Rides & Roads
Scenic Roads & Routes, Great Destinations & Events
Montana BDR Debuts
The newest BDR route has recently been announced in Montana, and Triumph Motorcycles sent us some information on this extraordinary new portion. The motorcycle brand is once again partnering with and helping sponsor the new Montana route (MTBDR), with valuable travel resources that can benefit riders, as well as the rural communities the roads and trails navigate through. As dual sport and adventure riding continues to grow here in the States, the BDR network is growing with it.
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Scotland on Two Wheels
Back in the saddle of a motorcycle on Scottish roads for the first time in 25 years, my good friend Dennis Gage and his son Sam were joining me for the ride. Car buffs will know the flat-cap wearing, mustachioed Dennis from his hit television show, “My Classic Car.” As motorcyclists we enjoy a similar natural rhythm on the road, so riding together is always a pleasure. And, with two brand new Triumph Sprint STs, four days and a map of Scotland in front of us, it was with great spirits that we headed away from base camp, my sister’s house just outside Glasgow, to go exploring that summer.
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Eat Like An Earp In Tombstone
Tombstone has about a dozen primary eateries and all are busy during Helldorado Days, so make reservations if they accept reservations, or plan to dine early or late to avoid peak hours. Otherwise, since there isn’t a supermarket in town, your best bet may be the Circle K for snacks or gas station sushi. Instead, we sampled two toothsome places in town, and one in nearby Bisbee.
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Tombstone’s Helldorado Days
The way to Tombstone, AZ can feel like a wagon trail that happens to be paved. Passing through small, dusty towns that aren’t much more than stage coach stops, a place to get some grub, put up your boots, feed your steel horse and get back on the trail. For those of us who watched too many westerns, this is the way of the west. Whether you’re pushing cattle, prospecting for precious metals, running from the law, endlessly searching for a homestead or riding to the next cold beer, we are always trying to get somewhere else. Just passing through, gone before the dust settles. The West is less a place and more a state of mind. It embodies wanderlust, adventure, independence. Not much more needed than our ride, big black boots, and shoulders covered in well-worn leather. It is freedom. And for three days and nights in the third weekend of October for the last 96 years, it is Helldorado Days.
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Chasing Curves and Carolina Sky: Part 2
Day Two of our “Mild Hawgs” road trip broke with the sound of rain easing off the hotel roof and the aroma of coffee wafting from the lobby. Over breakfast, the group circled up, hashing out the day’s route. Word was “The Snake” (Hwy 421 outside Bristol) was still scarred from last year’s floods, and the forecast called for scattered showers late morning. With that in mind, we shifted gears, literally and figuratively, deciding to head west and south, jump on I-26, and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Asheville. A couple of us pulled on rain gear, just in case, while the others trusted the weather gods and Nate, our default road captain, to lead the way.
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Chasing Curves and Carolina Sky: Part 1
There’s something about rolling north for me, on a crisp fall morning that feels like a promise — that blend of fuel, freedom, and just enough chill in the air to remind you the mountains are calling. Weeks earlier Nate had called to set up a three day ride which included his son Adam and cousin Greg – the four of us were ready. The sun was just burning off the early morning fog when the bikes fired up, that familiar rumble echoing off the quiet Main Street. We had all been itching to carve some high country asphalt, and the route ahead would deliver in spades: Heads down takes us up Hwy. 441 at speed up to Clayton, Georgia. Quick fuel check and we are off: Warwoman Road, Highway 28, Sapphire Valley, Lake Toxaway, Waynesville, Lake Junaluska, and the legendary NC 209 — better known as The Rattler – Day one.
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Just Along For The Ride
For the last several years, my friend Max and I have been taking summer motorcycle road trips in August. This year I decided I would take all of my Road Dirt and social media friends along for the trip, by documenting our travels on Facebook. Max was riding his 2014 Harley Road Kiing and I was riding my 2018 Honda Goldwing.
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Small Bore Mania 2025
I had the opportunity to attend this year’s Smoky Mountain Small Bore Rally again, and the weekend was truly bigger and better than ever. I am amazed every year at how much time, imagination, and of course money these folks devote to their passion for these small size and displacement motorcycles.
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The Worst Road In The World
Two weeks deep into my journey through the west I am passing through Tonopah to overnight at Ely and eventually ride the Bonneville Salt Flats. Highway 6 connects Tonopah to Ely, a 168 mile stretch of highway dissecting the hot gut of Nevada. There are no services on the road, no towns, no stops, no gas stations, no civilization, not a damn thing. One hundred and sixty eight miles of empty. This crappy Subway restaurant is the last oasis on the way to nowhere, and my last taste of electricity, indoor plumbing and air conditioning. At least the employees here are friendly, or trying to be.
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