Moto Spotlight: A Ural Adventure

When you hear the phrase "girls' trip," a two-week long motorcycle trip through the backroads of Canada probably doesn't come to mind. Conventional it was not, but for Lindsay Merkle, Lily Brooks-Dalton, and Jenny Linquist, it was the ideal getaway. The three friends—two from Portland and one from Seattle—decided they were in need of an adventure and made plans for a moto journey close to home but off the beaten path. They took two Ural sidecar motorcycles from Seattle up to Vancouver Island, and from there spent two weeks riding through Banff, Calgary, Glacier National Park in Montana, Idaho, and back to Washington, taking turns driving and riding in the sidecar all along the way.

The girls were each equipped with the AETHER Horizon Motorcycle Jacket for their adventure. Venturing through almost constant rain and mud for two weeks on the road, they said the abrasion-resistant jackets kept them "cozy during long, wet hours on the bikes." They also mention waterproof saddlebags from Pack Animal, portable BeoPlay speakers, and camping gear from Nemo Equipment as their other on-the-road must-haves. Despite the grueling hours riding through torrential downpours, all three women agree that they would do it again in a heartbeat. "This was our first trip together, and it will not be our last. No special occasion required," says Lily. Check out some photos from their epic adventure below.