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

Carla King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2008

An exploration of the borders between the United States, Canada, and Mexico becomes a comedy of breakdowns in small towns all around America in this four-month, ten-thousand mile adventure. Experience moments of blissful backroads freedom, cultural connection, and roadside romance--interrupted by cracked welds, electrical gremlins, evil tow truck drivers, tornadoes, and hurricanes. From B.C. to the Blue Ridge, Boquillias to Beverly Hills, American Borders is a unique and intimate exploration of the United States and its neighbors.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Carla manages to instruct the reader on how to look after a motorcycle, vividly portrays the characters and communities she finds herself passing through, and conveys the passion for travel that underpins every traveler's need to follow the road. She takes every breakdown, every weird encounter in her stride with a sense of humor, an eye for the ridiculous, and incredible stoicism.All this, and sex and relationships, too. A great read! --Maureen Wheeler, Lonely Planet

Finally, an entertaining book written by an experienced and well-traveled woman motorcyclist. Carla King is a breath of fresh air providing a down-to-earth, honest view of a solo road trip through the United States. Motorcyclists, non-motorcyclists, women and men will find Carla's story both heartwarming and revealing as she tiptoes the lines between feminine woman and hardcore biker, flirty and reserved, carefree and responsible. Carla is a true hero, smiling every mile of the way, finding humor in the worst of circumstances. Readers will not only get to know and love Carla, but get to know themselves a little bit more in the process. --Genevieve Schmitt, Women Riders Now

A great motorcycle journey with a great writer observing, capturing the feel, taste, and sense of the country. This bike, based upon a pre-war BMW, has lots of mechanical problems and much of the adventure comes from how she handles those and the people she meets during those times. She understands that real travel isn't about a destination but the journey and she has a great one. --Dal Smilie, American Motorcyclist Association

About the Author

Carla King is the author of several popular realtime Internet travel dispatches including American Borders, China Road, Italian Lessons, Indian Sunset, and Around the Adriatic. Her writing has been published in Travelers' Tales, In Search of Adventure, and Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel. She lives in San Francisco.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Motorcycle Misadventures; 1st edition (April 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964644517
• ISBN-13: 978-0964644519
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #515,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Travel > Specialty Travel > Solo Travel

More About the Author

Carla King's story "Alone, Illegal and Broken Down in China" was selected for The Best Travel Writing 2011 anthology by Travelers' Tales. Her book American Borders is based on her 1995 chronicles of breakdowns in small towns all around the USA during a four-month stint as R&D test rider for Ural America. Her Motorcycle Misadventures series continued in China, India, Europe, and Africa on other cranky indigenous motorcycles like the Chinese Chang Jiang and the Royal Enfield Bullet. A longtime tech writer, journalist, and web developer, Carla started self-publishing in 1994 with a guide to Cycling the French Riviera. In 2001 her writing group self-published Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel, which was picked up by a traditional publishing house. E-books and magazines she has produced include Motorcycling for Beginners, Ireland: The Sacred and the Profane, Taking Flight: An Offering for First-Time Travelers, and Writing: Your Passport to Life. Carla co-founded the Self-Publishing Boot Camp program in 2010, and she is a frequent speaker and columnist on the topic. She doesn't know where her next trip will be but wherever she is you can always find her at CarlaKing.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take Me With You Next Time!, June 19, 2007

By 

June P. Ahern "Author, The Skye in June" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Borders: A Solo Circumnavigation of the United States on a Russian Sidecar Motorcycle (Paperback)

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?

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great research material for those interested in the Ural motorcycle, May 24, 2007

By 

Ronald P. Wilder "flanative27" (Lakeland FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Borders: A Solo Circumnavigation of the United States on a Russian Sidecar Motorcycle (Paperback)

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventures Abound, February 18, 2008

By 

Alexia Parks "President, RapidEvolution.org" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: American Borders: A Solo Circumnavigation of the United States on a Russian Sidecar Motorcycle (Paperback)

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!