"West Virginia, almost heaven ...
Country Roads, take me home,
To the place I belong:
West Virginia, mountain momma,
Take me home, country roads."
- Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver

The western foothills of the Appalachian Plateau may not possess the purple mountain majesty of the Rockies in the west, but they do offer motorcyclists some of America's most challenging and scenic country roads. Over the next four days, we'll venture forth into an intriguing rural American landscape.

I'm in Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp. The railroad tracks beneath my feet...if they could talk, what stories might they tell of the cattle cars and the breaking apart of families and the dehumanization and the death? I am at a loss for words and struggle with capturing pictures as well - how can you encapsulate in a photograph, the horrific efficiency with which this death camp operated?

Progress, like the odometer, rolls on and on. Time flies, wheels turn, numbers roll higher, and just about everything increases in complexity. Forests give way to farms, that concede to homes, that spawn shopping centers, that lure expanding city boundaries. But unlike the forces that drive the increasingly familiar conurbation, a good traveler will attest that progress, in many ways, doesn't always have to be "full speed ahead."

"Nobody goes up the mountain anymore," laments Bob, my newfound, 76-year-old friend. "Everybody takes the highway. You got to go up the mountain!" Since this local character clearly has had much time to collect wisdom, I decide I best take him up on his advice.

It's a happy coincidence: the same undulating topography that makes Northern California's hill country so perfect for growing grapes has also challenged transportation engineers to create some classic motorcycling roads. So what better way to find a bit of heaven on earth than to sample the hills and valleys during the day, and a bit of the Cabernet Sauvignon when the day is done?!

"I have found out there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them." Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain

The Georgia coast might not be the first place that comes to mind for a quick motorcycle ride from Atlanta. But with only a weekend to spare, my husband and I wanted somewhere that we could ride to, within a few hours of our home in North Atlanta. With its rich history, live oaks draped with Spanish moss, and remote barrier islands, the Georgia coast sounded like a perfect ride and destination.

This past November, KTM invited the motorcycle press to sample their 2010 line of street machines in lovely Monterey, California. Plenty of hot (or in my case, lukewarm) laps were turned on the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca road course, aboard the impressive 1190 RC8 R superbike and the super sporty 990 SM R Supermoto model. But despite all the leather-bound bravado, it was the bikes with bags that got this touring rider's heart racing.

Times are tough and money's tight. You need to get to work or school and run errands. Choice A is to spend three grand on a beat-up, gas-guzzling car that's long out of warranty, and will probably break down at the worst possible moment in rush-hour traffic. Choice B is to buy a brand new gas-sippin' scooter that comes with a warranty, and you can park anywhere. For the sensible Choice B group, please continue reading.