Carla King is an adventure travel journalist. She also runs some self-publishing boot camps to teach people how to get their own books published on their own.

We're going to talk with Carla about her passion for motorcycles, and in particular, a trip that she did back in 1995, where she took a Ural motorcycle, a Russian Ural Motorcycle, and wrote it around the United States. Now, for those who don't know what a Russian Ural motorcycle is, or just a Ural motorcycle, a Russian Euro-Motorcycle, and rode it around the United States. Now, for those who don't

know what a Russian Euro-Motorcycle is, or just a Euro-Motorcycle or Ural, it's a motorcycle that

was designed back in the late 30s by BMW and somehow found its way into the hands of the Russians.

Now, normally when somebody takes a motorcycle and starts manufacturing it, they make

improvements year after year. Things change, body styles change, especially improvements, but not

with the Ural. The Ural state exactly the same as it was in the late 30s, right up until, well,

just a few years ago. And I'm not even sure if they've actually changed them for the Russian market,

but certainly for the North American market, they've made some improvements to them,

and the motorcycle has changed somewhat.

But the bike that Carla rode around the United States was that original version one.

And, of course, with the old technology, it's problematic.

It has all types of things that tend to break down and not be as reliable as our motorcycles are.

But the unique thing about it, aside from its design and its look that it has, the classic look,

it comes with a sidecar stock, and it drives both rear wheels.

So in essence, you've got a two-wheel drive motorcycle.

That will take you into a lot of rough terrain and get you out of a lot of places

that you otherwise wouldn't. Carla starts her story at the age of 14 when she was in her parents' barn

and spotted a motorcycle and to Carla, that motorcycle was her escape.

I love that. I was trying to escape from my, you know, 14-year-old hormonal self, I suppose. Of course, when you're that age, you think it's escaping from everyone around you.

I did find peace.

I hadn't found that kind of peace.

...