Meet The New Rider # 1341 Allen Darling

 

 

My name is Allen Darling Rider #1341. I reside in Oklahoma and I’m a Navy veteran and first-time rider for Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. I got my first taste of riding motorcycles around 1970 while in the Navy stationed in San Diego. I rented a motorcycle for a day and really enjoyed it and later bought a motorcycle to ride back and forth to base and I guess you could say I was hooked. After the Navy I didn’t ride for about 7 years (life happens). In 1979 I bought a dirt bike and rode some cross-country races and some enduros. I then bought a 1979 750cc Yamaha Special and got my first taste of long-distance riding. I bought my first Harley, a 2000 Wide Glide and then traded it for 2012 Street Glide. I’ve traveled over 122,00 miles on my Street Glide with my wife alongside me on her 06’ Deluxe, we’ve traveled coast to coast, Canada and everywhere in between making memories by the mile. 

 

I am excited to have been accepted to ride the Hoka Hey not only for the challenge itself but to challenge myself physically, mentally and spiritually. 

 

My charity of choice is St. Christopher Trucker's Relief Fund (“SCF”). Being a trucker myself for over 50 years (3rd generation), I have seen the struggles some truckers go through due to illness or injuries. “SCF” is a 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2007 to provide financial aid & health support to professional over-the-road (OTR) semi-truck drivers & their families when illness or injury takes them off the road. Recognized nationwide, SCF’s mission is to ensure drivers can focus on healing without the added stress of financial hardship. What sets this charity above the rest is the fact that 95% of the revenue goes towards the revenue expenses. It would be a privilege and an honor to raise funds for this charity as I ride the Hoka Hey. 

 

 

Meet The Returning Rider # 190 Chris Drake

 

 

Chris Drake, out of N, Ft. Myers, FL. 

 As One of the few that have ridden all HOKA HEY's

I have been blessed to meet so many new family members from all over 

that I would have ever met if not for big Jim & Beth making it possible

with the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge 

 

I ride because I just want to ride, I enjoy the personal  challenge

and the comradery that I get from the challenge,

 

 

I ride for the chosen charity of the HOKA  HEY

which is a NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBE as BIG JIM wished

To help those that have been treated so poorly 

This year the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

Boys & Girls Club is the chosen charity.

 

DONATE HERE 

 

 I will be fund raising for them,

Thank You To NAGMO JACKSON for the GREAT ARTWORK.

He made for this year's challenge coin.

 

 

Meet The Returning Rider # 1066 Andrea Tooley

 

Hello my name is Andrea Tooley....they call me "Tooley". I am a mom of 2 fantastic kids Nick 24 and Addie 12. I work full time as a dental hygienist which keeps me busy, along with Addie. I work hard so I can play harder. This will be my 3rd Hoka Hey riding for Mile Monsters Inc. If you would have said to me 4 years ago that I would be riding long distance for a charity that has my whole heart. I would have said you're crazy. That first Hoka Hey changed me even though I wrecked and totaled my bike. I still went to the finish line to hang with fellow like minded people, cheer on the finishers and to meet the boys with their families that we ride for. The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge  gave me a purpose I didn't know my soul was searching for riding in it and for Mile Monsters. I also am blessed to share the road with my mom Valerie "Gypsy"Stewart #985 and brother Craig "Subs" Tooley #1156. Those memories are one in a million. I really can't wait to see what this Hoka Hey has in store for us all. I'm excited to see parts of this country I haven't seen before.

I ride for Mile Monsters Inc which is a 501c non profit charity. We ride for our Heroes so they can live their best lives. I am honored and grateful to be apart of something that is bigger then myself. These boys and their amazing families have welcomed all of us in their worlds, and I have seen first hand what all of us incredible charity riders are possible of doing when we give it our all for these boys. Truly makes me proud and happy to be a Mile Monster!!

 

 

So stocked to see all of you fellow Hoka Hey brothers and sisters. Seeing old friends and meeting new ones, but honestly you're all family that I didn't know I needed. 

Live Well, Live Boldly, Just Live!!! ~Tooley 

 

DONATE TO MILE MONSTERS INC
 

Meet The New Rider # 1254 Nathan Dee

 

     I grew up in Wasilla, Alaska, where I joined the local fire department with my parents at 13. After high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served 14 years, including a deployment to Afghanistan shortly after September 11, 2001, and two combat tours in Iraq before being medically retired due to combat injuries. I later earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and taught middle school math and science before moving to Texas, where I combined my military and teaching experience to become a firearm, personal safety, and private security instructor and an Adjunct Instructor at Texas A&M. In my free time, I volunteer with Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief, often riding one of my motorcycles, whether it's my Harley-Davidson, Honda, or Royal Enfield, to disaster response sites across the country.

 

     My stepdad, Buckwheat, is the one who got me into motorcycles. Before moving to Alaska, he raced flat track in California, and his love for riding rubbed off on me. Once I got my own bike, I was hooked. Whether I'm carving through the Tail of the Dragon or cruising the endless highways of West Texas, there's nothing quite like the freedom and peace that comes from being on two wheels. After Buckwheat passed away a few years ago, I started looking for longer rides and endurance challenges that would push me to experience more of the country and the outdoors. That's when I found the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, and it felt like exactly what I had been searching for. On every ride and tour I take, I carry a small portion of his ashes with me, hoping he's still along for the ride and watching over every mile.

 

     The nonprofit I've chosen to support is Samaritans Purse. I first found the organization in 2013, during one of the hardest periods of my life, through its Operation Heal Our Patriots (OHOP) program. OHOP provides married military couples with a marriage retreat in Alaska and continues to support them long after they return home. Samaritan's Purse also responds to natural disasters across the United States and around the world. As part of the OHOP program, veterans and their families are encouraged to serve others by joining disaster relief deployments, with Samaritan's Purse covering their travel, lodging, and meals during their volunteer service. The funds I raise will help support both Operation Heal Our Patriots and Team Patriot, the veteran disaster relief program. If you ever see someone in an orange Samaritan's Purse shirt arriving at a disaster site on a motorcycle, there's a good chance it's me.

Meet The Returning Rider # 1010 Joao Mendonca

Hello everyone!! João Mendonça here, reporting for my fourth Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge!

Apparently, I may have to change my road name from “Classic Rider” to “Snacks!” after being officially baptized during the 2024 Challenge. (Inside joke 😂)

It's hard to believe that not long ago I was just like the 100 new riders joining this year, excited and nervous at the same time, dreaming about the starting line and wondering what lay ahead. Today, long-distance riding feels as normal as taking a trip to the grocery store. My bike stays ready at all times, and I know exactly where everything is packed. It's simply a matter of loading the bags and taking off, 10 to 15 minutes, tops.

 

Since the 2022 Challenge, I've followed one simple motto:

"If it doesn't fit inside the bags, I won't need it."

I don't like anything hanging off the bike. Nothing too heavy, nothing oversized, and nothing unnecessary.

 

People often tell me that because I've written three books about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, I must be some kind of authority on it. That's a big misconception! Those books are simply my personal recollections of the experiences I experienced during the Challenge. They are my way of documenting the places I visited, the challenges I faced, and the incredible people I met along the way. The Challenge moves so fast that sometimes you don't even know what state you're in anymore.

After publishing the third book, I started calling it "Our Book" because of all the stories and testimonials I received from 2024 rookies sharing their own experiences. Every rider has a unique journey and a story worth telling.

Here are the books:

📖 From Rookie to Finisher: "My Adventure in the 2020 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge™"

 📖 Am I still a Rookie?: "My Adventure in the 2022 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge™"

 📖Hooked on Hoka: "My Adventure in the 2024 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge™"

 All available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This year, I will once again be riding with a purpose. I am supporting Shriners Hospitals for Children and hope to raise $1 for every mile ridden during the Challenge.

DONATE HERE

Shriners Hospitals are world leaders in treating childhood neuromusculoskeletal conditions, burn injuries, and other specialized healthcare needs. Every child who qualifies receives care regardless of a family's ability to pay, and there is never a charge to the family.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Woodstock, Illinois!

Ride safe, enjoy the journey, and I'll see you on the road.

João Mendonça #1010

 

 

Meet The Returning Riders # 1185 & 1186 Brian and Brandi Signal

 

Brian “SIG” Signal #1185 & Brandi “Mermaid” Signal #1186

This will be our second time riding the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. We both rode — and finished — the 2024 challenge.

 

I’m Brian “SIG” and been riding Harleys for 27 years. I’m retired Air Force, retired ER nurse (somehow more stressful than the military), originally from Washington State, now living in Louisiana, and currently building a home in Arkansas just outside Hot Springs. During my time stationed in Germany, I brought my Harley with me and made the most of it. I rode to the tip of Norway — about 600 miles north of the Arctic Circle to Nordkapp — and made it as far west as Ireland and as far south as Northern Africa after ferrying the bike from the Rock of Gibraltar. My farthest east was the Russian border. I also spent about 10 years as an MSF instructor, which came in handy when I taught Brandi to ride about a decade ago. We’ve been riding together ever since.

 

I’m Brandi “Mermaid” and originally from Bakersfield, CA, and always wanted to learn to ride. We spent our 10‑year anniversary somewhere in the Yukon during the ’24 Hoka Hey — not everyone can say that.  I bartend full‑time while working toward my real estate license. When I’m not working, I’m traveling — and my favorite trips are always on my bike. I grew up around motorcycles, but always on the back seat. I started riding my own about 12 years ago, and I was hooked from the very first ride. When my husband told me about Hoka Hey and asked if I wanted to ride with him, I told him no — because I wanted to ride my own bike. I’m always chasing adventure and any excuse to ride. I’ve done several long‑distance trips, but the 2024 Hoka Hey was by far my longest and most challenging. And I’m back for more — hopefully a little better prepared this time.

 

About the 2024 Ride. Well… it was wet. It took us a few days to really get the directions figured out, and we missed more than a few turns. My bike’s hydraulic clutch needed to be bled every morning, and Brandi ended up buying a new bike at the first checkpoint at Pig Trail Harley‑Davidson after dropping hers at the seaweed pop‑up party in Key West. Between all that, we ran a little slower than planned. For 2026, the goal is to shave at least a day off our time — no breaking in a new bike, no babying a clutch, just riding.

 

 

Why We Ride, I’ve been a Shriner for over 20 years, and we’ll be raising funds for Shriners Hospitals for Children. The very first Shriners Hospital opened in 1922 in Shreveport, Louisiana, and today there are 15 hospitals helping children every day.

www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/ways-to-give

With our motto, “We Ride So Kids Can Walk,” I can’t think of a better way to take on the Hoka Hey.

Meet The Returning Rider # 899 Richard Eastman

 

I'm 55 and reside in Kimball Michigan. Married 30 years to my high school sweetheart Kristina. Two daughters, one son and three grandkids. This will be my 5th Hoka Hey Challenge. Starting and finishing in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024 with each year bettering myself. Looking forward to the 2026 challenge.

 

 

After you do your first Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge it becomes an addiction. Its an honor to be in the company of so many elite riders and a privilege to ride in it. You learn a lot about yourself and your abilities and strive to make the next even better. My advice to the new riders; Go into the challenge with your eyes wide open and don't overthink it. Don't over pack, eat when you’re hungry, rest when you’re tired, don't cheat yourself and go into it with the mindset of being able to ride it yourself. Ride your ride!! 

 

I'm not the greatest and fundraising but looking to support local non profits with my ride. Details forthcoming on my social media.