
Preview | Kids in America
Preview: Episode 2 | 2m 23sVideo has Closed Captions
The riders struggle through California, Nevada, Arizona and the Colorado mountains.
The riders struggle through California, Nevada and Arizona. Crashes ensue, and a few riders contemplate quitting. Heat forces them to the side in Arizona, but experiences in the Grand Canyon, Navajo Nation and Durango, Colorado, propel them eastward. Williford’s leadership is brought into question. One rider returns to Kingman to complete “missing” miles.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Shadow of a Wheel is a local public television program presented by PBS NC

Preview | Kids in America
Preview: Episode 2 | 2m 23sVideo has Closed Captions
The riders struggle through California, Nevada and Arizona. Crashes ensue, and a few riders contemplate quitting. Heat forces them to the side in Arizona, but experiences in the Grand Canyon, Navajo Nation and Durango, Colorado, propel them eastward. Williford’s leadership is brought into question. One rider returns to Kingman to complete “missing” miles.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- [Rider] With these fantastic machines, we shared the adventure, the intense joy and suffering.
There was sweat and tears, wrecks, and some blood.
And through these same struggles, we bonded to each other, at least most of the time.
[boom] [swoosh] - Remember a car pulling up next to me with a bunch of white teenagers kind of goofy and rolling down their window and going, "You're never gonna make it."
- [Rider] It was horrible, stifling.
- [Rider 2 ] It was dangerous.
- Highway patrolman pulls up and he's like it's 140 degrees on this pavement right here.
- A trucker told Judy, a biker's been hit.
- I mean, this was just a lot to handle.
- The first thing that comes to my mind when somebody says Vegas, is the buffets.
- I have no idea how fast we were going.
- [Rider 2] The ambulance and the fire and the police came.
- We had a herculean task for kids our age.
- I had a crush on Darlene.
- We were beginning to get a little rebellious.
- We hitchhiked out.
- Hey guys, let's all have some beer.
- We crossed into the Navajo Nation.
Independence Day didn't mean the same thing there.
Why didn't I know that?
- We were on the same road but we all saw it from a different viewpoint.
- [Rider 1] That 16 year old trying to make sense of the world.
- Herding kittens, had to have been just insane.
- [Rider 1] He wanted to beat me with his bike pump.
- [Rider 3] Chuck ranting and raving, cussing me out over something.
Just yelling.
- Trip was over.
It was over.
He had ended it all.
- Just get me a, an effing airline ticket, and I'm tired of all these effing little kids.
- This was the only stretch of road on the entire bike trip that I did not ride.
- I think you become who you are in life, because you emulate somebody or in spite of somebody.
- I got more miles in me.
I got, I got more miles in me.
[rumbling] [swooshing sound]
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Shadow of a Wheel is a local public television program presented by PBS NC