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U.S. Tours

Land of Swamp and Sand: The ‘Other’ South Carolina Destination

Each year millions of tourists visit Myrtle Beach or Charleston, South Carolina, searching for beaches, nightlife, shopping and endless feasts of seafood. However, far...

Riding Washington’s Palouse Region

“The wheat field has...poetry,” Vincent Van Gogh once said. The muse the master painter found in wheat inspired dozens of his works. By the...

Riding ‘Shine Country: The Tail of the Dragon and North Carolina’s Moonshiner 28

As I leaned into the corner, a stopped garbage truck appeared just ahead, hugging the stone wall on the right closely enough that I could...

Riding Central New Mexico

Astronomy, History and Great Roads I stand over the open side case of my BMW R 1200 GS outside the Black’s Smuggler Winery in Bosque,...

Favorite Ride: Mineral King and Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Parks

The mission was simple: See some scenery, carve some curves and soak up some cool temperatures before the summer heat arrived. Three of us left...

Connecting Small Towns in Northeast Iowa

Iowa is not known as a motorcycling destination, but rather a through state. Motorcyclists travel mostly on the four-lane roads thinking that’s all there...

17th Annual Blue Ridge Gathering

The Blue Ridge Gathering is an annual meeting of sport-touring riders in western North Carolina, one of the best regions in the U.S. for...

Stage Route to Deadwood: Tracing a Historic Route to the Black Hills

Cheyenne’s population of 60,000 more than doubles during its 10-day Frontier Days rodeo, which took place a week after I arrived. As it happened,...

Big Water: Exploring Southern Indiana’s Chunk of the Ohio River Valley

Despite being a lifelong Hoosier, I hadn’t spent much time riding in the southern part of Indiana. This year would be different -- I...

Snake Loops: Sport Touring East of the Hudson

Snakes employ astonishing methods of locomotion. Legs? Who needs ’em! Using muscles and scales, snakes hug the landscape as they wind along their way....

A Ride Through New Jersey’s Northwest Counties

Although some view New Jersey as home to just oil refineries, highways and urban/suburban sprawl devoid of good motorcycling opportunities, nothing could be further...

Palms to Pines to the Pacific on California Route 74

Gassing up in the already-toasty Palm Desert morning sun, it is hard to imagine that I will be riding in the cool, tall pines...

2019 Indian Scout | Tour Test Review

I knew I’d stumbled onto someplace...different...when I pulled into the packed dirt parking lot of the Nipton Trading Post, and it wasn’t just the...

Riding 60 Paved Colorado Passes in Nine Days

Mountain passes are the ultimate expression of motorcycling, where winding roads and magnificent vistas merge to create the supreme riding experience. For me, the...

Riding a Thousand Miles of Arizona Highways

April in the Southwest means perfect temperatures and sunny days, riding in a mesh jacket and Kevlar-lined jeans. With a new (to me) Honda...

Riding Vermont’s Route 100 From Massachusetts to Memphremagog

Vermont is a four-season state. It offers great skiing in the winter, sweet maple syrup in the spring and fantastic foliage in the autumn....

Voyage of Re-Discovery in Gold Country and the Sierra Nevada

It was the scent in the air that did it, plucking me out of the Suzuki’s seat and transporting me back to the distant...

Iron Range Ramble: Riding Minnesota’s Arrowhead Region

"It’s not the destination, it’s the journey," says the motorcycling adage. That’s true! Most highlights of motorcycling are experienced during the ride. I choose...

Northern Utah Loops

I unfold a Utah map on my outdoor table at the Main Street Deli in Park City’s bustling downtown. After placing my gyro sandwich...

One Ride, 47 National Parks

Forty-seven national parks, 17,335 miles, 67 days, three flat tires, two forest fires, three boat rides, temps ranging from 31 degrees and sleet to...

Stayin’ Safe: Riding Like Heinz

Improving slow-speed stability can be fun. No, really. More than any other skill, riders tell me they wish they had better low-speed control. And no...

Favorite Rides and Destinations #7 is Live!

The Spring 2019 issue of Favorite Rides & Destinations is FREE and ready to view! Favorite Rides & Destinations is an online motorcycle touring and adventure...

Meandering Through the Hinterlands of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania

When I head out for an overnight adventure, I like to ride back roads in the hinterlands that are devoid of the traffic and...

2019 National Touring Events Calendar

Your bike is tuned, the weather is good, your GPS has been ported and polished and your credit card has been bored and stroked;...

Big Deserts, Small Bike: Riding Death Valley, Mojave and Joshua Tree on a Yamaha XT250

Rolling through Death Valley National Park, I have an eerie feeling that I am being watched. Passing a road sign indicating that I am...

Bluestem Pastures: Exploring the Flint Hills of Kansas

A couple of years ago I did an east-to-west and back ride across north central Kansas. One of the highlights was the Flint Hills,...

Kansas Moto History: The Evel Knievel Museum and Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum

The shot of George Hamilton racing toward the canyon and destiny in the 1971 movie, "Evel Knievel," had my eyes glued to the screen...

Riding the ‘Other’ Cape: Cape Ann

When New Englanders talk of "The Cape," typically they mean Cape Cod, the flexing arm of Massachusetts that reaches from the South Shore into...

Gila County Loop: A Nice Place to Ride in Winter

I’ve been thinking about writing this story for a few months, but the inspiration for it goes back every winter for 20 years. About...

On-the-Job ADV Training With Bill Dragoo’s DART School

A tiny figure on a Honda CRF250 slowly ascends a rocky slope in the rough country of southeastern Utah. Partway up she veers off...

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