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Favorite Rides

Favorite Ride: Rediscovering Gold on the Million Dollar Highway

Years ago my father’s fingers traced the route of a ride on a map of southwestern Colorado, over towns named Cortez, Dolores, Telluride, Montrose...

First Hope Then Merritt: A Ride Through the British Columbia Interior

When life in the big city on the coast becomes too hectic and I need some time away, a romp through British Columbia’s interior...

Favorite Ride: Southeast Arizona’s Wild West

Cowboys and Indians. Miners and ranchers. Army troops and outlaws. Southeast Arizona was overrun with all of these types, and more, in the latter...

Favorite Ride: Classic Roadways of the Smoky Mountains

This morning I’m on my way to the Great Smoky Mountains to revisit three gems of the Southeast’s motorcycle-friendly roadways: the Foothills Parkway, Deals...

Favorite Ride: Riding the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway in Northern California

If you have traveled Interstate 5 between Oregon and California, you’ve probably seen one end of the State of Jefferson Scenic Byway. Eleven miles south...

A Kool Kruise to a Hip Town: New Hope, Pennsylvania

New Hope, Pennsylvania, is a popular destination for riders in the Northeast, not only because of its artistic vibe, galleries, restaurants, hip boutiques and...

Favorite Ride: Unexpected Serenity in Southern California

Is there any scenic countryside left for motorcyclists in the urban sprawl of Southern California? Actually there is, and it’s surprisingly close to the densely...

Favorite Ride: Swamp People and Hot Sauce

I have lived in southern Louisiana my whole life, and for this sport-touring rider, the weather from late October through April is pretty hard...

Lock-to-Lock: Riding the Miami-Erie Canal

It might seem incongruous to use a modern motorcycle, with fuel injection and ABS, to explore a canal built almost 200 years ago to move...

Moto Aloha: Motorcycle Touring on Oahu

In recent years, life has afforded me more opportunities to travel outside of the logistical scope of my motorcycle. While my bike can’t fly with...

Favorite Ride: Eastern Sierra Scenic Byway

Most people ride U.S. Route 395 in California just to get from point A to point B, but wandering off the highway reveals numerous,...

Riding the Lincoln Loop: Mountain Passes, Small Towns and Wildlife in Montana

Living in Montana, known by some as “The Last Best Place,” it is easy to find great roads for a short run or a...

Chasing Shakespeare: An Elizabethan Tour of the American West

The Plan “…then begins a journey in my head…” (Sonnet 27) Bourbon and conversation, biscuits and gravy, movies and popcorn–some things just seem to go...

Riding the Trans-Mass Trail: Off-road Motorcycling in Massachusetts

The Trans-Mass Trail isn’t an “official” route. You won’t find any Scenic Byway signs like you see along the best twisty two-lanes. Instead, this...

Cape Cod Cruising

Most Americans have heard of Cape Cod, and a large number have been there. Much of the Cape is astonishingly beautiful, with great beaches...

Overland Adventure to the Overland Expo

There was a time not too long ago when I looked at riders on massive “adventure” bikes, loaded down with what appeared to be...

Twisty Roads and Redwoods in Northern California

On a warm summer morning, my wife and I departed on a four-day trip that would take us on some of the finest motorcycle roads...

Riding Minnesota’s Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway

Ah, autumn, mid-October. Cool mornings, mild midday temperatures, low winds—perfect. We set our sights on a new-to-us scenic byway in Minnesota. The route is not...

Wonderful West Texas

The Lone Star State is huge, and this land of cattle, oil fields and tall pickups seems even bigger from the saddle of a...

The Best of the Canadian Rockies on the Icefields Parkway

You’ve heard of the legendary pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Well, the Icefields Parkway, aka Highway 93 north in Alberta,...

The Santa Fe Trail: Hunting Geocaches on a Historic Kansas Route

Crossing Kansas can be an enlightening or boring trip depending upon your perspective. For me it was a chance to ride and geocache the...

Historic and Scenic Routes in Western Nebraska

The first transcontinental railroad, first transcontinental automobile highway (the Lincoln Highway), the Oregon Trail, the California and Mormon Trails and the Pony Express riders...

Riding a Quasi-Antique Classic in Arizona and New Mexico

Ancient Native American shadows and echoes are scattered across central and northeast Arizona. Cruising this region, Carol, my wife, and I are exploring the...

Circling the Sierra: A Three-State Ride Around Snow-Covered Mountains

Itching for a Northern California adventure, my longtime riding partner, Patrick, and I mull over the possibilities. It’s too early in the season for...

The Long Way Home in Western New York

As motorcyclists, we need the freedom riding gives us from phone calls and everyday family and work pressures. If you are like me, it’s...

A Short History of California's Cuesta Pass on U.S. 101

I imagine we all have a lot of favorite roads. One of mine is very short. About three miles long, ascending, or descending, a...

The Grand Canyon—Rim-to-Rim on Two Wheels

It would be one of the world’s greatest loop rides…except for that big crevasse that gets in the way. You’ll just have to settle...

Riding Zero Avenue in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland

I was riding my Kawasaki KLR650 on a cool, sunny March day. Mount Baker, in northern Washington State, was continuing to be elusive. The...

A Fiery Lap — Pleasant Detours in Colorado

I’m barreling along a tiny Colorado highway on a sparkling sunny June afternoon with Asleep at the Wheel’s country music in my ears and...

Eastern Kansas: Time Traveling in the Sunflower State

I was about an hour outside of Kansas City heading south on U.S. Route 169, a lightly traveled four-laner, and it was great to...

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