Tours

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Reclusive Labrador

We have every intention of riding to Alaska someday, but since we aren’t prepared to take that much time off work a ride on the Labrador is calling our names. We chat with our riding buddy Glenn Parker about it, and he says it’s one of those roads

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Ellijay, Georgia Shamrock® Tour

I knew that Florian and I were in for a great Shamrock Tour® when I woke to the softly layered Appalachian mountains stretching out in front of our hotel, with a twisting two-lane highway cutting an inviting path between them. Four days later, parking our Harley-Davidsons for the last time

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Eastern Kentucky

Guided by a symphony of commands, the tires of my V-Strom 650 carve graceful arcs along the ribbon of pavement draped at the base of a rock wall. A different type of carving, to be sure, than that of Yellow Creek, whose efforts helped form nearby Cumberland Gap. At the

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Rocky Mountains Part II: Wyoming, Idaho and Montana

The owner slowly scuffles toward the entrance of his café, unlocks the door, and lets us in. Like him, the interior is simple, original and down to earth. Breakfast is the same: a huge pot of coffee, hash browns, bacon and eggs. Eat it or leave it. But something else

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

California

I’m just finishing a leisurely 100-mile cruise through California’s Joshua Tree National Park on a late afternoon in April. I head north on Highway 247, and soon after entering this massive OHV area, strong wind gusts from all directions start shoving around my laden, 712-pound Honda Interstate cruiser.

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Central Europe

Expectations were high when Christa, the publisher of RoadRUNNER, asked me to put together my favorite route through Europe for her readers. “Great, how much time would they have? Two months? Maybe three?” I asked. “12 days,” was her short and definite response. That’s when it got tricky. Through

Nov/Dec '11 Premium Content

Peru

…At 13,123 feet (4,000 meters), we stop to add liners for warmth and sip hot Coca tea. The world that is The Andes transforms before us: the flora and fauna, the native peoples, the texture of the landscape that defines this magnificent mountain range – everything looks majestic here,

Sep/Oct '11 Premium Content

Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee

It doesn’t take much to prompt a tour at the RoadRUNNER offices, especially after an unusually cold winter – at least by our thin-blooded Southern standards – has been keeping us annoyingly close to home. So when coworker Florian called and announced that two Can-Am Spyders were in dire need of

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