A Little Background

Faith and I love to take motorcycle trips. We've covered many, many miles and many states over the last 8 years. My motorcycling days go back a bit more. I've been riding since I got my license and an old BSA. Back then it was mostly local rides and bar hopping. But back then the laws were a little different. We'll still go to the popular biker bars for lunch or a ride but spending most of the day doing that and then riding home is not my idea of a fun day anymore. When choppers were all the rage, the BSA was replaced with bike that a friend and I stripped down and built quite a nice chopper. Lots of fun but I was starting to like longer runs and the chopper just didn't cut it. No storage , smaller gas tank and a hardtail frame made the long haul a little bit of a pain. I wasn't ready for the "old man " full dressers and swore I'd never ride one of those. My first Harley was a Sportster that I took apart and customized again and this was fine for a while. Still not good for the overnighters but lots of fun. In 1994 I bought a HD Superglide and got it ready for my first weeklong ride and rally. Saddlebags and sissy bar with storage bag and I was on my way. Trailered the bike to North Carolina where I met my cousin and rode from there to Daytona for bike week. After buying more storage equipment and a windshield for the ride back, I realized that those dressers are pretty nice if you're going far. Superglide out, 1989 Ultra in. God, what a difference! I was hooked. I could ride this thing forever. I started going farther and farther for longer and longer rides. I started going to more rallies and events. For years I went to the Americade Rally in Lake George,NY. If I couldn't find someone to go with, I'd be off on my own. After all, it was only a 4 1/2 hour ride. From there to Laconia, NH for the Laconia Rally. Then 8 hours home. In 1999 I rode that bike from my home at the Jersey shore to South Dakota for the Sturgis Rally. Many more miles and many more memories during that trip. Mt.Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Deadwood, the Badlands, and more. I was looking for the long distance adventures even more now. Taking advantage of being a Harly owner, I looked into the Fly & Ride program. It looked like the perfect way to see more of this great country so in 2000 I booked a Fly & Ride with Las Vegas HD. I'd heard about the Laughlin River Run and wanted to check it out. This rally has become one of my favorites and now Faith and I go there as often as we can.  

From Laughlin it's about an hour and a half to Lake Havasu City, AZ. This is the home of the London Bridge. (yep, the real London Bridge) Well, I fell in love with the place and decided that someday I'd live there. The River Run became part of my yearly rides. In 2003 I had a trip planned to go house shopping in Havasu. This trip was different though. I had since gotten a newer HD Ultra Classic. I shipped it to Las Vegas HD and then I flew out. Spent a week riding around Arizona with some time in Havasu, then a ride across the country back home. As much as I like riding with friends and now with Faith, sometimes a ride like that needs to be done alone. I was on my own schedule. No one else's bladder to be concerned with. Rode when I wanted. Stopped when I wanted. Ate what I wanted. On the way I stopped at as many HD dealerships as I could find. It's great to see a friendly face and talk about your trip to someone who shares your enthusiasm. I also started collecting dealer items like dip dots, shot glasses, bumper stickers, etc. When I got home, Faith was waiting.