GOLD COUNTRY

SEARCHING FOR DRIVING NIRVANA? A MAP OF CALIFORNIA POINTS THE WAY. ALL YOU NEED IS BMW'S BRAND-NEW 453-HORSE, STICKSHIFT DRIFT ROCKET TO TAKE YOU THERE.

- 

WHEN DID YOU LAST UNFOLD A MAP? Not the pinch-to-zoom kind; I mean an actual map made of ink and wrinkles, of paper and possibilities.

For most of us, it's been years. We dumpstered Rand McNally way back and put our trust in the machines. Now algorithms guide us on drab slogs from A to B.

Where's the magic in that?

I ponder the question for a moment, then spread open a paper map of Northern California. Over my shoulder, the delicate wrists of the Golden Gate Bridge rise like stalks from the gray soup below. Framed against the 2023 BMW M2's periwinkle hood, the map beckons like an invitation.

Among the paper maps we have left, Butler maps stand apart. Intended for motorcyclists, a Butler map grades every paved road by the joy it brings a rider. Orange roads meet a baseline for curviness, challenge, and enjoyment, even peril. Roads highlighted red rate one step better. But the golden G1 roads-the highest grade on a Butler map-are heavenly enough to spend a lifetime chasing.

Court Butler did. In 2008, Butler Motorcycle Maps' eponymous founder was working off student debt in a flooring shop. On weekends, he was his riding group's de facto planner, scouring forums and doing the hard miles to plot out the perfect road trip. But from 9 to 5, Butler stared out the shop window at his bike, yearning.

He thought people needed to share in the kind of knowledge he was working so hard to accumulate. Some might even pay for it.