Susan, her dog, Comanche, and her 99,000 mile '78 CB750K
take a short rest from the road.
| Honda Star Review |
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Saturday January, 1995 - Volume XIV, No. 1 |
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Road Magic
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Susan, her dog, Comanche, and her 99,000 mile '78 CB750K take a short rest from the road. |
She saved up her money, convinced her dad she could handle a motorcycle and purchased a brand new Honda CB360; once again, just like many of the rest of us. Susan learned how to handle the CB360 and started making plans for a cross-country motorcycle tour in the summer of 1980. She purchased a 1978 brand new Honda CB750K for the journey.
The magic day arrived and off she and another traveling companion rode for the adventure of their lives. Sound familiar? Well, here's where her story might differ from yours just a bit.
Susan kept going!
Fourteen years and forty-nine states later, she decided to take a rest in Woodward, Oklahoma, and assemble the diaries and journals she kept over the years into a book. The first book is entitled Road Magic and makes for interesting, it not a little offbeat, story of some of her many adventures.
In addition to riding her motorcycle all over the country, she learned how to drive a semi-truck and covered many thousands of miles piloting 18-wheelers. She is to be admired for her nerve and determination to carry out a dream to fulfillment and beyond. How many of us have wanted to walk into our boss, say "I quit!" and take to the road on our motorcycle? Practical or not, sometimes it's fun to think about.
Quoting Susan directly as to why she decided to write the books, she says, " While riding my motorcycle within the extensive boundaries of North America, I have been overwhelmed by the beauty our land exhibits, the kindness given freely from our people, the wild and free moods of nature. These gifts amaze me to such a great measure, I cannot keep them to myself. "
Who is this critter? It's Comanche, a dog Susan rescued from abandonment. Since then, she never goes anywhere without her faitful little canine perched in a milk crate mounted on the back seat. |
Piles of journals await compilation into Part III and maybe even Parts IV & V of Road Magic. |
"Road Magic is written from the journals I have kept since 1980. For the last few years, in between driving a semi-truck coast to coast, I have taken the contents of the journals and have worked on putting my experiences into three books, Road Magic, Parts 1, II, and III."
"My story contains words of the heart, my viewpoint of life. No doubt, attitudes will collide now and then with people from different walks of life. Some may relate, some may revolt, some may welcome, some may be awe-struck. Whatever results, I have tried to present the pure, unspoiled account of my life while exploring my backyard, the incredible United States of America!"
"Perhaps some of what I have learned might open a new door for someone else."
This is a real story. Not all the language or situations are suitable for young, impressionable minds and a little profanity sneaks in here and there. An occasional unsafe riding practice surfaces, but I found the stories to be very entertaining and I could relate to many of Susan's adventures.