Posted on 08/28/2008 6:58:35 AM PDT by BraveMan
On Debbie Argel’s first motorcycle trip from California to Wisconsin in 2003, she was nervous about the risks, but encouraged by her son, Air Force Capt. Derek Argel.
He told her: "Fear of death is really just a fear of life. Go for it, Mom."
Two years later, on Memorial Day, 2005, Derek was killed in Iraq. In his memory, and to raise money for children of special military forces killed in the line of duty, Debbie and her husband, Todd Bastian, are riding their cycles from Lompoc, Calif., to Milwaukee for Harley-Davidson Inc.'s 105th Anniversary Celebration.
The big party kicked off Wednesday and continues through Saturday. Tens of thousands of motorcyclists from across the nation and a few foreign countries are pouring into the city for events ranging from custom motorcycle build-offs to a Bruce Springsteen concert.
Argel and Bastian are expected to arrive today with a group of Harley riders, many of them veterans, riding in honor of Derek Argel. They're trying to raise $105,000 for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, a nonprofit organization started in 1980 to provide college tuition money and other assistance for children of military special forces killed in combat or training accidents.
"My son would be doing this for the children of his fallen brothers, if he were here. And I am just a grandmother who doesn't want to sit back and let everyone else" do the work, Debbie Argel said.
Not all are partying There's a myriad of reasons why bikers have made the trek to Milwaukee, besides partying.
Some of the out-of-state riders were born and raised here, so the celebration also is a homecoming.
"There's something about coming into Wisconsin on a Harley that's much more exciting than arriving any other way," said Christina Wildlake, a.k.a. "Biffy the Biker," who grew up in the Green Bay area and now lives in northern California.
Wildlake became a motorcyclist as a personal challenge after overcoming an illness.
"It's a real celebration every time I get on that bike," she said.
The Sacramento resident has a rubber chicken named Thrivette strapped to the back of her 2008 Harley Street Glide. She and her riding partners have made a lot of biker friends on their way to Milwaukee.
"The biking community is family . . . weird, diverse, yet family. At each stop we are meeting more and more 'relatives' we never knew we had. We may not share 'blood' but we share the spirit of the road and the love of Harley-Davidson," Wildlake said in a blog about her travels.
Woody West, from Whitewater, rode his Harley through 13 states to raise awareness for the "Remember Rally," a national movement aimed at building a health care facility for rescue workers injured and sickened in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"I just felt like I had to do something," said West, a Vietnam War veteran who has organized other motorcycle rides to support Remember Rally.
Long-awaited reward The average age of a Harley rider is about 46, compared with mid-30s for other motorcyclists. For many Harley enthusiasts, coming to Milwaukee on a bike born and bred here is part of their midlife game plan.
That's the case for Terry and Veronica Duncan of Suffolk, Va., who arrived on their 2003 Ultra Classic.
The Duncans recently turned 50. Veronica retired from the U.S. Postal Service, following a military career.
"It was now or maybe never," she said about coming to Milwaukee. "Anyway, we are riding only one bike, as my husband loves the feel of his bride of 30 years still close to him."
Dean Hofstedt returned to motorcycling when he was 52 years old, after having been out of the sport for decades. Now, the 61-year-old Wisconsin native, who lives in Sherwood, Ark., is in Milwaukee on his bike.
"When I got to be middle-age-crazy, I said, 'This is it. I need a Harley,' " Hofstedt recalled.
Canadian Moh Harris, of Calgary, Alberta, became a biker in his mid-40s. He bought his first touring motorcycle about a month ago in Tampa, Fla. He rode the bike from Tampa to Calgary, about 2,300 miles, and then turned around and headed for Milwaukee five days later.
"I am loving it," Harris said.
Bumps along the way For many riders, the journey was as memorable as anything they might experience while they're here. Life on the road is filled with surprises, including some that aren't so pleasant.
A rider coming from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, crashed and nearly slid off a cliff after his bike missed a curve in the Mexican desert. "It was a sharp curve with no markings on it," said Paul Krajeski, one of the Cabo San Lucas riders.
The biker who crashed was not injured, but his Harley was scraped up a little.
"As a philosopher once said, 'to do anything well should have an element of fear to it,' " Krajeski said in a cell-phone interview from the road.
Krajeski plans to ride east, to Boston, to visit his daughters before riding back to Mexico.
"I am cramming all of my plans into the first year of my retirement," he said.
Brian Boettcher, from Maryland, had a mishap in the Pennsylvania mountains.
He and his wife dumped their bike while easing off the road to take pictures at a scenic overlook.
"We were sliding toward a cliff, but there was a guard rail" to stop the bike, he said.
"The good news is, except for a few scrapes on the palms of our hands, and a few bumps on our rear ends, nobody was hurt. It looked a lot worse than it was," he added.
Parking lot bonding At Harley's Juneau Ave. headquarters Wednesday afternoon, Amanda Overmyer, a 2008 "American Idol" contestant and Harley rider, rocked the stage with Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You."
Riders poured into the designated Harley party spot for the evening.
"This is mecca," said Milwaukeean Tami Bosovich, taking in the sights from her 2007 Ultra Classic.
Bosovich has been a motorcyclist since 1996, when her husband introduced her to the sport and she "took to it like a duck to water."
Across the parking lot, another Harley lover agreed with Bosovich's assessment of the special bond among Harley enthusiasts:
"Everybody is a brother and sister, no matter who you are, when you own a Harley," said Peggie Herrin of Cookeville, Tenn.
Some of the riders at Juneau Ave. were well-seasoned travelers who had turned motorcycling into a family affair.
Ron Klanke, from Royal Oak, Mich., has taken his son and daughter to the 49 states accessible from the continental U.S. by motorcycle. Their last trip was to Alaska, in 2007.
"If I could get to Hawaii by bike, I would do it," Klanke said.
Coming to Milwaukee from Niskayuna, N.Y., Wisconsin native Patrick Jarvis summed up his feelings about the Harley celebration:
"This is my home and it's my bike's home. It's just a terrific way to come back here and have a really good time."
Brewtown is overrun with Hooligans!
Sprinsteen concert? He’s such a weak talent.
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band did his stuff better than he ever could.
Should be a fun weekend. Walking around downtown last night and seeing people from TX, TN, NY and such on the streets (and mind you Milwaukee is quite quiet at night during the week) left me with a big smile on my face.
Well worth the racket ;)
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A fun time was had by all!!
an’ me jus’ sittin’ here on my butt, dreamin’. siiiigh....
Sprungspring? Talk about the wrong person, at the wrong place, for the wrong reasons, at the wrong time.
You are famous ping!
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