HDForums MascotFind out how to be part of the mascot's travels here.
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On Friday, May 12th, I left from my place travelling towards Hartsville, SC on
Middendorf Road. When you cross from Chesterfield County, SC into Darlington
County, Middendorf Road turns into Lakeview Blvd.
I took Lakeview Blvd. to Highway 15 Business South and travelled on 15 Business
South through Hartsville, SC to Highway 151. Turned left onto Highway 151 toward
Darlington, SC. I had to travel past the Darlington Raceway and folks were
already rolling in for the Busch race on Friday night. So, I was a bit of a pain
maneuvering through there.
Just past the Raceway, I turned onto Highway 52 South toward Florence, SC. After
travelling appoximately 5 miles on Highway 52, I turned onto Highway 179.
Travelled on 179 to Highway 356 which turns into 26/356 near Quinby, SC. In
Quinby, I turned left onto Highway 358. Just on the east side of Quinby, SC,
Highway 358 becomes Highway 24 which I travelled until it ended at Highway 76
(across from Francis Marion University).
I turned left onto Highway 76 and travelled on 76 to Marion, SC bearing right
onto Highway 576. Highway 576 continues to the southeast side of Marion where it
becomes Highway 501.
I travelled on Highway 501 to Myrtle Beach, SC where I'm staying at the Landmark
Resort on South Ocean Blvd.
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FBFletch:
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Myrtle Beach Meet and Greet 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Saturday, May 13th, I left the Landmark Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC and
travelled on Highway 501 to Highway 17 Bypass. Took Highway 17 Bypass north to
29th Street North. From 21st Street to 29 Street North is a Shopping area called
Broadway at the Beach.
I arrived in the parking lot at the Hard Rock Cafe at 1:45 PM (about 15 minutes
prior to the time we had agreed upon for our Meet and Greet). I set up with my
bike facing toward the Hard Road with a banner from mirror-to-mirror that said
"HD Forums".
After about 10-15 minutes the first HD Forum member showed up. It was
Mikeisglidn. I knew him immediately from his Electra Glide. And yes, it looks
just as good in person as it does in the pictures. Others gradually rolled in.
We ended up with six members there total - myself included. It wasn't exactly
what I had hoped for but, I honestly feel that were some people who came and
simply couldn't find us. The parking lot was huge and there were a ton of bikes
there to see the Bike Week vendors that were set up at Broadway. Even the folks
that found us commented that they just about gave up.
I had planned a 40 mile ride for the day but, most folks had other commitments
so, we decided to scrap the ride. But, we held a Mascot signing in the parking
lot of the Hard Rock. We didn't really have a good spot to sign the Mascot so,
LT753's lovely wife bent over, draped the Mascot over her backside, and told us
to sign away. It was all I could do to keep from signing the Mascot a second
time. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the signing including LT753s wife and a
friend of hers wrapped in the Mascot. Believe me, the Mascot never looked
better.
Hopefully, more people will be able to find us at the next Meet and Greet at SBB
(new location) this coming Saturday (May 20th, 2 PM). It should be a little
easier to locate me at SBB as the parking lot there is much smaller than the
parking lot at the Hard Rock. Even though the Meet and Greet isn't until 2 PM,
I'll probably get there around noon or shortly thereafter so I can check out all
the vendors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Travels Continue
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The second weekend at Myrtle Beach was interesting. I left the Landmark Resort
on Ocean Blvd. a little after 1 PM on Saturday (May 20th) with two friends of
mine who are new forum members (Chuck and Mary).
We headed south on Ocean Blvd. until it ended at Hwy 17 Business, crossed Hwy.
17 through the now closed Myrtle Beach Air Force Base and over to Hwy. 17
Bypass. We turned left onto Hwy. 17 Bypass and drove south toward Murrell's
Inlet.
About half way there, we got caught in a downpour and pulled into a VW
Dealership until the rain let up. Then on to Suck, Bang, Blow. We arrived there
right at 2 PM. Immediately upon pulling into the parking lot, Solorider (Rob)
from Wisconsin recognized my bike, came up, and we started talking.
I was waiting for Crash to show up so I could pass the Mascot off to him for the
trip to the Northeast. Waited at SBB until after 4 PM but, no one else ever
showed up. I found out later that Crash had to leave MB a day early due to a
death in the family.
On Sunday morning, I passed the Mascot off to Chuck who, as fate would have it,
was headed back home to NJ. Since Chuck's in the middle of trying to move and
doesn't really have time to post, I'll pass on the information about his trip so
the map can be updated.
We left MB on Sunday morning traveling north on Hwy. 501. (501 Bypass around
Marion, SC which may not show up on maps yet). Chuck and Mary continued on 501
North to I-95 near the NC/SC border. Traveled on I-95 North through NC into
Virginia, taking I-295 around Petersburg and Richmond and back onto I-95 North.
From there onto the Washington, DC area taking I-495 around DC back onto I-95
North through Baltimore and into Delaware. In Delaware, took I-295 across the
Delaware Memorial Bridge into NJ. Immediately upon crossing the Delaware
Memorial, exited I-295 onto Hwy. 40 to Woodstown, NJ. In Woodstown, turned onto
Hwy. 45 to South Harrison Township (Near Mullica Hill, NJ).
It's my understand that on Monday, May 22nd, Chuck passed the Mascot off to
AcidRayn. Attached is a picture of myself and Solorider (Rob) at SBB on Saturday
the 20th and another picture showing what a terrible weekend it was.
mascot rides, from mullica hill nj chucky to toms river nj acidrayn, bruce00
Okay lee, here you go, this is the first account,
Bruce 00 and I went to Mullica hill to meet up with chuck and mary whom brought it up from myrtle beach for an exchange
What a great couple. Chuck has a nice stable full of bikes a porche and even a Ferrari! Good peeps
The decision to go get the mascot on Monday, may 22, was made in less then an hour. Fletch posted that he handed it off to chuck who lives in nj, I im’d fletch, who sent me back chucks phone number, I called bruce who dropped what he was doin to run south to my house. He arrived about an hour later, and ihad mapped a nice ride thru the pine barrens of south jersey, beautiful riding. I took bruce thru areas he had never knew existed. There used to be this old one lane, covered bridge I wanted to show him, but it’s been taken down. Bummer.
So, we got to chuck and mary’s house around 4:30, bull s**tted for awhile, and did the signing and photo shoots
so, we left chucks house and went north on nj45, to nj322w, to the nj turnpike I95 north, bruce and i rode to exit 7a when i broke off and he continued north, i then continued east on I195 to ocean county rt571/cassville-toms river road south to oc rt 549/lakehurst-whitesville rd to nj hwy 70 east to nj hwy 37 east to my house on North Gateway, toms river, where it is now
in the photo, is acidrayn on the left, chucky center, bruce00 right, as your looking at pic
Hey Lee - sorry its been a while - been a bit hectic lately with work. Here's
the mascot story from where Acidrayn met up with us. How can I send ya some
pics??...let me know...ALso.regards...Karl
NY, NYÂ - the Ground Zero Meet and ride to NJ 5/28/06
Beautiful weather and a perfect summer day. Blue skies, 80 degrees, and hardly a
breeze blowing.
I met up with Joe (Phat03) on the Southern State Pkwy in LI for the ride into
NYC. Mostly a smooth run with a few spots of traffic here n there. We headed
west along the SSP that becomes the Belt Pkwy which loops around the south shore
of Brooklyn and overlooks NY harbor. Forgot how beautiful it is here overlooking
the water. Came up under the Verazanno Narrows Bridge, rode up I278 East (Bklyn
Qns Expwy) thru some traffic and caught I478 west through the Brooklyn Battery
Tunnel (gotta luv running thru a tunnel!) and into the heart of downtown
Manhattan. We swung up the Westside Highway and after looking a bit for Church
St, pulled over, called AcidRayn (who was sitting in traffic in NJ at the
Holland Tunnel) and decided to wait for them at West Side Hwy and Vesey Street
just North of the Pedestrian bridge that once linked the World Trade Ctr with
the World Financial Center.
Here’s where we made the handoff –a few minutes after we parked, Ryan
(AcidRayn), his girlfriend Caroline, their riding buddy Matt and Bruce (Bruce00)
pulled up followed seconds later by Greg (Geronimo). We made the introductions ;
all I can say is what a great bunch of folks. Real genuine down to earth people
that’d I’d be proud to call my riding buds. We did the handoff, and using
Joe’s Fatboy as a table, Phat03, Geronimo and myself put our John Hancocks on
the mascot. While snapping some pictures, someone mentioned “Henieken†in
passing and we were off in search of a nearby watering hole for a cold one.
Geronimo took responsibility for carrying the mascot and after a quick ride
through downtown NYC, we stopped at a bar (the name escapes me) on John Street
off Broadway had a cold one or two, and resumed the journey. With Phat03 leading
the charge, we rode back thru the Battery Tunnel (I478 E) out of lower Manhattan
(at wide open throttle I might say – absolutely awesome!) and into Brooklyn,
and caught the Brooklyn Queens Expy ( I278 W) for a teeth rattling ride that led
to the Verazanno Narrows Bridge and into Staten Island. Here we caught up with
Rt 440 S: Pearl Harbor Memorial Hwy that would lead us over the Outerbridge
Crossing and into NJ where he hit A LOT of traffic as 5 lanes squeezed down to 2
. A lot of holiday cage volume. We continued on Rt 440 W towards to the NJ
Turnpike ( I95) and rode it South to exit 7A where we picked up I295 W for a
mile to catch Rt130 N. Right at the intersection of I295 and 130, on the other
side, was the next meet point: World Class HD. We caught the next turn around
(most of us anyway!!) and doubled back to pull into the dealer’s lot arriving
at 3:25 : 5 minutes to closing. At least we got a bathroom break, checked out a
few scoots from a real extensive collection, and hung out in the lot wating for
Craig (CMBucky) who arrived shortly after
At the dealer’s lot, more introductions, more pics, and the handoff. Again a
cool fella who made a helluva trip by himself. We soon parted ways, Craig
heading west, and the NJ/NY crew off in search of FOOD!…No such luck
though….we gave up finally, hooked up with the NJ Tpke ( I95) Northbound and
gassed up ouselves and the scoots at one of the Tpke rest stops. Halfway back,
Bruce00 broke off to head back to Northen NJ with Geronimo doing the same
shortly after heading for Westchester. Joe and I headed back to LI., reversing
course, and hit some MAJOR traffic. Still, ALL well worth it. A good ride on an
excellent day with a great crew.
Howdy - currently packing to head out to Akro Ohio to atend the Soap box Derby
National race - I recieved the Mascott from QBall (Jamie) on Tuesday the 18th -
he was comming from RI - I from Glens falls NY. We met at a Friendlies off exit
4 just north of the Mass Turnpike (90) - not sure of the # in Mass - after
burgers and some chat - we headed home as it was later in the afternoon - I took
the Mass Turnpike to the NYS Thruway (90) to 787 north, to alt 7 east to the
Northway (87) to exit 17 where I currently have it. Tommorrow, the Mascott and
I will be traveling to Akron Ohio, (will get the route latter) then Saturday,
Will be heading west on 80 to meet up with stgld (phil) to exchange it so it can
go to Sturgis with him
Thought you might want to know, pics of the exchange and my arival home will
follow, if I could figure out how to attach them - I will need an e-mail
response from you - it is easier for me to do that through my e-mail
I will give a little background on the history of the Mascot for those newer members so they will not have go back and read all the 2 years of old postings which I would recommend to read later get the complete story:
The Mascot tradition was started by Pilot1996 on April 3, 2005 in Yuma Arizona. It is a simple Harley Davidson Flag which is moved and passed aboard Harley Davisdon Motorcycles only. Each person to carry it earns the right to sign it. Since its original launch it has traveled many thousands of miles and has been seen at the Myrtle Beach, HDForums Midwest, and Sturgis rallies as well as Ground Zero of the September 11th attacks in New York City. After Strugis 2006, the Mascot was full and a solution was needed to keep the Mascot Tradition rolling.
After Sturgis, the Mascot was sent to Terry who then passed it to me for the refit. My intention was to have it done by Biketoberfest so it can be launched there but several complications arose including my move, and job change delayed things and to top it off, the original company I was going to use seemed to have gone under. But finally the new Mascot was completed and sewn onto the back of the original.
To solve the problem of the limited space, Streamers where made one for each riding season and bearing the capacity of 200 signatures each. At the end of the riding season, the mascot will make a brief pitstop in Florida to have the old streamer scanned and a new one added. The scanned streamer and Mascot will appear on commerative T-Shirts available to anyone who wants on for $20.00 per shirt.
Procedes will cover maintaince costs of the Mascot and go into a fund for HDForums events.
While I had the Mascot, I did not want it to be completely stagnent and has traveled over 2000 miles as I kept it on my bike while the new additions were being made. After months of being down the new Mascot is finally complete and ready to be launched. I announced that I would take it with me to Bike week in Daytona but nobody was able to meet there to pass it on. Alias then volunteered to pick up the Mascot from me.
The following is the account of the relaunch of the HDForums Mascot and continuing story of the Mascot Travels:
Alias was originally to pick up the Mascot from me in Clearwater but an unexpected encounter with a Goldwing had changed the gameplan. So I decided to ride the Mascot south to Meet Alias in Okeechobee Florida. Almost exactly 2 years from the original 09:20 launch of the Mascot in Yuma Arizona on April 3 2005, the new Mascot was launched 09:00 in Clearwater Florida on April 2, 2007. I took I-275 South from St. Petersburg across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and then South on I-75. I took the Zolfo Springs exit and headed east on SR64.
SR64 is a nice country ride which passes through many miles of farm and pasture land. The smell on orange blossoms is noticable as I passed through the occasional orange grove. At Zolfo springs, I turned south on 17 and then continued east on 66 to Sebring at the intersection of 66 and 27 where I refuelled at 11:20. 66 then becomes 621 and then 98 which ends in Okeechobee.
I arrived in Okeechobee at 12:20 and met up with Alias for lunch at Lunkers. After lunch we took the photos you see below and went for a local ride around Lake Okeechobee which I have never seen before. We then stopped at the pier on the northernmost point of the lake where we signed the Mascot and did the official transfer.
Since the launch from my house to the transfer site at Lake Okeechobee, a total of 180 miles we covered.
Actually, Phil, (Minime) brought the Mascot to South Bend, Indiana where he handed it off to me at the "South Bend Police FOP #36 Benefit Hog Roast". We signed it. I held it for about one week and took it to Sturgis Rally 2006 where I met up with other HDF members who signed it and took pictures with it at ThunderRoad. I have pictures that I will post soon.
Noone could take it so I brought it back to South Bend where I got with Terry and we decided it was too full and needed a refit and some mending. I then sent it to Terry (the ONLY time it traveled NOT on a Harley). The rest is history.
RE: Travels of HDForums.com Mascot
