Meet The New Rider # 1044 Timothy Marsh

                                                                                                My name is Tim Marsh, I am 42, married, have five kids and one granddaughter and a grandson.  I currently live in Lexington, SC but grown up in the mountains of North Carolina in the small town of Jefferson, NC. I grow up with a small farm life: cows, goats, dogs, and horses. Every Sunday my family would go horseback riding, it was one of the highlights of my youth. Most every year our vacation would be to load up the horse go camping and trail ride every day and sit by the fire at night, great memories. I rode horses until I was a young adult, where I eventually trade my horse in for an iron horse.

So of course, growing up in the mountains fruited a lot of great twisty roads to ride.

I became hooked on motorcycles in 2005, my first Harley was a 2005 Harley Softail from Crossroads Harley Davidson in Wilkesboro, their old shop off Highway 16, signed the papers October of that year. That November I rode to Fontana, NC and on down to Deals Gap, US 129, rode The Tail of the Dragon for the first time, left the house before daybreak and got home after dark 700 plus miles, it was a good day, that ride I learned I loved to ride and hated to stop.

That first year I put just under 20,000 miles on that bike, and the following years would average about 15,000 per year. Years past and life happen, I had to sale my bike. A time pasted and I longed to be back in the saddle, would shed a tear every time I heard the rolling thunder of a group of bikes go by. At times I would roll down the window and stick my head out, Ace Venture style, and drive just to get the feel of the wind hitting my face.

As time passed the itch never went away, I was working a lot and got put on a couple of high-profile jobs, I am in civil construction and the company I was with would put on jobs that need to be completed quickly or were behind and need to finish. I was working an airport ramp apron and taxiway expansion project that was 6 months behind, I was working 20+ hour shifts, sleeping in my truck on the site, it sucked, but I did what it took, and the job finished 3 weeks ahead. I had been looking for some time for the same year, model, and color of the bike I had sold, one night after I got everything going, I did my search, and behold a 2005 Harley Davidson Softtail Deluxe Black Pearl popped up, I called when worked was finished the next morning, told them I would be there that day to pick it up, drove 7 hours one way after working at 12 hour shift got my stead, drove back 7 hours and I was back in the saddle again.

I was back riding every chance I got, luckily that job finish a couple of months after I pick up my long-lost friend. Rode the Dragon several more times, and over to Shady Valley to ride the snake. Sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway when people weren’t using it to walk their cars. Every Father’s Day weekend, my dad and I would ride several hundred miles. A valued tradition that I plan on keeping as long as God allows, a treasured time to ride along my dad.

One day I was out riding, and all of a sudden felt the inside of my right leg was getting warmed, I look down and oil was shutting out my breather, fortunately I was close to home and nursed it back. The oil pump had gone out, flushing what was left in the tank, I notice metal. I took it in, and they broke open the case, they discovered one of the bearings was punched to deep and caused the case to be cracked. I was devastated, I was going to be without my pony again.  The day I stop by the shop to get the news, my wonderful lovely, beautiful, amazing wife was with me, she heard the news and seen the sadness in my eyes, she looked at me and said just get it fixed, I said I will but it’s going to take a few weeks, and did I mention what a great person she is, she looked at me and said quiet your whining and just get you a new bike. Don’t have to tell me twice.

So, I added to my collection. 2018 Ultra Limited Low.

Other than my rides I take with my Dad I typically ride solo. I’ve got friends that ride, some are grocery getters, others ride couple hundred on a weekend. As I’ve moved around projects, at times some of my co-workers ride, we talk about our upcoming rides and where we are going, how far, I tell my plans, and the feedback I get is “Are you taking Friday and Monday off, cause that sounds like a fun long weekend ride”, I laugh and tell them that is just what I’m doing Saturday and will be back home in time for supper.

My usually rides, I head out with no destination in mind, never get lost just find places I’ve never been. I stick to the side roads, the curvy the better. Only stopping to get fuel, I pack some water and a couple of snacks, pounded them down when I stop for fuel and stay on the road. Every ride is a new adventure.

So, all that to get to why it is an honor to ride the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, I love to Ride. I first heard about the Hoka Hey from Gary Burd, he visited our Church’s Men Group one evening, afterwards we talked about riding, one thing led to another and I saw the Hoka Hey Patch and asked about it. He paused a second and said it was the ride of a lifetime. Told me all the details of his trip, I was like a kid at story time. When last year’s Hoka Hey rolled around, I know I was too late to sign up, but I followed it intensely. Thinking how it would be a privilege to take part in a ride to see God’s wonderful creation he has given us. What a joy it would be to travel this great country of ours. To push your body and mind day in and day out and into the night, traveling several hundred to thousand miles a day, day after day.

“Every Journey Begins with a Single Step” Lao Tzu

The charity I will be riding for is Tunnel to Towers, The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honors the sacrifice of firefighter Stephen Siller who laid down his life to save others on September 11, 2001.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation honor’s our military and first responders who continue to make the supreme sacrifice of life and limb for our country.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation builds mortgage-free smart homes for our most catastrophically injured veterans and first responders. These homes help our most severely injured veterans and first responders to reclaim their day-to-day independence.  They also have a Fallen First Responder Home Program, Tunnel to Towers aims to pay off the mortgages of fallen law enforcement officers and firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty, or to 9/11 related illness, and leave behind young children.