Tours

Mar/Apr '13 Premium Content

Texas: Hill Country

Few would deny that digging into the ground of the 28th state would yield anything less than red, white, and blue dirt, so rolling into this part of the country on anything other than a Harley can feel a little like going to a cross-stitch party without any needles. That

Mar/Apr '13 Premium Content

West Virginia Civil War Tour: Riding through History

Tensions between the aristocratic, plantation-based culture of eastern Virginia and the independently minded mountain people of western Virginia had simmered for years prior to the Civil War. Sharp disagreements over slavery, voting rights, and economic issues finally boiled over when Virginia seceded and federal troops moved rapidly into this mountainous

Mar/Apr '13 Premium Content

Exeter, Rhode Island Shamrock Tour®: Twisting the Throttle through the Ocean State

Although Rhode Island is the smallest state, it offers lots of historic sites to make it a good Shamrock Tour® base. This tiny piece of America is only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long, so trips into neighboring New England are unavoidable and certainly well worth it. Some interesting

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

World Travelers–Nepal: Earth's Eden

It’s 6 a.m. The bikes are feeling strong as we negotiate potholed tar around the town of Butwai in the dry Nepali lowlands. We pass a humble white-washed stupa (temple) on our left. Above our heads, attached to a long line, yellow, red, blue, and white prayers gently

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Vermont and New Hampshire: The Adventures of L’Uccello Arrabbiato and The Tomato

Two motorcycles—an orange Moto Guzzi Stelvio NTX (L’Uccello Arrabbiato) and a red Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Touring (The Tomato)–are parked in downtown Stowe, VT … “L’Uccello?” “Yes, Tomato.” “That’s it? They just leave us out here in the rain? They go into the cafe and get

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Virginia Wine Tour: A Sampling of Appellations

Wine and motorcycles are an odd, yet appealing, combination. If mixed the wrong way, the two can leave one scarred for life. In my younger days, I found that out the hard way. But, if handled responsibly, these two endearing disciplines can uncork memories that last a lifetime. Like motorcyclists,

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

Warm Springs, Georgia Shamrock Tour®: FDR’s Backyard

It’s early in the season, the end of April, when we leave home on two very agile, comfortable, and fun-loving sport-touring bikes to go on our first long trip of the year. Christa rides a 2003 BMW F 650 GS, and I’m on my 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 650R.

Jan/Feb '13 Premium Content

British Columbia: No Country for Old Men

Spring is the season of new growth, mating … and old men trying to stop the passage of time by planning an annual, mid-life-crisis, off-road motorcycle trip. It’s not as easy as an organized tour where all you have to do is follow the guy in front of you and

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