Kickstands Up!

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv
The Idea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Search for Adventure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Dreaming Bigger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Dream Becomes Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Mid-February
Last week of February
Saturday, February 25
Getting from Point A to Point B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Mid-March
Packing Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
First Weekend in April: 62 Days to Kickstands Up! 
The Preparations Continue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
The Other Side of the Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Final Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
April 13: 46 Days to Kickstands Up!
First Week of May: 35 Days to Kickstands Up!
Third Week of May: 18 Days to Kickstands Up!
The Grand Adventure Begins! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
0 to 85 mph in 24 Hours, or . . . 
It’s Not a Learning Curve, It’s a Cliff! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Monday, June 5: Paducah, Kentucky, to Blue Springs, Missouri
Biker Girl Meltdowns and Racing against the Storm . . . . . . . 91
Tuesday, June 6: Blue Springs, Missouri, to Hays, Kansas
A New Perspective on Traffic, Mountains, and Wind . . . . . . . 99
Wednesday, June 7: Hays, Kansas, to Fort Collins, Colorado
So, Who Are the Women 
of the Women’s Freedom Ride? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Thursday, June 8: Fort Collins, Colorado, to Rock Springs, Wyoming
Commandeering the Local IHOP, 
Bike Drops at Gas Stops, and a Day Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Friday, June 9: Rock Springs, Wyoming, to Idaho Falls, Idaho 
Cold Mornings, Bad Hotels, 
and a Very Special Dinner Guest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Sunday, June 11: Idaho Falls, Idaho, to Billings, Montana
Monday, June 12: Billings, Montana, to Deadwood, South Dakota
A Day Off in Deadwood and 
a Very Long Day in South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
Tuesday, June 13: A Layover Day in Deadwood, South Dakota
Wednesday, June 14: Deadwood, South Dakota, to Fairmont, Minnesota
Back to Wisconsin, Bike Night in Milwaukee, 
and Saying Goodbye . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Thursday, June 15: Fairmont, Minnesota, to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Saturday, June 17: Last Day of My Ride
Epilogue: All Good Things Must Come to an End . . . 
or Must They? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146

Appendix: Bike Stats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Appendix: GoFundMe Letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Appendix: Packing Suggestions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Appendix: Women’s Freedom Ride 2017 
Stops at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
More from Paula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161