Doc’s Harley-Davidson Cannonball Kickoff party
We are now 24 days from the start of Motorcycle Cannonball 2023 in Virginia Beach, VA. This weekend Team 36 headed to Doc's Harley-Davidson in Bonduel, Wisconsin to attend their Cannonball Kickoff event. We loaded the van and trailer with seven people, 3 motorcycles, and most of the stuff we'll be taking on the road with us in September. This is our first trial run to make sure we've packed the 5000 things we need to remember to bring.
Brenda and Mark checking out the motorcycles loaded in the trailer
Doc's is sending five (yes, five!) riders to Cannonball. Team 36 got to meet the other riders, talk with dozens of motorcycle enthusiasts, participate in a motorcycle parade, eat some delicious barbeque, have a couple beers, and experience the amazing attractions surrounding Doc's.
If you've never been to Doc's Harley-Davidson, you've GOT to see it. Besides being a beautiful Harley dealership, Doc's has a "petting zoo" with alligators, emus, goats, tortoises, a camel, donkeys, and kangaroos. If that wasn't enough, they also have a huge collection of antique motorcycles and cars, an antique store, BBQ restaurant, party barn, full-sized pirate ship, outdoor implement dealer, and a ferris wheel made of motorcycles. You seriously could spend a whole day here and not see it all.
Sponsor Shout-Outs!
Jonas's favorite pair of Klim gear today: His Blak Jak Leather riding boots.
Brenda's favorite: Her Outrider Pants.
Today's miles were made possible in part by Stilettos on Steel.
Interested in sponsoring some miles? For as little as $100 you or your company could become a team sponsor!
You could also buy your own Team 36 merch right here!
Our fashion models Brenda and Jonas in their favorite Klim gear.
How is Renata Doing? We recently put a new carburetor on Renata. It's a reproduction of a vintage AMAL carb that's similar to what would have been original on this motorcycle. We've had issues with past carbs not giving us enough power. We are still doing some tuning of the new carb, but it feels like we have much more power now. We're having some trouble with kick starting, but she starts and runs reliably once we give her a little push.
Coolest People We Met Today: This is impossible to narrow down to one person. Here are 3:
Steve "Doc" Hopkins is an incredible guy whose creativity and energy know no bounds. Besides being the founder of Doc's Harley, he has completed 3 previous Cannonballs on his 1916 J Model Harley-Davidson with 1913 wicker sidecar.
Kersten Heling, who is the General Manager at Doc's Harley-Davidson, a 178 MPH nitro Harley racer, mother of three, and Doc's daughter. Kersten has completed 2 previous Cannonballs.
William Prutz, an action sports photographer who has photographed several past Cannonballs.
Coolest Thing We Saw Today: Where to start? Getting to hold a baby alligator? Watching Doc fire off a potato cannon three times? The parade of 6 vintage bikes that will be completing Cannonball together? If I had to pick one thing, it would be watching Doc hand-feed the alligators in his "petting" zoo (No alligator petting allowed).
Doc feeding the gators.
Most Interesting Places We Drove Through:
Bonduel, WI is known as "The Spelling Capital of Wisconsin." No one knows why.
Rosendale, WI is a notorious speed trap. The local gas station sells t-shirts that say "Rosendale: Just the Ticket!"