American Borders: A Solo Circumnavigation of the United States on a Russian Sidecar Motorcycle

American Borders describes Carla King's incredible 10,000-mile, four-month solo motorcycle journey around the United States on a Russian Ural equipped with a sidecar. The book begins by explaining how the author mustered the courage to undertake such a trip and why she was not afraid to travel alone. It explains that a few years before this journey, she and her husband had planned a motorcycle trip through Europe but her husband canceled at the last minute leaving her to travel alone. After recovering from her anger, she realized that riding solo gave her much more independence and pleasure than she had expected. Chapter two describes the beginning of the US borders trip and the next twenty-three chapters describe a series of problems she encountered along the way, people who gave her assistance in times of need, and random thoughts about life. King began her trip on June 22, 1995 in Santa Cruz, California. She rode north up the Pacific coast to Vancouver British Columbia and then turned east. For the next 2,500 miles, she crossed back and forth across the border between Canada and the US. She rode through Greenwood BC, Glacier National Park, Milk River Alberta, Portal North Dakota, Thunder Bay Ontario, and Sault St. Marie Ontario. This leg of the trip was the most difficult due to repeated breakdowns. From Sault St. Marie, she turned south riding through Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia to her family's home in North Carolina. After a brief rest, she continued her trip through South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and down to the pan handle of Florida. She had planned to camp and scuba dive a few days at Fort Pickens National Seashore on the Gulf of Mexico, but her plans were cut short by an approaching hurricane. She moved on through Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas (with a brief jaunt into Mexico), New Mexico, and Arizona before reentering her home state of California. At the end of her trip, she attended a farewell birthday party for Timothy Leary. On several occasions, King found herself stranded in remote places--especially along the US-Canadian border-- because of mechanical failures. Each time she broke down, King was calm and drew emotional support from various sources as she waited for assistance, wreckers, or shipped parts. For example, she was raised in a family of mechanics and had learned a few basic mechanical skills which were occasionally successful in solving the problem. She had been assured by the Ural America company president that mechanical advice over the phone would be available 24/7 and that replacement parts would be shipped overnight if necessary. She also drew emotional support from her grandparent's diary describing a 1927 auto trip around the US, the book entitled Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig, and a book of Emerson's essays. Over and again, King was able to find mechanics in small towns and good people who offered food, lodging, and emotional support. In addition to describi

Although it was a little slow in places, overall I thought this was a great book. By the time I finished I was ready to by a Ural and retrace her steps!

Carla King and I have never met. However, we became friends when she read my book, then sent me her own. I'm a scooter person, I've never riden a motorcycle. Yet it didn't take much imagination to ride along right behind her, because every bend in the road brought a new adventure. Carla's voice is authentic, engaging, and best of all ... enduring. I've known men who have taken off on a motorcycle trip to South America, but this is a different kind of journey. I think that it takes a lot of courage for an attractive, single woman to set off on the road alone. Whether by bike or motorcycle, it takes more than an adventurous spirit to manage the moments when you pull up alongside a motorcycle gang, or the small town loner. It takes the ability to rapidly sort options and defuse potentially dangerous situations with a tool set of inner skills. Carla has this ability in spades. And she's also got first-rate mechanical skills. Whether her trip was prompted by heartbreak, or her heart's longing for the open road, she got what she was looking for and so much more! I read the book with delight, like enjoying a box of chocolates all by yourself; and I highly recommend it. Alexia Parks, author of Rapid Evolution, Seven Words That Will Change Your Life Forever!

From the moment Carla's motorcycle started up the road to adventure, I was with her - in the sidecar - the whole way. You discover, laugh, get pissed off, and at times, unsure what's next as King curves and glides across America. Great adventurous read. All the people you meet. I felt as though I was meeting them too. Love the Canadian border/US border group. When the bike breaks down, and it does - the uncertainity of - are we done now? Hope not. And, then on the road again. Makes you want to take off and discover the jewels awaiting you in a unique travel mode, especially for a woman. Where to next, Carla?

I began researching the Ural sidecar rig in 2000. At that time, the bike was still relatively unreliable and more suited to those with a penchant for tinkering. Ms. King's book really highlights the flaws in those early bikes, and provides an entertaining and down-to-earth look at how the manufacturer of a new and/or inferior product must go through the painful process of constant refinement and change in order to survive in a very competitive market.