PRELUDE
It wasn’t the first time I’d be driv-
ing cross country. When I was 18, just
before going into the Air Force, I rode
my Honda CB750 motorcycle from
New York to California with one of my
friends. He was only 17, so I actually
had a letter from his mother asking
me to take care of him. We did the
7,500-mile trip in 17 days and, for me,
it was a life-changing experience. I
don’t remember anyone supporting
our decision to take that trip, but
there were many supportive and inter-
esting people we met along the way.
At that time, being hassled on our
bikes in New York was common. So
imagine our surprise when we were
approached by a Colorado Trooper
while parked along Route 80 after I’d
just repaired a flat tire. He was excited
when he greeted us and said when he
saw our New York plates he had to
stop. Did we need anything? Were we
having a good time? It turned out that
he dreamed of making such a trip
across the country himself, and every-
one told him he was crazy. We ended
up sitting on the hood of his car talk-
ing for about an hour. He was happy to
meet people fulfilling their dream that
was also his dream. He wanted to
know everything about our experience
and talking to us renewed his passion
for doing the same thing. We never
found out if he was able to make the
The SHELBY AMERICAN
Fall 2015 295
CA
PA
VA
Tim Kilinski saddles up 6S336 and rides solo into the sunset, headed for
NorCal’s Mini-Nats and then to Monterey’s GT350 celebration.
As soon as it was over he pointed the car east and headed to SAAC-40.
After that it was back home to Virginia. Total mileage: 7,582.
Folks, we have a new Shelby Hero!
– Tim Kilinski