Harley 120th Road Guardians Gathering  

When the planning of the event started, we were excited about the scenic location, right on the river, close to the Harley Davidson Museum, areas where you could be in the sun or shade, heck you could even have your toes in the sand if you wanted. Well true to Wisconsin, the weather was not as expected. It was cold and rainy, not just a few light showers as one would expect, more like torrential downpours.   

The bad weather didn’t stop the gathering from being held or the people from attending. In fact, we had people from all over the country stop by. I got to see friends and biker family members that I haven’t seen in years. I had the opportunity to meet Gloria Struck, Author, and a 77-year member of the Motor Maids. She has been riding for almost twice as long as I have been alive! I knew who she was and recognized her as soon as I came into the room. I felt incredibly lucky to have gotten to sit down with her and share stories of the struggles we faced being women riders. I told her that she is an inspiration, she responded with, “I was just doing what I love.” If you are interested in purchasing her book you can find the order form below. 

There was a photo on the table of a firefighter riding a motorcycle surrounded by ash and rubble on 9/11, I have used this photo multiple times in social media posts, I thought to myself, ‘why is this photo here?’, Tony Pan turns to me and asks, “Doris have you ever met the Fireman Tim Duffy, you know, the one from 9/11?”, I honestly am not sure what words actually came out of my mouth because here I am shaking hands with the man from a photo that I have used over and over and always wondered if he made it out that day.  

Tim founded a non-profit called 1Soldier 1Dog 1Team, he finds and trains dogs who need an owner and pairs them up with veteran suffering with PTSD. Together, as team, they help each other to heal. How cool is that?! If you want more information you can go to the website 1soldier1dog1team.us 

I am lucky to know both Vicki “Spitfire” and Tony “Pan” for so long that I forget sometimes what motorcycle legends they both really are. They both have been inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame at different time for their own unique accomplishments!  Their list of accomplishments are far too long to list here (and I’m not just saying that because Vicki is my boss.)

RG Lifetime Member, Kevin Carpenter, helped plan the event and gather door prizes. The food was plentiful, the conversations were fulfilling, and the prizes seemed endless. One of the participants, Collette Konkel is a zookeeper and she arrived with Peacock feathers to hand out. Barbara Hayden brought belt buckles. Cris Sommer-Simmons brought guitar picks signed by her husband, Pat Simmons from the Doobie Brothers. We held a 50/50 with two winners, both who contributed their winnings back to ASM.  We also had a table full of door prizes. Many of the winners donated the items back if they weren’t able to use them or switched with someone who would love that item more. It was fun to see how people shared. The weather outside may have been bitter and brisk, but let me tell you the room was warm with kindness and generosity.  

Consider joining Road Guardians, we would love to have you! If you will be traveling to Sturgis, like our public FB page and watch for an announcement of a Road Guardians Gathering during the rally which will be announced soon! Check out more pictures of our gathering below.