Rene Cormier is an icon among motorcycle travelers. At thirty-three years old he sold all his belongings in order to finance an almost five-year ‘round the world motorcycle trip. Rene mostly rode solo, and he didn’t have any support or sponsorships. He simply rode, enjoyed being a traveler, and followed where the road took him.
A motorcycle that could handle the bumpier roads and had the ability to travel non-paved roads well was a key to Cormier’s trip. He had a system of carrying stuff that allowed him to be away from major cities and towns for an extended period of time. “For me, that’s a motorcycle that can travel on lumpier, bumpier roads and a system of carrying gear safely and securely, including camping gear,” says Cormier. “For me, camping is a big part of the adventure lifestyle world.”
Cormier’s two must-have pieces of gear were his aluminum panniers and his Ortlieb® Dry Bag. “I think that is one of those pieces of kit that everyone should have. It keeps your stuff dry, but it’s also useful when you carry wet stuff, or you need to carry water to the camp sire. I know guys who ride with their dirty clothes in the dry bag filled with water and soap and at the end of the day’s ride their laundry would be done.”
What motorcycle is the perfect one for your trip? “It’s really the one you own, that’s paid for and you’re comfortable on and fits you,” says Cormier. “It’s not important if it’s not the one that’s in the photographs that you see in the magazines. Whatever bike you have is going to be great. You will always have adventures and your own stories with it.”
Accumulate stories is exactly what Cormier did. Upon his return home, he wrote the award-winning University of Gravel Roads: Global Lessons from a Four-Year Motorcycle Adventure. It’s essentially a travelogue of his trip around the world, and it offers some stunning pictures from his travels. Cormier is a now popular presenter, and is frequently booked by BMW dealerships to talk about his travels and share his travel stories and pictures.
Cormier is a man to envy. In 2006 he met his wife Colette while travelling in South Africa, where Colette was raised. They married and then founded Renedian Adventures (www.RenedianAdventures.com) in 2010. They now lead motorcycle tours throughout Southern Africa. They offer four different trips in Africa; a Waterfalls and Wildlife tour, a Victoria Falls to Cape Town tour, a Spectacular South West Africa and a Garden Route and West Coast tour.
“There’s no perfect time to take a trip. My worry is that some folks delay trips or don’t do them because they are worried about not having the right gear,” says Cormier. “Whatever bike you ride, whatever inspires you, gear up and ride.”
Alisa is a motorcycle traveling writer! You can read more posts from Alisa by clicking on her name at the top of this post. This will also link to Alisa’s Bio and a link to her site!
The Three Sisters are quite famous in Texas. Beautiful and charming gals that they are, they attract a great many devotees for their good looks, their nice manners, and their generous curves. The three sisters also serve up some pretty good meals, and offer excellent entertainment.
The Three Sisters are actually three roads, RR335, RR336 and RR337. While you might be thinking that “RR” stands for “Rural Route”, you need to remember this is Texas. The formal names for these sisters are Ranch Road 335, Ranch Road 336, and Ranch Road 337. And yes, they are all related.
The most clever of the Three Sisters is RR335. She’s hot and not so curvy up North, yet she follows the Nueces (pronounced “New-Aces”) River. She also has a nice surprise: if you look carefully, you might get a glimpse of an unusual animal such as a kangaroo or a giraffe. There’s an exotic-breed farm along the drive, and many of the captive-bred animals can be seen from the road.
RR335 is a bit of a roller coaster, with lots of ups and downs and curves in between. This Sister is friendly and fun, and tends to be quite popular. Groups of motorcycles gear up and ride the rolling, fun landscape, especially on weekends.
Headed South, Ranch Road 335 merges with Highway 55 and leads you down to Camp Wood. Here you’ll turn onto the shortest Sister, Ranch Road 337. This sister is the most famous, Ranch Road 337 having been voted the #1 road to ride in Texas by Ride Texas Magazine. She’s curvaceous, gorgeous, and slightly shady, and if you follow her west, she’ll lead you to Leakey (pronounced as “Lakey” by the locals).
Leakey seems to be where all the action is, because it’s the best stop for gas and eats. The Bent Rim Grill is the happening place along this stretch. It’s a large establishment, and while there’s plenty of parking, the lot is usually full of motorcycles taking a break from the heat and grabbing a cool one.
Leaving Leakey, you’ll want to save yourself some confusion by following the signs for Route 83. Following 83 about a mile to the North, it’s there you’ll see a sign for the last of the Three Sisters, Ranch Road 336, which you’ll want to follow to the North.
RR 336 has a different personality than her two sisters—this Twisted Sister climbs up into the mountains, and offers some spectacular scenery. Ranch Road 336 has a generous amount of curves, some tight and technical, others long and luscious. She’s the favored one if it’s variety of landscape you’re into.
The entire Three Sisters Loop is roughly one hundred miles. All three are friendly, and you’ll enjoy meeting each one with her unique personality. Then you can decide which one is your favorite.
Alisa is a motorcycle traveling writer! You can read more posts from Alisa by clicking on her name at the top of this post. This will also link to Alisa’s Bio and a link to her site!
It’s a marvelous fantasy: packing your motorcycle, pulling out of your garage and leaving all your cares and worries behind by taking a long motorcycle trip. Endless horizons, great food, beautiful vistas, interesting people—it’s all part of the allure of “the big motorcycle trip”. It’s a wonderful fantasy, and I’ve been lucky enough to be able do it. Here are my tips for making your dream ride every bit as enjoyable as you imagine it to be.
Let’s face it: we all have some piece of motorcycle kit that’s our hands-down favorite. Mine is, pardon the pun, my Mickey glove by Racer gloves. When you pick them up you notice that the leather feels like quality leather. Inspecting the stitching (which all motorcycle riders should do with every piece of motorcycle safety apparel) and you’ll also see that it’s double-stitched.
Rene Cormier is an icon among motorcycle travelers. At thirty-three years old he sold all his belongings in order to finance an almost five-year ‘round the world motorcycle trip. Rene mostly rode solo, and he didn’t have any support or sponsorships. He simply rode, enjoyed being a traveler, and followed where the road took him.
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