The Detour
As I sit here in my hotel room in Estes Park, CO outside the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park I have to ask myself, “why did I drive up here instead of ride?” The weather is a pleasant upper...
View ArticleNational Park Shutdown
The government is shut down, but what does that even mean? I don’t follow politics very often, or even like to talk about them much because I usually just get worked up and upset. It’s hard for me to...
View ArticleTouring Tip: Spring Forward
Although it’s still snowing in some parts of the U.S., it’s technically spring, we’re on daylight savings time, and we need to get serious about planning our 2014 riding season. Last month I talked...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Celebrating 100 Years of the National Park Service
The wind, the open road, and my motorcycle: this is my mantra. Motorcycles have been a part of my of life since I was 16. My first bike was an 80cc Yamaha, and for a high school kid it was magic. I am...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Exploring the Backcountry of Sequoia National Park
Everyone knows Yellowstone is America’s first national park. Few, however, know that Sequoia is the nation’s second national park and California’s first. That’s where this story begins. The giant...
View ArticleParks Canada Offering Free Admission in 2017
To celebrate the National Park Service’s 100-year anniversary, last year we launched In Pursuit of Wildness, a new series about exploring our country’s national parks on two wheels. Penned by Robert...
View Article‘Your Pass Now’ Helping to Reduce Congestion at National Parks
Imagine: your saddlebags are packed, your gear’s on, the sun’s out, and you’re excited to spend several days exploring Sequoia National Park. You roll out of the driveway in a great mood. Then you get...
View ArticleRiding and Camping in Yellowstone: Mountains, Geysers, and Bears … Oh My!
As I press my tent stakes into the mineral-rich soil of the nation’s oldest national park, I am glad that I didn’t heed the impulse to turn around before even rolling across the western boundary of...
View ArticleNational Park Week 2018
“There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias and redwoods, the Canyon of the Colorado, the Canyon of the Yellowstone, the Three Tetons; and our...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Chiricahua National Monument
I’m on my motorcycle, heading west on I-10 back to California, when I see the sign for a destination totally unfamiliar to me: Chiricahua National Monument. Just the name sparks my interest. Although...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Big Bend National Park
As Steve McQueen said, “I’d rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than any city on earth.” I’m not sure if Steve McQueen considered the badlands of Texas “nowhere,” but that’s where I’m riding my...
View ArticleLook Deep into Nature: Explore National Parks for Free
I just returned from an awesome motorcycle tour chasing butterflies and wildflowers. You can expect the full article on the wildflower super bloom at Joshua Tree National Park and surrounding areas in...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Cabrillo National Monument
The Pacific Ocean is jaw-droppingly beautiful as I ride my motorcycle along Highway 1 from Monterey, CA, toward San Diego. It’s easy to allow your imagination to run free along each curve on this...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Abó Ruins, New Mexico
In the 2009 documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Director Ken Burns spoke about the grandeur of a world known as Yellowstone National Park, as well as less familiar National Park...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Great Basin National Park
Rarely do I ride 1,800 miles just because a stranger suggests an awesome ride, but I had just met a fellow rider, Scott, in Springerville, AZ, and he was already persuading me to take a ride near his...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Manzanar National Historic Site
Once upon a time, Manzanar National Historic Site was called Manzanar War Relocation Center. It was one of 10 camps where Japanese American citizens were incarcerated during World War II. I had never...
View ArticleIn Pursuit of Wildness: Canyon de Chelly National Monument
The rain is hard and relentless. The gas station ahead, a few miles from Window Rock, AZ, offers shelter. In seconds, the parking area is flooded, but my motorcycle is safe and dry. “Do not go out...
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