Greetings! Jim Hollister here…HHMC Rider #980...looking forward to another Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge! It seems like it was just yesterday since the last one, but this time I will be retired (for the second time), two years older, hopefully a little wiser and equipped with a few lessons learned from my first Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.
Wait…what? I’m going to do this again?
I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to participate in and finish the 2020 Challenge. It was something that I had been wanting to do for several years. I can’t really explain why, but it called to me…over and over. Finally, I was in a position to answer that call. I had no expectations other than the assumption that it would be pretty awesome. It did not disappoint! I was not on a mission to “find myself” or to have a “life changing experience”…and that was a good thing! There was no time. Hey!! You have to pay attention to what you are doing out there…it is easy to miss a turn…critters run in front of you…many of the roads were very technical…it is easy to miss a turn. Yes, I said that twice for a reason.
What I really wanted was to have the Hoka Hey experience…to participate in something much bigger than myself. The theme for 2020 was Momis Komet – Perseverance. Looking back now, it was quite fitting for me. I knew it would be challenging, but I really had no clue how everything was going to go down. I had ridden my bike long distances before, but never quite like this. I had never camped before, let alone from my bike, so the first night of the challenge was the second time I ever put up a tent. I had never embarked on a journey without researching my route and knowing where I was going. Ah yes…the journey. It was incredible. We knew where we were starting from and then about 20 minutes before departing on the first leg, we finally knew the first checkpoint, but had no idea what was in between. And that’s how it went until the end! Interestingly enough, a few times I found myself in places I had been before. While traveling through Ohio, we rode within a few miles of where I grew up! I stopped a lot to take pictures and look around along the way. I went off route to see areas of interest, always being sure to get back on route where I left. The scenery was amazing and it was easy to get caught up in the incredible beauty that is America. I got turned around more than once. I got pretty good at setting up and taking down the tent. It didn’t take too long to realize I was carrying too much stuff. I saw a bear crossing the road ahead of me. I saw majestic mountains and long, straight stretches of road that seemed to never end. I got cold. I got wet. I got tired. A couple times I questioned myself as to why I was doing this…LOL. Pressing on, I finally completed the challenge on the afternoon of my 16th day…arriving the same time as a pretty big thunderstorm. It was the perfect finish!
So yeah, to answer my question to myself…I’m definitely gonna do this again!
Another great thing about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is the opportunity to bring awareness to and raise funds for charities or organizations that are near and dear to our hearts. Our nation’s veterans comprise a small percentage of our population. You’ll find them living and working in communities all across America. Most folks do not know the things they may have seen…the holidays they spent away from their families and friends…the sacrifices they have made. They are patriots who would step up in a heartbeat to once again defend this nation and our freedoms. Whether they served a few years or made a career of the military, they call each other brother and sister. Having spent 24 years in the USAF, another 16 years working for the USAF, and living in the shadow of Fort Bragg, NC for the past 30 years I have had the distinct honor and pleasure to get to know and work with many of my brothers and sisters from all branches of the military.
Unfortunately, through this same experience, I have learned that things like veteran homelessness…PTSD…and veteran suicide are very real.
One local organization that strives to assist veterans experiencing these and other issues is Off Road Outreach. Their mission is to:
Enrich the lives of homeless veterans and others by providing meals, hot showers, clean clothes and kindness from their Jeep.
Help reconnect our veterans to the land they fought and sacrificed for through the True Patriot Inc. Patriot Therapy program.
Provide suicide prevention support and resources to our veterans.
These folks are awesome, they are committed to our veterans and do great work here in the community. I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to help them out through generating awareness as well as raising some funds for them to continue their mission.
Off Road Outreach falls under the umbrella of services of True Patriot Inc., a veteran owned and operated 501c3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible.
Take some time to check them out at www.offroadoutreach.com.
Ride safe…and often. Hoka Hey!
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