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ALASKA IS A WILD PLACE, I MEAN REAL WILD AND COOL. WITH MORNING TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 50'S RISING TO ABOUT 65 DURING THE DAY. DURING THE SUMMER YOU HAVE ABOUT 20 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT EACH DAY. THAT MEANS YOU HAVE TIME TO RIDE, FISH AND DO A WHOLE LOT OF OTHER THINGS. PICTURED ABOVE ARE THE RESULTS OF AN OFFSHORE HALIBUT FISHING TRIP I TOOK IN JULY. THAT'S CAPTAIN TIM WITH THE BEARD AND HIS BROTHER DANO, THE BOAT'S FIRST MATE. BOTH TIM AND DANO ARE LOTS OF FUN AND KNOW WHERE TO FISH. CHECK OUT THEIR WEB SITE AT http://www.deepcreekfishing.com/ AND BOOK A TRIP WITH CAPTAIN TIM. YOU'LL HAVE A GREAT TIME AND YOU'LL LOAD THE BOAT WITH HALIBUT. ALASKA IMPRESSED ME WITH IT'S BEAUTY AND IT'S SIZE. I SPENT A WEEK EXPLORING THE WESTERN SEASIDE EDGE OF COOK INLET INCLUDING SEWARD, SOLDOTNA AND HOMER. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SIGHTS YOU'LL EVER SEE IS HOMER. A SMALL TOWN SET ON A SPIT THAT OVERLOOKS GLACIER COVERED MOUNTAINS RISING OUT OF THE SEA. ALL OVER ALASKA YOU'LL SEE WILDFLOWERS AND WILD ANIMALS SUCH AS MOOSE, WHALES AND BALD EAGLES. ALASKA IS SO LARGE THAT YOU'LL NEED ALL SUMMER TO SEE A BIG PIECE OF IT. DON'T MISS VALDEZ AND IT'S WATERFALLS.

Alpine's central location and amenities makes it an ideal base if your doing day trips into the Davis Mountains. From Alpine take 118 south to Study Butte, a gateway into Big Bend National Park. I hit a swarm of bees near Bee Mountain going about 90. I was glad I was wearing my helmet and leather jacket. When leaving the Park take 170 through Terlingua to Presidio. The River Road is 65 miles of winding paved road between Terlingua and Presidio. It passes through high canyons, walls of various colored sandstone and limestone with the narrow, green band of the Rio Grande winding below. Click the following thumbprints for a taste of this road.

Once in Presidio you have options for traveling into Mexico. Click here for more info concerning south of the border travel. If you visit the Park you'll be ready to return to Alpine via 67 out of Presidio through Marfa. The temperature really heats up this far south, be sure to go when it's cool and watch out for those thunderstorms.

Traveling north of Alpine to Fort Davis is a must. A twisting, scenic 75-mile loop begins and ends in Fort Davis. Follow Highway 118 north of town and Highway 166 on the western and southern portions of the loop. The route rises past McDonald Observatory and through the heart of the Davis Mountains. Take the time to ride up to the observatory on the highest paved road in Texas to Mount Locke's 6800 foot summit. From there looking south you'll see what's left of an ancient volcano, this is the valley where Alpine is located. To the north you'll see the fossilized remains of the great barrier reef from the Permian geological age when this part of Texas was a sea. Outside of the Guadalupes to the north, the Davis are the highest mountains in Texas, and the green slopes and stands of Ponderosa pine come as a revelation to many, who are surprised to find that such things exist in Texas.

South Central, Hwy 16. Twisty, low density, good quality. Hwy 16 north out of Bandera TX to Kerrville TX.

South Central, FM 337. Twisty, medium density, good quality. FM 337 between Vanderpool and Leaky. This is a great twisty road. One of the favorites for the local Texas Hill Country motorcyclists. Tight 10-20 mile an hour switch backs and great views. Several blind corners. There are rock walls on one side, steep drop offs with Armco barriers on the other. This road needs to be ridden with caution your first couple of times down it.

South Central, FM 337. Both scenic and twisty, medium Density, good road quality. FM 337 between Medina TX and Campwood TX. Be sure and stop in Vanderpool and the little store. It's a watering hole for local motorcyclists.

South Central, The 100 mile loop. FM 336 - Hwy 41 - FM 335 - FM 337. Both scenic and twisty, low density, good quality. The 100 mile loop. Take FM 336 north out of Leaky TX to Hwy 41 West to FM 335 South. When you get to Hwy 55, you can continue south to FM 337, or you can take a detour up Hwy 55 North for about 18 miles through some great high speed sweepers on four lane road. Scenery here is great also. Once you reach the point where the two lane starts again, and the long straights start, it's time to turn around and do it again! When you get back to FM 337 in Camp Wood TX, head back East to Leaky. If you do not do the detour up Hwy 55, the trip is about 100 miles from Leaky and back. If you do the detour it is about 145 miles. You should gas up in Leaky no matter what. It gets pretty desolate out on the FM roads.

WEST YELLOWSTONE

MORE DANGEROUS THAN MOTORCYCLES ARE SNOWMOBILES. IN TWO DAYS I MANAGED TO CRASH INTO A RIVER AND SLIDE OFF A CLIFF. LUCKY FOR ME THE RIVER WAS SHALLOW AND TREES GROWING OFF THE SIDE OF THE CLIFF CAUGHT ME IN MID AIR. IT'S NOTHING TO COME AROUND A CORNER AT 65 MPH AND FIND ANOTHER SNOWMOBILE HEADED RIGHT AT YOU. IT'S MORE FUN THAN YOU'VE EVER HAD. FLY TO BOZEMAN, MONTANA AND DRIVE ABOUT 80 MILES SOUTH TO WEST YELLOWSTONE. GET A ROOM AT THE BEST WESTERN DESERT INN (406-646-7376) AND RENT YOUR SNOWMOBILES AT "TWO TOPS" (406-646-7802). NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. BE SURE THAT YOU SAVE SOME TIME WHEN YOU RETURN TO BOZEMAN TO VISIT THE MUSEUM OF THE ROCKIES AND THE PLANETARIUM, BOTH OF WHICH ARE ON THE MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS. THE MSU VISIT WILL ACTUALLY BE THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR TRIP. THAT'S A PROMISE!

NOVEMBER IN NORTH CAROLINA? YOU BET. FEW TOURISTS, COOL WEATHER AND GREAT ROADS. YOU CAN FLY DOWN THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON AND ONLY SEE TWO OR THREE OTHER VEHICLES. TRY TO GET THERE RIGHT AFTER A BIG STORM. THE RIVERS WILL BE RAGING AND THE WATERFALLS WILL BE IN FULL PLUME. CLICK HERE TO VIEW NOVEMBER PICS FROM THE ROADS OF NORTH CAROLINA.

COME SEPTEMBER FLY TO MUNICH, TAKE A CAB TO KARL MAIER'S BMW MOTORCYCLE DEALERSHIP IN NEUFINSING. RENT A GS 1150 BMW AND HEAD OUT TOWARD NORTHERN ITALY. THERE YOU WILL FIND COUNTLESS TWISTING ROADS IN BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAINS KNOWN AS THE DOLOMITES. YOU'LL FIND THAT EACH MOUNTAIN PASS WILL FUNNEL YOU INTO ANOTHER. YOU'LL HAVE THE OPTION OF TAKING NARROW ONE WAY ROADS WITH INCREDIBLE SLOPE AND TURNS THAT WILL TERRIFY YOU. SOME ROADS YOU'LL TURN BACK BECAUSE THEIR JUST TOO SCARY. IN SEPTEMBER THE TOURIST ARE GONE, THE LOCAL KIDS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL AND THE WEATHER IS COOL. YOU'LL FIND GREAT NORTHERN ITALIAN CUISINE IN THE NEAR EMPTY HOTELS. CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICS.

MARCH WEATHER IN ARKANSAS IS UNPREDICTABLE. CONDITIONS CAN CHANGE FAST. YOU SHOULD HAVE A GOOD ESCAPE ROUTE READY. SUMMER IS TOO HOT. OCTOBER IS THE TICKET. CLICK HERE FOR A LISTING OF 'CROOKED' ROADS. IF YOUR RUN TAKES YOU TO EUREKA SPRINGS, BE SURE TO SPEND A NIGHT AT THE IRON HORSE STABLES BEFORE YOU RIDE INTO MISSOURI.