indago
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- Oct 27, 2007
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From The Associated Press 2 July 2016:
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A century ago, when the automobile was in its infancy and most roads weren't paved, two intrepid sisters from Brooklyn made a remarkable journey — a 4,000-mile trek across the country on motorcycles. Augusta and Adeline Van Buren devised the trip in 1916 in the run-up to World War I, seeking to prove women could be military motorcycle couriers, able to endure long distances and harsh conditions as well as men. ...The Lincoln Highway, which the sisters followed, was cobbled together in 1913 and went from New York City's Times Square to San Francisco, but it simply connected local roads.
"They were literally riding on the very same horse trails that farmers used, and out West were covered wagon trails, unimproved, unmarked, unsigned..." ...Daring to be great was part of the Van Buren sisters' upbringing. Their mom died when they were young, and their dad raised them to be independent, athletic and strong. The Van Burens flew airplanes, knew how to box, rode horses and raced them, ice skated, and even took part in an annual motorcycle race from New York to Poughkeepsie on New Year's Eve.
At just over 5 feet tall and weighing under 120 pounds, the sisters (Augusta was 32 and Adeline 27 in 1916) were nevertheless tough. They had to be to attempt such a feat, aboard a pair of Indian Powerplus motorcycles, heavy, powerful machines capable of reaching 60 mph but with no front brake.
..."If you see some of the pictures of them, they're just so happy. They're having so much fun..."
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A century ago, when the automobile was in its infancy and most roads weren't paved, two intrepid sisters from Brooklyn made a remarkable journey — a 4,000-mile trek across the country on motorcycles. Augusta and Adeline Van Buren devised the trip in 1916 in the run-up to World War I, seeking to prove women could be military motorcycle couriers, able to endure long distances and harsh conditions as well as men. ...The Lincoln Highway, which the sisters followed, was cobbled together in 1913 and went from New York City's Times Square to San Francisco, but it simply connected local roads.
"They were literally riding on the very same horse trails that farmers used, and out West were covered wagon trails, unimproved, unmarked, unsigned..." ...Daring to be great was part of the Van Buren sisters' upbringing. Their mom died when they were young, and their dad raised them to be independent, athletic and strong. The Van Burens flew airplanes, knew how to box, rode horses and raced them, ice skated, and even took part in an annual motorcycle race from New York to Poughkeepsie on New Year's Eve.
At just over 5 feet tall and weighing under 120 pounds, the sisters (Augusta was 32 and Adeline 27 in 1916) were nevertheless tough. They had to be to attempt such a feat, aboard a pair of Indian Powerplus motorcycles, heavy, powerful machines capable of reaching 60 mph but with no front brake.
..."If you see some of the pictures of them, they're just so happy. They're having so much fun..."
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