than warrant a bit of hyperbole. These supremely twisty and technical thoroughfares

Mar/Apr '16 Premium Content

Madison, WI Shamrock Tour®: Mixing it Up

Green Acres is the place to be. Farm livin’ is the life for me. Land spreadin’ out so far and wide. Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside. The opening lines to the old “Green Acres” show, starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, come to mind as I begin this

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,