Let the party begin…
Posted Wednesday, Aug 27, 2008 , by Ken Ostermann
The last day. Exciting and sad all at the same time. My odometer shows 3350 miles for this little adventure. Eleven days. Wow. A part of me is excited to be home and ready for the celebration. I’ve been on the road a long time and miss my family, but another part of me wants to keep riding. There’s more country to see and more fascinating people to meet. I guess they say all good things must come to an end, but I wish I could keep this experience going a little longer.
I’ve grown quite attached to my Street Glide. Bummer that is isn’t really my Street Glide. This one belongs to the Company and will get turned in soon. I have my own Road Glide waiting for me in my garage, but I’ve experienced things and places with this bike. We’ve seen the country together. The bond that forms between rider and bike is quite interesting to me. What if all bikes could talk and share their stories? I really think Harley-Davidson motorcycles don’t just accumulate miles, the accumulate experiences.
Daytona. Sturgis. Biketoberfest. They’re all great events that I’ve had the opportunity to experience over the years. For me, riding into Milwaukee for an anniversary celebration is different. This is the birthplace of Harley-Davidson as well as my own home. With every mile that clicked by on the odometer today, we saw more and more motorcycles. You could just feel the excitement and anticipation of the great party we’re all about to experience. I glanced at license plates as I saw bikes on the road and at gas stops. Seemed like every state and many countries were represented. As we got closer to Milwaukee, people were out on overpasses waving flags and homemade signs welcoming riders. Hard to believe that 105 years ago, it all started here.
There were more people at Juneau Avenue where I work than I’ve ever seen there today. The streets and parking lots around the office were transformed into a street party that really rocked. People were catching up and sharing road stories with friends, both old and new. The Davidson family welcomed the crowd and officially kicked off the celebration. I brought my wife and kids to join in the fun. My ten year old twin boys rocked to Slow Ride by Foghat. Too funny.
Well, I guess this amazing ride really does have to end. I have to pass along my thanks to everyone who helped me every night with appropriate (and some not so appropriate) blog material suggestions. You know who you are. And to everyone else reading this, I hope you have enjoyed joining us in our adventure as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it. Spending time out on the open road on a Harley-Davidson is truly amazing. If you’ve never done it, don’t wait another day. I think you’ll find that you look at the world in a different way.
Finally, here’s to everyone in our riding group and those that we met along the way. Dan, Rod, Susan, Eric, Laurie, Victor, Jeff, Curley, Sean, Bud, and of course my wife Yvonne, all made the time on the road something special for me. We really had a great group. It felt a little sad as we all went our separate ways at the end of the day today. Thanks for sharing some great moments and let’s do this again in five years. Better yet, let’s hit the road again sooner.
Time to begin the celebration in Milwaukee. 105 years of the greatest motorcycles in the world. I’m proud to be a part of it.
