Tours

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah–Grand Canyon: A Solo Gal Lives a Dream

Being a single mother means that I need to pull some pretty big strings to be able to get away for a solitary week-long ride. Moving Heaven and Earth is worth it, though, to free me from those squeezing daily demands. It is a quest for reinvention that sends me

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Reader Ride-Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri: The Great River Road Run

Midway between my home near Lexington, KY, and Lake Itasca, MN, I begin to question the wisdom of making this trip in April. Although I rationalize that things will warm up and dry out, I travel 1,000 miles of chilly temperatures and driving rain before the real journey even

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Florida Byways: Riding the Heartland of the Sunshine State

When thinking of Florida, most riders tend to focus on either the Keys in South Florida or Daytona Beach. With the exception of Orlando, we tend to bypass the central portion of the state. After living here for almost 20 years and not seeing all that Florida has to offer,

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Northern California: Grapes to Gold and Back Again, Part II

In Part I, I crawled out of the lap of luxury atop a frozen wave of lava rock to find the State of Jefferson, a little bit of lumber, history, and plenty of snow. Part II swings me west toward the California coastline and then back south into wine country.

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Québec: Postcards From the Province

Big trips are curious things–miles and miles of road interrupted by moments of poignancy and snippets of time that persist in the mind as the years march on. “Remember that time…?” we say to ourselves and our riding partners. “You should have been there,” we say to others. Photos

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

World Travelers – India: Assaulting the Senses

I’ve gotta ask: have you ever dreamed of twisting the throttle and watching the road roll beneath you as you ride through a country unlike any other? You know what I mean–riding into a landscape that 1.2 billion people call home, and where sights, sounds, and smells

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Bowling Green, KY Shamrock Tour®: Caves, Corvettes, and Cool Roads

Millions of years ago, a shallow sea covered south central Kentucky. Deposits of tiny marine animals and plants formed layers of limestone. Over many millennia the sea receded, leaving thick layers of limestone. Rainwater mixed with carbon dioxide in the air and soil to form a mild acid, which dissolved

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Colorado: Conquering Mountains on Victorys

In mid-August, it’s a crisp 42 degrees as we ride out of Estes Park. The heated grips and seats are on high. We had to wipe down our motorcycles to free them of the wet layer of morning dew, and my foggy windshield hasn’t quite cleared up yet.

Nov/Dec '12 Premium Content

Reader Ride – Texas: Palo Duro Loop, The “Other” Grand Canyon

You can ride the rim of the Grand Canyon, but you can’t take your motorcycle down to the bottom. Want to get the “feel” of a canyon without taking a donkey ride? Visit Palo Duro Canyon in Texas, America’s “other” Grand Canyon! At 120 miles long, 600 to

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Colorado and New Mexico: Down the Rio Grande

It happened in the winter of 1874. Five prospectors hired a man to guide them across the San Juan Mountains. Weather was severe that year; the men fought huge snowdrifts and extreme low temperatures. Progress was very slow. No game for hunting was to be found, and the party ran

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Rhinelander, WI Shamrock Tour®

Unlike most Shamrock tours, this one has a prequel. Instead of flying into the closest Wisconsin airport, I flew into Utah and then inaugurated the new 2012 Victory Cross Country Tour for a three day trip to Sturgis. There, I met up with Ken Engelman, and we enjoyed the Sturgis

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee: Thunder Roads

Let me tell the story, I can tell it all, About the mountain boy who ran illegal alcohol, His daddy made the whiskey, son he drove the load, When the engine roared, they called the highway Thunder Road. - Opening excerpt from the “Ballad of Thunder Road” Dangerous two-lane roads,

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Northern California: Grapes to Gold and Back Again, Part I

Independence in America means freedom. Freedom to do whatever we want to do, whenever, and wherever, right? Well . . .within reason, of course. Once a year, freedom rings louder than normal and people are free to blow stuff up, party all night, and praise Old Glory with all their might—often

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Pakistan: Pride of Pakistan

At 6:30 a.m. the day is already hot. Alex and Nicco, our new riding companions, are ready to ride. As I strap down the last of the bags, a young and slightly awkward Iranian soldier grabs my attention as he runs into the hotel yard, clearly out of

Sep/Oct '12 Premium Content

Reader Ride - Oklahoma: Ghost Hollow Road

Steam rises from the blacktop like smoke signals as we approach the bridge girders over Skeleton Creek. I slow the big BMW R 1200 GS and keep Susan’s bright yellow F 650 in my mirrors as we duck under a canopy of trees. Our early morning ride brings us

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Oregon and California: An Adventure Ride Fills the Soul

I know there is something special pulling me to this adventure besides the quiet, seductive whisper of nature and the luring temptation of being solo on the open road. The goose bumps throughout the entire journey tell me there is more to this ride than exploring new and beautiful country

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

World Travelers - Iran: The Different Faces of Iran

Every journey is unique and challenging. Sometimes the challenges are physical—a bad road, a water crossing—and other times they are cultural, where you’re forced to leave stereotypes at the door and keep your wits about you. Experiencing the differences that separate us is what makes travel so

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Montana: Going-to-the-Sun on the Cusp of Winter

The fuel tank of my Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Ultra Limited is topped off, my thermal liner is zipped in, I have on two pairs of socks, and the heated grips are cranked up all the way. I’m idling at the east entrance of the Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTTS) near St.

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Pennsylvania: Camping in the Pennsylvania Wilds

When Christa asked me to do a motorcycle camping trip in Pennsylvania, I said “Sure!” with great enthusiasm. Just between you and me . . . I didn’t mean it. The last time I lashed a tent to the bike was in the dark days BFI (Before Fuel Injection). I’ve since

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Turkey Antalya to the Aegean

If you were to ask me to pinpoint when it all started, I would have to think back to one night a few years ago. I was flipping through channels looking for something to watch and that’s when I saw them, those two British actors riding their R 1200

Jul/Aug '12 Premium Content

Edgar Evins State Park, Tennessee Shamrock Tour®

Life’s a beach, but not after a hurricane. Our Atlantic beach trip quickly turned into a Tennessee camping tour after Irene scrubbed our plans along with most of the East Coast. It’s just as well, I suppose, since my memories of Tennessee involve blue highway “Trading Posts” stocked

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Michigan: Riding 'round the Mitten

Once again, the “Lost Squadron” of Norb on his H-D Ultra, Jim on his Gold Wing, and I on a borrowed 2011 H-D Tri Glide (in the new “Cool Blue Pearl” color) are hitting the road. This time it’s a circle tour of Michigan’s shoreline, from Muskegon north

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

World Travelers - Mongolia: Among Genghis Khan’s Heirs

“Welcome to Mongolia!” the customs officer says to me in perfect English while tapping me fiercely on the shoulder. Greetings like this don’t happen often at border crossings. What he probably meant was more like: “Lad, since you managed to survive our chaotic border post, you shouldn’t have

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Loop: Riding the Crown of the Continent

It is closer to bedtime than it is to dinnertime when I finally park the bike. But the kitchen is open until 10 p.m. here at Vimy’s Lounge & Grill at the Waterton Lakes Resort, so I order yak meatballs (since they are fresh out of elk chili)

May/Jun '12 Premium Content

Park City, Utah to Rapid City, South Dakota: Sturgis or Bust!

Shortly after the Civil War, my great-grandfather and his younger brother headed west across this great country, following the first transcontinental railroad during its construction. They built their first gun shop in Laramie, WY, which was a territory then, and eked out a modest living from this vast and beautiful