Trail and Travel

Kawasaki makes some great off-road vehicles.  Many of our greatest adventures have been on Kawasaki ATVs or their Teryx Side x Sides.  When talking to any of the Kawasaki staff, you sometimes get the feeling they’re proud of the machines, but they really just love to ride even more.  They build their vehicles for the adventure and they’re constantly looking for the next opportunity for an awesome ride.  So are we!  

We first noticed the signs welcoming visitors as we drove into Harlan County, Kentucky.  In between the natural beauty of the towering, yet sleepy mountains and green valleys, other signs began to appear welcoming adventure lovers and even off-road riders.  We should have expected that from a group of residents that have long shared so much with so many.  Their struggles and victories have been the nation’s as well.  Coal has been the county’s driving economic force for decades, but there is also history here.

One of our favorite places to ride just keeps getting better!  The Hatfield-McCoy trail system is getting ready for the official opening of a new major section called the Ivy Branch Trail.  That makes eight major trail sections in the Hatfield-McCoy system, with more to come.

Most people don’t associate Las Vegas with riding, but within a couple hours of the city there are several very good riding areas.  Our favorite is the Logandale Trail System.

The American West holds a special mystique like no other part of the country.  It has always represented wide open spaces, big adventure, and big dreams, and we love every chance we get to turn our modern day horse loose on an unfamiliar western trail and explore.  There are still places where one can explore a new trail, climb the back of a mountain, or venture into territory that has changed little since explorers, mountain men, and Spanish missionaries first wandered through, and one of the best places we know to discover part of the old west is Elko, Nevada.

Brian Fisher of Fisher’s ATV World is right… The views from Kentucky’s Wilderness Trail Off-Road Park, located in the southeastern part of the state, look more like the rolling foothills of Montana or Wyoming than anyplace near the Great Smoky Mountains. While the area presents a geographical oddity, it also offers excellent riding, and best of all, it’s all free!

People initially come to Ride Royal Blue for the trails, but it’s about much more than that for owner Sheila Westray and her crew.  To them you’re not just another rider; you are a personal guest, and they’ve considered every detail for your visit right down to the food at the on-site restaurant.

The State of West Virginia is a wonderland of natural beauty.  Venture off the interstate in any direction and you will quickly find yourself immersed in rolling hills and the mountains of Appalachia.  West Virginia is also blessed with abundant natural resources, most notably coal, and state and local officials have welcomed others to enjoy the beauty of their mountains with the creation of the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, the preeminent off-road trail system in the country.

We have been riding all over North America but never under it until we visited the Mines & Meadows ride area near Wampum, PA.  Roughly a half hour northwest of Pittsburgh, Mines and Meadows is over 70 miles of trails on 600 acres of steep hills, tight trees, mud, rocky hill climbs, fast open sections, and even a small, open meadow at the top of the largest hill.  It’s like riding just about every type of terrain common to every riding area in the country, all on the same day!  No other riding area we know of can claim an underground section of trail though.

Attending a ride, rally, or jamboree is a great way to ride a new area, to check out new parts, and to meet other people that enjoy the same sport. Combine that with awesome scenery and you have a can’t-miss event.