Motorcycling Rotarians to get their kicks on the road to L.A.
The Rotarian
Photo courtesy of Bill Fee.
O ne group of Rotarians is planning to get to the 2008 RI Convention in Los Angeles in a classic way. Members of the International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians will start in Chicago and take Route 66 to L.A., doing about 250 miles a day and stopping at places including the historic Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz.
“We’ll dip our back wheels in Lake Michigan and then our front wheels in the Pacific,” said Bill Fee, of the Rotary Club of Tucson Sunset, Ariz. “We’d like to let Rotary clubs know that we’re coming through town too, so if they want to, we can do a day ride or have a barbecue.”
The fellowship, founded in 1992, has branches in countries around the world, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Turkey. The North American chapter, which is organizing the Route 66 ride to the June event, also had a booth in the House of Friendship at the 2007 convention in Salt Lake City. There, members played host to a steady stream of Rotarians who had ridden in from across the continent.
“The only way to see the United States is on a motorcycle,” said Fee, who rode his Triumph Tiger to Salt Lake City from his home in Tucson. “You’re involved with all your senses. You feel the road, smell the pines – ” “ – and the dead skunks,” interjected Jean Dores, who was chatting with her fellow bikers at the lively convention booth. Dores, of the Rotary Club of Palm Desert-Palms to Pines, Calif., rode in on her Harley-Davidson with a group from the Los Angeles area. “On the way here, we went through Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, a little bit of Idaho, and Utah,” she said. “It took us 10 days. Utah is absolutely beautiful.”
“We’ve got guys coming in from all over,” added Ron Lyster, former president of the chapter and a member of the Rotary Club of Westwood Village (Los Angeles), Calif. “Missouri, Michigan, Pennsylvania. There’s even one guy from Ipswich, England. He flew over to Missouri and
rode in with that group.”
Everyone is welcome to join the Route 66 ride – and the fellowship. There’s no typical motorcycle-riding Rotarian, according to these bikers. They come in all shapes, sizes, and occupations. As Fee noted, “You can always figure out a reason to ride a motorcycle!”