Have Harley, Will Vacation! A Travel Guide for Bikers

Full disclosure: in college, for one night only, I was that chick in a skirt on the back of a big motorcycle. It was a one-night stand...with the cycle that is (though I didn't go out with the guy again, either). But the motorcycle ride was, by far, the best part of the night (and the week for that matter). It really was like a roller coaster ride; and I understood in a very visceral way, why these big boys are so appealing to, well, big boys.

I hadn't thought much about folks vacationing by motorcycle until I got a chance to interview the charming Gary McKechnie, who's written the definitive guide to biking vacations "Great American Motorcycle Tours". A winner of the Lowell Thomas Award for guidebooks, the book is now in its fourth edition.

(Photo by Biker 650)

The book makes an excellent case for a wide-range of people, even tiny wimps like me (I'm 5'3) to consider hitting the road on a Harley. When Gary describes the experience of being out in the elements, smelling the pine trees and feeling the wind on his face--well, it just makes you want to don something leather and hit the accelerator (or at least it did for me). Along with info on bike tours, Gary gives good advice on safety and training for novice motorcyclists.

Its also a darn good book for people traveling by car, frankly. Though the routes picked are those that would be good for bikers (not too crowded; filled with adrenalin-pumping twists and turns; and morphing from one type of landscape to another), reading the book I thought I'd like to try these in a car, or on bicycle. That may be because Gary introduces the reader to many hidden corners of the United States alive, offering dramatic, often humorous capsule histories for each area he covers. Good advice on affordable accommodations and restaurants is also offerred.

If you've ever wanted to be an "Easy Rider" for a week, a month or a year, this is the essential guide to get. Heck, its even got a preface by Peter Fonda!