RideLust

When Old Man Winter belches hoarfrost over the land, it’s only natural to seek solace in a nice set of studded snow tires. The grinding metallic paws provide a sense of security. They just feel like they’re slicing through the ice, delivering life-saving stability and grip. Au contraire mon frère! Studded tires are terrible. They provide less grip in frosty conditions than their specialized studless counterparts and they pulverize pavement, turning roads in to rutted moonscapes. Stop buying studded tires. They suck.

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*The world’s largest truck stop…

Well it’s day 2 of my cross country move to Cali and let me say that when I said yesterday that stuff doesn’t get exciting until you hit Colorado, what I meant was that I-80 Westbound is one of the most boring stretches of road in existence. For example, I just drove through the rest of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and landed in Iowa, and let me tell you… if I see any more roadside corn I’m going to vomit. Yes, there are wonderful automotive attractions in some of these states, but for shear visceral stimulation you might as well be staring at plywood. Tomorrow’s drive should be better, at least the second half anyway as I still have to muscle through more corn in the remainder of Iowa and Nebraska. After that though I hit Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and then finally, California, states where the landscape is a bit more pleasing to the eye.
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Ever try to find entertaining roads if you’re new to an area, or just passing through? You could try to hit up locals, but that takes time and research. You could go to Google Maps, but that doesn’t tell you much about road conditions, speed enforcement or even average traffic volume. It certainly doesn’t rate the roads on their entertainment value, which means you’ve got to eat a lot of soggy, tastelessly sweet popcorn before you snag a prize. Read More…

“Body by Lamborghini, High Fidelity By Alpine” – those were the words written on the poster of the red Lamborghini Countach that I had on my wall when I was a kid. I stared at that image day after day for years hoping that one day I’d have one of those iconic machines in my garage. It was a lofty goal for sure, but hell, if one doesn’t have aspirations then what’s the point of living right? I also had a poster of a 1971 Lamborghini Miura SV, a car, that in my opinion, is the most beautiful automobile ever produced. You see for me Lamborghini wasn’t just a car company, it was THE car company. Their body designs were impractically sexy, their power plants were wonderment’s of engineering and their exhaust notes… well, let’s just say that those were conjured up by the Gods above.
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A few weeks ago on Road Testament I had the opportunity to haul my 1969 Dodge Daytona replica out of storage, grab a good buddy and a few cameras and head out on an afternoon road trip. We didn’t really have a plan per say, only that at some point we’d need to eat, and at another we’d need to put fuel in the old beast. Other than that it was just grab a map and go. We started off at a central point on Long Island, NY and decided to head due east until we came to New York’s eastern most tip, Montauk Point. In total we ran about 250 miles, not a huge trip by any means, but for a nice sunny afternoon all those miles seemed to work out just fine. Click through for the video and enjoy.
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Muscle cars have been the bane of my existence since 2003. They’ve taken my money, left me stranded on the side of the road and have given me more sleepless nights then I care to remember. For some reason though I still love them and gravitate to them more then any other type of automobile out there. Maybe it’s because they’re simple machines, or maybe it’s their styling or raw power. Whatever the reason though I have a feeling that there will always be one in my garage. Unlike so many other owners out there I actually drive my cars… a lot. In fact I’ve driven them across the country no less than six times in the last 8 years. Some of my trips go off without a hitch, while others have pushed both myself and my cars to the limit. Hot Rod Magazines David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan recently took a little 1,000 mile road trip from Los Angeles to Arizona and back in a blown 650 hp big block 1967 Camaro. Saying they had a couple of problems would be an understatement, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have a great time. Click through for the 17 minute video and enjoy!
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Some people love the beach, others love to travel abroad, for me though a great vacation consists of thousands of miles of open road, a good radar detector and road side dives that serve greasy food. You see I feel the most at home cruising down America’s super-slabs and over the past 5 years have logged more than 35,000 road-trippin’ miles. Some people would call this a sickness, I however see it as pure nirvana. At this point in my life I can safely say that I am a professional in the art of the road trip as I’ve pretty much been there and done that. From breaking down on the Blackfoot Indian reservation in Montana, to running over an 8-foot gator in Georgia, to blasting down the open roads of Nevada at over 130 mph. Road trips are a way of life for me and over the years I’ve amassed a pretty good list of what to bring along for the ride. The following is a list of 10 road trip items that are in my cars at all times. Over the years these babies have not only gotten me out of trouble, but have helped me avoid it as well. Click through for the full list and then get ready to hit the open road.
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Travelling in style on the PCH. Image: Dayvroy

If you live on the left coast, chances are good you have your own list of favorite driving roads. The West has some of the best roads in the country, but it also has massive overpopulation (Los Angeles), earthquakes, wild fires and more annual rainfall (Seattle) than any place outside of Borneo. Maybe it all balances out, because on those rare occasions when you can run your ride of choice down your road of choice, the experience can be epic. I’m absolutely certain this list of best-west-coast-roads (as logged by AMA members) just scratches the surface, so feel free to send me your own personal favorites. Read More…

Route 212 near Beartooth Pass, MT. Image: Phil Armitage

The Midwest is best known for things like corn and tornados, neither of which are often associated with good roads or enjoyable driving. In fact, anyone who’s ever driven across Nebraska back when the speed limit was 55 knows that hell isn’t filled with lakes of fire, it’s filled with a single asphalt ribbon bisecting acre after acre of cornfields. The good news is that the Midwest also has truly entertaining roads, some spectacular scenery and some of the best local food you’ll find anywhere in the country. If you never thought of the Midwest as a road trip destination, here’s hoping the roads below will change your mind. Read More…

The Tail of the Dragon, Deal's Gap, NC. Image: William Klos

A while back, the American Motorcyclist Association asked members to list the best roads in the country. From hundreds of submissions, their staff distilled the list down to fifteen roads, stretching from the Northwest to the Southeast. Geographically, six of the roads are in the West, six are in the Midwest and only three are from the East; having lived in the East for the past nineteen years, I can tell you that we have a whole lot more than three good roads, especially in the Northeast. Read More…