Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas December 2016 | Page 9

FEATURES

throttle and brakes. As I boarded the plane with my
backpack, my duffle bag over my shoulder, and my
helmet in my hand, I found a sense of calm - it was
go time.
I planned my route according to where I was
meeting up with the other babes. From Brooklyn, I
headed down the coast to Thibodaux, Louisiana to
meet up with Kat, one of the girls I rode with last
year. It was so sentimental to connect with friends
along the way - people I had met almost two years

ago when I was newly on the road - unaware of the
grandeur of what I was doing or what I was
about to achieve. Being back on the open road, I
quickly realized that it is more of a home to me than
any other place ever will be.
From Louisiana to Texas, to New Mexico, to
Arizona and finally to California, we picked up
girls at each stop and what started out as just
me, ended up a tribe of six. There was nothing
that would stop us from making it to Babes Ride
Out, not even a seized engine (that’s a story for
another time). The fact that six strangers from
Instagram came together and became sisters was
a phenomenon that Kat, Lil and I experienced last
year, but the other three girls had never dreamed
of. All of us came together over the fact that none
of us usually ride or hang out with other women.
All of us bonding over the love for riding and the
determination to live life to its fullest. Gas stops
took three times as long, getting out the door in the
morning was a whole ordeal, and we were always
hours behind schedule, but I would not change it
for the world.
We were cold, tired, relieved and ready for
whiskey by the time we finally took the right hand
turn down Sunfair Road in our final destination,
Joshua Tree, California. The familiar bumps and
curves led us to the place that we would inhabit
for the next three nights. After setting up camp, we
made our way to the common area to check out
the set-up of this year’s event. It didn’t take long
before Lil and I, like the entertainers we are, took
the stage and crushed some Journey karaoke,
Thunder Roads Magazine of OK/AR

9