Rides Home Day 3: Camping under an awning, not the stars, Harley riders rock on through the West
Ian Andersen camped under a Harley-Davidson dealership’s awning, not the stars.
He and a growing group of other Harley riders from the West Coast were in Butte, Montana, an overnight stop on their way to Milwaukee for Harley’s 115th anniversary party that gets underway Aug. 29.
Under the awning, Andersen's tent and his 2018 Harley Sportster wouldn’t get wet if it rained. And he was surrounded by bikes and people he’d just met on the trip.
“I feel like I am traveling with guys I’ve known for 20 years,” said Andersen, of Portland, Oregon.
The Sportster Iron 1200 he's riding is his first Harley. He bought it only two weeks ago, and the odometer just rolled over to 2,000 miles.
“I get why people love these bikes,” Andersen said, and much of it is about the camaraderie of Harley riders. “At every turn, I am amazed at how friendly, polite and welcoming people are.”
FULL COVERAGE:Harley's 115th anniversary
Dan Harlander of Lincoln, Calif., also camped at the dealership in Butte. Most everybody else, he said, went to motels.
He’s riding a 2013 Harley Road Glide with 46,000 miles on it.
Harlander, 66, is in no hurry. If he wants to pull off the highway and look at the world’s largest ball of twine, in Darwin, Minnesota, he’ll do it.
“When you’re retired, every day is a vacation,” Harlander said.
For the 115th celebration, Harley-Davidson has four organized group rides to Milwaukee from the “four corners” of the U.S.: Seattle; San Diego; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; and Portland, Maine.
Some people will make the entire journey to Milwaukee, while others will do part of it based on their interest or other commitments.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY Network has a journalist on each of the rides.
RELATED:Meet our journalists following the Harley-Davidson Rides Home from across the country
Thursday, about 30 miles east of Belgrade, Montana, some of the riders had a close call when a pickup truck towing a trailer nearly caused them to crash.
The trailer had a large inflatable raft on it. Without warning, the trailer tipped backward, swaying side to side, flinging the back of the raft onto the pavement.
Fortunately, the driver regained control and was able to pull over.
Ted Poston, a 58-year-old general contractor and experienced rider from Los Angeles, didn’t wear his helmet riding across Arizona and New Mexico.
“To me, this is total freedom,” he said. “When you get over 65 or 70, you get a little more wind-blown, but if you’re just doing mountain curves on roads under 60, it’s one of the best things in the world. The ride is much more peaceful and meaningful when you don’t have a helmet strapped to your head.”
On Thursday, though, he had to wear one when the group crossed into Texas to comply with that state's helmet law.
In Portland, Maine, just before Dale Ford of Muskogee, Oklahoma, stood on his head in the parking lot of the Big Moose Harley-Davidson dealership, he talked about his 2001 Harley Night Train.
“When my wife and I split in 2000, I needed something to clear my head, so I bought this bike,” the 61-year-old biker said.
Now, the Night Train has 80,000 miles on it and “never needs nothing” according to Ford.
Ford said he suffers from depression, and riding is his natural anti-depressant.
“I want to ride my bike in all 50 states,” Ford said, adding that he rode from Oklahoma to Maine, and now he’s headed to Milwaukee.
He’s good at telling stories and riding fast.
“I hope you can keep up with me,” he says to USA TODAY Network journalist Mandi Wright.
On the San Diego ride, Rebecca Hasley, 49, of Milwaukee is on the back of her husband's bike.
She and J.T. Hasley, the ride captain, have been married for 10 years.
Rebecca got her motorcycle license after her mother died, in 2000, of lung cancer at age 59.
"When she was dying, she said, 'Don't be afraid to live,'" Rebecca Hasley said.
For her, the most beautiful part of Thursday's ride was layer after layer of wispy clouds on I-40 East just outside of Gallup, New Mexico.
"I did nothing but stare at the sky and listen to music," she said. "Sometimes living is just being silent on the back of a bike and watching the clouds go by. It's an opportunity to clear out anything going on in the body, soul and mind. It's a chance to let go."
Wednesday’s ride from San Diego started at 9 a.m. at the Harley-Davidson dealership in Scottsdale, Arizona, stopped for highly recommended green chili burgers at the Red Onion in Overgaard, Arizona, and ended in Gallup, New Mexico — a distance of 271 miles that went from saguaro-dotted mountains to pine trees and moody skies, through kitschy tourist towns and to the mesas, valleys and mountains.
“Seeing those colors in New Mexico — it was just absolutely gorgeous,” said Brian Williams, a physician from Scottsdale and cousin of Karen Davidson and Bill Davidson, great-grandchildren of William A. Davidson, the co-founder of Harley-Davidson.
“The coolest thing about the Southwest ride — and I’ve done the route several times — is the vast desolation and how beautiful it is. It makes you appreciate how big this country is,” Williams said.
“The coolest thing is getting on those two-lane roads and going through those small towns and stopping at those great restaurants. The Red Onion (in Overgaard) is a real jewel — and it beats the hell out of Denny’s or any other chain. It’s just the best way to see the country,” he added.
Wednesday night, about 15 bikers — including Karen Davidson and Bill Davidson, sat around the outdoor fire pit at the Hilton Garden Inn in Gallup, New Mexico.
It was the 17th birthday of the daughter of one of the riders, Steve Ritchey of Las Vegas. He called his daughter, Miranda Ritchey , who edits the newsletter for the Southern Nevada Harley Owners Group, and handed the phone to Bill Davidson, who wished her a happy 17th and then led the group in singing “Happy Birthday” to her.
Davidson, relaxing by the fire with a Coors Light, said he was looking forward to Thursday's 426-mile trip from Gallup to Amarillo, Texas, the longest stretch of the nine-day trip that started in San Diego and ends in Milwaukee.
Usually he rides a touring motorcycle. But on this trip, he’s riding a 115th anniversary Fat Boy.
“I wanted to do something different. I wanted to get back in the wind again, like I did when I was younger,” he said.