Wicked Woman Lisa Sprout Brogdon

Wicked Woman – Lisa “Sprout” Brogdon

Buckle your seat belts! I’m about to tell you about a humble little “wicked woman” whom I would have never guessed she was all she is cracked up to be, until someone else told me about her. I had heard of Lisa before I ever got to meet her as a few people had told me about this gal in Tulsa who had ridden in a contest in which she rode over 24,000 miles in one year. At first, I thought, is this for real? But then I kept hearing about her til I just had to start asking some questions.

Lisa “Sprout” Brogdon, like many of us, had experienced some life changes a few years back that helped her realize that the life train was chugging forward and it was time for her to jump on board and ride! Since she loved the outdoors and nature, her ride of choice was a motorcycle. After a motorcycle safety course, she felt confident in riding and purchased a bike.

After a year of riding, “Sprout” was ready to get on the road she had set out for when she bought her bike. In her second year of riding, she put 10,316 miles on her bike. The next year, 2008, she bought a Victory Kingpin and that’s when the riding took another direction. In that year, she rode 20,535 miles. A pretty good rate of getting her feet wet, but then she discovered something really cool that she wanted to do.

“Sprout” is a member of Women in the Wind. I asked her how she got involved with them, she said, “I rode with several groups and still do. However, a woman’s riding club seemed to be where I “fit in” the best! Women in the Wind is made up of women from various backgrounds but, they all love to ride and share the joys of the road! These women form a sisterhood that is invaluable in riding and life! The local Tulsa Chapter belongs to the Confederation of Clubs of Oklahoma. Once she had piled on over 20,000 miles, the ladies took it upon themselves to add “Sprout” to a safe mileage contest which is held by Women in the Wind. She has accomplished 4th place in that competition which covers riders in the USA, Canada, Great Britian and Australia. In 2009, she traveled 24,176 miles!

As I met with “Sprout”, I found that she had not only accomplished the 4th place finish in that competition, but she also pulled out a very impressive little ride log book for her riding with the Iron Butt National Parks Tour where she has achieved the Master Traveler GOLDAward. She said this tour seemed to be something that made sense as a goal to accomplish once she’d made the decision to see the United States by bike. From the documentation she’s been provided, it appears there are only about 44 people who have achieved the Master Traveler Award and only 4 to 5 of them are women. What a feat! Now, saying someone traveled over 20,000 miles two years in a row, seems kind of large. But I have to say that when Lisa handed me that thick log book stuffed with stamps from all over the US including 71 National Parks, monuments and historic sites in 30 states from Maine to Florida to California and Alaska, I have to say I was nearly speechless. I couldn’t stop slowly flipping thru the pages viewing the huge number of stamps and places visited by her. The real kicker came when she told me that she had done ALL of these trips between January and July of 2009!!! Holy Cow! I about fell out of my chair. There were stamps from Acadia, Maine, Blue Ridge Parkway, Gettysburg, Flight 93 Crash Site, National Monuments in DC, the Oregon Trail, Craters of the Moon, Mount Rainer, Crater Lake, Crazy Horse and Tail of the Dragon. The Iron Butt organization is best known for its Saddle Sore Ride (1,000 miles in 24 hours). She has also accomplished this but, at this time, hasn’t completed the paperwork for her recognition.

Now. I know you readers and I can hear some of you all the way over here saying, “Sure. If I were rich, I could do that too.” So I asked her how this happened. She said that she was in her senior year in college as she’d gone back to school in this life repositioning and this was a graduation present to herself. She would jump on her bike the second she was out of class and travel a few days as far as she could before she had to be back to class. She also said she stayed many nights under the stars in a tent or with riders she met along the way. As she put it, motorcycles provide an economical way to travel. She told me, “I learned to eat Twizzlers while riding, run from flocks of mosquitoes and camp with bears in Alaska and Canada.”

“Sprout”, is also one of the MSF instructors which had instructed me this summer when I took my riding course. I asked her about her instructing. She said that once she had ridden in Alaska, she realized she had developed some bad riding habits that needed to be broken. She remembered her experience in the first class she took, so she went back there to get a refresher. She commented, “While I was in the course that time, I had a thought that I too might be able to instruct and help people become safer riders. After all, someone had taken the time with me and helped me to learn to do something that I have come to enjoy so much! I applied for the instructor’s position and was accepted. I was sent to 2 weeks of MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) school. Then I was sent to another week of IT (Intensive Training) especially designed for Harley Davidson Riders Edge instructors. I then had to retake the riding and written portion of the OklahomaState test. I am a certified Motorcycle Safety Instructor and am certified to instruct the Basic Rider and Experienced Rider Course for MSF and the New Rider, Advanced Rider and Group Riding Courses for Harley Davidson in the state of Oklahoma.”

At this point in the interview, I was wondering when did this “wicked woman” sleep? However, I also remembered that she participates in the Patriot Guard Riders. I found, like many things in which she participates, she has a personal connection and passion for this group. “My father is a 30 year military Veteran who served in Vietnam. There was no one there to welcome my daddy home when he came back to his family. So, I ride the welcome home rides for him and the funeral missions for the WWII vets and other fallen heroes to say “thank you” for their service. I find great joy in “being there” for the families in their time of need. I am honored and humbled to be a Ride Captain for the NE part of Oklahoma for the Patriot Guard Riders.”

In wrapping up this interview with this amazing “Wicked Woman”, I thought that I had met about the neatest lady rider I’ve met in a long time, then she confirmed it by saying, “I love to ride. It gives me a feeling of peace and control that I’ve never experienced. I’ve met some of the nicest people in the world because of riding. When I’ve had a good day OR a bad day….it all gets better when I get in some “helmet time” and just go for a ride on my bike. If I could figure out how to get my mutt of a dog on the bike…..well, I might just never come back home! “

Terri "T" Collier
Editor/Publisher
Thunder Roads Magazine of Oklahoma/Arkansas
PO Box 1864

Stillwater, OK74076

Phone 405-612-3844

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