One Bike, One Mission: Harley Trip Raises Over $6,000 for Charity
Spontaneous weekend Harley road trip generates unforgettable memories and money for a great cause.
Jeff Baron doesn’t really call himself a biker. You could call the Bermuda native many things: Member of Parliament, Former National Security Minister, Advisor to the Premier, charity volunteer, tan….But Baron has officially earned his biker stripes after one epic road trip for charity. After reading his story, we think his adventurous, fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants attitude will endear him to freedom-loving Harley riders all over.
Baron decided on a whim, to undertake a three-day road trip from Dallas, Texas, to San Diego, California. He wanted to make his time on the road count, and set up a GoFundMe page named “Just Me, a Harley, and the Road” with all proceeds going to the Big Brothers Big Sisters charity. According to The Royal Gazette he raised money by seeking pledges and donations on this one man ride-a-thon. The post read: “A penny a mile? A dollar a mile? You decide. Any amount will help kids here in Bermuda find mentors and lifelong friends.” Baron also took to social media, including YouTube and Instagram to raise funds and awareness.
To meet his goal he hit the road hard, riding up to 11 hours a day. He covered over 1,300 miles, including a little extra mileage from unexpected detours and wrong turns. At least he had good hardware underneath him: A rented Harley-Davidson Milwaukee-Eight Street Glide. Just like all of the arrangements for his trip, it was organized just a few short days before the trip was due to take place.
‘What made it cool was knowing each mile that I was raising money.’
If he was unfamiliar with the wide open beauty of the American Southwest before his trip, he’s certainly intimately familiar with it now. Motorcycle touring certainly has that effect on you. And he had the spirit of Bermuda with him along for the ride. “I was going 85 mph in the middle of nowhere out in the desert, just as the sun was going down, listening to the Talbot Brothers’ Bermuda Buggy Ride.”
Baron told The Royal Gazette that some other experiences he especially enjoyed was crossing the Rio Grande, eating cherry pie next to the world’s largest model chilli pepper, and hanging on tight through the wind-blown final stretch after Yuma, Arizona. Hmm, sounds like a biker to us.
By the time Baron reached his final destination in San Diego, his spur-of-the-moment, one-man charity rally had raised over $6,000 for the youth organization, of which Baron is involved as a Big Brother. “What made it cool was knowing each mile that I was raising money.” Baron hopes to hit the road again soon, “but with other people next time.”
One weekend, one bike, one rider, and one great goal: It is amazing what a little imagination and a sweet Harley is capable of. Well done!
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