My name is Jim Hollister…I will have turned 60 years old by
the time the 2020 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge starts. I think
this will be a pretty awesome birthday gift to myself. I can’t remember what year it was, had to
have been 2013 or 2014, but I do remember seeing two HHMC riders at Rolling
Thunder in Washington DC in the Pentagon parking lot. To this date, they are the only two I have
seen “in the wild.” Anyway, they caught
my curiosity and later that evening a little online research opened my eyes to
the HHMC, and I have followed every event since. My hope is to join this elite group of people…those
who have taken on the challenge and completed it.
I have spent virtually my entire adult life serving this
great nation…24 years in the US Air Force and the past 15 as a civilian contractor
maintaining aircraft for the Air Force. It
has, and continues to be, a great honor and privilege to do so. I have been fortunate to see many wonderful
places around the world…and just as many not so wonderful. I say that to tell you that the one thing I
know for sure is this…America is the greatest place on earth (despite the crap
you see on TV) and I want to see all of it.
What better way to do so than this…on my motorcycle, challenging myself
in ways I have not before…seeing places I have never seen and experiencing
things I have never experienced.
I feel that the challenge of completing this event in the
allotted time is the big lure for me. I
have read many of these “Meet the Rider” posts, and many people write that
their friends and family think they are crazy for doing this…and I have heard
the same! But really, given the
opportunity and the means, I think one would be crazy not to try. Another draw is the experience…being able to
see the country from a different perspective…the freedom of two wheels! No blasting down a super slab of concrete for
hours on end, but cruising though the countryside and really seeing
America! And of course there is the
opportunity to learn a little about oneself…to see how far you can safely push
yourself to complete a goal or objective…to have a pretty tough challenge laid
before you and complete it.
I have spoken to many people about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle
Challenge, and the first thing I almost always get is “what’s that?” And so, I spend a few minutes telling them
about what the challenge is…but I am sure I cannot accurately explain it,
because I have not lived it. I can tell
them why I want to do it, but I cannot tell them how I did it. I can imagine what it is like…what it takes
to complete the journey, but I really want to experience it for myself. And so, I look forward to having these
conversations again…after I have done this…so I can really share the experience
with anyone who wants to hear it.
Fundraising! I feel
this is one of the most awesome things that the HHMC does. I have been a member of Rolling Thunder®
Chapter 1 North Carolina (RTNC1) since 2003 and will be riding to raise funds
for this non-profit organization. The
mission of Rolling Thunder® is to educate the public on the POW-MIA issue…to
ensure the more than 83,000 Americans who have yet to return from all wars
since WWI are never forgotten…to correct the past to protect future veterans
from being left behind should they become Prisoners of War or Missing in
Action. We are also committed to helping
American veterans from all wars. Locally,
RTNC1 focuses on mission accomplishment through involvement in community events
throughout the year. We strive to honor,
remember and help veterans and active duty service men and women in many ways. We host a monthly hotdog night at “The
Bunker”…a USO sponsored area at Fort Bragg’s Wounded Transition Battalion. The chapter spearheads activities for Wreaths
Across America at Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery in Spring Lake, NC every
December. For many years, we have visited
the residents of the NC State Veterans Nursing Home in Fayetteville, NC for
monthly bingo and an annual spring picnic.
The list goes on…and funds are always needed for these activities. I am very proud of my association with
Rolling Thunder® and our local chapter here in Fayetteville, NC. I believe in the work we do and feel honored
to be able to be a part of such a great organization supporting our nation’s
veterans and active military. I hope you
can take a minute and visit us at:
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