Bringing Together Adventure & Dual Sport Riders
When Drew Faulkner first picked up motorcycling after his military service, he didn’t imagine it would lead to organizing a grassroots adventure and dual sport rally. As the creator of Red River Scramble and host of the Moto Adventurer Unscripted podcast, Drew blends his love of maps, Appalachian riding, and community-building into a passion project that’s drawn riders from more than 20 states.
Drew shares with host Heather Wilson Schiltz how Red River Scramble grew from a handful of Instagram friends into a 300+ rider gathering, why navigation and communication are central to safe adventure riding, and what keeps him motivated to organize a free event year after year.
He also discusses his personal riding style, most memorable trips, and how podcasting connects the adventure and dual sport community.
🎧 What You’ll Hear:
• How Drew got into motorcycling after the military and the story of his first bike
• The grassroots beginnings of Red River Scramble and how it’s grown to hundreds of riders
• Why communication is the biggest lesson he’s learned as an event organizer
• The role of mapping and GPS and why he still loves old-school methods
• Balancing challenging routes with accessibility for newer riders
• Drew’s most memorable trip (and what it taught him about letting go of detailed plans)
• The story behind starting Moto Adventurer Unscripted and keeping it going for 5 years and 115+ episodes
• Why Drew prefers riding solo (or a duo) over large group rides
• His favorite piece of gear that’s been with him since his Army days
📲 Connect with Drew Faulkner on Instagram
🌐 Motoadventurer.com (including link to podcast)
🌐 Red River Scramble
🎙️Listen to Heather’s guest episode on MotoAdventurer Unscripted in Dec 2023
🔔 Subscribe for more stories and strategies from inside the motorsports world
“I would go hang out in Red River Gorge. It’s where my folks are from. So our family farm is like across the street from Red River Gorge for lack of a better term.
I’m posting pictures of being down there and so people are like, ‘Oh man, I was just there. We just missed each other.’ Whatever. Like we should go meet up.
And so it’s like, okay, I just picked a weekend in July that I was available and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to go do this thing.’ And I just made up a silly flyer. We’re going to, you know, red river scramble, come on this day to whatever it is.
Twelve people show up from six states, and then the next year it’s 50. And then the next year it’s 75, and then a hundred and then… it’s all word of mouth for the most part.“
-Drew Faulkner, Red River Scramble Organizer & Moto Adventurer Unscripted Podcast Host
