Tours

Jul/Aug '08 Premium Content

The Catskills

Angry clouds unleash a summer storm worthy of the evening news, toppling power lines and causing flash floods. I'm on an Aprilia Tuono (Italian for thunder, ironically), protected by a gas station canopy in Masonville, New York. I'm not alone though, as other riders have sought

Jul/Aug '08 Premium Content

British Columbia

In the late 1800s a gold rush engulfed the interior of southwestern Canada. However, to be worth the assayers' valuations, the precious metal and other mined commodities had to reach the Pacific coast. Great mountain ranges and deep river gorges stood in the way, and at that time, building

Jul/Aug '08 Premium Content

From Mongolia to China

A broad band of tracks lines the sand of the vast valley, but soon the ruts converge until only two of them are left. I am traveling on my BMW F 650 GS/PD in the Altai Mountains of Mongolia. A barely discernible path leads over the highest pass here,

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Helena, Montana

My reward for hiking up the hill to Helena, Montana's timber-framed fire tower is a glorious view over the city in the warm light of late afternoon, encompassing the dome of the capitol, Last Chance Gulch, the twin spires of St. Helena Cathedral, and the minaret of the

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Stormin' Across Eastern Kansas

Quite a few people who haven't been to Kansas have formed their impressions of the state by watching a movie made in 1939. The Wizard of Oz, filmed in a Hollywood studio, portrays Kansas as hot, dry, tornado-ridden and tabletop flat. While this may be a somewhat apt

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Nashville Roundtrip

I've grown "comfortable" with the wiggle pulsing through the big Bandit's bars as I transition from the banked front stretch on to the flat of the track apron. I tickle the front brake lever to scrub off some miles per hour that a mere

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Northern Indiana

Transportation has a rich history in the USA, and a lot of it can be found in northern Indiana museums. So pull out your maps and start planning a trip to the flatlands of northern Indiana. You'll even see a little living history too. I'm very

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

British Columbia - Pacific Rim Tour

There can't be too many places people travel to in order to watch the weather. But every winter patrons cram the hotels lining Long Beach on Vancouver Island's west coast and do just that. The next stop from there is Japan, and the 5,000-mile Pacific

May/Jun '08 Premium Content

Mexico, Part 2: The North

A Mexican in a white sombrero rides his donkey on the dusty gravel road in front of us. His appearance in this deserted region presents an unexpected opportunity to ask if he knows of a shortcut through the mountains of the Sierra Madre. Squinting, he scans the surrounding hillsides. Perhaps

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

In Arizona and New Mexico

It's hot, an "airless" afternoon, when I park the K1200R and hike across bus-sized boulders to Spider Rock Overlook at Canyon de Chelly. I snap my camera onto the tripod to take a self-timer shot, set the shutter and pose near the edge. Just then, caprice

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

Maine

The biggest, wildest state in New England, Maine is also the first state in the union to catch the light of the rising sun. As a September dawn wakes me in Kennebunkport, the nearby routes along this storied coast exert a very strong pull - nearly 3,500 miles of

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

Eastern Kentucky Round Trip

The wondrous back roads of Eastern Kentucky unravel in crazy-quilt complexity. Hewn from time-scarred mountains and rising and falling along creek bottoms and ancient hunting trails, they wriggle in madcap fashion through boundless forests and hidden hollows. To a motorcyclist, it's country like this that represents the finest

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

Edmonton to Alaska

Joining a band of motorcyclists on an annual run to Hyder, Alaska, we rode north from Edmonton to celebrate Ron Ayres's 1998 feat of smashing the Iron Butt record (riding to 48 states within 10 days) in what is now called the 48 Plus! Iron Butt Ride. Making

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

Mexico, Part 1: The South

Traveling northwest from Guatemala, we reach Chiapas. Mexico's southernmost state is referred to as "Mundo Mayas," the gate to the world of the Mayas. At 6,900 feet, in a densely forested valley in the mountains of the Sierra Madre, lies San Cristóbal de las Casas.

Mar/Apr '08 Premium Content

Western Maryland Shamrock Tour®

The Appalachian Mountains, once reaching Himalayan-scale heights, are among the oldest on earth. Erosion-resistant sandstone sustains their rounded green shoulders, while limestone undergirds the verdant valleys. Yes, there are many attractive features in the western highlands of Maryland, Pennsylvania and West Virginia; but the most appealing of all has to

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Sturgis and Deadwood, South Dakota

The biker hordes have yet to arrive for the annual Black Hills Motor Classic Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. I have this majestic and surreal landscape mostly to myself for the next several days to explore. Buttes, bison grazing on rolling grasslands, the infamous town of Deadwood, South Dakota, historic

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

Along the Trans-America Trail

After surviving the unexpected floods in the Utah desert caused by the most rain the area had seen in the last 60 years, Jeff and I are on to the next, and hopefully drier, state of our cross-country motorcycle adventure. Goat Trail to Iceberg Peak In the far northwest corner

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

Touring Southern West Virginia

The history of West Virginia, the only state established as a result of the Civil War, is defined by its location and geology. Allegedly split in personality, it has simultaneously been called the most southern Northern state, the most northern Southern state, and the most eastern Midwestern state. Seceding from

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

RoadRUNNER's Five-Country Europe Tour

The dog days of summer have slowed life to a crawl, with seemingly endless triple-digit temperatures scorching everything in sight. As I ride home after dark, even the sliver of moon hanging low in the early evening sky is on fire. Battling traffic, impatiently waiting for lights while inhaling hot

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

Burke's Garden, Virginia

Years ago, Kathy and I met a fellow rider while touring the Virginia mountains. As residents of Asheville, North Carolina, at the time, we thought one of his tales was unusually curious. It seems that the beautiful location of our city's crown jewel, the Biltmore Estate, was really

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

East Africa

The horizon is pink and yellow and purple and we are airborne, high above East Africa. Our destination is close  - Mombasa at the Indian Ocean. Some 200 miles south of the equator in northeastern Tanzania, we see the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. The rising tropical sun catches the flanks of

Jan/Feb '08 Premium Content

Tour of the Week: Williamsport, PA - Round Trip

Like most American kids, I had my baseball heroes. The exploits of Roberto Clemente and Brooks Robinson inspired me to pick up a glove and take to the diamond. Though the mitt eventually gave way to a soccer ball and dirt bikes, I always managed to tune in to ABC&

Nov/Dec '07 Premium Content

From Bismarck to Pierre

Arriving in the city of Bismarck after driving through the grasslands of North Dakota for a couple of days is a slight shock to the system. And though it only has a population of 55,000, Bismarck's big streets and noisy traffic are as far removed from the

Nov/Dec '07 Premium Content

Shamrock Tour® - Helen, Georgia

Smoky Mountain roads are quiet places, especially in the morning. Turn off the key and listen. Beneath the engine's cooling ticks, the subtle sounds of nature close in. The ever-present breeze dances with leaves above the clear streams tumbling from ancient mountains. Birds and crickets call, then answer.

Nov/Dec '07 Premium Content

Along the Trans-America Trail

Year to year, under normal conditions, most riders don't contemplate getting very much riding in on the trails in Colorado and Utah after September. But for my Canadian friend Jeff Sherren and me that couldn't be helped, and it was already October by the time we