Arlene Hueman and Barb Foss hopped on their motorcycles July 15, ready to embark on a cross-country adventure.

With wind whipping through their hair, the two made their way through stops in Seattle, Alaska and Canada, lugging all their gear in the back of their bikes.

When they returned to Minnesota six weeks later, the women had traveled 8,100 miles.

And there’s one more thing — Foss is 69; Hueman, 77.

“I’d be lost without my bike,” said Hueman, who has lived in Austin for more than 50 years. “I love it. I just love riding.”

Hueman and Foss know there are not many people their age — much less women their age — that motorcycle, but both have been biking for almost their whole lives and are still going strong.

“I just love the freedom of it,” Foss, of West Concord, Minn., said. “I feel more secure.”

Combined, the two have been biking for roughly 90 years, but they only met three years ago.

Both had recently switched over to three-wheeled “trikes” — which are more stable and offer more storage room than standard motorcycles — and were in a St. Charles, Minn., trike club.

The two became close friends, further bonded by the fact that each has lost their husband in recent years.

It was their husbands who also really pushed Hueman and Foss into motorcycling — something that was somewhat taboo for women.

“It was very rare for a woman,” Hueman said of the hobby she picked up some 50 years ago.

Foss had been biking for a number of years before she got married in 1995, but that’s when she really became engrossed with it, at the encouragement of her husband.

Even then, Foss said she was among a minority.

“You just didn’t see women on bikes,” she said.

During their trip, the two said they turned a few heads.

“I bet we had our picture taken 50 times,” Hueman said. “We’re a novelty.”

Added Foss: “There are not too many old people riding up to Alaska.”

8,100 miles and one great memory

The ride was Foss’ idea, but Hueman quickly said yes to an offer to go with.

Foss was headed to Beaverlodge, a small town in Alberta, Canada, for a family centennial celebration.

One hundred years ago, Foss’ great-grandparents and their family trekked from Ontario to Beaverlodge and settled down, and in summer 2009, the community decided to celebrate.

Foss said she was able to meet a number of family members that she had never met.

“I never knew any of these people before,” she said. “And I wouldn’t have met them without motorcycles.”

Hueman said there was three days of parades and cookouts to mark the occasion.

“It was a fantastic celebration,” she said.

Before arriving in Canada, they first stopped in Seattle, where Foss was in search of a small boat she had learned about named the “Barbara Foss.”

Foss wanted to get her picture taken with the namesake, but she and Hueman were disappointed to learn that it had just recently headed to sea.

Still, Foss was able to spend time with friends and family in Seattle before taking a scenic, winding highway north into Alaska.

“I love to find a road on the map that’s crooked,” Foss said, “and go find out why.”

The next trip?

With their love of biking and determination to make age but a number, it’s no surprise that Foss and Hueman are already planning for next spring or summer.

The two have said they’d like to make a trip to Florida and possibly weave up into New England.

“I’ve been there before, but not on a bike,” Hueman said.

Anybody can ride

Hueman knows that not many people in her demographic are motorcycle enthusiasts, but she doesn’t think anything should stop them from becoming one.

“Anybody that has any inclination to ride a bike should do it,” she said.

Foss agrees — she said “absolutely” more women her age should consider it as a new hobby.

Maybe, they could even join the two biking grandmas on a trip.

“It’s so exciting and it’s so wonderful meeting new people,” Foss said.