How many times have you wondered where a road leads? Perhaps you were out riding in the woods and spotted a trail out of the corner of your eye, the thought of what could possibly be down there immediately enters your mind. Countless times has this happened for me, nearly every time I ride off-road. Yet very rarely have I ever actually ventured down one of these mystery … [Read more...] about Mystery Loop: Dual-sport riding in the North Georgia woods becomes an epic journey
Rider Tours
Looking for shamrocks in Southwest Virginia’s ‘Burgs
I am fortunate enough to live in Southwest Virginia, where great motorcycling roads surround me, so I thought it would be fun to explore my backyard with a St. Paddy’s Day cloverleaf of four loops to the southeast, southwest, northeast and northwest of sister towns Blacksburg and Christiansburg in Montgomery County, just west of Roanoke. Blacksburg has 45,000 residents but … [Read more...] about Looking for shamrocks in Southwest Virginia’s ‘Burgs
Glorious Graham: The Secret Side of the Smokies
There, in a break in the tree line, flashed a vision as I sped along U.S. 129. Simmering blue-green water, distant soaring ridges, a heavenly sight flashed before becoming blocked again by roadside underbrush. My Yamaha Tracer 9 willingly carved a quick U-turn. I nestled her up against the guardrail in the narrow strip of grass between the open road and the precipice … [Read more...] about Glorious Graham: The Secret Side of the Smokies
Exits and Returns: Three Weeks from Appalachia to the Rockies
The mountains hang like a dream — one that is unseen but sensed, like Kafka’s castle, haunted by places unknown and untouched, yet somehow familiar. This collection of memories, like the Midwest roads that bridge them, begins last July. On that humid afternoon, I packed and strapped the back of the Bonneville with a three-week haul of supplies: sleeping bag, tent, clothes, a … [Read more...] about Exits and Returns: Three Weeks from Appalachia to the Rockies
Vintage Adventures in the Athens 100
Why do you ride motorcycles? There’s no wrong answer, in fact most are probably right. My answer for why I ride? It’s fun. There’s also something inherently innocent and childlike about it. The fact that a bike provides you with a promise of freedom and exploration, an escape from reality, or a way to truly experience it. My bikes now offer the chance to ride anywhere, whether … [Read more...] about Vintage Adventures in the Athens 100
