Twelve chapters of this book are filled with Susan’s dream and intent to cycle to Alaska.  She is in search of the real story, not the modern day tourist places. She wants to see behind the billboards, as she puts it. 

This book is more than the usual rider’s log. Susan constantly studies the nature and surroundings and isn’t afraid to share her feelings and thoughts.  She is critical of man’s careless use of our lands and animals. She speaks of creating her own magic of the highway. Though she loves partying, and has some grand friends, she is not at all hesitant about going alone on a long, long ride. Susan doesn’t call it a solo ride because her constant companion is a small female dog whose name is Commanche. The dog travels in her softly lined milk crate and is always ready to roll. In fact, she grew up riding along.

Living in Minnesota, a former coast-to-coast semi driver, Susan has packed it in and moved to Oklahoma to be near friends and pursue her dream to ride and write. As a warm-up to leaving for Alaska she and Commanche took a cycle ride to Florida and back.  It was too early in the season for the ride north anyway.

She writes of the people she meets, and details her camps.  At one point she rode with two fellows, a father and son, from Whitehorse to Skagway. She describes the road surface as a challenging “gravel-hardtop-mud-potholes-flying rocks” kind of highway. Sometime after they went their separate ways she visited a place called Destruction Bay, located along the shore of Kluane Lake. She appreciates the native village of Burwash Landing, and talks about how man's disregard for nature has destroyed so much of its life. She and Commanche are only a few miles northwest from the roadside breakfast at Destruction Bay when a massive landslide totally wipes out the road they had traveled just shortly before!

She writes of meeting with five fellows from Texas. They crossed from the Yukon into Alaska together and spent days traveling and camping. Then they split up awhile and met up later. The end of the book is her return to Oklahoma and eventually riding to Texas to meet them again.

You will find this book full of the writer’s insight, and thought provoking at the same time. She includes numerous pictures in black and white and hand drawn maps now and again. One gets a big picture of how and what she is feeling as she absorbs the beauties of the Northern Lights, the icy creeks and mountain tops, even the rain brought out rainbows. 

Other than a few typographical errors, there is nothing to criticize about this book.  It is full of adventure and her joys of accomplishment as each day passes on her ride. 

Road Magic Part Three is a self-published book, 280 pages. Click on 'Books For Sale', write Susan Foss at PO Box 1743, Woodward, OK 73802, or call 580-254-3608.