Jim Falls woman, 80, rides over 9,000 miles on a motorcycle trip

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By ELIZABETH HOCHSTEDLER
elizabeth.hochstedler@lee.net
Monday, August 18, 2008 10:17 AM CDT

Eighty-year-old Thelma Tomasek didn’t see age as a factor when she agreed to take a 9,500-mile trip to Alaska on the back of a Harley-Davidson.

Tomasek, of Jim Falls, had only been on a motorcycle once, and her friends told her she was crazy, but nothing was going to stop her.

She knew her friend Paul Kinderman of Eau Claire had been planning the trip, but she didn’t imagine she’d go along until the opportunity came.

One day when Kinderman was visiting Tomasek at her house, he asked if she would you like to go to Alaska with him.

“I said, ‘I’d love it,’” recalls Tomasek.

She had met Kinderman almost eight years ago. Her husband passed away in November 2000, and one of her friends suggested she join a singles group in Eau Claire.

That’s where she met Kinderman.

“We hit if off right away,” she said.

“He’s like a son to me,” she added of her friend who is about 30 years younger than her.

Tomasek and Kinderman have gone on several ice fishing trips to Canada.

“We’ve just been good friends ever since,” she said.

Knowing their chemistry, Tomasek never thought twice when Kinderman asked her to go along to Alaska.

They left July 8 for their 24-day trek. Their journey ran them through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana and Canada to their farthest point at Homer Spit, Alaska.

The two set off with a few changes of clothes (all that would fit in the motorcycle), a map and a few destinations in mind. They didn’t have a timeline.

“We never booked motels ahead of time,” Tomasek said.

They chose to come and go from each location as they pleased, at their own pace.

“We just did whatever we wanted,” she said.

Neither of the two had ever been to Alaska, so every turn revealed new surprises.

“I never expected those waterfalls and glaciers,” Tomasek said. “(The) waterfalls, you wouldn’t believe how beautiful and how many there are.”

She also enjoyed the mountains and wildlife she saw along the way.

The trip on a motorcycle was much different had they been in an enclosed vehicle. The two had to endure rain on many days, but they prepared by packing rain suits.

They also followed roads which ran along the edges of mountains, and from a motorcycle, Tomasek said it was easy to see the drop, but she was never scared.

“I trusted him,” she said of Kinderman.

Before leaving, Tomasek was a little worried about how comfortable the ride would be. Her friends warned her that she would probably be sore, but she didn’t experience any pain.

“It never bothered me one bit,” she said. “That bike is so comfortable.”

The Harley was also equipped with an intercom system, so Tomasek and Kinderman could talk throughout the trip.

Tomasek said some of the most notable sights she witnessed were Glacier National Park, the Alaskan oil pipeline and Homer Spit.

Tomasek tried to fully embrace her Alaskan experience. She and Kinderman went on two cruises, panned for gold, ate a lot of fresh seafood and even hit the Salty Dawg Saloon. The bar, in Homer, Alaska, is known for having money and other souvenirs signed by visitors hanging everywhere.

“That place, it’s unbelievable,” Tomasek said. “It was just really something.”

Since she has returned, Tomasek has been telling all of her friends about her adventure.

“That was one chance of a lifetime, and I took it,” she said.

And she’s not ready to let her age stop her from taking another trip.

“I’d jump on that motorcycle again.”