Parts of the TWAT wind through farmland.

As I reached for the pump handle to fill up at the start of this trip, I suddenly realized my hydration pack wasn?t on my back. Doubt flooded in, and I wondered if this trip on the Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail was a bad idea. After returning home to retrieve my pack, I scolded myself for failing right out of the gate.

The Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail is also known as the TWAT, a term I use for ?one who tweets? and the British use for an obnoxious person. Though not a term one hears in polite company, this TWAT is a 635-mile dual-sport and adventure motorcycle route that runs from the Illinois/Wisconsin border in the south to the shore of Lake Superior in the north. There are no maps of the route, but you can download a free GPX track at the Trans Wisconsin Trail website.
Scan QR code above or click here to view the route on REVER

The TWAT was to be my first time riding off-road. What was I thinking"

To prepare myself, I binged hours of off-road riding instruction on YouTube by Bret Tkacs, Dusty Wessels, and Eric Lange. Their tips and techniques came back to me when I needed them most. YouTube was also my tutor for what to pack. I?d watch a video, hit pause, and click over to Amazon to load up my cart. I felt like a kid on Christmas opening boxes and setting up fake camp in my backyard to try out everything.

My Honda Africa Twin was the perfect bike for the 635-mile trek across Wisconsin.

The Trans W...