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About Wayne Busch
Cartographer / Explorer / Design
Wayne Busch has introduced thousands of motorcyclists to the best two lane mountain roads in the eastern US and helps them get the most enjoyment and adventure out of their travels. His easy to use pocket maps focus on the most exciting and memorable rides. Maximize your valuable time and expand your experiences.
When Wayne started producing maps for his tour clients, motels and businesses wanted them, and the ball started rolling. Millions come to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, Tail of the Dragon, and Cherohala Skyway. It’s the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands more miles of undiscovered two lane treasures. Longtime visitors quickly discover great rides they’ve missed or overlooked, roads which could take years to find on their own. Wayne persists in searching them out and gathers them in a format that is comprehensive, easy to use, and inexpensive.
His maps include the best rides adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway and more than 3000 miles of the best two lane twisties including North Georgia, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and more. America Rides Maps is adding and expanding with coverage of Sturgis, South Dakota, the mountains of West Virginia, and beyond.
Wayne travels thousands of miles each year, selecting the finest rides, then packages them in a compact and functional format designed exclusively for the motorcyclist. He has been featured in Western North Carolina Magazine, the Smoky Mountain News, Full Throttle Magazine, worked with Speed TV / Speed Channel, the Maggie Valley and Avery County Chambers of Commerce, and the Haywood Country TDA promoting the great riding found nearby.
One client writes -Your maps made it very easy to get around and enjoy the SCENIC routes not the traffic clogged main roads. We can't wait to go back again. THANKS!!!!!" - Ed F., Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Owner, cartographer, explorer, and creative designer, Wayne is personally available as your online resource through his blogs, web sites, forum, free newsletter, and videos, sharing his tips and knowledge so you get the most out of your precious and valuable travel time.
What Areas Do You Cover?
I focus on the mountains, where the best rides are found
- Georgia - The mountains of the north east section
- South Carolina - The mountains along the northern border
- North Carolina - The entire Smoky Mountain rage including the Blue Ridge Parkway and all around Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Tennessee - The mountainous border with North Carolina
- Virginia - The Smoky Mountains and the Blue ridge Parkway
- West Virginia - Fractions along the border with Virginia (soon to expand)
- South Dakota - Sturgis and the Badlands
- Wyoming - Devil's Tower National Monument and surroundings
End-to-end coverage of the Blue Ridge Parkway and every great road which surrounds it, the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Cherohala Skyway, Blood Mountain, The Snake, The Devil's Triangle, Thunder Road, and more than 3000 miles of the best two lane mountain roads found anywhere.
So What's It Like?
The days on the road make it worth all the effort
Though I ride year round there is definitely a season for mapping. I need daylight. That means most of the exploring is done in the warmer months. Rain doesn't matter so long as I can see the surroundings.
- For every hour in the saddle, I spend more than 20 at the keyboard
- I average 400 - 600 miles per day almost all on two lane back roads
- I only stop for two things - one is gas.
- I'm doing well when a set of tires lasts a month
- A typical mapping trip lasts from 3 - 10 days, occasionally longer
- It takes 4 - 6 trips per map on average
- I eat before and after the ride - no stopping during the day
- I ride the best roads several times, in both directions, at at different times to determine traffic loads and the best directions for loop rides
- I ride alone - who would want to tag along?
- I usually stay in nice places. I'm exhausted at the end of the day and seek comfort and good food
- It takes 3 days to a week to plan out each trip
- I use a Garmin Zumo GPS to record my routes and mark locations of gas stations, sights, turns, etc.
- I take notes on a Blackberry Tour to record road descriptions
- I travel light and fast
- I too often find myself where I don't belong (I once submerged my bike crossing a river, broke off one of the saddle bags squeezing through the barriers on a condemned bridge, been doused by a snow plow, and run off the road more times than I'll admit)
I not only know where the BEST roads are, I know where you DONT WANT TO GO.
Testimonials
What Our Customers Say;
"Recently I requested a copy of "The Best Rides North of Asheville" for my husband. Him and a very large group of friends who would be riding from Miami FL to Long Island. When I gave him the new map I had received he explained that everyone already had a map but he was appreciative of my intent. After the third day of his trip he called me to tell me that this was the best map he has had. Some of his friends downloaded and printed maps and others bought some. But his was so detailed and showed everything he wanted to see that he couldn't stop raving. The next day he called to brag about his map again. All his friends wanted to know where he had gotten it. So that night I e mailed each of them America Rides Maps web site. Thanks again for the map, it was great!!" - Pleschette M., Moriches, N.Y.
"We had a couple of dentists from Canada staying at our motel. They bought a copy of "Three Loops Through The Pisgah Forest". They returned that evening raving about the fantastic roads and amazed they'd seen only a couple of cars all day. It really made their trip and they're looking forward to coming back again!" - Gabi @ the Holiday Motel, Maggie Valley, NC
"I love the map of the Deals Gap area. I've been to the area many times and have always wondered what other rides where available in the area but didn't want to venture off and get lost. Now with my new map I'll be able to plot out full day rides and see areas I haven't seen before, instead of riding the same loop over and over. Thanks for a great map!!"- Tony F., Waterford MI
We rode all day on busy Memorial Day weekend over hundreds of miles of fantastic mountain roads from "The Best Rides North of Asheville" and I think we saw two cars! How do you find these great deserted roads! Thanks! - Ash B, Denver, NC
"I received your map today. I got the "Three Loops Through The Pisgah Forest" map. The details of the map are very thorough and clear which makes all the difference when traveling. The routes are very understandable, short and to the point - saddletime really comes in handy. This may sound strange but I do appreciate the size being fairly small - perfect for a pocket or the saddle bag. The paper is of nice quality, not cheap or easily torn. Finally, a trip lined out where I don't have to think of every last detail! Cool!" - Laura H., Granbury TX
"I wanted to let you know that I received The Best Rides South of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As I pulled the map out of the envelop, I was impressed by the high quality, waterproof paper the map is printed on. I certainly won't be afraid to pack and use this on a motorcycle trip in fear of the weather destroying the map. I liked the size of the folded map - perfect to put into a windshield back or coat pocket. But don't get fooled by the deceptively small, folded size… Opening the map reveals so much more information. On the map side, seeing the 'featured' roads in red makes it easy to picture and follow the routes. And the number of routes on the map is amazing. I certainly didn't expect to see so many 'featured' roads on a single map. Also, dotting the featured roads with gas stations takes the guess work out of figuring out where your next tank is coming from, allowing you to concentrate on the ride instead of the gas gauge. On the other side of the map are the route descriptions. The descriptions contain distance, time and turn-by-turn instructions to follow the routes, as well at road types, traffic patterns and other tidbits of information to make the ride enjoyable. Having the time and distance allows you to combining as many of the 'featured' routes to create your perfect ride. There are also suggested rides - which takes some of the guess work out of creating a ride from scratch. I'm really excited and looking forward to using the map. My father-in-law and I are planning another ride to the Tail of the Dragon again this summer. Now that I have the America Rides map, we're going to have to add a couple days on our trip to try out some new roads. Thanks" - Stefan K, Youngsville, NC
"I want to tell you how much I enjoyed your maps. We went to Maggie Valley for a bike trip. The folks at A Holiday Motel recommended your maps. I bought all five of the maps for that area. Not being from there I did not know what to expect or how to get anywhere. Your maps made it very easy to get around and enjoy the SCENIC routes not the traffic clogged main roads. We can't wait to go back again. THANKS!!!!!" - Ed F., Ft. Lauderdale, FL
About America Rides Maps
When looking for gold, it's best to find a gold mine.
Mission Statement - "To help you get the most enjoyment out of your motorcycle by cataloging the greatest concentrations of scenic and challenging roads, then presenting them in a pocket map format that is functional, up to date, easy to use, and the best value."
America Rides Maps takes a uniquely successful approach to producing motorcycle ride maps that sets it apart from other manufacturers in the market. Other motorcycle ride maps focus on the highlights, the best known classic roads in a vast region which typically covers half a dozen states or more. These may be great for the "iron butt" riders out there who have the time and money to spend thousands of miles and days and days doing nothing but riding, but for the typical motorcycle rider, they are hardly practical.
The majority of riders planning a motorcycle vacation choose a destination, then spend their time riding around a specific area. Having traveled hundreds or even thousands of miles to get there, once that one classic ride has been done, what next?
America Rides Maps provide the answers. All too often if there is one great classic ride in a location, there are others. I seek out those areas which hold a wealth of great motorcycle rides then explore, discover, and catalogue every last one of them.
Every road is ridden and evaluated from the motorcycle riders perspective. Only those which meet the strictest criteria are selected as the best based on scenic beauty, riding challenge and enjoyment, traffic loads, and where the road leads you - it should lead you to more good roads. The focus is to keep you riding, avoiding town congestion, tourist and commercial traffic, and four lane highways.
Most maps also contain roads identified as "good connectors". These are rides which didn't quite make the grade of best, yet offer good ways to avoid more congested main roads, link to other great rides, or pass by something worth seeing even with the additional traffic.
Follow your passion, and success will follow you. ~Arthur Buddhold
Why Pocket Maps?
- Because they work best and keep costs down.
As a cartographer, I collect every map I can get my hands on looking for new areas and roads to explore. I spend tens of thousands of miles in the saddle each season and quite honestly, larger maps frustrate me. I can never seem to get them folded right, they are too bulky and get torn up trying to stuff them in a pocket so they end up in the pack or saddlebags. Once I do get them opened, it seems I'm always on the OTHER side of the map and I need to find a table to lay them out and study them for several minutes just to locate where I am. If the wind picks up, they're nearly impossible to use. I DON'T HAVE THE TIME AND PATIENCE! I'd rather be riding, I've got miles to go before I sleep, and I really don't need to know where to ride two states away.
I experimented with a variety of sizes, papers, and formats when developing America Rides Maps to find the best and most useful one that could be produced cheaper than anything else offered. Laser printing means the colors don't run when wet. Papers had to be durable and tough enough to withstand practical use. The maps had to be simple to fold, and small enough to keep handy. Printing had to be done in house, in small batches, so the maps could be updated frequently and kept current.
I use my maps. They work. I've put them to the test. I've designed a map specifically for the motorcycle rider in a format that keeps the focus on the riding instead of finding the next place to stop and figure out which way to go.
