TRUSTED COMPANIONS

As the Hydra-Glide celebrates its 75th anniversary, we look back at one of the many road trips taken on this iconic model, as documented in The Enthusiast™.

Images courtesy of the Harley-Davidson Archives

It’s time to delve into the archives of The Enthusiast™ once again.

This time, we venture back to 1956 to follow married couple the Dondelingers on a road trip across California on their beloved Hydra-Glide. One of the Motor Company’s most enduringly popular models, this classic of the Panhead era marks its 75th anniversary this year.

The road trip is recounted by Mary Ellen Dondelinger, who begins by describing her amusement and disbelief at being told as a teenager that her tea leaves predicted she would one day marry a sandy-haired man who rode a motorcycle.

As fate would have it, Mary did in fact end up married to a sandy-haired motorcyclist, LeRoy, and they became enthusiastic long-distance riders. On this particular occasion, some three decades after that prediction, the pair set off from their home in Van Nuys, California, for a weeklong summer trip. The Hydra-Glide was well-laden for the journey: “all packed with pup tent, air mattresses, sleeping bag, stove, can of white gas, dishes, food for several days and extra clothing.” Mary recalls the looks of amazement and disbelief that they encountered riding along the highway, as well as the reactions of their fellow travellers: “Every night, when we spread all that luggage out in camp, the other campers wanted to know how it was possible to get it all back onto the motorcycle.”

Towards the start of their trip, the couple had a campfire reunion with their daughters and grandson in Rock Creek, 480 kilometres from home. From there, they embarked on a tour that took in stunning lakes – including Lake Tahoe – mountain views, beautiful forests and characterful small towns. Racking up a decent mileage each day, the pair would either opt to set up camp in rural beauty spots – including an abandoned army camp on one occasion – or enjoy a few creature comforts in motels.

The route would take them along some of the state’s most impressive high passes over the Sierra Nevada, including Echo Summit (2,249m) and Donner Pass (2,151m). Some of the highways they rode were still under construction back in the 1950s, which led to some tricky riding conditions at times.

Highlights for the pair included camping by the Stanislaus River, among tall pine trees – where they were careful to hide their food away from any visiting bears – and the Yuba Pass, with its distinctive rock formations. Another favourite was the Feather River Canyon:

“The road along here was a continuous surprise. On the motorcycle, the curves here gave us quite a thrill. We never dreamed that California had so many rivers. […] Part of the country was green and part of it was volcanic-colored.”

The route proved interesting on a historical as well as scenic level. One stop was the town of Chico, which was originally founded during the Gold Rush. Mary and LeRoy found it a charming place, with its old saloons and windows still displaying the wording “Tables for ladies.” They had the sense that this was not a town often visited by tourists, and found that the residents had never seen a traveller’s cheque before.

All too quickly, the couple’s week of riding came to an end and they headed home through the Sacramento Valley, with a quick visit to LeRoy’s sister on the way. The trip had proven to be highly successful, with 2,400 kilometres covered and an overall cost of just US$24.44! Mary’s final words sum up their experience, and their satisfaction with their faithful Harley^®: 

“Our Hydra-Glide surely can take it. Its abundant horsepower made for a wonderful, comfortable ride no matter what was in front of us. And you need plenty of horsepower on some of these California highway grades. […] The scenery was magnificent and we could travel for years over California highways and never see all the sights. Here’s hoping we meet you on a trip sometime soon.”

Have you embarked on your own inspiring road trip recently, or are you planning one for the summer? Get in touch with us at hogcanada@harley-davidson.com to share your plans!

---

Tags: