Posts Tagged ‘adventure’
Tales from the Extraterrestrial Highway
// July 17th, 2011 // 32 Comments » // Food, Places, RoadTales
[Rachel, NV] — Signs advising “Low Flying Aircraft” are your first indication. The next is a sign warning “Next Gas 150 Miles.” Then an illuminated, flashing advisory: “Cattle in Roadway: Open Range.” Hmm, I think; the government really doesn’t want you here, even going so far as to send in specially-trained cows to annoy motorists. …read more…
Legends and Heroes of the Cannonball
// March 25th, 2011 // 13 Comments » // Events, People, Places
Daytona Beach, FL — Riding a motorcycle coast-to-coast is challenging enough: long hours on the road, weather, traffic, boredom. Now imagine doing it on a 95-year old motorcycle, at an average speed of 35 miles an hour! Last September, 44 riders did just that, roaring out of Kitty Hawk, NC en route to Santa Monica, …read more…
Adventures in Mexico City’s Zócalo
// March 20th, 2011 // 16 Comments » // Places
Mexico City, Mexico — “Es un problema. Un problema grande,” the hard-eyed, grubby little man announced sharply, pointing to my camera. The man held a walkie-talkie, but he hardly looked like policia, or anyone official for that matter. I immediately got it that he didn’t want me taking pictures in his corner of Mexico City’s …read more…
Daytona Bike Week — One Man’s Lifetime Dream
// March 8th, 2011 // 9 Comments » // Events, Places
Daytona Beach, FL — Sometimes, just chatting with the person next to you can lead to an interesting story. I met Tony Wheeler during Bike Week on Beach Street, when I pulled my Road King into an open spot next to his Softail Deluxe. Thousands of bikes lined both sides of the street; throngs of …read more…
The Power of Devils Tower
// February 9th, 2011 // 17 Comments » // People, Places
Devils Tower, WY — If you’re of a certain age — that is to say, “old,” like me — you associate Devils Tower, Wyoming with one thing: UFOs, of course. The 1977 sci-fi blockbuster Close Encounters of the Third Kind featured the tower in a starring role, a secret government landing strip for alien spaceships tucked …read more…
Moonshine & Vinegar Pie
// January 20th, 2011 // 11 Comments » // Food, People, Places
Thorn Hill, TN — There’s something extremely comforting about stopping at a roadside restaurant for a cup of coffee and slice of pie when you’re on a motorcycle trip; something very Mayberry R.F.D. about the whole thing. Last fall I traveled to eastern Tennessee on my Road King to learn about moonshine. That’s right, White …read more…
A Taste of the Tropics–Riding to Key West
// January 18th, 2011 // 13 Comments » // Places, RoadTales
Key West, FL — Thanks, Henry Flagler. Maybe I’m 100 years too late, give or take a few, but if not for the foresight of this early 20th-century oil tycoon, the Overseas Railroad would not have been built. Flagler financed and built the railway linking mainland Florida to the islands of the Keys; the project …read more…
Burger with a Bite — Litton’s in Knoxville
// January 14th, 2011 // 6 Comments » // Food, Places
Knoxville, TN — Road food. It’s one of the things I love most about traveling. Burgers, BBQ, and Beer: the 3 B’s of life on the road (but I don’t indulge in the beer until the motorcycle is parked for the evening). Traveling provides the best excuse for eating the stuff I don’t usually have …read more…
Reach for the Sky–Riding Virginia’s Skyline Drive
// January 7th, 2011 // 9 Comments » // Places, RoadTales
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia — The ranger station at Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia, is unattended as I glide past on my Harley Road King. “Pay at Exit,” reads the sign; I’ll be happy to, 105 miles up the road at Skyline Drive’s Front Royal terminus. 6:45 am, and it seems I have the national …read more…
Roaming with the Dinosaurs–Syracuse’s Dinosaur BBQ
// January 4th, 2011 // 12 Comments » // Food, Places
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the 37 years I’ve been a licensed motorcyclist, it’s that bikers love good barbecue. Okay, I’ve been advised by my wife–an anthropologist–that one should never generalize about cultures or subcultures. But hey, I’m a biker, I love barbecue. Whenever I go to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse, NY, there’s …read more…
Cheesy Rider–the adventures of Hamburger Harry
// January 1st, 2011 // 13 Comments » // Food, People
Harry Sperl is just wild about hamburgers. “Made short, they taste good, they look good,” he proclaims. “And the hamburger is an icon of the United States of America.” If you’ve been to Bike Week or Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach, Florida, you’ve probably seen Harry, long hair and gray beard streaming in the wind, cruising …read more…
Day’s Journey into Night—Aboard the Auto Train
// December 30th, 2010 // 4 Comments » // Places
I waited for a conductor to shout “All aboard!” And waited. Then waited some more; I was among the last to board the train. Finally, I asked an employee stationed at the entrance to one of the train cars if anyone actually does that anymore. She laughed and shook her head. “No one’s ever said …read more…
Motoring in Mexico: A Voyage to the Volcanoes of Puebla
// April 1st, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Places, RoadTales
It’s hard to find a Harley to rent in Mexico, if you’re not in one of the major tourist areas. For me, that turned out to be a good thing. When my wife Ana and I planned a recent trip to Puebla (March 2010), I searched in vain for a rental, so I could …read more…
