Discover
Looking for a motorcycle hangout, or a place to stop for a break while riding through western states? Then turn to our Discover section where each month we explore the roads in one area of a western state. Below is a brief description of where we've been in previous issues. If you would like to order the magazine in which an article appeared, please fill out the subscription form indicating which issue(s) you'd like to receive.
February 2012
Discover California | Loma Linda
As many riders know, marquee riding roads dot the Southern California countryside like spots on a dalmatian. From San Diego's Palomar Mountain Road to Highway 33 out of Ojai, and from the Angeles Crest Highway in the eastern mountains to the coastal range's Mulholland Highway, southern California is strewn with glamorous roads that are more than just rides—they are events. Motorcyclists come from far and wide to ride these roads. On any given fair-weather day, there are bikes swinging through their twisties while the local hang out's parking lot is filled with two-wheeled eye candy. But sometimes you are just not in the mood for the thrill and excitement of a ride-party. Sometimes you just want to go out, find some new corners, see some new scenery, and maybe stop for a bite to eat… Download the Tankbag Tearsheet!
January 2012
Discover Montana | Eureka
Surprisingly, there are nearly two dozen places in the U.S. that bear the name 'Eureka,' including one in Colorado, one in Illinois, a big one in California, and a tiny one in Wisconsin. Both North Carolina and South Dakota have Eurekas (although the former is barely there with a population of just 244), while Nevada's version is famous for its restored 1880s Opera House and its location on Highway 50—The Loneliest Road in America… Download the Tankbag Tearsheet!
December 2011
Discover Oregon | Vale
Vale, Oregon lies just about a dozen miles west of the Idaho border and alongside the winding Malheur River. Today it is also at the intersection of US20 and US26, but back when conversations about 'horse power' referred to the four-legged kind, Vale was the first stop actually in Oregon on the Oregon Trail. And while most Americans read in grade school about the long lines of covered wagons that journeyed westwards to the Oregon Territory from Independence, Missouri, they may not have learned what was behind that mass migration. In 1818, the Americans and British agreed to jointly occupy Oregon—at least on paper. But as my father used to say, possession is nine-tenths of the law. With the Revolutionary War still fresh in their minds, Americans had a less-than-welcoming view of their former colonial overlords, so many decided to migrate to Oregon to keep the British from claiming possession. (Well, the free land they got at the end of their perilous cross-continent trek definitely pushed them along as well.) As we all know, the plan worked—which means we get to explore this area without having to carry our passport!… Download the Tankbag Tearsheet!
November 2011
Discover Colorado | Evergreen
Burgers and fries, cookies and milk, rubber and asphalt—some things in life just naturally complement each other. Such is the case with mountain ranges and great riding roads. Few ranges on this planet demonstrate this perfect pairing better than the Rocky Mountains. A rider could spend months (if not years) exploring the hundreds of roads that twist, bend, curl, and curve along and across this 3,000-mile granite spine that stretches from northern British Columbia down to New Mexico. Many of these roads are legendary. The mere mention of names like Beartooth, Crowsnest, Lost Trail, and Teton bring forth visions of endless roadways unspooling through epic scenery… Download the Tankbag Tearsheet!
October 2011
Discover Montana | East Glacier Park
Water is nature's most powerful and creative sculptural tool. From the floating sculptures of Antarctica to Arizona's 'Big Ditch' to the wave-carved arches of the Pacific Coast, water is a relentless artist that is endlessly working and never content. Nowhere is this more evident than on terrain created by glaciers. Across the planet and over many millennia, slow rivers of ice have swept away rocks and soil to leave behind such sculpted wonderlands as Yosemite, Banff, and Glacier. Using tools that bear such technical names as 'moraines' (distinct accumulations of glacial till), 'drumlins' (elongated hills), and 'eskers' (sinuous ridges of sedimentary material), glaciers have created much of this planet's most awe-inspiring scenery. And while we have a particular fondness for glacially created artwork and have feasted our eyes on the glories of both Yosemite and Banff in the past, the canvas of Montana's Glacier National Park has gone unseen to date. This month, we are rectifying that… Download the Tankbag Tearsheet!
September 2011
Discover California | Laytonville
Redwood Highway, Bayshore Freeway, Oregon Coast Highway, Hollywood Freeway. Like an actor performing all the roles in a lengthy play, US101 regularly changes name, appearance, and character as it spans 1,540 miles between Los Angeles, California and Olympia, Washington. Sometimes a ten-lane concrete behemoth laid across the urban landscape and sometimes a narrow two-laner that glides among Giant Redwoods, clings tenaciously to the coastal cliffs of the Pacific Northwest, or sails high above the mighty Columbia, US101 is far more than a mere road. One doesn't just 'travel' along this iconic path; instead, one 'journeys' on it. Any ride of 75 miles or more along its length is likely to reveal spectacular scenery, varying terrain, and a large dollop of local history… Download the Tankbag Tearsheet!
Copyright © 2011 - Friction Zone
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