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FALL 2018 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 03
Editor ’ s Letter
Solace of Solitude
HUMANS ARE SOCIAL CREATURES , and the shared experience of riding with friends or gathering at a rally is what makes motorcycling especially meaningful for many of us . But in this day and age , when Americans spend hours each day staring at their smartphones and are bombarded with email , text messages , Amazon deliveries , YouTube videos and Netflix shows , nothing beats a mind-clearing , stress-reducing solo ride . One day , two days , a week — self-medicate as needed because you can ’ t overdose .
When riding alone we answer only to ourselves . Head in any direction , turn down any road , stop any time you like , satisfy any curiosity . On relaxed stretches of road our minds can wander , thoughts come and go as they please . For maximum benefit , keep your smartphone hidden in a saddlebag rather than mounting it to your handlebar where the screen is ever-present , and turn off your Bluetooth headset and your GPS . Let instinct be your guide . Let wind and engine noise be your soundtrack .
After attending the press launch for the Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports in Prescott , Arizona , last May , I rode a solo loop around the Grand Canyon . A few miles beyond Fredonia , I turned onto a wide , flat dirt road and come upon a sign that said “ Toroweap 61 .” With my SPOT satellite tracker turned on , I rode due south to Toroweap Overlook , a remote vista point on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon with no guard rails and few visitors , in part because the final few miles of road require a highclearance vehicle . There I stood in the late-afternoon sun , 3,000 feet above the Colorado River , with no one around but me — the perfect place to unwind .
This issue of Favorite Rides & Destinations features solo travelers . From a 2004 issue of Rider , the late , great Larry Grodsky takes us back to Washington ’ s Cascade Range , 20 years after he worked a hard-labor timber job to earn enough money to repair his broken-down Ducati . James Petersen shares a unique , entertaining perspective on the loneliest roads of Nevada , Utah and beyond . Kathleen Kemsley