Tours

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

Nevada and Oregon Ghost Town Tour

As we crest Harrison Pass on the Pony Express National Historic Trail and begin our descent into Ruby Valley, the route is clearly visible, winding across the treeless lowlands and ascending the Maverick Springs Range. The sense of openness is almost overwhelming and gives pause as I wonder what went

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

Lake Huron, Canadian Side

Neither Sarah nor I have been to Canada, but we have high expectations. We’re both outdoor enthusiasts and would like to see some bears and moose. On top of that I’m a hockey player and a huge fan of the sport. It sounds like a silly plan to

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

St. Marys, Pennsylvania Shamrock Tour®

The Allegheny Highlands, in northwestern Pennsylvania, are a world away from the heavily populated environs of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Our home base in St. Marys, PA, is in the heart of the state’s rural elk country. The elk are so plentiful here that it’s one of the few

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska

What a scary welcome. The captain warned us that there would be some turbulence as we crossed the barrier of the Rocky Mountains from the west, but the effect of the thunderstorm is still intimidating. The plane is shaking and rattling in every joint. It feels like we’re sitting

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Death Valley, California

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

Frisco, Colorado Shamrock Tour®

It's all down hill from here - literally. Squatting next to the Continental Divide, Frisco, CO, is the perfect base for exploring some of the most elevated highways in America. I pull into Leadville, CO, with a dry mouth and a parched throat. I'm parked outside

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

Lake Huron Circle Tour

Sarah and I planned this trip for many months. It was a very romantic idea: two lovebirds in their mid-20s on a camping trip around Lake Huron, keeping traveling costs down and excitement up. Sarah had been camping quite a bit with her family, so Ms. Camping had all the

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

Alaska

There's nothing like a good midlife crisis: chuck it all, curvy Porsche and a blonde at your side as you mash the throttle and hit triple-digit speeds. Then again, some time on an adventure bike and sleeping next to bears seems like a great escape, too. Maybe crisis

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

Pennsylvania Steam

"Thy black cylindric body, golden brass and silvery steel, Thy ponderous side-bars, parallel and connecting rods, gyrating, shuttling at thy sides, Thy metrical, now swelling pant and roar, now tapering in the distance, Thy great protruding head-light fix'd in front, Thy long, pale, floating vapor-pennants, tinged with

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Bolivia

Following two days in the Chilean desert town of San Pedro de Atacama, we are cruising back to the base of Licancabur Volcano. Its ashen flanks are our signal to turn north, drop from the asphalt, and begin our ascent into a land like no other. At an elevation of

Jul/Aug '11 Premium Content

Reader Ride: United Kingdom - The Peak District

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

Canada: Alberta's Icefields Parkway

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

Killington, Vermont Shamrock Tour®

"Long ago, the Great Bear wandered freely throughout the sky. His massive paws took him far across the unlimited ceiling of the world. He hunted and fished, finding food there in the many rivers of the sky. All throughout the first spring he did this, until his belly was

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

Yellowstone National Park

I don't really need a good reason to go on a motorcycle trip, whether it be for the adventure of exploring a new area, tackling a challenging road, or just getting away from my daily routine. But this ride is something special, and I'm excited to

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

North and South Dakota

During the summer and fall of 1804, Lewis and Clark with the Corps of Discovery covered much of the same ground that Linda and I had planned for this tour. Their favorite byway was the Missouri River. Ours would primarily be SR 1804 and SR 1806, which accompany the river

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland via Route 50

Wafts of cool, mountain air swirl over the Victory Cross Country's short windshield in a near perfect dose. It's not enough to be buffeting, yet just enough to be invigorating. For Kathy, this is our journey's last leg. But for me, well, I'

May/Jun '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Argentina and Chile

The weatherworn sign on the outskirts of Ushuaia proudly reads "Bienvenidos a la Ciudad mas austral del Mundo" - Welcome to the Southernmost City in the World. The tires of our heavily laden GS bikes bite into the freshly fallen snow as we excitedly pull on past. El

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

Skyline Drive, Virginia Shamrock Tour®

The Great Appalachian Valley is a gigantic trough that stretches 700 miles from Canada to Alabama. The eastern boundary, for most of its length, is the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. Skyline Drive threads its way along the top of these mountains in north central Virginia for 105 miles; it will

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

California

It's as much about the time - and the roads - leading up to the race, as it is about the race itself. In July 2010, my brother Jim and good friends Pete, Gary F., and Gary K., and I spent five days of motorcycle touring together, logging

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

Part III: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio via Route 50

For the better part of our journey across the United States, Kathy and I have felt that we were being followed. Like the incessant footfalls of an unseen pursuer, the potential for rain and nasty weather has plagued our daily routine. Though drops have not always fallen, the need to

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Brazil's Amazon Jungle, Part II

The fall from the bridge was this morning. The day has been a blur of failed mechanics interspersed with lost consciousness. I can't choke back any more drugs, especially as we have so few and no soon opportunity to gain more. As the daylight disappears the thick Amazon

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

Northern Arizona

Something is rustling outside. I'm lying in the tent and my thoughts circle around bears. But bears here in this semi-desert area of Arizona? Can't be! I just want to continue sleeping. no way. The strange visitor outside rustles more. I shout through the canvas of

Mar/Apr '11 Premium Content

Reader Ride: Florida Coast

St. Augustine, FL, the nation's oldest city, is a twenty-minute ride south on the super-slab from Jacksonville, but where is the fun in that? Instead of the Interstate, I opt to take a more circuitous route. I leave Jacksonville on State Road 13, through Fruit Cove, towards the

Jan/Feb '11 Premium Content

World Travelers: Brazil's Amazon Jungle, Part I

It's been said that what we do defines us. Yet perhaps it's as much about what we do, as it is what we endure and what we learn from? We find out who we really are only when we're pushed past what we thought

Jan/Feb '11 Premium Content

Coast to Coast on the Cross Country Part II: Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri via Route 50

The cool, dry May, desert air carries a slight nip as it pours over the Victory Cross Country's short windshield and proves an excellent adjunct to the pick-me-up qualities of our breakfast caffeine. The early morning traffic is light, the road lonely, and in the distance, the fabled