By Patsy Hughson

Riding on the back of a motorcycle can be a hair raising experience, particularly if you always wear a fur coat.

Comanche and Susan Foss have traveled thousands of miles together across the United States and Canada. Susan is an adventurous 31 year old woman and Comanche is her six year old canine companion.

The allegiance between these best friends began when Susan found a box of abandoned puppies in a parking lot in Deadwood, SD and adopted Comanche. The dog is a small, friendly mixed breed with a shiny black coat and an inquisitive expression.

Travels with Susan have taken Comanche on many unique and exciting escapades. The dog rides behind her mistress in a plastic milk case that is lashed securely to the passenger seat of the 1978 750 Honda.

Prior to her affiliation with Comanche, Susan led a rather mundane life.

Following graduation from high school in Billerica, MA she attended a community college for two years and then worked as an executive secretary for Honeywell in Boston.

Susan was overcome by wanderlust in 1980 and began the fateful journey that would lead her to South Dakota and her meeting with her traveling companion.

Susan's first long bike trip was a "summer ride." It consisted of a 10,000 mile loop around the continental U.S. that ended in Tucson, AZ where she worked as a secretary to finance her subsequent trip to Deadwood. In Deadwood she became a waitress in an historic saloon. Comanche began riding when she was about six weeks old. Since that time she has logged over 70,000 miles on the bike. In 1983 they began earning their keep by driving 18 wheel trucks in the "oil patches" of Montana.

1984 found the pair in Idaho where they lived a rustic existence in a log cabin. They had no water, electricity, phone. They hunted for their meat and foraged for fruits and vegetables. It was truly "dog heaven", but all good things must end, and soon it was time to move on.

Oklahoma became their home base in 1985 and they began to traverse the country in a semi. Comanche has picked up an additional 200,000 miles riding "shotgun" in the rig.

Soon after they met, Comanche and Susan realized that they had a common goal. They both longed to visit Alaska. For five years she worked and saved to make their dream a reality.

On June 22 they left Woodward, OK and meandered North to Alaska. At a diner they met five fellow travelers from Texas and roamed the state together for the next week.

While in Alaska they traveled over 500 miles of rough gravel road and missed being buried in a landslide by less than five hours.

Comanche has not forgiven Susan for bathing her and removing the marvelous smell of decaying Alaskan wildlife that she so carefully distributed through her coat, but somehow, none of the people around seemed to appreciate the wonderful odor.

Comanche and Susan headed east across Canada following their Alaskan adventure and connected with a bush pilot in Ontario. He flew them to an uninhabited island where he dropped them off. They spent the next four days communing with nature. Their only company was the loons, the beavers, the ducks and each other.

The next destination was Billerica, MA where they spent Labor Day weekend with Susan's Family.

Now they headed West to Texas, which brought them through our area.

Thursday morning, as the duo was leaving the Valley View Motel in Hamden, the motel owners felt that this story should be told and had them stop at the Reporter office as they passed through Walton.

By the end of next week, Comanche and Susan have plans to meet with the Texans for a barbeque to relive their Alaskan journey via video tape.

Susan has been keeping journals during her travels and with Comanche's help she hopes to have a manuscript ready to submit to a publisher in approximately one year.

It is tentatively titled "Road Magic" which encompasses both the asphalt thoroughfares they have traveled and the emotional byways they have explored.

Susan could not find words to describe the beauty of the land and the people she has encountered. She never plans a route, letting whim and circumstance guide her travels.

Comanche sees everything in retrospect. Susan's back obscures Comanche's view of where they are headed but she delights in her memories of where they have been.