Yes, I Ride My Own

I think bug splatter on my jacket is a badge of honor. Reporting for ON SCENE NEWS from Reporter Michelle Church

Apparently the fact that I have a Harley and love to ride makes me some sort of newsworthy statistic. There’s 300 million people in the US, 25 million who ride motorcycles, and of those 25 million, 6 million are women. The numbers of women choosing to give up the passenger seat for a handful of throttle is increasing dramatically each year.

But why? We each have our own reason. Status, thrill, camaraderie, or a hundred other reasons. For me, I just love to ride. There’s no better way for me to clear my head than to head ‘up the hill’ of the Rocky Mountains and jam my Sportster into some twisties. The rushing wind pushing me back in my seat, the smells of the forest, the white water rapids screaming by… they all seem more beautiful, more real and more connected to me when I’m on my bike.

I prefer to ride alone or with one or two other people. Big rides tend to have drama, more stress, more competition. However, once a year I make the pilgrimage to a sleepy little town in South Dakota to hang with hundreds and thousands of my closest friends at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Sure there’s bikes and boobs, but there’s also fantastic roads, beautiful bikes and the fellowship that draws all walks of life from around the world to the Black Hills.

This year I’m excited to represent On Scene News and report my voyage. I’ll be talking with folks to find out why they make the trip to Sturgis. From doctors and lawyers to convicts and school teachers, Sturgis has a way of letting us forget our ‘real’ lives and just have fun. There will be great music from the top headliners as well as guys pickin’ their guitar on the corner for gas money. I’ll take you along and debunk some of the myths of these badass bikers to show a softer, more real side of motorcycle enthusiasts. Keep tabs on On Scene News to see my adventures and meet the people that are just regular people cutting loose for one hell of a good time.

Rubber side down, shiny side up,
~Michelle Church