FEATURES
RIDING WEST WITH THE WILD WARRIOR WOMAN
I was leaning on the counter at my job in Huntington Beach , California , dreaming about the open road , when I heard my phone ping with the familiar sound of a new email . It was from my friend who had been holding onto my 1985 Honda Interceptor while I traveled on my Harley for fourteen months . He had moved from Maine to Brooklyn and no longer had a place to store the motorcycle for winter . “ Where should I ship it ?” he inquired . My brain started racing . I had my heart set on riding it cross-country eventually , but I thought I had until next summer to put together a plan .
“ How long do I have until winter hits New York ?”
“ Should I make that trip right now , even though I finally just broke even on my bills ?”
“ Do I even want to ride a vintage sport bike cross country alone ?”
It was the beginning of October and as I started
8 Thunder Roads Magazine of OK / AR thinking of options , the answer became obvious . In three weeks , I had friends out East making the trek cross-country for Babes Ride Out . Without a reason to ride east and then ride back west , I had been planning on just meeting them at the event in Joshua Tree . But now , with the Honda needing a way to get from NY to CA , it seemed as if the stars were begging me to ride . I immediately googled “ one way ticket to Brooklyn ”.
Per usual , it was 11 o ’ clock the night before my flight that I finally started to pack . Not only did I need to plan for the ride cross-country , but also for the highly anticipated weekend of camping in the desert . Then I need to figure out how to carry it all on the plane . I was nervous for no apparent reason . I have ridden cross-country on my Harley over eight times , racking up over 65,000 miles , but this was different . The Honda was older than me , had an engine a third of the size of my Harley , no cruise control , no fairing , and no tour pack , just a