Meet The New Rider Rick Rogers #1015

 I am a born and raised Southern California boy, living in Yorba Linda, CA with my wife Paula. We’ve been married for 45 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 both retired after long, successful careers, but we believe “Gramma & Papa” are the best titles we’ve ever earned. 

Motorcycle touring became a hobby after retirement and I started with short trips around California.  Those rides became longer and more frequent and started taking 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 few1000 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‘ve 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 road, or in different online groups, are living legends of the long distance riding community.  It has been their willingness to share stores and experiences that has inspired me to take on bigger challenges myself.  It was through them I first heard of the Hoka Hey and witnessed the bond, brother and sisterhood, and fellowship the riders share.  I was drawn to that and I want a chance to be part of that. 

So here we are a few weeks away from the start of the 2020 Hoka Hey, and I expect the event will live up to its name and that I will be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally.  The physical and mental challenges are obvious to all, but I expect my ability to control emotions wIll be a challenge as well. I fully expect to have moments of “What the hell was I thinking?”   To overcome those thoughts  I hope to follow the example and advise of those who have gone before me:  “Travel light.  Ride YOUR ride.  Know YOUR limitations and when to rest.  Pay attention to details and directions... and to have fun!”  I look forward to the ride and the fun of getting off the interstate highways and seeing this beautiful country via county roads and scenic byways.  I look foreword to meeting people and sharing this experience with friends.  And I look forward to, hopefully, earning my place among those Hoka Hey folks I admire. 

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