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South Central U.S.

High Adventure in Colorado and Utah

Few regions in the United States have more low-traffic miles of wonderful twisty roads and stunning natural beauty than western Colorado and southern Utah....

Crossing Western Colorado on Old U.S. 6

I’ve eyed it longingly on countless trips on Interstate 70 across the Colorado mountains. The sparsely traveled two-lane winds its way alongside the interstate,...

New Mexico’s Little Las Vegas Favorite Ride

The name Las Vegas is generally associated with glitzy gambling in Nevada and Sin City, the fastest-growing city in the United States. But there...

Motorcycle Tour in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas and Missouri

The day could not have been more beautiful. The world was fresh, sparkling, sunlit; the sky a robin’s egg blue, flowers of all colors...

Riding the Best of Arkansas in this Peak-to-Peak Motorcycle Run

story and photography by David Bell Living in one of the nation’s top motorcycling areas, the Ozarks, where great riding is literally 100 yards down...

Spring in Big Bend, Texas

story and photography by Laura Melvin Three old riders, two motorcycles and one honeymoon, a week before the wedding. It doesn’t take much to justify...

Ancient Ways in the Southwest

story and photography by Kathleen Kemsley The climate can be too hot and rainy in the summer, too cold and windy in the winter. But...

Kansas Encore: Return to Prairyerth

Wherever I journey I seek out regional motorcyclists for their advice about the best local riding. Far too often, though, I’m told by the...

Santa Fe Trail: History and Drama from New Mexico to Kansas

story and photography by Kathleen Kemsley We planned to attend a regional sidecar club rally in September. There was just one drawback, we thought: The...

Italian Bikes in a German Town: Aprilias in East Texas

by Steve Natt; photography by the author and Ted Phillips It was with more than a modicum of skepticism that I fielded the invitation to...

Arkansas Motorcycle Rides: Ozarks Dual-Sport

photography by Bill and Susan Dragoo I glance in my rear-view mirror, watching headlights emerge from the gloom…one, two, three. I look at the road...

Colorado Motorcycle Rides: Cañon City, Monarch Pass and Beyond

story and photography by Warren Renshaw In the April 2005 issue of Rider magazine I vowed to return to Colorado as long as I was...

Louisiana Motorcycle Rides: Nothing Like Natchitoches

Natchitoches, Louisiana. It’s not Natchez, as in the Natchez Trace; it’s not Nacogdoches, the town in east Texas. It’s pronounced “Nackatish.” It’s the oldest...

Firstgear Motorcycle Ride in Utah and Colorado

(This "Favorite Ride" was originally published in the April 2009 issue of Rider Magazine." As a 15-year-old mountain biker living in Georgia, I dreamed of...

Firstgear Colorado Motorcycle Ride: 2,252 miles from CA to CO

photography by Greg Drevenstedt and Mark Kincart As a 15-year-old mountain biker living in Georgia, I dreamed of riding in two places: The slickrock trails...

On the Road: Riding The Four Corners

story and photos by J. Joshua Placa In the Great Basin of the ancient Southwest, nothing is as it seems. Infinite expanses of petrified sand...

Crossing the Ozark Mountains on an Ultra Classic Electra Glide

I could feel the disgruntlement of the Harley-Davidson Ultra Classic Electra Glide, the one with all the options, as we swung on to I-155....

Texas Motorcycle Rides: The Texas Forest Trail

story and photography by Don Mills It’s spring along the Texas Forest Trail, a 1,000-mile ribbon of two-lane asphalt that winds through East Texas. Mystical...

New Mexico Motorcycle Rides: Lincoln National Forest

story and photography by Kathleen Kemsley Question: What’s black and white and red all over? Answer: A motorcycle route through the region surrounding Lincoln National...

Colorado Black Canyon

story and photography by Clement Salvadori I am up in Carbondale, Colorado, preparing to head back to California via the Four Corners. The 1,200-mile trip...

Colorado Route 141 from Whitewater to Dove Creek

My kind of road. Nobody is on it. Maybe one vehicle every couple of minutes, but other than that, it is mine. Great views, as...

Crossing Texas The Short Way

The long way is via Interstate 10 from Orange to El Paso, which will put some 850 miles on a hard-working odometer. However, if...

Motorcycle Ride in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas

ALL MY LIFE, I’ve run from hot weather. Growing up in Texas, I even worked in an ice factory during the summer to escape...

Oklahoma Motorcycle Ride: A Journey Through the Past and Present

Most states extend the welcome mat. In former times, upon entering the Sooner state on eastbound Interstate 40 and passing the stoic Oklahoma sign,...

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