No state left unridden…

H.O.G. member J.R. May talks long-distance riding, honoring veterans and riding all 50 states on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

I live in Eubank, a small town in southern Kentucky. I’m retired after a career in contract maintenance, before that, I served in the U.S. Army, where I was an electronics specialist. It was after my army discharge that I took up motorcycling. I enrolled in community college to further my education in electronics; it was a 60-mile round trip to the school, so I decided to buy a motorcycle to save on fuel costs. I purchased a used 1971 Harley-Davidson 350 Sprint from the local Harley-Davidson dealership, which I sold after getting married and moving to Kentucky.

It wasn’t until I began working in manufacturing maintenance that I fell in love with riding all over again. During Monday morning meetings, some of the guys with motorcycles talked about their weekend adventures, and one day I was asked when I was going to get a bike. None of them rode American models, and I told them if I bought one it would have to be a “real” motorcycle. So, a few weeks later, I found a 1997 1200 Sportster for a good price and joined the local H.O.G. chapter in Lexington. I rode that bike all summer, then in the December I was Christmas shopping at the dealership and fell in love with a 2003 Gunmetal Pearl Super Glide. I had that bike for nine years, making trips to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, Biketoberfest in Daytona Beach, Florida, and several trips to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the spring and fall bike rallies.

After putting more than 86,000 miles on the Super Glide, I purchased a 2012 Ultra Limited. I put 86,000 miles on that one too before trading it in for a 2017 CVO Limited. Over two years, I covered 46,000 miles, and then I bought a 2020 CVO Limited, which is my current bike.

Not long after returning to riding, I added riding the lower 48 states to my bucket list. I got closer to my goal when I accompanied five friends on an 18-day trip to Oregon to put our feet in the Pacific Ocean. Another time, a large group of us rode to Maine to eat lobster, which ticked off a lot of the East Coast states, and a group of us rode to Arches National Park in Utah.

Another item on the bucket list was to ride with Run For The Wall, which honors veterans, POWs, and those still missing in action. So, in 2015, I left work on a Wednesday afternoon and rode to Hurricane, West Virginia, where I signed up for the remainder of the Central Route ride to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 2019, I decided to do the entire run from California to D.C., and ticked off the Golden State, taking me to 48 states. I added Alaska and Hawaii shortly after, completing all 50.

People often ask me about Alaska and Hawaii, and which one I liked the best. Although Hawaii was beautiful, Alaska was truly awesome and remains my favorite. We went there near the end of July and the weather was great. In one area, we saw a line of houses in the middle of nowhere, and instead of cars parked in the driveways, they all had Piper Cubs, Cessnas and other light aircraft. Another time, a grizzly bear rose up out of a ditch, and there was a black bear lying in the middle of the road, plus moose and other wildlife. The only problem I had on that trip was the rear wheel bearing failing just as we got into Whitehorse in the Yukon territory. We rented a truck and U-Haul trailer and made the two-day journey to the nearest Harley-Davidson dealership, which got us back on the road after an overnight stay.

If you’re planning on riding to Alaska, my main piece of advice is to be prepared. The Milepost annual travel guide to Alaska details every gas station, motel, and restaurant along the Alaska Highway and surrounding areas. You’ll be covering a lot of miles and do not want to run out of gas, so tip number two is to carry at least one gallon with you that can fit in a saddlebag. I had two, which came to my rescue when one of the gas stations on our planned stop was closed. Lastly, make sure your ride is in its best condition for the distance—it’s a long way between motorcycle shops!

Now that I’m getting up there in age, my riding time is slowing down, but I still have a few items left to accomplish on my bucket list, including riding the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado; visiting the Hoover Dam on the Nevada and Arizona border; visiting the Grand Canyon in Arizona; and attending the Thunder Beach Motorcycle Rally in Panama City Beach, Florida. In May, I plan on participating in the Run For The Wall again. This year, we’re commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war. Then on Sunday, May 25, I’ll be riding in Rolling To Remember in Washington, D.C., which is a demonstration ride to remind the politicians we still have POWs and MIAs to bring home. During that ride, I volunteer my back seat for a Gold Star Mother—a mom whose child has been killed in action.

I joined H.O.G. to experience the camaraderie of riding with others. I’m approaching 300,000 H.O.G. miles, and I’ve made lots of friends, locally and from other states, through riding with the three H.O.G. chapters I’ve belonged to. I ride with my current chapter whenever I can.

For me, riding a bike makes me feel connected to the environment, unlike driving a car. It clears your head, takes your mind off problems and helps you relax. That’s why, for me, it’s not the destination but the ride to get there that’s important.

Words by Jeremy Pick