Great Motorcycle Stops

Not all of us are motorcycle riders, but if you are fortunate and enjoy the risky sport (or if you know an experienced rider with an extra helmet), then here are some great destinations to see from a motorcycle. Read about them of 10 great places to pull over on a motorcycle as found on USA Today Travel.

“Diamond Belle Saloon
Strater Hotel in Durango, Colo.

‘I moseyed into Diamond Belle’s and — gazing at the saloon girls, string-tied bartender and honky-tonk pianist — my sense of time travel was surpassed only by relief this wasn’t yet another sports bar,’ McKechnie recalls. Card tables, spittoons and, behind the bar, an oil painting of a nude are among the amenities. Louis L’Amour requested Room 222 above the saloon, where the sounds helped propel the story lines of his Western novels. 970-247-4431; strater.com

Tanglewood
Lenox, Mass.

The Boston Symphony Orchestra heads for the hills every summer — the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. ‘Pack a picnic dinner and, for around 20 bucks, you can lie beneath the stars and listen to concerts by the BSO and guest performers such as James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma, André Previn, John Williams and LeAnn Rimes,’ McKechnie says. 413-637-1600; tanglewood.org

Death Valley
California

‘Not really a great place to pull over, this is a mighty spiritual place to ride across,’ McKechnie says. Summer temperatures rise past 110 degrees, less than 2 inches of rain falls each year, and in the basin of the valley, you’re 282 feet below sea level. ‘Its supernatural emptiness tinkered with my perception of size and dimension, and, at one point, I had an unusual out-of-body experience. … Do this on a motorcycle if you can. If not, keep your windows down, your radio off, and tune in to the Earth.’ 760-786-3200; nps.gov/deva“