PRESS AND ARTICLES
interviews, articles, podcasts
Episode 334 - Interview with Amanda Zito
January 2023
Talking about my start on Youtube, my bikes, my gear, how long it takes to make videos, and how I prepared to become a Full Time Content Creator.
Episode 115 Amanda Zito on Embracing a Life of Adventure and Facing Anxiety Along the Way
Interviewer: Paula Burr | October 2022
Scott Brady interviews the inspiring Amanda Zito, solo adventure motorcycle traveler that has embraced the road less traveled. Amanda shares her process of facing anxiety and the challenges of finding her way through the wilderness of life.
Special Guest Amanda Zito
June 19 2022
We talked with her about the love of motorcycles and how she got into the “life” of motorcycle travel. Amanda shared some amazing stories and imparted some of the wisdom she has gained from her travels as well.
Podcast with Amanda Zito
June 2021
On this episode of the Old Friends New Roads Podcast we are joined by the wonderful Amanda Zito from As the Magpie Flies. We talk motorcycle travel, rocky mount roll, art and so much more. Amanda is as genuine as it gets and we had a wonderful time hanging out with her. Her videos and artwork are truly inspiring and were elated to consider Amanda a new friend of ours.
2WR 031: As the Magpie Flies | Amanda Zito
Interviewers: Mario Orsini. and Brian Boyer | March 2021
Talking about the Flight of the Magpie tour across the US, what it’s like being a solo female rider and a Youtuber.
Sunday Night Fireside Chat with the Boys: Guest Amanda Zito
Interviewers: Bo Dean 52, Broncoride, Harley Day Rider | FEB 2021
An informal Interview with Amanda Zito about her experience on Flight of the Magpie, her 8,000 mile tour of the US in 2020.
7 Lessons From 24 Days On The Road On A Motorcycle
Written by Justin Hughes | JAN 2020
Back in August 2020, Amanda Zito, a.k.a. As The Magpie Flies, took a 24-day, 8,000-mile motorcycle trip from her home in Oregon across the USA and back. If you're looking to live vicariously through someone else taking a big motorcycle journey, I highly recommend watching The Flight Of The Magpie. Today, however, we're looking at seven lessons she learned from this trip, which the rest of us can apply to our own motorcycling adventures.
Amanda Zito Rode 8,000 Miles Around the United States
Written by Wade Thiel } SEPT 2020
Amanda Zito is the person behind the YouTube channel As The Magpie Flies. She recently completed an 8,000-mile trip from her home in Portland, Oregon, to the east coast of the U.S. and back again.
The Cross-Country Flight Of The Magpie Begins
Written by Justin Hughes | SEPT 2020
Ever since I got on two wheels—I'm talking my childhood Mongoose mountain bike, long before I had a driver's license—I've dreamed of taking a trip across the US. So far I haven't gotten around to actually doing it. Amanda Zito, a.k.a. As the Magpie Flies, has beaten me to it, recently completing an 8,000-mile motorcycle trip from her home in Portland, Oregon, to the east coast and back. This is part one of her journey.
How to Draw a Motorcycle and Live Motorcycle Art with Amanda Zito - ADVMoto Live #5
Interviewer: Carl Parker | May 2020
Riders come from all walks of life. Some manage to work a passion for riding into their creative pursuits. Today we'll talk with one of the riding community's foremost artists who will give us some tips on how to draw a motorcycle, and watch live as she makes an image based on a favorite ADV saying you voted for. Whether you're spinning vinyl, wrenches or pencils, the riding experience empowers many of us to create, so please help us celebrate creativity on this episode of ADVMoto Live!
ONE DRAWING AT A TIME
Words Gale Straub Artwork Amanda Zito | MARCH 2019
Amanda Zito snapped her throttle wrist this past July while riding solo to Rocky Mountain Roll, an annual “redneck moto campout” she founded at her family’s ranch in northeastern Montana. She wept openly into her helmet but pushed on for 10 miles before seeing two outdoorsmen in side-by-sides. Reluctant to ask for help, Amanda used their satellite messenger to contact her family, who met her over 40 miles from where she’d broken her wrist.
SHE EXPLORES, THE BOOK
by Gale Straub | Published March 26, 2019 | Featured on Page 189
She Explores is a collection of first-person stories, photographs, and artwork from women who are inspired by the adventure found in the outdoors and who inspire me.
TRAVELLING SOLO ON A MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURE
BY AMANDA ZITO | AUG. 16 2018
I travel solo on my motorcycle a lot. I get quite a few comments like “Aren’t you scared?” or “I wouldn’t let me wife/sister/daughter do something like this alone!” I’m very grateful to have an amazing significant other and family that support my solo travels, even if they aren’t always thrilled, they are always supportive.
ARTIST FEATURE: AMANDA ZITO
Amanda Zito, also known as @Blindthistle is a wilderness-loving, motorcycle-riding, adventuring artist who captures the beauty of the Northern states in her amazing watercolor works and sketches. Learn about her journey as an art adventurer and hear the fantastic story of her first Pentalic journal in her artist interview. It’s not one to miss!
AUG. 10 2018
HOW TO PLAN A MOTORCYCLE TRIP
BY AMANDA ZITO | JUN 14, 2018
Depending on the kind of person you are, planning a trip can be very exciting, or very nerve-wracking. I’m here to hopefully ease some of the pressure and break it down into manageable sections for those who feel overwhelmed just thinking about planning. It’s a lot of information but just take it one step at a time.
TRIP REPORT: BAJA IS NO JOKE
BY AMANDA ZITO | FEB. 23, 2018
This trip to Baja started as a joke (Spoiler: Baja is No Joke.) Karl and I were supposed to do a different trip at the end of 2017 that got canceled due to snow. So, we were talking about alternatives we could try, and I jokingly threw in Baja. It snowballed and well, here we are.
Artist on the Road
“Get a Grandpa, get a horse” – we discuss two ways to get into motorcycling as an adult.
Our special guest is a rambler, a gambler, a traveller of the road. She’s part redneck and part lonely soul who has her thirst for life quenched by miles on the open highways and dusty paths of good ol’ America. She also happens to be a VERY talented artist, which makes her a creative rider!
FEB. 9, 2018
AMANDA ZITO | TATTOO ARTIST AND ILLUSTRATOR
Instagram introduced us to the work and adventures of artist, Amanda Zito. She’s a trained illustrator and tattoo artist.
We were curious about how both those crafts meld in her work, and how she brings her experiences on a motorcycle to paper.
She’s an artist who’s often on the move (like a 3800+ mile motorcycle trip of Montana she dubbed “The Pilgrimage“), and that spirit carries through her work and the many ways she documents her two-wheeled adventures. In addition to her artistry and work in the motorcycle industry, Amanda hosts a motorcycle gathering each summer at her family’s property in Montana called Rocky MTN Roll.
DEC. 22, 2017
GREASE AND GRAPHITE
BY AMANDA ZITO | JAN 07, 2017
I think it’s pretty safe to say that most motorcyclists have at least two passions. Motorcycles, and that other thing.
For some people that other thing is welding, writing, mechanics, art, photography, medicine, the list goes on. When you make those two passions come together in some way, life seems richer, with an extra layer of devotion.
Amanda Zito’s 6,000-Mile Summer
It’s every motorcyclist’s dream: two months with nothing to do but ride. This summer, not only did illustrator & tattoo artist Amanda Zito ride from her home in Portland to Motos in Moab, she kept going and took a 3,700-mile trip around her beautiful home state of Montana.
For the trip from Portland to Moab to Montana, she rode her 2005 Honda Shadow (named Haphaestus), but on her actual Montana trip she rode her first bike, a 1980 Suzuki 850gl she calls Lazarus. She definitely knows how to name a bike!
SEPT. 1, 2016
REVER RIDER
We enjoy shining a light on dedicated riders, like you, who utilize REVER on their motorcycle adventures! After we grill them on their bikes, rides and insight, we then share it with the REVER community.
Meet this week’s REVER Rider! A tattoo artist, an all-around creator of things cool and beautiful, Amanda Zito is the type of rider you want on your adventures. She’s talented and humble and enthusiastic as all hell about motorcycles. Now, she’s focussing her creative juices on contributing what good she can to the Moto Community. Come June, Amanda takes off on “The Pilgrimage” – her second solo motorcycle trip. This time, she’ll be stuffing her Wolfman Luggage, slipping on some ICON and following Butler Maps through the backwoods and rough roads of Montana, one hand-drawn record at a time… Maybe a few stories too, if we’re lucky.
APRIL 28, 2016
AMANDA ZITO – ILLUSTRATION, TATTOOS AND MOTORCYCLE ADVENTURES!
Amanda is the kind of girl perfect for this blog, a free spitit, nature and adventure lover, motorcycles enthusiast and artist! An interesting personality that she expresses through various forms of art: illustrations,customized helmets, tattoos and many adventures on two wheels!
Enjoy my interview to this super lady rider!
APRIL 14, 2016
Amanda’s Big Sky Country Road Trip
"One of my favorite things to see is ladies getting out on motorcycle road trips– either solo or with friends. Motorcycle touring is something I really want to do more of. So for now, I live vicariously through others.
Amanda Zito, an artist in Portland, OR, took her Honda Shadow out on a road trip in ‘Big Sky Country’ also known as Montana. Naturally, this took her through some beautiful areas, including old ghost towns like Granite."
JAN. 14, 2015