Santa Fe Harley Davidson Here we Come!!

Leaving Grand Junction we go south a short distance to Whitewater Junction where we will turn on a remarkable motorcycle road, the Gateway Canyon or Delores River road, whichever name you prefer. This magnificent motorcycle road goes south along the Delores River, past Gateway to Naturita, Colorado. The Gateway road is one hundred miles of truly great technical motorcycle riding.

At Naturita, we will turn west and go into Utah. On this ride we will pass the Bedrock Store. This turn of the century, the last century, store is frozen in time. It is truly an old rural store with glass counter cases and wood floors, long since worn through, which sells parched peanuts from a big barrel as you walk in. If it is open, stop. We will then turn south at La Salle Junction, south of Moab, Utah.

Riding south we will pass the original Hole in the Wall store which was the inspiration for the motel carved out of the rock wall in the movie Cars. Shortly we will come to Monticello where we again turn east back into Colorado. Riding east we ride past Telluride and go on to Ridgeway where we turn south to Ouray and ride over the Red Mountain Pass. At the top of Red Mountain Pass is Silverthorne, an incredible old mining town served from Durango by one of the last existing narrow gage railroads in the United States. Continuing on over the pass we come to Durango where we turn east to ride over Wolf Creek Pass, our forth crossing of the continental divide. Both Red Mountain and Wolf Creek Passes offer over the top motorcycle riding, literally.

Further east we arrive in Alamosa where we will turn south into New Mexico and Santa Fe. Our seventh checkpoint, Santa Fe Harley-Davidson, is right in the middle of this historic old, really old, Mexican trading town. The oldest church in the United States is located in Santa Fe. At this point we have crossed the Continental Divide four times!

Riding through Sturgis during the rally!!

Departing the Broken Spoke Campground, everyone will ride right down the middle of Main Street with all the parade experience of passing hundreds of bikes parked along the street.  Passing through Sturgis in this manner may relieve the tension between deciding whether to go to Sturgis or Ride the Hoka Hey.  

We will do both!

Departing Sturgis, we will ride some truly great roads going south to Grand Junction, Colorado.  We will go from the Broken Spoke Campground, down the main street of Sturgis, and on to Deadwood, South Dakota.  Departing Deadwood, we will go south past Mount Rushmore and on down the Iron Mountain Road riding in front of Mount Rushmore, through Keystone and on into the Black Hills.  Following the Iron Mountain Road, we will proceed south through Custer State Park with its Buffalo and Elk herds and then south through Hot Springs, South Dakota and on south through the northwest corner of Nebraska where we turn west to Lusk, Wyoming. 

Departing Lusk, we will ride south on a great back road to Wheatland.  We will then ride the Bossler Road, a great high speed motorcycle road.  Following the Bossler Road, we will go on to Laramie and southwest into Colorado and the southern approach to Rabbit Ears Pass.  We will then ride down US 40 to the Gore Pass for our third trip over the Continental Divide. 

On the west side of Gore Pass, we will ride over Red Dirt and Wolcott Passes and on down the Colorado River road into the Vail, Valley.  Following the Vail Valley to the west, we will continue through Glenwood Canyon on a short distance of interstate and down the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  Glenwood Canyon was the last segment of the original interstate highway system to be constructed and is one of the most spectacular scenic roadways in the otherwise spectacular Colorado Mountains.

At Glenwood Springs, we will turn south and proceed through Redstone and over McClure Pass to Grand Junction, Colorado and Grand Junction Harley-Davidson, our sixth check point.

A third of the way there!

Departing Idaho Falls, we will ride east over the Teton Mountain Range into Wyoming and on to Jackson Hole.  Departing Jackson Hole we will go on to experience two great canyons; the Wind River Canyon and Ten Sleep Canyon.  These canyons and the rivers located in them were at the heart of the old beaver trapping activity of the Mountain Men.  Both offer great technical riding and magnificent scenery. 

Coming out of Ten Sleep Canyon we will cross the Big Horn Mountains and on into Buffalo, Wyoming.  This will be our second crossing of the continental divide.  Following Buffalo we will go east pass Devils Tower and on to Hulett, Wyoming.  We will then proceed by a northerly loop route to ride across the southeast corner of North Dakota and on into South Dakota.  Our route then arrives in Sturgis and the Broken Spoke Campground, our fifth checkpoint.  

If all goes well, we will arrive in Sturgis around the middle of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  In this maelstrom, we won't even be noticed, but the Broken Spoke will afford us some welcome hospitality.

Feel the Power of this Checkpoint!!

Gail's Harley-Davidson in Grandview, Missouri, is not your typical dealership.  Located only yards from the intersection of 71 and 150 Hwys. Gail’s has become a destination.

Gail's Harley-Davidson is an exclusive Harley-Davidson® dealer. Recognized as one of the top dealerships in the country, Gail's offers one of the largest inventories of motorcycles, parts and accessories, and MotorClothes® merchandise in the Midwest. Gail, owner and president, has been active in Harley-Davidson® dealerships since high school, learning all phases of the day-to-day operations and assuming a variety of positions.

   Gail’s Harley-Davidson’s success can be explained simply by its tagline, Where Every Day is an Excuse to Have Fun!  When owner Gail had a vision 10 years ago for a new dealership, she wanted to create more than an ordinary motorcycle dealership; she wanted to create a destination.  A 55,000 square-foot, 10-acre biker’s Disneyland.  With determination, hard work and perseverance along with her perpetual sunny attitude, positive disposition and genuine, hearty laugh, Gail created the identifiable tagline to be more than a succession of words.  The dealership truly lives up to its motto as a place where riders go to have fun, play pool, watch their motorcycles being serviced or simply take a stroll through the showroom.  The dealership has become a regular stopping and starting point for Saturday rides as well as the social hub amongst riders.  Gail’s provides live bands and free food to add to the relaxed yet lively atmosphere.  Thousands of customers “hang out” at Gail’s during the week and on the weekends.    

 An experience at Gail’s will not be soon forgotten and the motto “Where Every Day is an Excuse to Have Fun!” will keep you coming back.
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HOG Backs the Hoka Hey Challenge

On August 5, 2011, hundreds of Harley riders will embark on one of hte world's greatest long-distance motorcycle rides, the 2nd annual Hoka Hey Challenge. This year, riders will trek from Phoenix, Arizona, to Nova Scotia, Canada. Along the way, they'll pass through all 48 contiguous United States and several Canadian provinces and territories. More than 10,000 miles later, all participants will have accomplished the trip of a lifetime and the top riders will be eligible to collect cash prizes.

This year, in addition to the Harley-Davidson Motor Company being a sponsor of the event, the Harley Owners Group intends to add to the rewards for the top five eligible H.O.G. member finishers in the Hoka Hey Challenge by awarding a new 2012 Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations motorcycle to the top placing H.O.G. member, and an additional $19,000 in prizes for the eligible 2nd through 5th place finishers.

"The Hoka Hey Challenge is a perfect match for the superior touring experience and capabilities of Harley-Davidson motorcycles and the long-distance adventuring aspirations of many of our H.O.G. members," said Steve Piehl, Harley-Davidson Director of Customer Experience. "The theme of the Hoka Hey Challenge is 'It's a good day to ride!" and that is always the case on a Harley."

For details and rules of the H.O.G. contingency program, visit members.hog.com. For entry information or to monitor the event's progress, visit www.hokaheychallenge.com.

Pushing on to the Fourth Checkpoint!

Departing Great Falls to the southeast, we will make a dash for another great mountain pass; Beartooth Pass south of Red Lodge, Montana.  Going over this pass is a great test of man and machine in the best of weather.  Snow in July and August is not unusual.  This is one of the most impressive passes we will cross and is our second crossing of the continental divide.

South of Beartooth Pass, we will pass through Cooke City, Montana, the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park America’s first National Park.  Proceeding southeast from Cooke City, we will enter Wyoming and the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone.  We will ride around the top loop of the park, through Mammoth Hot Springs, the park headquarters, and on to Norris and the West Yellowstone Entrance.  Leaving Yellowstone to the west, we will enter Idaho and ride south through the Snake River plain to Idaho Falls and Chester’s Grand Teton Harley-Davidson, our forth check point.

Chester's Reno HD is a checkpoint!!

Chester’s Reno Harley-Davidson is located in Reno, Nevada the “Biggest Little City in the World”. Gateway to the Sierra Nevada Mountains Reno is located on the I-80 corridor, just 30 minutes from beautiful Lake Tahoe, world class skiing and the Wild Wild West mining town of Virginia City. The  Reno area  and Sierra Nevada mountain are home to some of the world’s finest motorcycle riding.

Hosting a large Rental Department Reno Harley-Davidson see’s riders from all over the world who come to experience the mountains, lakes and high desert our area has to offer. Yes, of course there are the casinos and nightlife too!

Operating first as Harley-Davidson of Reno, then as Reno Harley-Davidson and now as Chester’s Reno Harley-Davidson the dealership has been in existence in Reno for over 30 years. Purchased in 2010 by the Chester Family of Mesa Arizona Reno Harley-Davidson is one of 7 Harley dealerships in the Chester Family operation.

EB Chester, owner of Chester’s Reno Harley-Davidson, was one the founding sponsors of the Hoka Hey Challenge last year. Setting off from Mesa, AZ he and his riding group first rode to Key West, Fl for the start of the event. Quite a long distance ride before the actual challenge started. An accomplished long distance rider, he completed the ride to Homer, Alaska along with Travis Metcalfe husband of our General Manager Debbie and several others. This year EB has been intimately involved in the planning for the 2011 Hoka Hey.

Chester’s Reno Harley-Davidson is proud to serve as one of the checkpoints in 2011 for this Harley-Davidson only event! We will be ready for the riders with food, refreshments, and other amenities.

Stop by and see us during the Challenge or anytime!

Traveling on to the Third Checkpoint

Leaving Reno, the course goes for a short distance of interstate highway toward Donner Pass and then turns south and follows the western shore of Lake Tahoe south back into California through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on through Sacramento to San Francisco.  After giving everyone a sufficient dose of urban traffic, we will intersect CA 1 north in downtown San Francisco and follow it across the wonderful Golden Gate Bridge.

Coming off of the Golden Gate at its north end, we will continue up the California coast on CA 1 and enter Oregon where we will continue up the coast on OR 1.  This will prove to be a long, tourist intense, route which goes along the rocky coast and through the historic California Redwood forests.  Near the northern end of OR 1 we will go east to intersect the Columbia River at Portland.  Crossing the river into Washington, we will ride east along the north shore of the river through the famous Columbia River Gorge, the epicenter of wind surfing in the United States.

Coming out of the Gorge, we will continue east through lower Idaho and into Montana, riding over the continental divide for the first of many times. Our route goes through the Bitterroot Mountains and crosses the divide at the Lolo Pass, One of America’s great mountain passes.  One of many we will experience.

At the eastern end of the Lolo Pass we will come into Missoula, Montana and then, continuing east, pass by the south end of the Bob Marshall Wilderness area while traveling on to Great Falls, Montana and Big Sky Harley-Davidson, our third checkpoint.

HDMC to show recognition on their FB page!

Harley Davidson supports Hoka Hey!

The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge

August 5th, 2011, the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge™ will present the world’s greatest long distance endurance motorcycle event.  This year’s event will begin in Phoenix, Arizona and travel through all forty-eight contiguous States and Canada to Nova Scotia.  The route will travel 10,000+ miles and will require passion and determination to complete.  The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is open to riders of all Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. 

Participants are not required to ride the entire route to be recognized as a Hoka Hey Challenger.  Riders will be permitted to start from any checkpoint or end at any checkpoint and still earn a place on the Hoka Hey roster along with a Challenge coin and number. 

Riders cannot win cash prizes unless the entire route is traveled within the rules of HHMC 2011 - but - by becoming a Hoka Hey Challenger; your name will be immortalized. 

Otherwise... Who will remember your name?

The second leg of the Challenge!

When leaving Las Vegas Harley-Davidson we will ride the full length of Freemont Street, the historic downtown portion of Vegas' "Strip".  We will then continue on the Las Vegas Strip past the world’s most magnificent concentration of Casinos.  We will then turn west and ride through Pahrump and on across Death Valley into California and up against the east slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  Death Valley, while only one hundred miles across, will separate the men from the boys in the August heat.  It can get to 125 degrees, plus on a good day.  Even at night it can be over one hundred degrees.  Going north along the Sierra Nevada Mountains, we will turn west and ride into Yosemite National Park, past El Capitan, the Alwanee Lodge and the other great features of Yosemite Valley. 

Departing Yosemite we will ride through the historic gold fields of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and on up the eastern shore of Lake Tahoe into Reno, Nevada and Chester’s Reno Harley-Davidson, our second check point.

Stay Tuned there is so much more to come!