Barbering Biker Chris Keeble Cycles Across the United States
By Meg Hale Brunton
At 64 years old, longtime motorcyclist Chris Keeble has taken three months to scratch a major item off of her bucket list: she is biking across the major motorbike riding locations of the United States on her motorcycle, Calamity Jane. After spending the past thirty years cruising around her home country of Australia handing out haircuts to the locals, she’s brought Jane to share with the Home of the Brave. “I think I have more American followers on my social media than I do Australians,” she says, adding that her tricked-out motorcycle never fails to draw a crowd. “It’s been a showstopper everywhere we’ve gone.”
Chris started riding on the back of her ex-husband’s Harley Davidson, but soon grew tired of the role of passenger. After the couple separated, she got her own Harley. Though she loved the bike, she didn’t care for the connotation that seemed to come with owning a Harley-Davidson. She found that people who saw her on it would make remarks about her being a ‘bad-girl,’ or in the midst of a midlife crisis. So, she traded the Harley for Calamity Jane. Jane is a vintage Indian V-Twin cruiser motorbike that Chris has decorated with a one-of-a-kind steampunk, Western, Mad Max-style flair. “It’s a big bike for me to jump around on, but I manage,” Chris admits of the 420-kilo bike. “The bike I have now is my forever bike.”
Chris and Jane traveled all over Australia, having adventures, and meeting some amazing people along the way. One day, a friend of Chris’s who worked in an aged care facility in Sydney called her up, knowing that she had a background in hairstyling, and asked her to come do some styling work with their residents. “I hadn’t picked up the tools in thirty years,” Chris confesses of hairstyling. She found that it all came right back to her though. “I still had the skills. I thought, ‘How do I join up the skills that I have with my love of adventure?’” Thus, the Barbering Biker was born.
Chris would travel from village to village, offering haircuts and other treatments to people in need. For this, she worked with communities to select a person who is in need of a makeover, then sets up in a local pub, and does the styling followed by a big reveal. “It brings the community together and we all have a real good time,” Chris says. “If I can’t do a good deed with a makeover, I just ride my bike because she’s such a joy-giver.”
Having covered most of the Australian territory, Chris began planning a trip to ride the great bike routes of the United States. In Australia there is a Long Service Leave policy, under which a person is entitled to nine weeks of paid leave from their job, after working with a company for at least ten years. Having been with a marketing and brand management firm for the past ten years, Chris has been mentally mapping out this trip since she started work. “I think if you dream about something for long enough it comes true,” she says.
During her trip, Chris will ride over 15,000 miles, crossing the country twice and dipping into Canada as well. She is grateful that, during her planning process, she connected with her now-partner Damian who opted to join her on the trip. “It’s been great having him come along, and sharing all the special moments,” Chris says of the trip, adding that she sometimes refers to Damian as ‘MacGyver’ because he can fix anything. She adds that his forethought regarding mechanical and weather challenges has been invaluable, since her biggest concern with the trip was sharing a bathroom.
Since Australia is a long way from most other countries, Chris says that most Aussies aren’t intimidated by long vacations. “Australians are traditionally big travelers. We usually don’t think anything of sitting on a plane 24 hours,” she says. As much as she loves a good adventure, Chris does admit that she has missed her grandchildren terribly on this trip. “This is by far the biggest trip I’ve taken.”
Chris shares that she and Damian have ridden through some stunningly-beautiful scenic areas while they’ve been in the U.S., including Beartooth Pass in Montana, Bighorn National Park in Wyoming, Deadwood in South Dakota, and the Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina. “The signature rides haven’t disappointed,” Chris says. “Your national parks have had some amazing roads that have been fantastic to drive.” Chris says they still have a lot of miles to cover before their trip ends on September 25th, including Las Vegas, Sedona, and Big Sur.
Besides scenic wonders, Chris has gotten to experience several of one of her favorite American contributions to the world: the American hamburger. “I’ve had the best hamburgers, but I think I’ve had enough of them,” she admits. Chris adds that Damian is from Melbourne, which is known for its coffee, and has enjoyed tasting the American coffees… well, some of them.
More than anything, Chris and Damian have been blown away by the caring and generous nature that they have been shown by Americans during their trip, particularly by the supportive community of bikers. “We’ve not had one negative or bad experience,” she says, adding that they’ve also been lucky enough to dodge most of the bad weather on their trip. This September, Chris and Damian will be returning to Australia with memories of happy interactions and breathtaking views to hold onto forever. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing.”
To learn more about Chris Keeble, or to see more photos from her adventures, visit her website: www.barberingbiker.com