The Harley 105th – or take your kid to work day.

The recent Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary bash was a great party that in many ways was similar to the 100th and earlier celebrations, but there were many differences. We all wondered how you could follow-up the 100th, which took more than a decade to build to. The lineup of bands in Milwaukee was good way to tempt. My son, Sean, also wanted to see what this was all about, so the two of us set out to find out. The Motor Company generously set us up in Los Angeles with an Ultra Classic, and we arrived just in time for H-D of Glendale’s 105th Kick-Off party. A crowd gathered to enjoy the great (and free) food and drink, meet H-D corporate execs who were already two-days into their leisurely two-week “Ride Home” and to view a screening of the epic Easy Rider, projected on an outdoor screen at dusk and, for the first time, in High Def. Sweet!

The official H-D website laid out an itinerary that we used as our guide. Honestly, we didn’t hold high hopes for the 105th, seeing as the season was winding down, downsized events and a downsizing economy. On the flip side, 2008 was one of the best seasons in memory. Numbers were down but fun seemed to be up. It was easier to get around, with more things to do than I’d seen in years. And anyway, getting back to the basics of a good ride can never be a bad thing. Milwaukee or bust!   On that note, and clearly inspired by Fonda and Hopper, father and son hit the road. Milwaukee Or Bust! Screw getting up at 5:00 a.m. just to leave on schedule to beat the heat to Vegas. I took care of a camera repair first and we left at a leisurely 11:00 a.m. By the time we rolled into Peggy Sue’s ’50s diner in Yermo, California, the temperature had hit 105 degrees and all we could think of was finding a slice of shade for our black seat and something cold to drink. We got back on the bike after a short break, when we were confronted with the Mojave Desert, splayed out in front of us at its ever-boiling best, the sun at its scorching zenith. At least we could say we had experienced the heat of the desert at its blazing best/worst(?) Survival might’ve been a secondary bonus when the back tire suddenly blew out— just as a “Welcome To Las Vegas” sign appeared on the not-so-distant horizon. A more true welcome, and one that I will be forever grateful for was the arrival of Duane Hall from Red Rocks Harley-Davidson in Las Vegas, who drove out to pick us up, then somehow convinced the super service crew at Red Rocks to get a new tire mounted on our Ultra, just as they were closing. On top of that, a group of local guys took us down to the Hogs and Heifers Saloon and showed us the Vegas strip from a Harley’s perspective.

I could go on with details, just as the trip did for two more weeks, but what was important was we were definitely on a road trip now—father and son, in the thick of it with lots of bikers to meet, places to see, and experiences to share along the way. I imagined some fathers did this with their kids when they were 12 years old, for a “take you kid to work day” at school. The only difference, they brought their kids to the shop, or an office, maybe meet some customers or clients. But my job is anything but a 9-to-5 deal, and not one that could be shared like that. It had taken until he was 19 for Sean to see and realize that my job is all about stopping on a hunch that there could be a photo op, or just approaching a stranger and talking. It involves people, and parties, long stretches of highway, and of course… lots of waiting.

Now for the memories…
There was the bike on the side of the road that led us to the New Mexico State trooper who was skinny dipping in the headwaters of the Rio Grande; photographing the only other biker we saw on I-40, only to pull off together and find out he was from Bologna, Italy, and was excited to show us spectacular shots of him camping the night before in Monument Valley, Utah. Other highlights: Kyle Rose and his employees at Grand Canyon Harley-Davidson took us down old Route 66 in Bellemont, Arizona, to show us an aging motel that apperared in the opening scene of Easy Rider. The one where the proprietor looked out when Hopper knocked on the window, then quickly lit up the “No Vacancy” sign? Also, we’ve never, ever been eaten by bugs like that night in Arizona, either.

Quick flash memories continued with a stop at Jeff’s Indian shop near beautiful Durango, Colorado. Others include life after midnight: riders filling up in gas stations, dinner and drinks in diners at 2:00 a.m.; Milwaukee street parties and a great last night at Colleen and JP’s for a party like neither of us had ever seen. I can’t count all the bikes we pulled up alongside of to get road shots. Sean did the shooting from the bike, and I can proudly say he did a great job. At 19, I’m sure Bruce Springsteen, Kid Rock, ZZ Top, Joan Jett, Sugarland, and the other great bands we saw were way up on his list—not! When all was said and done, though, he told me that despite all the travels we did as a family, he had never seen the USA quite like this—from the saddle. We rode 2,900 miles in 16 days doing something we both loved—together. This one will be with me forever, too.

Michael Lichter – Oct. 2008