Inside the world’s largest country, you’ll find elderly ladies baking bread in wooden houses with painted window frames; large, prosperous cities and honking horns; children riding bicycles on gravel roads, and some of the most industrious, approachable people on the planet. Russia scares many travelers. Bad things happen there, just like bad things happen in…
Leave No Trace—Outdoor Ethics for Riders, Overlanders, and Other Land Users
I was camping in eastern Washington a month ago. We had a gorgeous spot right on a river and plenty of space for three vehicles and six dirt bikes. On arrival, I jumped out of the truck and headed into some trees to relieve my water-filled bladder. Walking a few feet away from camp, I…
Leaning Into A Weakness
For years I’ve been going on adventures where someone else other than myself has provided the route that the group will be using. Rarely have I ever been the one to plan a route as it’s not been a strength of mine and I was happy to pass on that responsibility. When it comes to…
Moki Dugway—a Father-Daughter Ride on Two Very Different Bikes
With Father’s Day approaching, I’m reminded of the one and only long-day ride my dad and I did together in 2014. I was on a BMW G 650 GS while Dad rode a Harley Davidson Classic. Neither of us cared about the oddity of being on two very different bikes. Although this late September day…
Publisher’s Project: Moto Guzzi V7 Special
Editor’s note: This article was originally posted in Overland Journal’s Spring 2021 Issue. Opening image is from a movie production, closed course. We always recommend wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle, but also acknowledge that helmet laws vary by state and country. There is such joy in simplicity, distilling a pursuit down to its…
Off-road Training for a Post-Round-the-World Rider—What I Wish I Knew Before I Left
I’ll admit that after 708 days riding around the world, my first thought was, what could I possibly learn in a Level 1 off-road course? I’d spent two years swerving around stray dogs and potholes, hopping my fully loaded F 800 GS up mountain roads, and throttling through countless creek crossings—what would weaving between orange…
Book Review :: 2Up and Overloaded by Tim Notier
Having done a fair amount of long-distance moto travel, the first thing that struck me about Tim Notiers’ book, 2Up and Overloaded, was no way in hell would my husband and I be together today if we traveled two-up on an ADV motorcycle like Tim and his fiancée, Marisa. One of us would likely be…
10 Years, 10 Routes, 10,000+ Miles—A Decade Anniversary for Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR)
Backcountry Discovery Routes (BDR) are one of the best ways to adventure-road trip around the U.S. And what better way to celebrate Motorcycle Awareness month and National Road Trip day (May 28) than with the 10-year anniversary of BDR—an organization that literally defined the phrase “adventure riding.” What is BDR? Using double-track, forest service, and…
10 Solutions for Carrying Extra Fuel on Motorcycles and Off-road Vehicles
Updated April 28, 2021. Many overlanders have a conundrum—how to carry extra fuel for those far-from-it-all excursions we all dream about. Carrying gas or diesel safely is even more of an issue: gone are the good old days of filling up plastic Coke bottles and strapping them to your overland rig or ADV ride. Even…
Video of the Week: Never Ride Alone
There are few humans out there willing to endure physical hardship like Scott Englund in Never Ride Alone. But watching this film, I understood him; I understand the desire to attain something everyone else thinks is crazy—a goal that takes up so much space in your brain there is no longer room for reason, so…
Humanity :: Kindness of Strangers
Clouds of dust drift away as I sit up and take off my helmet. My bike stretches out across the Trans-Labrador Highway on its left side; its wheels still spin, but the engine has stopped. Something is wrong. But I don’t know what. My heart races as my brain takes inventory. I’m breathing. I’m in…
Horizons Unlimited HUMM Event and Travellers Meeting, 2021
Horizons Unlimited Mountain Madness (HUMM) Cascades 2021 Event Described as “the best 48 hours of my life” by one participant (who later had to apologize to his wife for saying that), Horizons Unlimted’s HUMM event is essentially a make-your-own-adventure, off-road scavenger hunt. Riders form teams of two or four and spend two days chasing tags through…
Wanted: Riders Willing To Get Dirty!
Dirty For Good—Female Focused, Situational Trail Training/Fundraising Tour in Haverhill, New Hampshire, August 22-27, 2021 Hosted by SheADV and Women’s Motorcyclist Foundation, the Dirty For Good Situational Trail Training/Fundraising venue is aimed to attract female dual-sport riders at the intermediate level. Dirty For Good provides real-life training experience on Vermont Sections 5 and then 4 of the North East Backcountry…
Canadian Border Patrol—A 250-mile Dual-sport Route
This article was updated, April 20. Canada’s Okanagan Valley, located in southwest British Columbia, is known for its delicious wines and juicy fruits. Also considered a desert by Canadian standards—hot, dry, and filled with people wearing toques and sandals—the Okanagan Valley is surrounded by pine forests, lakes, and provincial parks, which makes it ideal for…
Silk Way Rally—July 1-11 Through Russia and Mongolia
With cautious optimism, the world is slowly reopening for in-person events, and the Silk Way Rally sounds like an adventurous challenge to put on your calendar. The race travels through Russia and Mongolia and is scheduled for July 1-11 with 10 stages. Course highlights include new sections not previously in the rally, for example, Russia’s…
Book Review :: American Borders by Carla King
There’s nothing like anger to fuel the fires within. When Carla King’s husband kept vacillating about joining her for a motorcycle trip through Europe, Carla took matters into her own hands. She went by herself. Realizing her marriage was faltering, 28-year-old Carla was heartbroken, but this event would be the catalyst she needed to restart…
Motorcycle Soft Luggage
From scrublands to high mountain forests, the Idaho BDR challenges motorcycles, riders, and gear. After purchasing a BMW F 800 GS in 2009, I quickly sourced a set of expensive aluminum panniers, thinking that’s what you had to use on a GS. Victims of their own mass and structure, combined with progress…
REV’IT’s 2021 Spring/summer Apparel Line
One of the best aspects of Rev’It gear is its diversity; both the male and female menus have many options for riding jackets, pants, jeans, and more. This is one of several reasons I chose Rev’It as my one and only suit while riding through 40 countries around the world. You can read a review…
Adventure Palooza 2021
Moto events around the nation are springing up at this time of year, enticing us to hop on bikes and get out there. Adventure Palooza 2021 has just opened registration for a Midwest event running September 24-26. Adventure Palooza 2021, as it states on their website, will “test your ability [to] navigate your adventure bike,…
Support The Female Rider In Your Life—Especially If It’s You!
Last weekend, I attended the online Armchair Adventure Festival. The event, as usual, was a blast, and it was extra awesome to see how many females presented their own rider accomplishments. However, one story mentioned briefly at the fest struck me. Sharni Pinfold was an up-and-coming female moto racer. The 25-year-old Australian participated in the…