D.W. Peek is a retired engineer who has motorcycled in New Mexico for more than 30 years, taking countless solo rides as well as organized group trips. His debut nonfiction book, 15 Great Motorcycle Rides in the Albuquerque Area (July 2026), “provides rides that are both gratifying and achievable within a single day of riding” and represents “an overview of some of the best that central and northern New Mexico has to offer the motorcycle rider.” Look for Dennis on RMK Publications and his SWW author page. 15 Great Motorcycle Rides in the Albuquerque Area is available on Amazon.
Why did you write 15 Great Motorcycle Rides in the Albuquerque Area, and who did you write it for?
This book originally started as a personal retirement project to document my 30+ years of local motorcycling, just something for me and my riding friends. However, over the course of the project, it evolved into a genuine guide book, usable by both novice and experienced riders. The preface tells the true story of a young, novice rider I met who had no idea where to go on his new bike. That moment was when the book transformed from a personal memoir-like effort to a usable guidebook.
What challenges did you face in writing/publishing your debut nonfiction book?
The maps were a huge hurdle, as was the creation of an e-book edition. I handled the maps myself, but obtained help for creation of the e-book.
Were you surprised by any aspect of the project as it unfolded or did it meet your expectations?
I was surprised that it took so long and was so difficult to complete. At the beginning, I thought that I would easily crank it out in few months.
How is 15 Great Motorcycle Rides in the Albuquerque Area organized and why did you put it together that way?
It’s organized by direction from Albuquerque. As a rider who might be looking for a ride to do, it just seemed natural to organize it that way. However, after publication, it occurred to me that cross indices by length and scenery/road type might be useful. Perhaps in the 2nd edition!
How did the book come together?
The research was easy in that these are all favorite motorcycle rides I’ve been doing for decades, so I knew what I wanted to include in general. Before publication, I rode every single ride again, and took notes on anything that might have changed recently, for incorporation into the final text and maps. The genesis of the book was an email I wrote to a group of friends who came to Albuquerque from around the country in 2019 for some group riding I was leading. That email included mapped routes and ride descriptions for about a half dozen rides centered on Albuquerque. The writing of the book took about two years, albeit with a number of breaks where little progress was occurring for a couple of months at a time. The maps were the toughest and lengthiest holdup. I had always used Google Maps for route planning, and assumed I could use screen shots of their maps in the book. When I was almost done with the book, I found out that Google did not allow this for travel books of any kind, even travel books with expected very small circulation. So, I had to learn an open-source GIS software package, find public data, and make the maps myself. This was almost a year delay. Edit cycles involved several informal ones with writing group friends, one “technical review” cycle with riding buddies who had ridden all the rides with me, and an editing cycle by a family member who used to edit professionally. For the e-book creation, the cover, and the first time through the entire Amazon KDP self-publishing process, I obtained help from RMK Publishing.
Do you have a favorite ride/day trip or one you always recommend first?
It’s incredibly difficult to pick a single favorite since all 15 rides are genuine favorites. But if I had to pick a couple, #11, Sandia Crest Climb, is a favorite very short ride, and #7, Taos High Road/Low Road, is a favorite longer ride.
Did you discover anything surprising while doing research?
Indeed. First, that the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge would be closed to pedestrian traffic for the next couple of years while they build anti-suicide barriers. You can ride across, but you cannot park and walk out on the bridge at this time. Second, that Sandia Crest would be closed at the very top for the next couple of years while the facilities at the Crest are demolished and rebuilt. You can still ride almost to the top though. Third, that the Budville Trading Post mentioned in Ride #3, Route 66 Albuquerque to Grants, (caption for Photo 3-1) was the site of several murders back in the day. I’d ridden past it many times without knowing that.
What was your favorite part of working on this project?
My favorite part was going through my entire photo collection looking for the perfect photos for each ride. Each photo had to be a scene that is actually part of the ride, had to not have any people in it, and preferably would include a motorcycle or two belonging to me or a riding buddy. It was a real trip down memory lane to find these 30 or so photos out of thousands.
Why did you decide to use a pen name?
My pen name is barely a real pen name. I just used my first two initials instead of my first name. Some of my long-time riding buddies referred to me as “DW” over the years so I went with that.
Have you ever wanted to write fiction? If so, what genre, and what has held you back?
Yes. I actually started a thriller-type novel back in the late 90s. But it was tough to do at the time, given the fact that I was already spending 10–12 hours per day on the computer for my career. The next project may well be a piece of fiction, although I have another motorcycling book roughed out as well.
What genre do you enjoy reading the most? Who are some of your favorite authors?
For pleasure reading, I really enjoy non-fiction history, as well as mysteries and some science fiction. My most recent favorite author is Martha Wells, whose Murderbot Diaries series is a really engaging, fresh take on the science fiction genre.
What writing projects are you working on now?
As mentioned above, I have another motorcycling book roughed out as well, this one involving multi-day touring in the four corners states. I am also considering some short form fiction. The sky’s the limit; I love writing and now in retirement have the time to do so.
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has volunteered as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
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