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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