Wednesday August 27, 2008
Our final day of riding, and anticipation of what is to come.
The morning in Wausau was a flurry of activity. Based on the sounds outside my room window, the early risers hit the road at around 6:30am. Gene and Tim from our riding group took advantage of the relatively warm morning to head home early, so our group would be smaller than in the previous couple of days.
The plan is to gather at Wausau Harley-Davidson for breakfast and departure at 9:30. We weren’t aware that Capital City H-D in Madison had organized a group ride from Wausau to Madison that would leave at that same time. So we watched over 200 bikes mount up and head out while we gave them some space. We left at 10am, using the extra half hour to chat with our old and new friends about plans in Milwaukee and where people were staying. Pictures were taken, smiles were everywhere.
At our final gas stop, we made sure all of the non-Milwaukee folks knew where to go once we reached town. Some were pointed to exits (Jim and Cynthia are staying at the HOG campground, Dave and Jackie in Wauwatosa, Fred and Debbie in Cedarburg, AJ and Hoorda at a hotel Downtown, and Milo was heading for Chicago to weld his bike together). Vince and Jennifer Nye (Jennifer joined us after working with her video crew) volunteered to lead part of the group directly to Juneau Avenue for the Kick-off Party.
So after more than 2000 miles, the group split and headed out on their own. I thought it was like the “So Long, Farewell” scene in The Sound of Music. Not sure who was Liesel.
Though we all knew that we would see each other, or at least be looking for each other, throughout the rest of the week. That made the good-bye feel a little less final.
OK, to wrap this up, here are Steve’s newest rules of the road, as developed on this trip
The first rule was developed in Missoula, Montana when I discovered that my motel room key no longer worked. Frustrated, in a hurry because the group was preparing to leave, I ran to the desk to get a new key. The quizzical look on the young woman’s face told me something was wrong. Then she said, “Sir, that’s a Holiday Inn key, this is a Best Western.” So Rule Number One from this trip, don’t keep hotel room keys.
Rule Number Two. When the GPS and the billboard on the side of the highway disagree, use the directions on the billboard. Somebody paid for the billboard.
And Rule Number Three, yellow tinted goggles lie. They tell you things about the weather that are totally not true. On my first day of riding I used my yellow goggles. I was convinced that the sun was about to come out the whole time I was riding. Combine yellow lenses with and optimistic attitude…and it could be dangerous. I would have ridden into a hurricane with those things on.
If you’ve read these blog entries throughout my adventure, I thank you for joining me. Hopefully, my blessing of being in a position to do a ride like this, to have an experience like this, was shared with you through the time we both spent reading and writing.
And thank you to my riding partners, my coworkers and my new friends from around the country, for being part of this once in a lifetime adventure.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Nine
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A great ride through familiar territory.
About 10 minutes after we left the dealership in Duluth, we crossed the border into Wisconsin, and that feeling of “homecoming” got even stronger. Our ride route took us along Lake Superior to Bayfield, then south to Abbotsford where we turned east to head into Wausau.
This is a double homecoming for me, as today I returned to the city where I grew up which is still home to some of my brothers and sisters. Tomorrow, we’ll make our grand arrival to Milwaukee.
Wausau Harley-Davidson hosted the biggest party of the ride, at least for the six routes that gathered here. There was great food, some awesome bands, and really excited people, most of whom seemed to be headed for Milwaukee tomorrow. Liegh Ann, the Marketing Manager from the dealership said that she worked on this event for a year, and it showed. She’s heading form Milwaukee tomorrow, too, right after the “Departure Breakfast” at the dealership tomorrow morning.
It was great to get together with all of the employees who participated in the six rides that were here. The stories started flying as soon as we pulled in. We talked about the weather, the roads the events along the way, and the plans for Milwaukee. And the talking went late into the night.
One of the coolest things from my point of view as I looked at almost 30 people in staff shirts at the dealer event was that every one of those employees shared his or her riding experience with customers this week. And showed how much they care about both those customers and Harley-Davidson.
And the excitement about the event extended to other employees too. I ran into several “off duty” employees at the dealer event, too, including Mary Kay Lee from MotorClothes and her husband Darryl, and Laurel Tschurwald from Marketing and her husband Darryl. Holy cow, I also ran into former employee Debbie Fink, and her former employee husband, Darryl. And I’d like to introduce my other brother, Darryl. (Sorry, that was a memorable line from an old Bob Newhart show.)
Fred and Debbie from www.cyclematters.com joined us on Route #1. Check out their posting about “10 Extaordinary Truths about Harley-Davidson.”
Home tomorrow night……then let the party begin!
A great ride through familiar territory.
About 10 minutes after we left the dealership in Duluth, we crossed the border into Wisconsin, and that feeling of “homecoming” got even stronger. Our ride route took us along Lake Superior to Bayfield, then south to Abbotsford where we turned east to head into Wausau.
This is a double homecoming for me, as today I returned to the city where I grew up which is still home to some of my brothers and sisters. Tomorrow, we’ll make our grand arrival to Milwaukee.
Wausau Harley-Davidson hosted the biggest party of the ride, at least for the six routes that gathered here. There was great food, some awesome bands, and really excited people, most of whom seemed to be headed for Milwaukee tomorrow. Liegh Ann, the Marketing Manager from the dealership said that she worked on this event for a year, and it showed. She’s heading form Milwaukee tomorrow, too, right after the “Departure Breakfast” at the dealership tomorrow morning.
It was great to get together with all of the employees who participated in the six rides that were here. The stories started flying as soon as we pulled in. We talked about the weather, the roads the events along the way, and the plans for Milwaukee. And the talking went late into the night.
One of the coolest things from my point of view as I looked at almost 30 people in staff shirts at the dealer event was that every one of those employees shared his or her riding experience with customers this week. And showed how much they care about both those customers and Harley-Davidson.
And the excitement about the event extended to other employees too. I ran into several “off duty” employees at the dealer event, too, including Mary Kay Lee from MotorClothes and her husband Darryl, and Laurel Tschurwald from Marketing and her husband Darryl. Holy cow, I also ran into former employee Debbie Fink, and her former employee husband, Darryl. And I’d like to introduce my other brother, Darryl. (Sorry, that was a memorable line from an old Bob Newhart show.)
Fred and Debbie from www.cyclematters.com joined us on Route #1. Check out their posting about “10 Extaordinary Truths about Harley-Davidson.”
Home tomorrow night……then let the party begin!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Eight
Monday, August 25, 2008
A feeling of connection, and a feeling of separation.
It’s amazing what types of bonds build when people ride together. Our group of employees and a group of customers who have been riding together have become pretty close.
Sunday night was a couple cases of beer and a couple bottles of wine in the gazebo at the hotel. A few hours of story telling, and experience sharing. It was like we had to make up for separating on our two different routes that day.
About five miles into the ride Monday morning, I noticed that the extensive collection of dead bugs on my windshield was gone. It was perfectly clean! The people I asked at our first stop said they didn’t do it, but everyone reported that they were looking through “clean glass” this morning, too.
When I polled the group at lunch, Noel from Colorado admitted that he did it for all of us. A simple, yet great gesture.
At our first gas stop this morning (we wanted it to be a quick one), Cynthia from Washington (riding with her husband Jim) ran in and bought an armful of bottles of water and distributed them to everybody in our group.
Those are things that friends do for each other. In this case, these are friends we’ve made in the past seven days.
It’s great how Harley-Davidson motorcycles bring us all together.
Yet, the separation of the group is starting to happen.
This morning, John Olin left the group to deliver his son to college. That’s a big day for a family, so we wished him well as he headed off on a long ride to Iowa to meet his wife and son.
Monday evening, we said a temporary good bye to Noel and Yvette, who are riding ahead Tuesday so they can visit the Harley-Davidson Museum on Wednesday.
We’re all going to try to get together at the HOG 25th Anniversary on Thursday.
We had a great ride today.
First stop was Apol’s H-D in Alexandria, Minnesota. We were greeted by Jeff Romenesko, the exec from H-D who had this as his starting location, and a crew of employees from the dealership.
Then on to Duluth, where our dealers Denny and Suzanne threw a great party at their dealership. This was the first location that felt like a big party. Lots of bikes and lots of riders that were heading for the 105th.
Ron and I had some 105th items that we auctioned off, so MDA ended up with $475 more after we headed out.
At the dealership in Duluth, I met a rider from Germany who was in the midst of a six week motorcycle trip to the US. He’s headed to the 105th, too.
We also met a couple from Egypt. They made a very generous purchase in our auction (a VIP package for the 105th), then re-donated the 105th ticket (they already had theirs) so we could auction it again. Tomorrow they’ll ride with us to Wausau.
There is a noticeable feeling of excitement building as we get closer to Milwaukee. It feels really great to almost be home.
A feeling of connection, and a feeling of separation.
It’s amazing what types of bonds build when people ride together. Our group of employees and a group of customers who have been riding together have become pretty close.
Sunday night was a couple cases of beer and a couple bottles of wine in the gazebo at the hotel. A few hours of story telling, and experience sharing. It was like we had to make up for separating on our two different routes that day.
About five miles into the ride Monday morning, I noticed that the extensive collection of dead bugs on my windshield was gone. It was perfectly clean! The people I asked at our first stop said they didn’t do it, but everyone reported that they were looking through “clean glass” this morning, too.
When I polled the group at lunch, Noel from Colorado admitted that he did it for all of us. A simple, yet great gesture.
At our first gas stop this morning (we wanted it to be a quick one), Cynthia from Washington (riding with her husband Jim) ran in and bought an armful of bottles of water and distributed them to everybody in our group.
Those are things that friends do for each other. In this case, these are friends we’ve made in the past seven days.
It’s great how Harley-Davidson motorcycles bring us all together.
Yet, the separation of the group is starting to happen.
This morning, John Olin left the group to deliver his son to college. That’s a big day for a family, so we wished him well as he headed off on a long ride to Iowa to meet his wife and son.
Monday evening, we said a temporary good bye to Noel and Yvette, who are riding ahead Tuesday so they can visit the Harley-Davidson Museum on Wednesday.
We’re all going to try to get together at the HOG 25th Anniversary on Thursday.
We had a great ride today.
First stop was Apol’s H-D in Alexandria, Minnesota. We were greeted by Jeff Romenesko, the exec from H-D who had this as his starting location, and a crew of employees from the dealership.
Then on to Duluth, where our dealers Denny and Suzanne threw a great party at their dealership. This was the first location that felt like a big party. Lots of bikes and lots of riders that were heading for the 105th.
Ron and I had some 105th items that we auctioned off, so MDA ended up with $475 more after we headed out.
At the dealership in Duluth, I met a rider from Germany who was in the midst of a six week motorcycle trip to the US. He’s headed to the 105th, too.
We also met a couple from Egypt. They made a very generous purchase in our auction (a VIP package for the 105th), then re-donated the 105th ticket (they already had theirs) so we could auction it again. Tomorrow they’ll ride with us to Wausau.
There is a noticeable feeling of excitement building as we get closer to Milwaukee. It feels really great to almost be home.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Seven
Sunday, August 24, 2008
If I were a poet, I’d be offering you “An Ode to the Two Lane Road.”
On Sunday, Gene, John and a small group of our new pals extended our trip by adding a side trip to Grand Forks, ND, one of the 105 starting cities for the 105th Anniversary Ride.
We decided to leave the “slab” behind and pick a route that was almost completely two-lane road through some beautiful farm country. I’ll take that kind of riding any day.
Farm country in North Dakota is different than farm country in Wisconsin. There are a lot fewer farm buildings and a lot fewer towns. John commented that he’s never ridden that far without seeing a city or a gas station. Especially when he needed to take a “bio break.” (We rushed him to leave before he was ready today.)
On the backroads, we missed the “world’s largest dairy cow,” but we did see hawks, deer, a friendly farm dog, and we were almost crop dusted. I could wax poetically about how great the ride was, but I’m going to save that for another time. Besides, nothing rhymes with orange. And I’d need to have one to write a poem about today.
We joined Vince Orange, from H-D’s Parts & Accessories department who was starting his ride in Great Falls. Andy’s Harley-Davidson threw a great party and entertained us, and a few hundred riders, with an awesome barbeque. Denny Anderson gave us a tour of the dealership and showed us a photo of the dealership during the big floods about 10 years ago. They were under four feet of water back then, but everything looks great today.
We were also joined by Tim Becker, from H-D’s Rider’s Edge Program who started his 105th Ride at the event in Minot, North Dakota.
After Great Falls, it was on to Fargo, where the dealer provided a great experience for the riders coming through town.
Del Hofer, a legendary H-D dealer for many years, and his crew greeted everyone wearing Old West clothing (including a real gun) (that’s legal in ND) and pulled out a dozen of his favorite vintage Harleys. Including one of his H-D snowmobiles.
Fargo H-D fed everyone who came through with steak fondue, corn on the cob, homemade potato chips, and much, much more.
So what’s steak fondue? Just put a bunch of steaks on a pitchfork and stick it in a vat of boiling sunflower oil. Mmmmmm. It’s hard to beat that.
They also made the corn on the cob in a giant cooker that sounded like it was heated by a jet engine.
We’re running into more an more people who are heading to Milwaukee. Over 100 from the dealership here in Fargo. Some of these rider we’re talking to will be on our route, but many are heading into Milwaukee early.
We’re getting close….and it’s getting even more exciting!
If I were a poet, I’d be offering you “An Ode to the Two Lane Road.”
On Sunday, Gene, John and a small group of our new pals extended our trip by adding a side trip to Grand Forks, ND, one of the 105 starting cities for the 105th Anniversary Ride.
We decided to leave the “slab” behind and pick a route that was almost completely two-lane road through some beautiful farm country. I’ll take that kind of riding any day.
Farm country in North Dakota is different than farm country in Wisconsin. There are a lot fewer farm buildings and a lot fewer towns. John commented that he’s never ridden that far without seeing a city or a gas station. Especially when he needed to take a “bio break.” (We rushed him to leave before he was ready today.)
On the backroads, we missed the “world’s largest dairy cow,” but we did see hawks, deer, a friendly farm dog, and we were almost crop dusted. I could wax poetically about how great the ride was, but I’m going to save that for another time. Besides, nothing rhymes with orange. And I’d need to have one to write a poem about today.
We joined Vince Orange, from H-D’s Parts & Accessories department who was starting his ride in Great Falls. Andy’s Harley-Davidson threw a great party and entertained us, and a few hundred riders, with an awesome barbeque. Denny Anderson gave us a tour of the dealership and showed us a photo of the dealership during the big floods about 10 years ago. They were under four feet of water back then, but everything looks great today.
We were also joined by Tim Becker, from H-D’s Rider’s Edge Program who started his 105th Ride at the event in Minot, North Dakota.
After Great Falls, it was on to Fargo, where the dealer provided a great experience for the riders coming through town.
Del Hofer, a legendary H-D dealer for many years, and his crew greeted everyone wearing Old West clothing (including a real gun) (that’s legal in ND) and pulled out a dozen of his favorite vintage Harleys. Including one of his H-D snowmobiles.
Fargo H-D fed everyone who came through with steak fondue, corn on the cob, homemade potato chips, and much, much more.
So what’s steak fondue? Just put a bunch of steaks on a pitchfork and stick it in a vat of boiling sunflower oil. Mmmmmm. It’s hard to beat that.
They also made the corn on the cob in a giant cooker that sounded like it was heated by a jet engine.
We’re running into more an more people who are heading to Milwaukee. Over 100 from the dealership here in Fargo. Some of these rider we’re talking to will be on our route, but many are heading into Milwaukee early.
We’re getting close….and it’s getting even more exciting!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Six
Saturday, August 23, 2008
I don’t mind cool and sunny weather for riding…..well, maybe cold and sunny was what we had this morning, but I didn’t mind it too much.
Cold translated to temps in the mid-forties as we rolled out of Billings today. (Thanks for leaving me behind JT!)
We got an early start because we had a long day (350 miles) and we lost an hour as we switched to the Central time zone. And we promised the dealer in Bismarck that we’d make it on time for his big 105th Anniversary Party.
Our riding group was made up of 15 people on 13 Harleys. It’s a good group by the “Piehl Measure.” That means they fuel up quickly and there is lots of fun and chatter at gas and lunch stops.
Rough Rider Harley-Davidson, the dealer in Bismarck, had a great party tonight. We got there at just after five pm and were welcomed by a big group of local Harley riders and HOG members. The event had live music, free soda and water, and great food. Bill Stewart, the owner gave us a tour and we quizzed him about how his business was doing. It’s a good time to be the Harley dealer in Bismarck.
Ron Hutchinson is still reeling from the intro he got last night in Billings, when the announcer gave him credit for “all the great technology that sits between your legs.” He mentioned it as he spoke to the crowd today.
He also had a fan who wanted her picture taken with him. Her comment was “I want to make my husband jealous….I like the short guys.” I got a picture, too!
Yesterday I gave you the link to the web site for Milo’s Rat Bike. The bike is fun (you have to see it) and Milo is a great guy. He’s got more stories than we’ll ever be able to fit into this ride. His bike hasn’t been washed since 1980 and he estimates that it has about 200 pounds of “stuff” on it.
The best comment about the bike came from Bill Stewart, the dealer here in Bismarck. Bill said “You need to get a tetanus shot if you touch it, and I’m a little bit worried about having it too close to the food.”
There is a web site that is doing a much better job of covering this ride than I am, and they have pictures, too. Jeff and Debbie are posting every day to www.cyclematters.com. You should check it out. If you meet Debbie, ask her why they call her “Radio.”
Tomorrow, the group breaks up for two different routes. Gene Ostrom, John Olin and I are heading to the dealer event in Grand Forks, ND, while JT and the Hutch’s are heading to a dealer event in Jamestown, ND. We’ll all end up in Fargo for another party tomorrow night.
What a job!
I don’t mind cool and sunny weather for riding…..well, maybe cold and sunny was what we had this morning, but I didn’t mind it too much.
Cold translated to temps in the mid-forties as we rolled out of Billings today. (Thanks for leaving me behind JT!)
We got an early start because we had a long day (350 miles) and we lost an hour as we switched to the Central time zone. And we promised the dealer in Bismarck that we’d make it on time for his big 105th Anniversary Party.
Our riding group was made up of 15 people on 13 Harleys. It’s a good group by the “Piehl Measure.” That means they fuel up quickly and there is lots of fun and chatter at gas and lunch stops.
Rough Rider Harley-Davidson, the dealer in Bismarck, had a great party tonight. We got there at just after five pm and were welcomed by a big group of local Harley riders and HOG members. The event had live music, free soda and water, and great food. Bill Stewart, the owner gave us a tour and we quizzed him about how his business was doing. It’s a good time to be the Harley dealer in Bismarck.
Ron Hutchinson is still reeling from the intro he got last night in Billings, when the announcer gave him credit for “all the great technology that sits between your legs.” He mentioned it as he spoke to the crowd today.
He also had a fan who wanted her picture taken with him. Her comment was “I want to make my husband jealous….I like the short guys.” I got a picture, too!
Yesterday I gave you the link to the web site for Milo’s Rat Bike. The bike is fun (you have to see it) and Milo is a great guy. He’s got more stories than we’ll ever be able to fit into this ride. His bike hasn’t been washed since 1980 and he estimates that it has about 200 pounds of “stuff” on it.
The best comment about the bike came from Bill Stewart, the dealer here in Bismarck. Bill said “You need to get a tetanus shot if you touch it, and I’m a little bit worried about having it too close to the food.”
There is a web site that is doing a much better job of covering this ride than I am, and they have pictures, too. Jeff and Debbie are posting every day to www.cyclematters.com. You should check it out. If you meet Debbie, ask her why they call her “Radio.”
Tomorrow, the group breaks up for two different routes. Gene Ostrom, John Olin and I are heading to the dealer event in Grand Forks, ND, while JT and the Hutch’s are heading to a dealer event in Jamestown, ND. We’ll all end up in Fargo for another party tomorrow night.
What a job!
Friday, August 22, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Five
Friday, August 22, 2008.
Today was all about the customers who join us in Billings. And we’re seeing more and more riders who are on their way to Milwaukee.
Barry Usher, the Harley-Davidson dealer in Billings is a great supporter of the Motor Company and Harley riders. He’s known for rolling out the red carpet for riding groups. Beartooth H-D has done so at HOG Rallies, the 100th Anniversary Ride and now, the 105th.
This morning, our meeting place was the dealership. We met several of the folks we’d seen and ridden with at previous stops and met some new folks too.
I met a guy named Vern Piel while hanging out near the service department. Vern was originally from Wisconsin, but moved to Oklahoma several years ago where he became friends with our Route Manager, J.T. Hasley. I don’t think that Vern and I are related, he’s missing an ‘h’ in his last name. I’m sure he feels bad about spelling it wrong.
Hutch and I were talking this morning about our daily destinations and he mentioned that we’ll be in Duluth on Monday. That made me think, because it just seems so far from Montana to the Minnesota/Wisconsin border…..but we’re only a couple days away.
One of our riding partners is riding a Harley that is more like a tourist attraction than a motorcycle. I’ll try to talk about it more in the future, but in the meantime, check out this web site: http://www.ratbikemilo.com/
We added another H-D employee to the group today, as Gene Ostrom rode in from Great Falls, Montana. Gene rode out from his home in Illinois, hitting 2600 miles on the trip meter today. Way to go Gene!
We also met a HOG Chapter Director from Southern California named Mike Hamilton. He’s a big man, at least 6’10” who rides a Road King. He started out with our pals in Glendale, California and rode with the H-D folks to Las Vegas. Then he headed north to Join us for tonight’s party. Tomorrow, he heads south to join friends on another ride to Milwaukee. That man is a rider with a capital R.
We ended the day with a great party at Beartooth H-D. Great entertainment including Shelley Fairchild (she’s a Harley rider) and an awesome band called Whiskey Falls. I predict we’ll be hearing a lot more about that band sometime soon.
Back on the road again early tomorrow. I can’t wait!
Today was all about the customers who join us in Billings. And we’re seeing more and more riders who are on their way to Milwaukee.
Barry Usher, the Harley-Davidson dealer in Billings is a great supporter of the Motor Company and Harley riders. He’s known for rolling out the red carpet for riding groups. Beartooth H-D has done so at HOG Rallies, the 100th Anniversary Ride and now, the 105th.
This morning, our meeting place was the dealership. We met several of the folks we’d seen and ridden with at previous stops and met some new folks too.
I met a guy named Vern Piel while hanging out near the service department. Vern was originally from Wisconsin, but moved to Oklahoma several years ago where he became friends with our Route Manager, J.T. Hasley. I don’t think that Vern and I are related, he’s missing an ‘h’ in his last name. I’m sure he feels bad about spelling it wrong.
Hutch and I were talking this morning about our daily destinations and he mentioned that we’ll be in Duluth on Monday. That made me think, because it just seems so far from Montana to the Minnesota/Wisconsin border…..but we’re only a couple days away.
One of our riding partners is riding a Harley that is more like a tourist attraction than a motorcycle. I’ll try to talk about it more in the future, but in the meantime, check out this web site: http://www.ratbikemilo.com/
We added another H-D employee to the group today, as Gene Ostrom rode in from Great Falls, Montana. Gene rode out from his home in Illinois, hitting 2600 miles on the trip meter today. Way to go Gene!
We also met a HOG Chapter Director from Southern California named Mike Hamilton. He’s a big man, at least 6’10” who rides a Road King. He started out with our pals in Glendale, California and rode with the H-D folks to Las Vegas. Then he headed north to Join us for tonight’s party. Tomorrow, he heads south to join friends on another ride to Milwaukee. That man is a rider with a capital R.
We ended the day with a great party at Beartooth H-D. Great entertainment including Shelley Fairchild (she’s a Harley rider) and an awesome band called Whiskey Falls. I predict we’ll be hearing a lot more about that band sometime soon.
Back on the road again early tomorrow. I can’t wait!
The 105th Adventure--Part Four
Thursday, August 21
“Missoula to Billings pardner. But to get there, we gotta cross the continental divide. Better saddle up early.”
Sounds like a line from an old western movie, but that was our day on Thursday.
As a guy who grew up in Wisconsin, I’m always amazed at the wide open landscape, the mountains and passes, and the views that one gets while traveling through the west. I could have filled up a couple of SD cards full of pictures if we hadn’t been cruising along at a brisk pace behind J. T. Hasley, our Route Manager.
This was my first day riding with the other H-D employees on the trip. Our departure this morning was a continuation of the ride yesterday, at least as far as the weather was concerned: heavy rain and high winds. (Though, I watched the weather reports and our brethren in the southeastern part of the country are in a pretty similar situation. I hear they’ve coined a term for wearing rainsuits. It’s now called “dancing with Fay.”)
But as the group headed out, I dropped in behind JT, Ron and Maureen Hutchinson and John Olin. The swirling clouds overhead added to the drama of the departure and the landscape.
The hotel manager mentioned to me before we left that there was some talk on the news about possible snow at elevations over 6000 feet, a comment I didn’t think too much about, except to think that might make the scenery even more beautiful.
I thought more about the comment when I saw that our route took us uphill as we pulled out of Missoula. When we crossed the continental divide at 6393 feet, I was glad that the sun was making occasional appearances through the clouds and the roads were starting to dry.
There are several Harley riders who are sticking close to us, friends that were made as the group was leaving Seattle. I’ve met them all, but the ones I spent a little more time with on Thursday are Noel and Yvette. Both are riding Softails, her Fat Boy has 80,000 miles on it.
They run basketball camps that focus on ball handling and dribbling skills. Noel tells me that his group of kids has performed at halftime of several Denver Nuggets games, but he was particularly proud of having performed at a Lakers game.
After the 105th, Noel and Yvette head for the east coast and then head home to Colorado. They will have spent almost a month on the road by the time they get home. I’m jealous.
“Missoula to Billings pardner. But to get there, we gotta cross the continental divide. Better saddle up early.”
Sounds like a line from an old western movie, but that was our day on Thursday.
As a guy who grew up in Wisconsin, I’m always amazed at the wide open landscape, the mountains and passes, and the views that one gets while traveling through the west. I could have filled up a couple of SD cards full of pictures if we hadn’t been cruising along at a brisk pace behind J. T. Hasley, our Route Manager.
This was my first day riding with the other H-D employees on the trip. Our departure this morning was a continuation of the ride yesterday, at least as far as the weather was concerned: heavy rain and high winds. (Though, I watched the weather reports and our brethren in the southeastern part of the country are in a pretty similar situation. I hear they’ve coined a term for wearing rainsuits. It’s now called “dancing with Fay.”)
But as the group headed out, I dropped in behind JT, Ron and Maureen Hutchinson and John Olin. The swirling clouds overhead added to the drama of the departure and the landscape.
The hotel manager mentioned to me before we left that there was some talk on the news about possible snow at elevations over 6000 feet, a comment I didn’t think too much about, except to think that might make the scenery even more beautiful.
I thought more about the comment when I saw that our route took us uphill as we pulled out of Missoula. When we crossed the continental divide at 6393 feet, I was glad that the sun was making occasional appearances through the clouds and the roads were starting to dry.
There are several Harley riders who are sticking close to us, friends that were made as the group was leaving Seattle. I’ve met them all, but the ones I spent a little more time with on Thursday are Noel and Yvette. Both are riding Softails, her Fat Boy has 80,000 miles on it.
They run basketball camps that focus on ball handling and dribbling skills. Noel tells me that his group of kids has performed at halftime of several Denver Nuggets games, but he was particularly proud of having performed at a Lakers game.
After the 105th, Noel and Yvette head for the east coast and then head home to Colorado. They will have spent almost a month on the road by the time they get home. I’m jealous.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Three
Wednesday 8-20-08
If I were writing the movie script about my ride today, it would have been very different.
It would have started the same. The sun peeking through openings in a cloudy sky. Dry pavement as far as the eye can see. It would have included some adventure, maybe a challenge to add some drama, and a few other things that would draw someone in.
But the movie wouldn’t have had the rain start at the same time I closed my Tour Pak and strapped on my helmet. It wouldn’t have included 300+ miles of rain and spray from trucks and cars, and it wouldn’t have included me missing a “blue sky” view of some really beautiful mountain passes.
Oh yeah, and it wouldn’t have included water flowing across the road through 65 mph curves and it wouldn’t have included the temperature being at 46 degrees as I went across the top of Lookout Pass on the border of Idaho and Montana.
Or would it have?
I did want adventure. And I did want a challenge. And today was full of drama.
Alright, I’m fine now. And I’ve convinced myself that this was just another day of being lucky enough to be part of the 105th Anniversary Ride.
Besides, those folks coming from the Southwest and Texas can whine about the heat, but they don’t have what the folks on Route #1 had today. That was adventure!
When I left Kennewick today, I was on a solo mission. First stop, a quick visit with the dealer in Spokane. Then a short hop to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for something I was really looking forward to.
My oldest daughter, Kimberly, lives in Phoenix and works for an organization called Maggie’s Place. They run three shelters in the Phoenix area for women who are pregnant and don’t have a safe place to live. Kimberly has been with Maggie’s Place for three years and we are so proud and happy about the work she is doing.
Maggie’s Place is about to open a new home in Coeur d’Alene, funded by a generous donor and many groups within that city. So as I traveled through, I stopped to visit Gail Pearson, Breanne and Ramona, the young women who are working hard to get the first moms in the house by October. It’s a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood with supportive neighbors. It’s a great place to build a community and bring well-loved children into the world. Here’s their web site if you are interested: http://www.maggiesplace.org/
After my visit at Maggie’s Place, it was on to Missoula.
The route was on I-90, but it is possibly the most beautiful stretch of interstate that exists. The road goes over two passes, the highest of which is Lookout Pass, at around 4500 feet (that’s where it was 46 degrees)(I love that new Zumo GPS!).
That great stretch of road delivered me right to Montana Harley-Davidson in Missoula.
That’s where I ran into my riding partners for the rest of the trip, Ron Hutchinson and his wife Maureen, John Olin, and our Route Manager J.T. Hasley. I also met some of the folks that they’ve brought with them from their start in Seattle.
In addition, I got a chance to chat with former Motor Company President Jim Paterson and his wife Jody. They have a home about 2 1/2 hours from Missoula.
The dealer party featured great sandwiches, drinks, line dancing lessons, and the highlight, a cupcake eating contest. Picture twelve men sitting at a table and eating chocolate cupcakes for FIVE minutes. John, the winner, at 23 cupcakes. (I may never eat another cupcake again.)
Wait a minute…that’s adventure, challenge, drama, something to draw viewers in….maybe my movie could have been about cupcake eating!
Tomorrow is going to be another great day!
If I were writing the movie script about my ride today, it would have been very different.
It would have started the same. The sun peeking through openings in a cloudy sky. Dry pavement as far as the eye can see. It would have included some adventure, maybe a challenge to add some drama, and a few other things that would draw someone in.
But the movie wouldn’t have had the rain start at the same time I closed my Tour Pak and strapped on my helmet. It wouldn’t have included 300+ miles of rain and spray from trucks and cars, and it wouldn’t have included me missing a “blue sky” view of some really beautiful mountain passes.
Oh yeah, and it wouldn’t have included water flowing across the road through 65 mph curves and it wouldn’t have included the temperature being at 46 degrees as I went across the top of Lookout Pass on the border of Idaho and Montana.
Or would it have?
I did want adventure. And I did want a challenge. And today was full of drama.
Alright, I’m fine now. And I’ve convinced myself that this was just another day of being lucky enough to be part of the 105th Anniversary Ride.
Besides, those folks coming from the Southwest and Texas can whine about the heat, but they don’t have what the folks on Route #1 had today. That was adventure!
When I left Kennewick today, I was on a solo mission. First stop, a quick visit with the dealer in Spokane. Then a short hop to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho for something I was really looking forward to.
My oldest daughter, Kimberly, lives in Phoenix and works for an organization called Maggie’s Place. They run three shelters in the Phoenix area for women who are pregnant and don’t have a safe place to live. Kimberly has been with Maggie’s Place for three years and we are so proud and happy about the work she is doing.
Maggie’s Place is about to open a new home in Coeur d’Alene, funded by a generous donor and many groups within that city. So as I traveled through, I stopped to visit Gail Pearson, Breanne and Ramona, the young women who are working hard to get the first moms in the house by October. It’s a beautiful home in a nice neighborhood with supportive neighbors. It’s a great place to build a community and bring well-loved children into the world. Here’s their web site if you are interested: http://www.maggiesplace.org/
After my visit at Maggie’s Place, it was on to Missoula.
The route was on I-90, but it is possibly the most beautiful stretch of interstate that exists. The road goes over two passes, the highest of which is Lookout Pass, at around 4500 feet (that’s where it was 46 degrees)(I love that new Zumo GPS!).
That great stretch of road delivered me right to Montana Harley-Davidson in Missoula.
That’s where I ran into my riding partners for the rest of the trip, Ron Hutchinson and his wife Maureen, John Olin, and our Route Manager J.T. Hasley. I also met some of the folks that they’ve brought with them from their start in Seattle.
In addition, I got a chance to chat with former Motor Company President Jim Paterson and his wife Jody. They have a home about 2 1/2 hours from Missoula.
The dealer party featured great sandwiches, drinks, line dancing lessons, and the highlight, a cupcake eating contest. Picture twelve men sitting at a table and eating chocolate cupcakes for FIVE minutes. John, the winner, at 23 cupcakes. (I may never eat another cupcake again.)
Wait a minute…that’s adventure, challenge, drama, something to draw viewers in….maybe my movie could have been about cupcake eating!
Tomorrow is going to be another great day!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Two
The 105th Adventure—Part Two
Tuesday--Kennewick, Washington. Today was my day to bring the 105th celebration to the Harley riders of the Tri City area. And there’s no better way to do that than to eat hot dogs with them. So I did. Maybe I over-did it.
It was actually a fun day, chatting with local Harley riders and dealership staff. I heard lots of questions about the ride and the 105th.
The most common question was “when do all the riders get here?” It seems that the 100th Anniversary Ride and two HOG Posse Rides had conditioned the locals to expect big groups moving through whenever a ride was mentioned. The whole concept of 105 “start” cities feeding 25 main rides seemed to be lost on them. All they got was me and some great hot dogs. But I did my best to make up for not having 500 people with me today.
The first customers I talked to today, in the parking lot on the way in, were three riders from Ohio. All three of them are Rider’s Edge instructors (Rider Coaches for those of you “in the know”). They had just participated in the big safety conference in Billings, Montana and were heading for the Pacific Coast.
I did talk to several people who were heading to the 105th. One rider told me that he and eight friends were leaving in two days (not tomorrow with me). I expect to see Ron and his friends somewhere along the way to Milwaukee.
I also spent some time talking to Michael Shumate, the owner of the dealership. A great guy, as were all of the people I met at the dealership today. As a matter of fact, after we wrapped up at the dealership, we grabbed some dinner and headed off to what was one of the highlights of my day, a trip to the Franklin County Fair.
But not just for cotton candy and elephant ears. (An aside: They are really big into elephant ears here. There were two or three stands selling these tasty and delicious treats that are, yes, the size of an elephant’s ear. I even talked to a lady who was taking one home to eat later.) No, not just for elephant ears, but to help out at the motorcycle display at the county fair.
I met more Harley riders at the fair. One who had already analyzed everything possible about the new touring bike frame, and I’d put some money down that he will be purchasing a new bike shortly.
I can’t remember the last time I went to a county fair. What a great way to wrap up a trip to Kennewick, and to begin my travels back home.
Tomorrow morning, I leave the elephant ears and hot dogs behind and travel to Missoula, Montana. There, I’ll meet up with Ron Hutchinson and the “main ride” that left today from Seattle, and John Olin who start tomorrow morning from Wenatchee, Washington.
This is going to be great!
Tuesday--Kennewick, Washington. Today was my day to bring the 105th celebration to the Harley riders of the Tri City area. And there’s no better way to do that than to eat hot dogs with them. So I did. Maybe I over-did it.
It was actually a fun day, chatting with local Harley riders and dealership staff. I heard lots of questions about the ride and the 105th.
The most common question was “when do all the riders get here?” It seems that the 100th Anniversary Ride and two HOG Posse Rides had conditioned the locals to expect big groups moving through whenever a ride was mentioned. The whole concept of 105 “start” cities feeding 25 main rides seemed to be lost on them. All they got was me and some great hot dogs. But I did my best to make up for not having 500 people with me today.
The first customers I talked to today, in the parking lot on the way in, were three riders from Ohio. All three of them are Rider’s Edge instructors (Rider Coaches for those of you “in the know”). They had just participated in the big safety conference in Billings, Montana and were heading for the Pacific Coast.
I did talk to several people who were heading to the 105th. One rider told me that he and eight friends were leaving in two days (not tomorrow with me). I expect to see Ron and his friends somewhere along the way to Milwaukee.
I also spent some time talking to Michael Shumate, the owner of the dealership. A great guy, as were all of the people I met at the dealership today. As a matter of fact, after we wrapped up at the dealership, we grabbed some dinner and headed off to what was one of the highlights of my day, a trip to the Franklin County Fair.
But not just for cotton candy and elephant ears. (An aside: They are really big into elephant ears here. There were two or three stands selling these tasty and delicious treats that are, yes, the size of an elephant’s ear. I even talked to a lady who was taking one home to eat later.) No, not just for elephant ears, but to help out at the motorcycle display at the county fair.
I met more Harley riders at the fair. One who had already analyzed everything possible about the new touring bike frame, and I’d put some money down that he will be purchasing a new bike shortly.
I can’t remember the last time I went to a county fair. What a great way to wrap up a trip to Kennewick, and to begin my travels back home.
Tomorrow morning, I leave the elephant ears and hot dogs behind and travel to Missoula, Montana. There, I’ll meet up with Ron Hutchinson and the “main ride” that left today from Seattle, and John Olin who start tomorrow morning from Wenatchee, Washington.
This is going to be great!
The 105th Adventure--Part One
Preamble
I’m a very lucky person. I’ve got a job that I love and, through that position, I am able to participate in once-in-a-lifetime activities, like the 105th Anniversary Ride for Harley-Davidson.
I’m one of 105 H-D employees who are fortunate to be entrusted with the responsibility of taking the excitement of the 105th Anniversary to 105 different starting cities round the United States. We get to ride our motorcycles, hang out with Harley riders and attend parties and picnics in more cities than I’ve tried to count (but I know somebody has).
I’m going to try blogging my trip from the Great Northwest (or Ride #1, as it’s known internally) to Milwaukee. I have no idea if I’ll have enough time to continue after today or if, in mid route, a cool beer at the end of the day takes precedence over creating a posting. Call it an experiment. So here we go….
Monday, August 18, 2008
When the alarm went off at 3:15 this morning, it wasn’t that hard to roll my self out of bed. That’s a sign that something big is going on, and the start of my Anniversary Ride Adventure is about as big as it’s been in a while…..well, at least five years.
Today (Monday), is my day to head out. Many of the 105 riders will ride to their starting point. Some will fly to their start city and pick up their bike, but I was selected for a pre-ride ride.
I flew into Portland, Oregon to pick up my bike (shipped out while I was at Sturgis), and then rode to my start city, Kennewick, Washington.
Paradise H-D in Tigard, Oregon did a great job getting my Electra Glide Classic ready for me. They installed a couple of accessories that I had asked for and then cleaned it up better than I ever could.
At the dealership, I loaded the bike with all my gear, then I actually caught myself procrastinating on my departure. I guess the gloomy grey, on-the-verge-of-rain sky wasn’t as inviting as I had hoped the start of my ride would be.
When they closed the overhead door in the service department while I was outside, I took that as a sign.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have a great route to Kennewick, though.
East through the Colombia River Gorge for almost 180 miles, weaving along the curves of the river all the way.
I made a stop at the Multnomah Falls scenic viewing point (previously seen on a family vacation), then headed up the gorge. Fifty miles later I was venturing through territory I had never seen before---I love that!
The scenery was awesome, transitioning from green coastal mountains to rocky hillsides then dry rolling (but big) hills.
My gas stop was at a Shell station---Official Sponsor of the 105th Anniversary. Make note of that Paul Devine and Amy Hagen!
The rain held off till I was about half way to my destination. The first sign was the big drops at the edge of the storm. And that smell that you only get when rain first hits dry pavement.
I enjoyed the smell and the mostly dry pavement, and put up with the raindrops on and off for about a hundred miles. When I headed north into Washington, I thought I was turning away from the rain, but boy was I wrong.
The dark clouds followed me north, seemingly getting closer with every one of the 21 miles I traveled.
Maybe I was lucky that I wasn’t sure how to get to my hotel in Kennewick, because with the big drops of rain turning to small ones that were starting to come down pretty hard, I turned off the highway and pulled into a coffee shop to get my bearings.
My timing couldn’t have been better. As I walked in the door of the Starbucks, the rain came down and the wind blew so hard that my bike was rocking on its sidestand. The barista got soaked when he opened the drive through window to hand somebody their double, half caf, grande something or other, and everyone in the parking lot made a mad dash to their car or the closest store. And just then, the lawn sprinklers went on.
I waited for the heaviest part of the storm to pass, the wet barista wrote down directions to the hotel, and I was off to the Garden Inn. The rain got worse as I rode through town, so I ended up smelling like wet leather as I rode into the hotel lot.
The final note on this whole story is that as I was unpacking my bike, the sun came out. Ah, what a start!
I’m a very lucky person. I’ve got a job that I love and, through that position, I am able to participate in once-in-a-lifetime activities, like the 105th Anniversary Ride for Harley-Davidson.
I’m one of 105 H-D employees who are fortunate to be entrusted with the responsibility of taking the excitement of the 105th Anniversary to 105 different starting cities round the United States. We get to ride our motorcycles, hang out with Harley riders and attend parties and picnics in more cities than I’ve tried to count (but I know somebody has).
I’m going to try blogging my trip from the Great Northwest (or Ride #1, as it’s known internally) to Milwaukee. I have no idea if I’ll have enough time to continue after today or if, in mid route, a cool beer at the end of the day takes precedence over creating a posting. Call it an experiment. So here we go….
Monday, August 18, 2008
When the alarm went off at 3:15 this morning, it wasn’t that hard to roll my self out of bed. That’s a sign that something big is going on, and the start of my Anniversary Ride Adventure is about as big as it’s been in a while…..well, at least five years.
Today (Monday), is my day to head out. Many of the 105 riders will ride to their starting point. Some will fly to their start city and pick up their bike, but I was selected for a pre-ride ride.
I flew into Portland, Oregon to pick up my bike (shipped out while I was at Sturgis), and then rode to my start city, Kennewick, Washington.
Paradise H-D in Tigard, Oregon did a great job getting my Electra Glide Classic ready for me. They installed a couple of accessories that I had asked for and then cleaned it up better than I ever could.
At the dealership, I loaded the bike with all my gear, then I actually caught myself procrastinating on my departure. I guess the gloomy grey, on-the-verge-of-rain sky wasn’t as inviting as I had hoped the start of my ride would be.
When they closed the overhead door in the service department while I was outside, I took that as a sign.
It wasn’t that I didn’t have a great route to Kennewick, though.
East through the Colombia River Gorge for almost 180 miles, weaving along the curves of the river all the way.
I made a stop at the Multnomah Falls scenic viewing point (previously seen on a family vacation), then headed up the gorge. Fifty miles later I was venturing through territory I had never seen before---I love that!
The scenery was awesome, transitioning from green coastal mountains to rocky hillsides then dry rolling (but big) hills.
My gas stop was at a Shell station---Official Sponsor of the 105th Anniversary. Make note of that Paul Devine and Amy Hagen!
The rain held off till I was about half way to my destination. The first sign was the big drops at the edge of the storm. And that smell that you only get when rain first hits dry pavement.
I enjoyed the smell and the mostly dry pavement, and put up with the raindrops on and off for about a hundred miles. When I headed north into Washington, I thought I was turning away from the rain, but boy was I wrong.
The dark clouds followed me north, seemingly getting closer with every one of the 21 miles I traveled.
Maybe I was lucky that I wasn’t sure how to get to my hotel in Kennewick, because with the big drops of rain turning to small ones that were starting to come down pretty hard, I turned off the highway and pulled into a coffee shop to get my bearings.
My timing couldn’t have been better. As I walked in the door of the Starbucks, the rain came down and the wind blew so hard that my bike was rocking on its sidestand. The barista got soaked when he opened the drive through window to hand somebody their double, half caf, grande something or other, and everyone in the parking lot made a mad dash to their car or the closest store. And just then, the lawn sprinklers went on.
I waited for the heaviest part of the storm to pass, the wet barista wrote down directions to the hotel, and I was off to the Garden Inn. The rain got worse as I rode through town, so I ended up smelling like wet leather as I rode into the hotel lot.
The final note on this whole story is that as I was unpacking my bike, the sun came out. Ah, what a start!
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