8 Seniors Who Checked Riding a Harley off the Bucket List
Here are eight senior thrill seekers who were determined not to leave this earth until they fulfilled their bucket list wish to ride a Harley-Davidson. The youngest of them is 80, and the oldest is over 100!
1. Iris Andrew - Age 80
Hometown: Banff, Scotland
Who provided the ride: Thunder in the Glens Harley Davidson, Dunedin Chapter
Best quote: “The bikers said they would see me in 10 years time, and take me on another ride for my 90th – so that’s something to aim for.”
The Press and Journal in her home country of Scotland has the story here.
2. Peggy Porter - Age 90
Hometown: Urbana, IL
Who provided the ride: Friends Art Wood and his wife, Lois
Best quote: Ms. Porter and her husband rented out their summer cottage in Tomahawk WI to Harley riders. Peggy "...enjoyed the Harleys so much so that she bought stock in Harley-Davidson."
Peggy's local paper, the News-Gazette, carried her story and took some pictures.
3. Howard Gallup - Age 93
Hometown: Lake Mills, WI
Who provided the ride: Rock Lake Paint & Repair business owner, Brian Olson
Best quote: “It was just a beautiful day. Being on the Harley, it brought back a lot of memories,” Gallup said. “It had been a long time since I had been on a Harley. I just love the rumble the engine makes on them. It’s different than any other motorcycle.”
You can read more about Howard's ride in the Lake Mills Leader.
4. Wendy Hobson - Age 93
Hometown: Sarasota, FL
Who provided the ride: AmVets Riders Chapter 301
Best quote: Her favorite part? "Going fast," she said
You can read more about Wendy and her ride in the Herald-Tribune.
5. Sarah McSwain - Age 97
Hometown: Marlborough, MA
Who provided the ride: Bolton Manor employee Cathy Gould and her husband, Mike
Best quote: "[Now] I'd like to ride in a helicopter," she said.
You can read all about Sarah and her ride on Wicked Local.
6. Cecil Loe - Age 98
Hometown: McVille, ND
Who provided the ride: Dennis Anderson, Andy’s Harley-Davidson, Grand Forks ND
Best quote: As Anderson helped Loe off the motorcycle and removed her helmet, he asked her if she enjoyed the ride and whether he drove too fast....“You didn’t drive fast enough,” she said.
Cecil's story is on the KFBB Fox Montana site.
7. Bloom at Belfair Residents - Age 80-93
Hometown: Bluffton, SC
Who provided the ride: Praetorian Guard Riding Club
Best quote: Frank Hess (pictured) said about his girlfriend not riding - "She didn't wear a helmet, she didn't want to mess up her hair."
The riding club took various residents of Bloom at Belfair Independent-Living facility for a spin over the course of the day, and the local Island Packet newspaper was there to cover it.
8. Ray Weser - Age 101
Hometown: Prescott Valley, AZ
Who provided the ride: Local VFW and Grand Canyon Harley-Davidson
Best quote: A lifelong Harley enthusiast, Weser describes his first experience as: “Harley dripping oil, smoke coming out of everywhere ... I fell in love with motorcycles right there."
When you are over 100 years old, nearly anything you do qualifies as news, and Ray's story made it to CNN.
To keep your Harley running smoothly into your old age, check out the how to section of HDForums.com
