My name is Mike Neale. My wife and I met and married in El Paso, Texas, 48 years ago, and, although we love our families, we knew that we needed to move away from them to raise our own family. We stayed in Texas – although 850+ miles away – and moved to Beaumont in 1977, which is where we still reside. I recently retired from the petrochemical construction industry, after years spent as a Quality Control Inspector. Since I’ve retired, “spare” time has become plentiful, and I spend lots of it either on the golf course with the other old dudes or chasing whatever activity my grandkids are doing that day. It could be much worse, believe me!
I have wanted to participate in the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge ever since I first heard of it back in 2010. I always thought I should wait until I retired to commit to taking the chance to apply, and the most exciting thing about my recent retirement is the anticipation of the Hoka Hey. Recently, while I was riding to Tyler, Texas, to see my grandson pitch in his college baseball game, I happened to speak with a guy at a gas station along the way. He saw me walking back to my bike, and told me how jealous he was, since he was in his car. He then tried to one-up me by mentioning that he had participated in the Hoka Hey. When I told him that I had applied for this year’s event, he was ecstatic! 20 minutes later, I unfortunately had to tell him that I needed to leave. But to see the excitement on his face and hear how excited he was to share his experience…it just gave me chills.
I have been riding for 45 years and have taken countless long trips. I’ve ridden from Beaumont to Sturgis (and back). I’ve taken a few buddies trips along the East Coast and ridden through some of the most beautiful landscapes in our country. Having the opportunity to participate in the Hoka Hey would just give me the chance to see what else I’ve missed, and I can’t wait.
Although this is the first time I have applied, I have had countless discussions with others who have participated. One of the things that has continuously been shared with me is to ride my own ride. I can’t wait to do just that, but I also look forward to being able to meet new people who share this passion of mine. I will admit that I may be getting started a little bit late in my process for 2022, but that is simply because my retirement was not anticipated. I had considered working through the end of this year, but my wife convinced me it was time. With that being said, I will ride for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and I am so excited to be able to provide them some more support for their amazing organization. Hoka HEY!!!
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