Did you ride the Lake Express or the SS Badger from Michigan to Milwaukee for the 110th Anniversary Celebration? I hope you enjoyed the ride across Lake Michigan. The Badger is the last coal-fired ship on the Great Lakes and has until 2015 to get new engines or stop service. The Lake Express is a high-speed vessel and gets you to Milwaukee in 2.5 hours. I saw a lot of riders from out of state heading through Michigan. Thanks for the visit… If you stopped at Hogg Heaven, the leather store in Racine, Wisconsin, during the celebration, you might have met Cheryle McNeese, the owner, seamstress and motorcycle owner. I am sorry to inform you that Cheryle passed away unexpectedly on September 14 in Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Her business and motorcycle were destroyed in a fire in 2011, and friend Harley Norby gave her a last ride at her funeral on September 28. Cheryle will be remembered for her bright spirit, sense of humor and giving nature, according to the hundreds that escorted her on her last ride… I am sure most of you have seen the viral video of Ohio State Trooper Jacob Daymon who ran into the motorcycle of Corey and Amy Waldman of Beavercreek, Ohio, last month, and were relieved that both of them were still alive. Jacob was pretty banged up and Amy had a broken foot; pretty amazing if you watched the speed at which they were hit. They both stated they hold no hard feelings against Trooper Daymon. He has been placed on administrative duty until a grand jury considers his fate… The 10th annual Central Illinois Motorcycle Club Benefit Run for Camp New Hope at Lake Mattoon in central Illinois raised $35,428 on August 10. New Hope has provided outdoor activities for developmentally disabled children and adults since 1974. Susan Love, executive director at Camp New Hope, thanks everyone for their participation and time, and for all of the donations from everyone involved including Legacy Harley-Davidson in Effingham and all of the businesses where the run stopped… Kevin O’Connor of London, Ohio, is the winner of the 2013 Road King Classic in this year’s Community Blood Center’s “King of the Road Summer Blood Drive.” The drive was from May 28 through August 31, and everyone that donated was entered into the drawing. The motorcycle was provided by Gover Harley-Davidson in Piqua, Ohio, owned by Jim and Tracy Gover… Adam Blood, 33, Steger, Illinois, was driving his Harley-Davidson a little too irresponsibly by speeding through a school zone, zig-zagging through traffic and not using his turn signals. At a stop sign he pulled alongside an unmarked police car with three Will County Sheriff deputies inside. The deputy in the back opened his window and told him he needed to operate his motorcycle in a safer, more lawful manner. Right? Wrong! Blood responded with profane comments, got off his motorcycle and started beating the shit out of the officer. He was arrested for vehicular invasion, two counts of aggravated battery, resisting arrest, vandalism, invalid registration, improper lane usage and failing to signal. LOL. I usually just say, “Yes, sir.”… David Dickinson, 61, of St. Louis, Missouri, called the police to report the 2006 Dyna Wide Glide on a trailer in front of his house with a flat tire had been stolen between 3:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. on August 20. He filed a police report and later in the day they found it behind a stolen truck about five miles away. They towed it back to his son’s house where they thought was a more secure location. At 4:45 a.m. on August 21 they noticed the motorcycle was stolen from the trailer this time. Not to worry—a neighbor spotted the Harley in a parking lot of an apartment complex a mile away. Are you ready? Dickinson said he isn’t taking any more chances. “I put a lock, chain and a padlock on it.”… Michael Brumbaugh, 56, of Toledo, Ohio, was out for a putt and decided to take a break and parked his 2003 Softail in the local church parking lot to have a few beers around 7:00 p.m. A few passersby noticed he was sitting there getting drunk and he was naked. Reports began coming in that he revved his engine and peeled out for a joy ride around the back roads in the city. The police responded with lights and sirens, but “Old Naked Mike” didn’t give a rip and continued on his merry way, so they just followed him for a while. ONM’s journey came to an abrupt end at 7:30 p.m. when he blew through a stop sign and finally lost control, sending ONM flying through the air. ONM was flown by medical helicopter to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center in Toledo where he is recovering from what the newspaper said were head injuries because he wasn’t wearing a helmet. Happy, happy, happy hangover, ONM. That’s it for this month. It’s all about you, the Midwest biker. Ride fast, but ride safe.
