If I can do it, you can too! Just two years after getting my license I took a solo 8-week cross country trip from Oregon to Washington DC and back, traveling through 28 states over 15,000 miles. On that trip I also conquered three of the more technically challenging roads in the country—Million Dollar Highway (above left), Beartooth Pass (above middle), and Tail of the Dragon (above right).

At first, I was completely terrified to even attempt to drive a bike. I don’t consider myself to be physically coordinated and had no previous motorcycle driving experience, other than a few trips on dirt bikes almost 40 years earlier. So, when I decided to get my license at age 52, I took a private lesson before taking the DMV-required course. The first thing I told my private instructor was that I probably was going to crash his bike or pass out from a panic attack. I almost hoped he would tell me I could back out. Instead he said that students “dumped” the bikes every day, and it wasn’t a big deal. Sure enough, in less than thirty seconds, I managed to crash into the only obstacle—a small island with dirt and shrubs and a concrete border. I wasn’t going that fast, and the bike merely shook and stalled. I felt like it would be impossible for me to ever be somewhat competent on a bike, but by the end of the lesson, I was driving in circles, stopping the bike, and even going around some cones.

My instructors that weekend were kind, helpful, and very encouraging. I passed the writing test with an A, but then I panicked at the skills test. I was at the front of the line with 11 riders behind me, waiting and watching, the instructor in front of me with a clip board. Everything I had learned went out the window.  I felt so self-conscious that my heart started beating quickly, and my hands starting shaking. I didn’t stop in time for quick braking, went outside the lines on a curve, and rode over or on the wrong side of the cones. The instructor asked, “What’s wrong? You were doing fine during the class.”

I was completely mortified and not surprised when I failed. Strangely enough, when I was getting in my car to leave, relieved that at least the ordeal was over, a male, much younger classmate shook my hand and said, “It was an honor and a pleasure to take this class with you.”

I’m still not sure why the man made the comment, but I suspect it was because during the class my joy and passion for motorcycle riding had become evident. During the previous four years, I had ridden over 60,000 miles on the back of a bike to all 48 contiguous states. So even though I had almost no bike driving skills, I did have an enthusiasm for riding that I couldn’t help but express.

It was this love for riding and my determination in general that propelled me to take two more lessons before re-taking the skills test the following weekend. During one of these lessons we were practicing sharp right turns, and I was terrified each time. I confessed my fear, hoping the instructor would teach me something else. Instead, he said, “Well, then it appears we need to practice the right turns a lot more.”

After the extra lessons, I prepared to try the skills test again. The head instructor there was not as encouraging, answering a question, “If you have to ask a question like that, maybe you shouldn’t be taking the test.” During the actual test my bike stopped, and I was unable to restart it. He said, “How do you expect to pass this test if you can’t even keep your bike turned on?” He was also unable to start the bike, so I had to switch bikes in the middle of the test. I was sure I had failed, but I decided to give it my very best anyway. At the end, I was jubilated to hear that although I had gotten the worst score possible to pass, I had done it! At that time there was no way I could imagine that just two years later I would travel over 15,000 miles across the country on my own.

I tell all of my high school math students that not all of us have the same strengths. However, all of us can be successful if we are determined enough. I may not be the most natural motorcyclist, but my love for the sport and my consistent practice has allowed me to significantly strengthen my riding skills.