From pedal bikes to dirt bikes to road bikes; we have all
always loved to ride. I have had a plethora of nick names
over the years including Jarhead, Thunder, Hollywood,
Longhair, etc. I joined the Marine Corps directly out of high school and
loved it. I moved on to the world of music and played in
bands from northern Michigan to Detroit and then onto Los
Angeles where I lived for eleven years. I purchased my first
Harley, a 2001 Softail from Glendale HD in June of 2001 and
six days later rode it across the country to Michigan for a
H.O.G. rally before heading back to California. It was a great
way to break a new ride in! Since that time, I have been
fortunate enough to ride all over our great country on many
iconic motorcycle roads. From the Pacific Coast Highway up
and down California, the Tail of the Dragon, the Triple Nickel,
Needle’s Highway, Iron Mountain Road, the Pig Trail and
endless miles in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and Wisconsin.
Many of them with my wife riding alongside on her own bike.
I knew nothing about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge until I
received an early morning call, 5:45am to be precise, from
Lucas (The Cowboy). He asked if I would be interested in
joining him on a 10,000-mile ride. I immediately said yes,
and he replied that was the reason he called me. As we
started to gather information about the application process,
what we would need on the journey and the requirements we
brought it up to Rob (The Mechanic) Cromwell and he was
interested as well. We all applied, went through the process
and can't wait to start the challenge.
Lucas gets his nickname from his attitude, he's a “Cowboy
Up” kind of guy but would be the first to tell you he doesn't
deserve it because he isn’t a real Cowboy. Rob gets his name
from simply being a top-notch Certified HD mechanic who
not only fixes and repairs Harleys but helps create amazing
customizations. You would spend hours trying to get either
one of them to say where they have ridden and for how long
but to suffice to say both of these guys are hard chargers.
Lucas has been known to roll straight out from mid-Michigan
to Sturgis just to get a picture in front of the Sturgis sign, then
turn around and come back, or make a run from west Texas
back to Michigan in March with rain, snow, hail and ice. Rob
comes from a family of riders, his Grandpa Jeff rode, his
mom has ridden Iron Mountain Road herself, alongside her
dad Jeff, and her husband Tony. Rob has been riding since
he was about 9 when he started ripping around on dirt bikes
and Harleys since he got his license. He can build it and then
ride the wheels right off it as well.
We are all looking forward to putting our experience, skills
and our love for the open road to the test, meeting the other
riders and getting to see some of the most amazing places in
North America.
We have chosen to ride together and to raise funds for our
local Toys for Tots programs. I am the Commandant of the
Marine Corps League of Roscommon County, where I spend
a lot of time volunteering, focusing heavily on the Toys for
Tots program as well as donating time to Ogemaw County’s
program every year where we all live. We started fundraising
early last year after being approved for the challenge and
were able to help with the 2023 Christmas season. Due to
the Herculean efforts of Christie Blackford, we were able to
donate over $6000 to the Roscommon County and Ogemaw
County Toys for Tots programs and look forward to raising
additional donations this year through a pledge drive as our
community follows our progress through the challenge.
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