My daughter Abby and I met Jim Red Cloud at an Easy Rider event in Columbus, Ohio in 2011.
We were both hooked on the idea of riding the Hoka Hey after meeting him. Abby has been my riding buddy since she obtained her motorcycle license at the age of 16. As a child she loved being the passenger on the back but we’ve ridden side by side since 1998 to events such as the Sturgis bike rally and numerous other cross-country rides.
Upon meeting Jim Red Cloud, riding the HHMC together was a bucket list item for us. The 2011 ride wouldn’t be possible for us due to heart surgery that I would be undergoing soon. We set our sights for the 2012 challenge which proved to be everything we wanted it to be and more than we expected. I’ve returned for every challenge since. Abby has been busy earning her PhD and building a career as an administrator in higher education. Part of that process has included the publication of her book Women Who ride the Hoka Hey: Enduring America’s Toughest Motorcycle Challenge.
Fast forward now to the upcoming 2022 Challenge. For my Christmas present last year, Abby surprised me with the gift of using her precious vacation time away from work to ride with me this year. It was the best gift I could have gotten. Riders # 719 and # 720 will be traversing the road together again on the 10th anniversary of our original HHMC. My only expectation for this ride, my 7th Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, is to soak it all in with Abby by my side. Riding anywhere and for any reason is my break from the stresses of everyday life as the owner of a mechanical contracting business. It’s only when I climb on my bike that my brain turns off all work issues. My idea of a vacation, small or large, is to be on my bike. I thrive on being a part of the HHMC. Going from Point A to Point B following the specific set of directions and trying to make it within the 14-day period is exhilarating. I like the challenge of so many miles in such a little amount of time. My friends aren’t sure if I’m one of the toughest or stupidest riders on earth for riding the HHMC.
One of my favorite parts of the challenge is the pre-planning leading up to the start of the
event. I am always trying to invent better ways to hold the directions, better lighting on the
bike for night time driving, etc. No matter what happens during the ride, be it weather
conditions or bike troubles, the part I loathe the most with the challenge is when it’s over. I get
back home and ask myself, “that’s it? I want more!” The best advice I can offer to the first-year riders, and advice that I have to constantly remind myself of, is to force yourself to rest after a certain number of hours or miles, whatever works for you. You’ll be all pumped up and want to keep going but if you don’t rest, you’ll mentally crash at some point during the event and that will make you fall behind.
My fund-raising efforts this year will benefit The Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce.
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