Meet The Returning Rider # 1015 Rick Rogers

 

 

I am a born and raised Southern California boy, living in Yorba Linda, CA with my wife Paula. We’ve been married for 46 years and have 2 daughters.  We are blessed to have our girls, their husbands and our grandchildren living nearby, making family dinners and weekend BBQ’s regular events.  My wife and I are retired, and we believe “Gramma & Papa” are the best jobs on earth. 

 

Motorcycle touring became a hobby after retirement, and I started with short trips around California.  Those rides became longer and more frequent and took me places I’d only dreamt about seeing on 2 wheels.  Through those trips I discovered the IBA and the world of long-distance motorcycle riding.  I did a few 1000-mile IBA rides to start, but it was a coast-to-coast ride in 2018 that got me hooked on long-distance riding.

 

Along my motorcycle journey, I met people who shared the love of traveling on 2 wheels.  I didn’t know it at the time, but some of those folks I met on the road, or in online groups, are living legends of the long-distance riding community.  It was their willingness to share stores and experiences that inspired me to take on bigger challenges myself.  It was through them I first heard of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and witnessed the bond, brother, and sisterhood, and fellowship the Hoka Hey riders share.  I was drawn to that and proud to have earned my place in the Hoka Hey family by completing the 2020 Challenge. I am very happy to be part of the wonderful Hoka Hey family. 

We are now a few months away from the 2022 challenge. As a Hoka Hey Finisher, I have a better idea of what to expect both physically and mentally during the challenge.  The advice others gave me prior to my first challenge now makes more sense.  “Travel light.  Ride YOUR ride.  Know YOUR limitations and know when to rest. Pay attention to the details and the directions... and have fun!”  There is wisdom in those words, and I understand that now much better than before. 

I ride in support of the annual coast-to-coast event “Run for the Wall.”  It is my goal to raise money to help pay for some of the fuel and other travel expenses of those riders traveling from California to the Vietnam War memorial in Washington DC.