Passes & Canyons Blog

Where you have mountains you have good motorcycle roads--it's just a fact.

The folks at Butler Maps are based in Colorado and so it’s no surprise that most of their map-making endeavors have focused on the western US. They are, however, occasionally tempted to stray. After all, not all the best motorcycle roads are out here. Most, perhaps, but not all.

Thus we have the map entitled “The Great Rides of Southern Appalachia.”

(By the way, just so it’s clear, Butler does not pay me to promote their maps. They do pay me to carry an ad on my Great Motorcycle Roads to Ride in Colorado page, and they do give me free maps. But I write about them in favorable terms because my wife and I both really love these maps. We never travel without them.)

The area covered by this map is pretty much the mountainous area where Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia come together. This is a part of the Smoky Mountain and particularly the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s no shock then that the largest section of yellow-highlighted road (Butler’s best rating) is the Blue Ridge Parkway. But no one needs to tell you that’s a good road to ride, do they?

Nor should anyone need to tell you about the Tail of the Dragon, which is in this area, and you really ought to know about the Cherohala Skyway, which is just a little south of the Dragon. But what else do you know about the area? That’s where this map comes in.

So do you know about the Devil’s Triangle? This is a loop ride a bit northwest of Knoxville that looks pretty nice.

How about the Six-Gap in northeast Georgia? And then there’s the Moonshiner 28. Here’s what Butler has to say about that one:

Highway 28 stretches across the southwest corner of the state (North Carolina) and has a few different riding experiences depending on where you catch it. The stretch between Highlands and Franklin is arguably one of the most dramatic roads in North Carolina with towering waterfalls and perilous cliffs. Part of the road actually ducks behind a waterfall. From Franklin north, the road is slightly less dramatic in terms of views, but almost as much fun from a pure riding standpoint.

And then in the area where Tennessee and North Carolina connect it’s totally mountains and there is a great deal of yellow on the map. This area is near Asheville and we know there is a reason they hold that big motorcycle rally in Asheville each year. Well, these roads are the reason.

Then of course, Butler always now lists good dirt roads for those inclined in that direction. It’s all there with a ton of other information.

I guess next time I go visit my mother in Clemson, South Carolina, I’m going to need to get out of the house more.

Biker Quote for Today

Just because we aren’t riding doesn’t mean we aren’t friends.

Not one, but three twisted sisters. That sounds good.

From Colorado, taking a motorcycle trip in Texas is not unthinkable. If you head down toward Lamar, to the southeastern corner of the state, Texas is only 40 miles away across the Oklahoma panhandle. From Denver you can actually be in Texas in just a few hours. But then your trip is barely begun.

“Texas is a world all of its own. It takes a lifetime to drive from Eastland to Van Horn.” That’s a line from a Little Feat song. And they should know. Texas is BIG.

So where would you go to ride in Texas? You guessed it: I’ve got another new Butler Maps map, this one for the Texas Hill Country. And where exactly is the Texas Hill Country? Oh, just about 700 miles south of where you would be coming into the state. Down around Austin and San Antonio. And let’s face it, most of that is going to be just burning up miles. Unless you’re Iron Butt-inclined, this needs to be a trip of a full week or more.

And what do you find when you get there? Well, hills for one thing. And that generally means twisty roads running through canyons and valleys. That sounds good, doesn’t it? The biggest attraction as far as I can see is what they call the Three Twisted Sisters. I don’t think that needs explanation. Butler maps out a Three Twisted Sisters route that starts and ends in Kerrville, running 225 miles. A nice day’s ride.

The map also shows three other day ride loops, a 131-mile ride out of Bandera, a 140-mile ride out of New Braunfels, and a 140-mile ride out of Luckenbach.

Perhaps surprisingly for Texas, the map also lists 28 dual sport adventure roads. Texas is known for not having a lot of public land but if you want to get off the pavement there are at least some places you can go. However, be warned. Here’s what Butler has to say about these roads:

They are best suited for advanced riders on bikes such as the BMW R1200GS or KTM 1190. Do not try these roads if your skills or machine are not up to the task.

Something on this map I don’t recall seeing on others are highlight text labeled “Don’t Miss This.” On the Bandera loop, for example, they list things like:

• The Lone Star Motorcycle Museum near Vanderpool houses a treasure-trove of bikes dating from 1910 to the present.
• The Apple Store in Medina is a great place to stretch your legs. Be sure to try their signature apple-cinnamon ice cream.

Texas really is a world all of its own. I guesstimate that this map covers maybe one-fifth of the state. In other words, there’s a whole heck of a lot more of it. And I’m sure there is some good riding in other places but I suspect Butler focused on the Hill Country because that’s the best. At least in a concentrated grouping. Considering how huge Texas is I welcome someone pointing me to the really good stuff so I don’t end up burning up thousands of miles on country that is not all that interesting.

One note though: if you’re going to go I suggest you do so in the spring or fall. I’ve heard that, just as riders put their bikes away for the winter up north, riders in Texas put their bikes away for the hottest part of the summer.

So am I going to go riding in Texas? Well, yeah, I’d sure like to. But will it happen? I honestly can’t say. We’re talking serious miles and I’m in the heart of some of the best riding in the world here in Colorado. But I’m definitely going to be considering it.

Biker Quote for Today

But officer, I only have two wheels so I’d have to do 110 mph to break the limit!

That squiggly yellow line means good motorcycling.

I see there’s one particular part of New Mexico I need to spend more time in. I’m looking right now at another map I recently received from Butler Maps, and this one is for New Mexico. The area is the mountainous section east of Alamogordo that includes Ruidoso. Butler rates motorcycle roads by color–yellow, red, and orange in descending order–and there’s a good bit of yellow here.

Of course I know there’s a big motorcycle rally each year in Ruidoso, and you know they don’t hold those things in places without good motorcycle roads. But I guess I’ve never been there. I say “I guess” because I thought sure the OFMC had been to Ruidoso one time but checking our trip logs I sure can’t find any trip where we did. We generally do our annual ride in July or August and neither of those months are good for going that far south in New Mexico.

We have, however, been all over the northern part of the state, many times, and there is an awful lot of color up there, too. Absolutely no surprise. Northern New Mexico is mountainous and gorgeous.

A surprise for me, however, is how much orange there is on this map. That is, there are a whole lot of roads that perhaps are not spectacular but that Butler says are still pretty darn nice. None of them are interstate however (surprise!) so if you really want to see the good parts of New Mexico you definitely need to get off the slab. Forget about burning up the miles, slow down and see the place.

Not a surprise is that Butler has identified a road I’ve been extolling for years. This is New Mexico 152 running from San Lorenzo over to Hillsboro and down to Caballo. I did a piece for Examiner.com calling it New Mexico’s Tail of the Dragon. Butler calls this the Emory Pass Road and marks it in yellow. Here’s what they have to say about the road.

Named for Lieutenant W. H. Emory, who chronicled the U.S. Army of the West expedition over Emory Pass in 1846, the highway was finally opened for travel in 1938. Highway 152 is without question one of the most breathtaking routes in the state, a little known treasure off the beaten track that is well worth experiencing. As with most roads built during early statehood, this too was engineered to follow natural landmass contours as closely as possible.

That means curvy, you know? “. . . follow natural landmass contours as closely as possible . . .”

One other point of interest: Butler points out more than 100 dual sport adventure roads, so if that’s your style of riding, you want to ride New Mexico. I’m thinking March might be a good time to head that direction.

Biker Quote for Today

I do not know where I’m heading. Let the road decide.

There is a lot more color in the northwest corner of Montana than anywhere else.

I’ve probably been through more of Montana than most people who don’t live there. So I was very interested looking over my newly arrived Butler Motorcycle Maps Montana edition to see that the one part of the state I’ve never been to seems to be one of the best for motorcycle riding. How did that happen?

Well, I know how it happened. The area in question is the far northwest corner of the state where only the narrow panhandle of Idaho separates Montana from Washington. As much of the western US the OFMC has ridden, including Glacier National Park, we have never been to the Pacific Northwest because it’s just too far to go when you only have a week. Now, that limitation doesn’t apply to me, but it does to most of the other guys, so we’ve never done that ride.

Looking over the whole map confirms what most people presume about Montana: the eastern part of the state is wide open with many, many miles without a lot of curves. The juicy part is in the west, where the mountains are. And we’ve been through those mountains, from the Beartooth Highway on the southeast up to Butte and Salmon, Idaho, but not north of that. This summer I got further north, to Missoula, and down over Lolo Pass. But never, ever north of Missoula.

Well, on Butler maps, the more color you see the better the riding. Guess where the most color is on this map? Let’s just say it’s not south of Missoula. That portion of the map above is what I’m looking at.

Another thing I like about this map, something I don’t think I’ve seen on other maps, is that they have a listing of the best dual sport adventure roads and the coordinates on the map so you can find them. And there are dotted red lines all through the mountains, which are identified on the legend as “Recommended Dirt Rd.” On the enlarged map of this northwest area the red dotted lines are everywhere. This is not the kind of riding the OFMC is ever going to do but maybe next year I can convince Kevin and Jeff to head up that way.

This is that time of year, isn’t it, when motorcyclists pull out maps and start dreaming about next year’s trip. Montana’s looking really good.

Biker Quote for Today

I like to ride dirt bikes to meet women. Nurses mostly.

I was pleased, though a little surprised, to get this email recently.

Hi Ken!

The OFMC does cover some miles each year.

How are you? My name is Ally Siegel and I work for BBC Worldwide. I am currently casting a new documentary, looking for ‪adventurers who are traveling the country on their motorcycles, meeting locals and exploring different sites. In my research I came across your blog and LOVED what I saw. Would you be interested in speaking with me? Either way, please let me know. I think this could be a great opportunity for you.

Thank you! I look forward to hearing from you.

Ally Siegel

Well gosh, of course I’d be happy to speak with her and somehow end up in a BBC documentary. So I replied to that effect.

Still, I wondered if I was really the guy she wanted. It’s not totally clear but I get the impression from that email that they’re looking for serious riders, the Iron Butt kind of guys who do many thousands of miles. I’m a more average joe who rarely does a trip of more than 2,500 miles. But if she’s read the blog and likes what she sees, and she’s interested in me, let’s go!

But we didn’t. We went through a bit of back and forth and then I got this note.

Hey Ken,

So sorry I missed your call earlier this morning. They have pulled me onto a different project for today through mid next week. I’ll be back casting motorcycle camping/travel Thursday. Can we chat then?

Sorry for the late notice,

Ally

And after another exchange or two, this one.

Hi Ken,

Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, I will call you this week.

Thanks!

Ally

Bottom line, I’ve never heard back from her. Once again, it makes me think she’s really looking for the guys who burn up three or four sets of tires in a year. If she found someone else who better fit what she was looking for, good for her. But hey Ally, if that one project got put on the back-burner for awhile and you still want to work with me, just call. I’ll be happy to hear from you.

Biker Quote for Today

I ride a bullet… a two-wheeled, multiple-explosion powered machine with enough moving parts to remove entire fingers and surfaces hot enough to cook flesh. It propels me at neck-breaking, bone-snapping, flesh-shredding, speeds over and around obstacles I can see only as blurs. It’s a sport that kills the careless, maims the best, and spits at the concept of mercy. Now what were you saying about your new golf shoes?

This was a good trip a few years ago. I shot photos of where I was every 100 miles and this was the last 100-mile stop on the trip. Burned a lot of dinosaurs.

“My goal is to see how many gallons of dead dinosaurs I can send through my bike.”

I used that for a “Biker Quote for Today” several years ago and you know, it really rings true. I pride myself on putting as few miles as possible on my car each year, but then I turn around and pride myself equally on how many miles I can put on my bikes.

Let’s keep this in perspective, of course. For my friend Dan, who is an Iron Butt guy, hitting only 30,000 miles in a year is an off year. For me, a really, really good year is in excess of 10,000. I’m probably looking at something between 6,000 and 7,000 this year. And when you consider that I’ll probably only put about 6,000 miles on my car this year, that’s not bad. As far as I’m concerned, any year where I put more miles on my bikes than on my car is a good year.

So the end of the year is not far off now and as always I’m identifying some goals that I may not achieve but that I want to at least shoot for. Some are fairly arbitrary: get each bike up to the next 1,000 on the odometer by year’s end. This year, however, that’s going to take some doing. The Honda right now is in the 100s, while both the Kawi and Suzuki are in the 200s. That’s a good bit of riding when you’re not going on any trips soon.

Now, I am going to be taking the Honda up to Boulder on Saturday, and that will be about 100 miles altogether. But most of the simple riding around that I do is a lot shorter: go to the dentist–18 miles; go to the bank–3 miles; go to the wine story–19 miles; run to the grocery store–4 miles. Those kinds of trips don’t add up very quickly. When I just go out for a cruise on a nice day those rides generally run between 25 and 75 miles. It will take a lot of those to get to the next thousand on any of the bikes.

And then there’s riding to work. Yeah, I know I said I had ridden to work for the last time but maybe that’s not the case. The National Park Service has asked me to come back on an emergency, 60-day basis. The emergency is that they have a little more than 400 of these foundation documents to get completed and the deadline is past the 75 percent point but the work is only around the 65 percent point. “Can you help us catch up?”

So I said yes, and I’ll try to get in as many days riding to work as I can. It’s a 35-mile round trip. But this also means these are days when I can’t just go out for a cruise.

Whatever. It’s no big deal if I don’t turn over the next thousand on any of the bikes. The point is to ride as much as possible. I just want to maximize dinosaurs.

Biker Quote for Today

Reason takes a holiday as Dr. Horrible spends money he doesn’t have, on a motorcycle he doesn’t need, in a misguided attempt to recapture his youth which, upon reflection, wasn’t all that great in the first place.