105th Roadside News - Wausau to Milwaukee - August 27th & beyond
Maverick and Radio - Sep 17, 2008

Harley-Davidson of Wausau served as a springboard for five days of high octane motorcycling fun! Much of it was more about music and partying than riding motorcycles. The ride to Milwaukee was fun. The dairyland countryside was beautiful…especially to a diehard country boy. 

 

Riding into the Milwaukee city traffic was a culture shock following 2500 miles of open road where we often rode for miles without seeing more than several automobiles.  When we finally put our feet on solid Wisconsin soil north of downtown, we took a deep breath and prepared mentally to accept the challenges of the urban jungle as motorcycle riders.

 

 

While in Milwaukee, we visited the HOG party at Miller Park, Harley-Davidson University on Juneau Ave., the newly opened Harley-Davidson Museum at North Sixth and Canal Streets, the Summerfest grounds, Veteran’s Park , and countless regional Harley-Davidson dealerships where “high octane” entertainment was an understatement. 

 

 

The experience of sharing the 105^th Anniversary Ride with thousands of Harley-Davidson owners and friends provided lots and lots of stimulation to energize new dreams of motorcycles to ride, people to see, places to go, and things to do.  

 

 

Leaving Milwaukee feels temporary. Connecting with new friends within the Harley-Davidson Company and within the motorcycling community, and achieving a greater understanding of and appreciation for Harley-Davidson products, corporate processes, and the motorcycling culture made it a worthwhile experience. We also realize there is more to know, learn, and enjoy. Hence, we will probably return in future years. 

 

Wonder what happened to us? Sorry if we left you hanging. We arrived at our Milwaukee accommodations, a private residence, to discover we had no internet access, television, or cell service.  We briefly considered spending several hours at Starbucks or some other location where we could access the internet, but like you, we would rather be riding.

 

The ride into Milwaukee from Wausau was uneventful. Several hundred bikers arrived early at Harley-Davidson of Wausau ready to ride. Actually, they were ready for coffee and food, but there was none. There seemed to be some confusion and frustration about rider refreshments; most expecting at least coffee and donuts. Some left to locate breakfast; others stayed and grumbled. Overall, it was a happy, excited crowd, and a great day to ride.

 

Our group from Seattle decided to wait and ride into Milwaukee together to avoid the crowd and traffic. The larger group took the interstate highway through Madison and on to Milwaukee. Our group stayed off the interstate and traveled back roads into Milwaukee. At our final fuel stop, we said our good byes and took group photos; promising to stay in touch with new friends. As we rode in to Milwaukee, one by one bikes left the group for their rally accommodations waving and honking as they rode off.

 

The ride home was a good experience; one I would recommend to others. Obviously, the enjoyment of such a ride is dependent on the makeup of the group. This was a good group. Maureen Hutchinson, wife of Harley-Davidson Senior Vice President Ron Hutchinson, said of all the rides she has participated on, this was the best group of people. We all rode together well and enjoyed each other’s company. Maybe that is a rarity. 

 

 

I attribute much of the group synergy to the HD executives; all of whom checked their big titles at the door and became ordinary bikers for nine days. 

 

JT Hasley, our lead dog, was fantastic. He is an exceptional storyteller. His Oklahoma accent and humor made for many entertaining moments. 

 

Ron Hutchinson always made time to answer questions from everyone, and people were after him all the time. His ready smile and enthusiastic laughter served as sunshine everyday. 

 

Maureen Hutchinson was a trouper and a delightful lady to get to know. She rode in the cold and the rain without a complaint. 

 

John Olin, Vice President, Controller, served as the DJ on the trip with a great music playlist. He is the kind of easy going guy you want as a friend and riding buddy. 

 

Steve Piehl, Director Events & Consumer Initiatives, is a gentle, kind man with strikingly, beautiful light-blue eyes (sorry, Steve, but they are). Always taking care of other’s needs, he seemed to be the organizer/coordinator of the group. 

 

Gene Ostrom, Director Field Sales Ops, joined the group a few days into the ride. Gene seemed to be an easy-going guy with a great sense of humor. 

 

And, there were others from Harley-Davidson who joined later into the ride; all very nice people who took time to interact with riders. Unfortunately, time did not permit for us to know them as well.

 

 

We continued on from Milwaukee with family members to ride into Canada and New England. By the time we told them goodbye in Indiana, another nine days had passed. As we returned home to Colorado thirty-four days after we had left on this trip, our odometer turned over 10,125 miles. Time flies when you ride, but the memories last forever. 

 

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