Tours

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

Oklahoma and Texas: The Comanche Trail

A single dust plume trails behind us like an earthbound jet stream. Narrow leaving the rear tire, it eventually fills our mirrors as I glance back at Susan, riding pillion on our BMW R 1200 GS Adventure. We’ve covered hundreds of miles of dirt here in this vast emptiness,

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

Florida, Alabama, Mississippi: Shadowing the Gulf

America’s Gulf Coast is lined with miles of pristine, white sandy beaches lapped by the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico’s shallow continental shelf. The persistently warm weather and beautiful beaches attract tourists in droves, but we haven’t come for a tan. A Tale of Two

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

Classic Roads: Carving California's Highway 74

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

South America: The Trans-Amazonian Challenge

The first Trans-Amazonian Challenge joint venture tour by MotoDiscovery and Motolombia is a daunting undertaking for participants and guides alike. A huge loop of northern South America is planned, more than 8,700 miles in 45 days, through eight countries. The route starts in Cartagena, Colombia, near the northernmost

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

Bristol, Vermont Shamrock Tour®: Base Heart of the Green Mountains

Northern Vermont offers a variety of riding, from twisty mountain passes and remote winding roads to scenic farmland. New York’s Adirondacks are nearby, offering even more to explore. Bristol It’s early September and the morning fog clings to the still, lush trees in Bristol, VT, a blink-and-

Jul/Aug '16 Premium Content

Reader Ride: California–The Road to Mono Lake

When exploring a new road, there is no good time to lose the light. We’re riding west through northern California toward Yosemite National Park, and highway has given way to a sidewinder, cliffside stretch of Route 120. As we negotiate the twisted ascent, each new turn is a mystery,

Jul/Aug '16

City Escape: Rapid City, South Dakota

The Black Hills of South Dakota are one of the most impressive and interesting riding venues in the U.S. Dramatic scenery, iconic national sites, a plethora of roadside attractions, and beguiling byways are big draws. The best time to go is early or late summer. Length Approximately 227 miles

Jul/Aug '16

City Escape: Nashville, Tennessee

While there’s plenty to see and do in Music City, exploring the tranquil farmland around Tennessee’s capital will satisfy the motorcyclist’s soul. The laid-back atmosphere invites a slower pace. Edgar Evins State Park serves up curves and beautiful views. Many distilleries call the surrounding area home,

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

Ecuador: Journey to Middle Earth

Ecuador is a small country on the northwestern side of South America, sandwiched between Colombia to the north and Peru to the south. Earth’s dividing line runs through the northern part of Ecuador, which is Spanish for “equator.” The Galapagos Islands lay about 560 miles to the west. But

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

North Carolina: A Triple Dose of the Coast

When most motorcyclists think about North Carolina, their minds instantly turn to the misty peaks of the Great Smoky Mountains, the undulating twists of the Tail of the Dragon, or the sweeping beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Understandably so. But while the roads in the western part of the

May/Jun '16 Premium Content

St. Robert, Missouri Shamrock Tour®: Ozark Odyssey

A ruggedly elegant karst landscape, replete with caves, crystal clear springs, sheer-walled high bluffs, and verdant valleys greets us in central Missouri’s Ozarks. Inviting two-lane tarmac winds through much of the picturesque topography. Bob Brown, my wingman, is astride a 2016 Indian Chief Vintage and I’m

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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-

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

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