Makes me nervous just watching this. Don't do it, even in Milwaukee
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The 105th Adventure--Part Ten
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.
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.
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!
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