Meet The New Rider Mike Hall # 973

Gotta get them papers delivered before dinner! He jumps on his Schwinn and heads out, leaving the smell of Mom’s apple pie steaming from the kitchen window sill. That gig begins to get old when the Circus comes through town and when it leaves, there is one paperboy who is home no more. Have newspaper boys also gone the route of Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, never to be seen again? A bygone era?

Three years later and on the other side of the country, the familiar two toots of the whistle and the Circus train rolls out of town missing one young, soon to be sailor.

 Two wars later with a chest full of confetti, the salty Chief parts company with the “new” Navy. A much kinder, gentler place than when he found it, the Chief is ready for a new turn, a rediscovery of his foundation, his core.

During the Navy years, the fire that started with Then Came Bronson continued to burn and the flames took hold from time to time. Cross country adventures on a Yamaha 650 twin, running with California patches on an ’85 HD Electra Glide, tent and sleeping bag across Europe to experience the Autobahn and Autostrade, and running in the poetic chaos of Bella Napoli on Harley’s in southern Italy are a tip of the story. Finally, the ol’ salt finds himself back in the good ol’ US of A in a time of cell phones, GPS, and with it, a return to rules and order.

A few years go by and organized Long Distance riding is found through the Tour of Honor and with that, an introduction to the Iron Butt Association. Finally, like minded souls! The bug bites and before long the occasional cert rides morph into LD rallies.

The Chief had read something about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge , but the first real look was when a couple of his nephews said they wanted to ride the Hoka Hey Challenge. Key West to Alaska. So what is this Hoka Hey thing? A Challenge, not a rally? A spiritual undertaking? A discovery of the soul? He spies the vests at IBA events, brave souls who seem to have an even tighter bond than those other Long Riders. Curiosity grows. It’s more than a Harley thing. The ol’ Chief is told he has got the ‘IT’ that can take on the Challenge. 

 

One of the few who are called. 2020 is the year the ol’ Chief will dive into his inner soul and discover the truths of his foundation. Overcoming health Obstacles in 2019, the Chief will be challenged with recovering while again competing in multiple rallies along with relocating his family from Virginia to Oklahoma, and finally retirement. These are not necessarily Obstacles, but rather challenges to be taken on and overcome.

 

My wife and I have chosen the St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital because of the phenomenal work they do to ease families of the burden associated with children who are stricken with traumatic illnesses by removing the monetary burden they would otherwise be crushed by. https://www.stjude.org