By Bob Adams
Throughout Kentucky, unspoiled back roads begging for exploration beckon
to motorcycle riders. Bikers in the Bluegrass state know it offers some
of the most interesting roads for touring in the eastern U.S. But up to
now, word hasn’t spread far beyond Kentucky’s borders. This translates
into lots of open pavement for riders psyched for some spirited
adventure in a scenic and historic region that welcomes visitors.
Kentucky-based rider groups, including a half-dozen Harley Owners Group
chapters around the state, organize a slew of tours, poker runs and
charity rides, especially on weekends throughout fall, spring and
summer. The Kentucky Adventure Riders, including BMW and other big
adventure-touring bike owners, can be found year-round exploring roads
-- both paved and unpaved -- especially in the mountainous eastern part
of the state.
“Kentucky has great touring possibilities,” says Jeff Cooke, a
58-year-old former BMW Motorcycles dealer in Louisville who has been
riding since he was a teen. “There are some really fun roads, especially
in eastern Kentucky.”
Cooke, who bought his first Beemer bike when he turned 40, sold the
dealership to Harley-Davidson of Louisville last year so he can boost
the 8,000 miles a year of riding he’s been able to squeeze around his
hectic work schedule. He says Kentucky roads match the best of any other
states he’s ridden in, including North Carolina, Virginia, West
Virginia, Tennessee, Ohio and Indiana.
Harley riders sing the Bluegrass state’s praises as well.
“Kentucky has some of the finest scenic areas I’ve seen,” says Jay
Huber, president of the Kentucky Motorcyclists Association/Kentucky
Bikers Association, who has ridden in about half the 50 U.S. states.
Huber, who hails from Independence in northern Kentucky near Cincinnati
and rides an H-D Electroglide, likes the variety of roads in his native
state. “You’ve got the twisty-turnies in eastern Kentucky, scenic routes
in northern Kentucky with sweeping curves along the Ohio River, and the
rolling hills of western Kentucky that are great for wide-open
cruising.”
Huber, whose organization represents about 250,000 on and off-road
riders throughout the state, says Kentucky’s welcoming roadside business
owners and just plain friendly people make for a great climate for
visiting bikers.
Nick Harrison, director of H.O.G. Chapter 2032 in Louisville, is a
career Army man who’s toured on his Ultra Classic in all but seven of
the lower 48 states. Currently based at Ft. Knox, Ky., Harrison
especially likes touring roads connecting the distilleries clustered
along central Kentucky’s famous
Bourbon Trail. He says it beats the winery routes of California’s Sonoma Valley or New York’s Finger Lakes region.
“On any road in Kentucky off the main highways you’ve got beautiful
scenery ranging from the horse farms to rustic living where people are
just enjoying being where they’re at,” he says. “I pick out a road that
looks interesting and just go.”
On a recent weekend, Harrison wanted to join up with a H.O.G. ride along
the Blue Ridge Parkway in neighboring Virginia and North Carolina. So
he turned on his GPS and navigated along I-64 east to Lexington and
Winchester, where he picked up the Mountain Parkway through the
Daniel Boone National Forest
to Campton. There he ventured onto Ky. 15, one of eastern Kentucky’s
great two-lane roads, and snaked along its twists and turns all the way
down to Hazard.
“You’ve got to be a little watchful for coal trucks on some of the
switchbacks. But one of the good things about riding in eastern Kentucky
is there are lots of gas stations along side roads, so there’s plenty
of places to stop. And the curves and mountains are just as good as
North Carolina.”
H.O.G. Chapter 2032 road captain Joe Welsh of Louisville likes the
“twisty-turnies” of eastern Kentucky, but also relishes touring
south-central and western parts of the state. Welsh, who rides an
Ultraglide and keeps a Road King show bike in his garage, likes to
cruise from
Barren River State Resort Park southwest of Glasgow to
Green River State Park
near Campbellsville. The route includes U.S. 31E and U.S. 68, features a
ferry crossing of the Green River and traverses Kentucky’s unique Amish
country.
Harrison and Welsh’s favorite pit stops in Kentucky include the Wah-Bah
in Bowling Green, where you can pick out your own steak and grill it
yourself;
Old Talbott Tavern in
Bardstown, which has been serving good food and drink continuously since starting life in the 1790s as a stage coach stop;
Beaumont Inn in
Harrodsburg, a Bluegrass restaurant and bed and breakfast housed in a historic 1845 building; and
Patti’s1880s Settlement in
Grand Rivers
on Kentucky Lake, where you can gorge on “mile-high” meringue pie, play
miniature golf and browse a huge gift shop for Kentucky souvenirs.
Tony Cruise, a Louisville talk-radio host who rides a Suzuki V-Storm
dl1000 Adventure Touring bike and a Honda ST1300 Sport Tourer, loves to
cruise east parallel to the Ohio River along Ky. 22 through Crestwood,
Eminence, Owenton, Dry Ridge and Falmouth to Ky. 10, where he snakes
over to historic river towns
Maysville and
Augusta, childhood home of Hollywood stars Rosemary and George Clooney.
“Riding down U.S. 421 from Bedford to
Frankfort has some great turns and sights. Also check out the road to Lockport over the Kentucky River.”
Old Frankfort Pike, which links the Kentucky state capital with
Lexington,
is another scenic favorite. This historic road, Ky. 1681, is a
designated Scenic Byway that meanders through horse farms outlined with
picket fences and hand-laid stone walls dating to the early 1800s.
Cruise also motors U.S. 150 from Bardstown to
Springfield and then Ky. 55 to
Lebanon.
“It’s awesome!” he says. Pikeville to Buckhorn along U.S. 80 is one of
his favorite eastern Kentucky routes. “I guess I love it all.”
Sooner or later, bikers find their way to the
Red River Gorge National Geological Area, part of the
Daniel Boone National Forest
in eastern Kentucky. This area boasts some of the most deeply forested
terrain you can ride through anywhere on a paved road. One spectacular
sight is the Nada Tunnel, a 900-foot stretch of Ky. 77. A dark one-lane
passage through a towering mountain, the tunnel was blasted from solid
rock in the early 1900s to permit timber hauling by narrow-gauge
railroad. Bikers who venture into Nada are in for an exciting ride.
Kentucky’s 17 state resort parks, all of which feature lodges for
overnight stays, are high on Kentucky bikers’ lists of favorite places
to visit. Spread throughout the state from
Jenny Wiley State Resort Park near
Prestonsburg in the east to
Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park
on Kentucky Lake in the western tip, these parks welcome riders after a
long day in the saddle with scenic settings and comfortable
accommodations.
“I love riding to
Pine Mountain State Park
and renting a cabin, where they always have a rick of wood waiting for
the fireplace,” says Joe Welsh of the eastern Kentucky park near famous
Cumberland Gap.
Other rider favorites include
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, an unspoiled tract teeming with wildlife that separates Kentucky Lake from Lake Barkley, and
Mammoth Cave National Park, near I-65 in south central Kentucky.
For information about traveling throughout Kentucky, visit
KentuckyTourism.com.