As riders, we’e always aware of road surfaces: Dry? Oily? Cracked? Tar-snaked? Pot-holed? We make these determinations in milliseconds. We don’t ponder the nature of pavement, but I do — or, at least that’s what I’m doing as I stand on the southbound lane of Interstate 81. In the rain. Surrounded by massive 18-wheelers. For four hours. Most of my mototravels seek out … [Read more...] about The eggsanity of it all: A thousand miles and several diners in 24 hours
If grandma can do it … Hayley Nelson keeps family passion for riding alive
Embellished in silver-tinted leather gloves, Hayley Nelson wraps her fingers in a twisting arch over the throttle of her 1980 Honda CM 400T. She sits poised, adorned in all black garb with secrets of brown and red whispered from top to bottom. A veined lineage of motorcycle travelers fills Nelson’s blood with familial ties to motorcycling. Originally from Hendersonville, … [Read more...] about If grandma can do it … Hayley Nelson keeps family passion for riding alive
Exploring Civil War Trails: Touring along General Robert E. Lee’s retreat
Your mind’s eye will get a workout at the Petersburg National Battlefield Park. Or it should, because let’s be honest, although it was a consequential place in American history, there’s not much to look at. My mind’s eye took me back to July 30, 1864, when Union troops detonated 8,000 pounds of explosives in a 551-foot-long underground tunnel they’d dug under Confederate … [Read more...] about Exploring Civil War Trails: Touring along General Robert E. Lee’s retreat
Notes from the road: Enjoy the night
The darkness sweeps beside me broken only by the single headlamp and the glow from the gauge cluster. Traffic disappears and the Royal Enfield Continental GT 650 seems a bit more eager thanks to the cool night air it’s inhaling. Sometimes I become so accustomed to the flying sensation of riding a motorcycle I fail to take a moment to enjoy it, especially when you ride nearly … [Read more...] about Notes from the road: Enjoy the night
What about THAT one? Stranded rider impulse buys a new Beemer
No-no-no. Not now. Not here. Not with nearby thunderstorms. Just over that mountain, on the other side of the interstate. Weather radar glowing orange and red. Damn. Damn-damn-damn. Switch on. Bike in neutral. Clutch in. Press the starter switch …. Clunk, cuh-Clank. Press the starter again. Clunk… cah-ah-ah-Clank. Switch off. Switch back on. “Ready to … [Read more...] about What about THAT one? Stranded rider impulse buys a new Beemer
