My first ride was a Sears (Cushman) Highlander scooter that I used for delivering newspapers at age 12. I traded up to larger bike a couple of times, then quit riding once I joined the navy.

The motorcycle interest revived when I returned to the US from Taiwan. I took a motorcycle safety course, bought a relatively cheap 750cc starter bike, and got the M endorsement on my license. After a few months of weekend riding, I decided it was time for a Harley-Davidson. I sold my starter bike and bought a used H-D in 1997.

first ride

first Harley

favorite Buell

Harley Owners Group (HOG)

Harley-Davidson, aka the Motor Company, encourages local dealerships to sponsor and support a local chapter of HOG. It is a mutually beneficial effort. Chapter members get to meet other riders, participate in dealership social events, and group rides. The dealership gets additional sales of merchandise and accessories as well as bikes. I joined my first HOG chapter in Wilmington in 1997.

One of the benefits of moving to Houston was the ability to ride 12 months a year, which is not possible in Wilmington. We took the Harley with us to Houston, and I joined a local HOG chapter there. I met my long-time riding buddy, M L Mann, shortly after moving to Houston. We remained close friends until he passed away in 2017.

DeLana expressed interested in riding. I never liked to ride with a passenger because the bike handled differently, and stability was difficult at low speeds. We decided she could learn to ride, then get her own bike. She did both, and her starter bike was a 500cc Honda.

Touring

Riding across country for longer trips over several days is one of the greatest joys of riding. Weather can be challenging, but with the right gear and training you safely ride, stay relatively warm and dry.

My first long trip was from Houston to the Sturgis Rally in South Dakota in 1998. I decided to ride solo rather than with a group. I planned carefully, tested my gear on short rides before I departed. Many bikes have GPS navigation capability now, but not back then. I rode with a paper map in plastic taped to my windshield. It was a lot of fun and retuning safely to Houston gave me a great feeling of accomplishment.

Texas Hill Country

When we started planning for retirement, Texas was a preferred location. It was equidistant to visit TN for Richard and SC where Delana’s family as well as CA for Thomas and Jerry. Some of the best motorcycle roads in Texas are in the Hill Country area. The San Antonio or Austin airports were acceptable for my planned consulting work. After looking around, we bought a 5 -acre lot near Boerne for our retirement home.

We completed the house in 2000 and spent some weekends and holidays there while we were still working in Houston. I had a motorcycle at each location. DeLana had moved up to her own Harley. We were both thrilled to learn that a new Harley dealership was under construction in Boerne It was completed in 2002, and the Texas Hill Country Chapter of HOG chapter was formed in 2002. I am a charter member and DeLana joined in 2003. She rode her bike with me on several extended trips.

Two of the first people we met in Boerne before we relocated full time were Mike and Linda Goodwin. We shared a common background. He graduated from Annapolis and retired as commanding officer of the USS Tisdale (FFG-27). We were both in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam war. Mike was not a biker, but I may have been instrumental in changing that. His sweet wife bought him one! He learned to ride and joined THCC.

HOG provided many more touring opportunities each year. After my initial solo tour to Sturgis, I managed to get away for 3 or 4 longer rides each year. I have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to ride in all 48 of the of the contiguous US as well as Canada and Mexico over the past 25 years. Frequent touring partners were Dave and Jodi Christiansen, Don and Dorinda DeGroff, and Dave and Terri Edwards. We had many wonderful multi-day trips together.

Road Trips

Rolling Thunder Memorial Day Rally

This annual event was organized in 1988 to support the servicemen that were left behind as prisoners of the Vietnam war. The last ride organized by the original founders was 2019. Each rally drew 250,000 – 500,000 bikes to the Washington DC area for the weekend.

From 2007 until 2019, Mike Goodwin, now known by his road name “Skipper”, organized and led a ride from Boerne to Washington DC. The group grew each year and included folks from AR and WV that joined us along the way. I rode with them six times between 2008, and 2019. Tom and Jeanne Paulk's daughter lives in Fairfax VA. They hosted a dinner for the group each trip, and provided outstanding logistical support. Each ride was unique and special, but 2008 was my first visit to the Vietnam Wall, and a very emotional experience. I released some feelings that had been buried inside since 1966.

Rolling Thunder

Motorcycle Instruction

The new dealership, Javelina H-D, added a motorcycle training range at the rear of the dealership shortly after opening in 2003. I watched parts of some of these classes and decided to become a RiderCoach, which is the official title of an instructor. The training requirements were rigorous, requiring monitoring several classes, then completion two weeks of classroom and range training, and passing both written and motorcycle skills riding tests. Trevor Bird at Javelina H-D agreed to sponsor me, and I completed the training in 2003 which licensed me as an MSF (Motorcycle Safety Foundation) RidersCoach and certified to work in Texas. An additional week of training was required to be certified to teach at H-D dealerships.

There are also continuing education requirements. I used these to participate in track days. Students ride on a racetrack in a controlled environment. We were coached to ride at high speeds and expand our skills with professional coaching and supervision.

Classroom

Training Range

Live Class

Making Friends

ATGATT

Track Day

I enjoyed coaching for several reasons. Riding was never natural for me as my balance and coordination are average at best. Coaching required me to constantly practice basic rider skills demonstrate them for students. Also, it is very satisfying to watch folks that had never ridden become reasonably competent in the basic skills over a weekend on the range. Finally, coaching income helps support a hobby that can be expensive.

Trevor Bird had also become a good friend. Our common background was our individual spiritual journeys started several years after we had first met. Trevor later hired me to coordinate the scheduling, staffing and reporting requirements for the riding classes at Javelina. I work part time at the dealership for the last few years in Boerne.

one last ride

Before we moved to Charlotte in 2019, Skipper and I rode to Durango, CO to visit and enjoy some beautiful mountain roads. Trevor had recently relocated to Durango after buying the H-D dealership there. It seemed appropriate that my final ride included these two friends who were instrumental in my motorcycle years in Texas.

Million Dollar Highway

Trevor and Catie Bird

My last bike