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North Central U.S.

I love these long hauls, love looking at the beauty, and occasional ugliness, of this great nation, love stopping at all the historical markers...

Motorcycle Riding in Wisconsin's Door County

The first slice of this three-day tour began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where five intrepid motojournalists landed on a Thursday afternoon at the city’s General...

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...

The Ride to Red Wing: Meandering Through the Midwest

The planning session for the ride had been laughable. We were three old farts, card-carrying AARP members, edging into retirement. Gary had suggested a...

Riding the Tail of the Newt in Kansas

Kansas City straddles the border of two states, so if you are from the area, starting in one state and finishing in another is...

Exploring Wisconsin State Route 67

My Dad told me, “Always go home a different way than you went, or you’ll never learn your way around.” I’ve always tried to...

Motorcycle Ride in Door County, Wisconsin

Door County, Wisconsin, covers the tip of a narrow peninsula, with Lake Michigan lapping at its eastern beaches and Green Bay gracing its western...

Following Hemingway: Motorcycle Adventure on Michigan’s Lower Peninsula

Iconic author Ernest Hemingway followed his own path in a distinctively adventurous manner. I’ve compared his approach to life to that of motorcyclists, pursuing...

Pigeon River Country: Sport Touring in Michigan

Michigan riders looking for sporting back roads with minimal traffic and serious curves in the northern portion of the Lower Peninsula need only follow...

Sidehacking into History

Many motorcyclists consider freeway speed limits to be a barrier. On a Ural, they’re more like an accomplishment. But the thrill one feels at...

Great Roads: Motorcycle Riding in Missouri

The crack of the bat and the smell of yeast are never far away in St. Louis, a vibrant city—kingdom of baseball and beer....

Iowa’s Unique Scenic Byway

What landform is found only in a small part of Iowa and in China? If you answered, “Huh?” you need to ride the Loess...

Great Roads: South Dakota

The following is an excerpt from the article Connecting the Dakotas: The Long Way Around North and South, originally printed in the August 2009...

Riding The Santa Fe Trail: A Journey Back in Time From Missouri to New Mexico

In 1821, everything south of the Arkansas River was Mexico. Newly free from Spain, the Mexican government took new resources north to the provincial...

South Dakota Escape

As a young boy, my stamp collection included a green 1952 three-cent commemorative of Mt. Rushmore. The four presidential faces gazing wisely across America...

Touring the Forgotten Iron Range in Wisconsin and Michigan

Late in the 19th century, in Wisconsin’s far north and on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, above ground thousands of men hacked out a living logging...

Motorcycle Travel in Iowa: Taking The Old Lincoln Highway Across The Hawkeye State

Story and Photos By Clement Salvadori I was a little concerned about riding through Iowa in June of 2011. Nothing to do with bandits, earthquakes...

The Long Road to Indy: A Motorcycle Ride Thru Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana

Imagine a multi-state Main Street for Motorcycling, a cross-country route made just for riding. Miles of sinuous asphalt draped over rolling hills, winding past...

A Tale of Two Lakes: Riding the Great Lakes Circle Tour

I’m a careful planner, but the key to this journey was decided by the flip of a coin. Heads, clockwise, tails, counterclockwise. It was...

A Western Montana Motorcycle Ride to Wisdom, Opportunity and Treasure

story and photography by Kathleen Kemsley Three wishes I made, three places I sought on a warm and breezy summer day in western Montana. Riding...

Wisconsin Motorcycle Rides: Touring the Lower Wisconsin Riverway

story and photography by Gary Ilminen From Sauk City to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, the road and the river take you to another time and...

A Three-State Motorcycle Ride Through Montana, Idaho and Washington

by Steve Larsen, photography by Bob Meador The ride begins with members of the American Flyers Motorcycle Club trickling into Missoula, Montana, on planes, bikes and...

National Parks Motorcycle Touring: Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

Story and photography by Donya Carlson As a native Southern Californian, I’m used to mountains. But riding over a crest along Teton Scenic Byway 33...

Motorcycle Tour of Glacier, Yellowstone and Teton National Parks

There’s a reason our national parks are preserved: they are special, magic, even extraordinary. Yet in the most popular, swarms of tourists can be...

Essay Contest Winner Enjoys Edelweiss’ Montana Touring Center

story and photography by Greg Hohn As an inveterate lone wolf when it comes to motorcycling, I wasn’t sure a group tour was going to...

Motorcycle Touring North Idaho and Montana

by Perri Capell; photography by the author and Lynn Brown We probably shouldn’t have lingered so long over lunch on the terrace of the little...

Woodland to Prairie: North Dakota

story and photography by Clement Salvadori Which way to the Pembina Gorge?” I asked the only person I saw on the sidewalk. “Go back to the...

Yellowstone to Glacier on Montana Highway 89

by Sherry Jones and Todd Mowbray photography by Sherry Jones Rubbernecking with the rest of the crowd at a pair of bald eagles glaring imperiously down...

Michigan Motorcycle Rides: Mackinac & Lake Michigan

story and photography by Cliff Yankovich My wife and I needed a short break from our day-to-day life operating a retail store. Julie had the...

Great Motorcycle Roads: Iowa Byways

story and photography by Susan Benton A perfect day trip or weekend destination for riders from Chicago, Minneapolis, Madison and Des Moines is Dubuque, Iowa....

North Central U.S.

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