The Spirit of Hoka Hey

Here is just a taste of the adventure that awaits you on the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.

The Spirit of Hoka Hey

A feature length documentary about the challenges faced by our indigenous people and an 8 part mini-series about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and it's participants are being created by David Roma and the Movement Group.

Destiny? Or Free Will?

So often in life, circumstances are beyond your control and you have to deal with them in the best way you know how.  The question then becomes whether you will adapt?  Or attempt to overcome?

In the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, you will be faced with any number of situations that will make you ask these same questions of yourself.  You will learn whether you have the courage to plunge headlong into untested waters; the strength to confront seemingly insurmountable challenges or the drive to continue the quest in spite of brutal physical elements.  Exactly, what kind of a person are you?  Take the Challenge and you will find out. 

One Life – One Ride… The journey is yours to take!

Changes for the Good

As we get out and speak with people about this year’s Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge, we’ve gotten a very positive response to the changes we’re making to the event.  Everything from the prize structure to the shorter distance and the fact that we will be keeping the route entirely within the U.S. have gotten a lot of support from the potential riders we’ve met out on the road.

As many of you know, nobody took home the prize money from the 2011 Challenge but, even though the 11 contenders from this year’s event were disqualified for various rule infractions, the skill and determination of these Challengers is without a doubt what puts them in the category of the World's

Most Elite Long Distance Riders!  Unfortunately though, there could be no official recognition for finishing placement and – with the exception of $100K paid to reimburse the contenders for the inconvenience and expense of their trip to AZ for interviews & polygraph tests – no money (or motorcycles) was awarded in 2011. 

As a direct result of having a prize structure for finishing placement, there has been a misconception that the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was a speed race and this opinion has taken the focus away from what the event was intended to be.  The Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge was intended to not only test a rider’s stamina and endurance, but their mental capacity to follow directions and adapt to any situation.  In fact, the exact length of the routes and the number of participants were withheld for the sole purpose of keeping the riders guessing. 

In order to return the event to this original objective, we have removed the incentive for speeding by not offering to recognize finishing placement.  The prize money will be fifty percent (50%) of the money brought in through entry fees split equally by all riders that arrive at the finish line within a window of time, having followed the driving directions we provide and having hit all of the checkpoints.

An additional benefit to this approach is that, by removing the incentive for riders to speed, the organization will have no need to police their speeds with GPS or polygraph tests this year!   In order to be eligible for a share in the purse, contenders will simply have to certify that they did not receive a ticket for a moving violation during the course of the event. 

These changes were brought about with the hope of bringing the focus back on the ride.  This puts riders in competition with the road, their bike and their own demons –  NOT in competition with the other riders.  Riders will learn their own strengths and weaknesses.  They will face fear and will have to determine if they have the courage and resolve to push forward.  In the past, many of our riders searched deep within themselves and found the strength to persevere when they thought they had nothing left to give.  The majority of our participants measured up to our expectations and we salute them – whether they made it to the finish line or not. 

We are offering you a Challenge in 2012 and we intend to deliver. 

Anything else is just a race.

Announcing the 2012 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,

Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

Inscription on the base of the Statue of Liberty

As Americans we hold that Liberty is a moral and political right in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions.

The Romans held that Liberty is a goddess who guides the hearts of men and inspires them to courage and hope for the future; she secures their freedom and fights with them to protect her blessings. She celebrates the victory of men and women over the limitations of their own life and allows them to break the chains that hold them.

The primary tenants of the Declaration of Independence are "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness..." As such, we recognize that there are no entitlements - the world doesn't owe us anything and we have to work, sweat and scrape to get what we want and need.

That we have gotten ourselves to this place in the world is no accident. We have had the freedom to choose how we live our lives. Now, will you choose the safety and security of your easy chair? Or will you join us this August 5th, 2012 when we embark on the 3rd annual Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge?

This year's event will begin in Las Vegas, NV and travel LESS THAN 6,000 miles to end in New York, NY. Hoka Hey 2012 will take riders along some of the most scenic roads in the lower 48 United States.

Keep an eye on our website (http://www.hokaheychallenge.com/) for more information and applications.

The question now is...
What will you do with the choices that are before you?

Awards & Recognition

The Hoka Hey Challenge 2011 was a great success with the World’s Top Riders competing in a 14,000 mile cross country event. The course took them through 48 states and 2 Canadian Provinces and ended in Cape Breton, Canada.

This year, the Hoka Hey went high tech and utilized GPS tracking devices to monitor the riders to insure compliance with the prescribed route of navigation. All finishers complied with the route but the top riders had to submit to polygraph exams for further scrutiny into their compliance of the many rules.

Because of the fact that the 2010 event did not utilize US Fleet Tracking to obtain information about the rider’s speeds and location; the Organizers had to rely on local law enforcement as the primary means of enforcing speeding violations. The Organizers relied on the issuance of a speeding ticket or moving violations, along with the polygraph examination to qualify the 2010 winner. In this 2011 event, the information provided by US Fleet Tracking specific to the 11 contenders could not be ignored by the Organizer’s of the Challenge. After the final validation had been completed, even though the 11 riders who finished within the allotted time frame have accomplished something that no other rider on earth has done, they could not be awarded prize money. The situation was discussed at length at a Contender’s meeting and consideration was made for the fact that the Contenders had to incur significant additional expense to travel to Mesa, AZ for the mandatory polygraph examination. There was an offer made and accepted to help offset their expenses for the mandatory travel. One contender was not able to be present for the event and another intends to seek other remedies. In the end, these elite riders were celebrated on stage as the winners of the event and were recognized as the greatest riders in the world!

A number of the Hoka Hey Challengers were on hand to celebrate the winners and enjoy festivities at Chester’s Harley-Davidson, Mesa, AZ during their annual Rocktoberfest. Chester’s Harley-Davidson was the starting point for the Challenge and on Saturday, October 8th, 2011 Chester’s welcomed the riders back with a ceremony to honor all the brave men and women, who fought the elements to complete the grueling 2011 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. Everyone present enjoyed 11 Rock Bands, a poker run and a spectacular concert by Paul Rogers of Bad Company which brought everyone to their feet!

Thanks to all that made the 2nd Hoka Challenge a great success! Especially the folks at Harley-Davidson Motor Company and US Fleet Tracking, proud sponsors of the Hoka Hey.

The 2012 Hoka Challenge is scheduled to run next August. The course will be LESS THAN 7,000 miles, to afford more riders the opportunity to participate. The anticipated total ride time should be 12 days or less. The route will once again take those who love to ride through the back roads of America. Applications will be available on the website in November. Please check our website for updates www.hokaheychallenge.com

The 2011 Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is officially ended!!!

Rider #660, Aristotle Liceralde arrived at the finish line at Ramsay's Harley-Davidson in Sydney, NS at 5:35p.m. Atlantic Time – just 43 days
after leaving Mesa, AZ.

Congratulations to Aris and every one else that put their heart and soul in to this year’s EPIC event; and special thanks to the wonderful people on Cape Breton Island!!

As many of you know, the Medicine Show Land Trust is still a very small organization with limited staff and this event wouldn’t be what it is without the generous support and dedication of those who believe. Not the least of these are the Cape Bretoners! The hard work and enthusiasm of the local H.O.G. Chapter (Chapter 9044), Ramsay’s Cycle & Sports, the Joan Harris Pavilion, Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) and Destination Cape Breton made the finish line and closing ceremonies a memorable end to an amazing event.

No matter that our travel plans got pushed back or that the original host for the party at the end of the road pulled out; Andy Tonet, the director of the HOG chapter in Cape Breton, told us not to worry about it -
“We’ll get it taken care of”. And that is just what they did. Everything from the venue, to food for our riders was arranged on our behalf. All we had to do was show up and check the riders in (and failing that, the HOG members were on hand to pick up the slack).

After I came back to the States, Andy and some of the more staunch Hoka Hey supporters from the community have been on hand to make sure our riders weren’t left standing alone at the finish line upon completion of their incredible journey. In fact, the entire HOG chapter met Rider #660 today and rode with him the entire distance of the Cabot Trail and in to the finish line where the celebration just got started!

Whether it’s because they were glad to have us visit their special corner of the world, or if it’s because they just love to ride; the people of Cape Breton Island have really made our riders feel welcome. For my own part, I was made to feel like one of their own during the 20 or so days that I was there and I feel I came to know the Cape Bretoners fairly well. These people are true believers! They believe in keeping their word, they believe in the spirit of community and they believe in our Hoka Hey Challengers.

Thank you Cape Breton - from the bottom of my heart,
Beth

List of Arrivals as of September 17th
Eugene Adee - #71
Kenneth Aston - #618
William Barclay - #355
Gary Barnes - #662
Wendy Battles - #685
John Baumann - #645
Gary Beach - #672
Larry Berland - #374
Jane Bixby - #650
Travis Brian - # 694
Schatzi Brown - #652
Robert Carlo - # 341
Robert Crawford - #50
Douglas Davenport - #622
Keith Deninno - #616
Daniel Dowell - #665
Richard Drake - #190
Moe Ducharme - #659
Marion Ezell - #319
Shaun Fickes - #679
Michael Fox - #601
James Geray - #674
Robert Griffin Jr - #148 (#704)
Jim Herold - #116
Henry Hilliard Jr. #180
Mark Hodge - #348
Stanley Hoover - #636
James Howatson - #654
James Huffman - #604
John Ibbitson - #640
Mark James - #605
Scott Jenkins - #639
Peter Johnstone - #166
Piotr Kacki - #132
Frank Kelly - #175
Dennis Kelly - #683
Thomas Kinsey III - #668
Stanly Kistler - #676
Debra Langley - #677
Walter Ledig - #290
Aristotle Liceralde - #660
George Liebel - #648
David Lutes - #91
Eden Mailloux - #265
Charles Marble - #85
Brian McDonnell - #375
Michael McGuire - #55
Tim Menzie - #670
Terry Meyer - #264
John Miller - #686
Kenneth Miltimore - #621
Lawrence Murray - #628
Marshall Myers - #253
Karl Netherland - #5
Steven Nowak - #608
Harold Park - #644
Rodney Pashcke - #304 (#701)
Debby Pearson - #695
Newton Pereira - #691
Jeffrey Piscitelli - #626
Michael Rogers - #699
Eula Rose - #383
Pedro Salcedo - #657
Bruce Sather - #678
Robert Scott - #655
Garry Simoneaux - #619
Heinz Spielvogel - #332
Marc Story - #16
William Stueber - #643
Shaun VanBeber - #600
Milton Vincent - #207
Robert Vincent - #658
Ronald Warren - #653
Kelly Withers - #649
Brent Witters - #682

Last man on the Road...

I named my motorcycle after my sister "Sincha". She passed away in April 2009 (complications from pancreatitis). She was 29 years old. I've had a couple of setbacks on the challenge. The first being a new rider. I received my motorcycle indorsement back in 2005 but have been off more than on. When I first got "Sincha", I drove once around the dealership parking lot and called my neighbor (the Ranger) to drive it 26 miles to my house. I was sooo unfamiliar with it that I couldnt just jump back on. On 11 Aug, on the tail end of the HWY 14 route in WA, I was trying to make miles and drive through the night. I noticed some road kill on the opposite lane and when I looked up it was too late. A wolf was in my lane eating road kill and my attempt to swerve wasn't enough and I clipped it with my gear shifter and left leg. I assessed my physical damage and knew I sprained/broke my left leg/ankle. I was able to move it so I knew it couldn't be that bad. When I tried to shift, the impact sent the shifter 90 degrees north so I stayed in 6th gear for a couple of miles till I could exit HWY 14. I slept behind a gas station with the shift manager's permission and pressed on to MT the next morning after I bent the shifter back into place until I could get it replaced at the next checkpoint...

I think it was on the 22 of Aug when I had my second incident. After driving through what I thought were the worst rains I've been through at the border of New Mexico, I tipped the bike over in Trementina. There's a new bridge construction out there in the middle of it all and I didn't take my time negotiating the terrain. The dirt was hard packed, until I got to the bottom... So now I'm nursing a swollen left leg, the bike ends up on my right leg/foot to even things out. I was able to push the bike off of me, but wasn't sure about getting her back on her kickstand. After a few minutes, the site mgr for the bridge shows up and helps me get her back... She starts up and push on...

From the beginning, it has never been about the money. Being a new rider, it was a snow ball's chance... I've served in the military for 24 years and I figured it was time to see our country that we've been defending... I ride for my sister who didn't get a chance to see all of this beautiful country... I ride to see family and friends along the way that I haven't seen in years... I ride because I'm still able and am thankful for all the military members still serving that allow us pursue all these freedoms...

Will I do the next challenge? If the timing and finances are right--maybe and with a windshield next time? 8)


Aristotle Liceralde #660