My life has been defined up to this point more by what I do as a living than by who I am. My career has now been over 30 years of long hours but extremely rewarding work. I work in the training, safety, and transportation industry where I have been blessed in my field to have been able to positively affect a lot of the lives of others and their families. I am at a point in my life where I need more of a challenge doing something that defines me other than what I do for a living. I grew up with a passion for riding horses and was fortunate enough to have them throughout my childhood. I believe that is why I love riding motorcycles so much, but it also gives me an opportunity to do something to get away from all the stress of work. When you ride a motorcycle, you can't worry about what's happening at the office or anything else that may be going on in your life other than riding your ride. So, what brings me to this point in my life? I have a particularly good friend Gary Allmond who is continually active in Tour of Honor and loves doing IBA riding. Gray and his wife and my wife and I were in Maggie Valley in the Fall of 22 using it as a base camp for exploring that part of the Smoky Mountains. One night Gary invited Robert Saunooke whom he met through Tour of Honor to dinner with us at the Casino in Cherokee, NC. When Robert walked in, he was wearing the Mile Monsters Inc Epic Shit T-shirt. That's where I first learned about Mile Monsters Inc and the story about the great things, they do for the DMD kids. It's also where I first heard of the Hoka Hey motorcycle challenge. As Robert was telling me about the Hoka Hey I thought he had lost his mind to do such a thing. The entire time Robert was telling me this Gary, who was sitting opposite me at the table, was looking at me shaking his head no. When Robert got up to go to the bathroom, Gary was telling me how brutal it was, and something I really did not want to do. I admired what Robert and the rest of the Hoka Hey Riders have done, but at that point that's all it was, and I could not see myself doing that. I don't have a problem with riding long rides, it was sleeping beside the bike I had to wrap my head around. As the months went by, there was something inside me that continued to pull me to the Hoka Hey challenge. As I continued to watch the progress that Riot and the other Monsters made, in making the lives better for the children with DMD. I started planning what I would have to do to get my bike ready, in the meantime I rode with Gary on the Monster 100 and helped him fundraise. I continued to ride long trips on my bike until I finally could not ignore the call that was drawing me to the challenge. So, the very first day the applicants or accepted for rookies, I made sure I had my application in and was accepted #1189. I’m determined to finish God willing. I seriously doubt that it would be at the 10 day mark, but my plan is to finish more around the 14 day mark. I have been trying to decide between a Veterans organization or Mile Monsters Inc or both. I collaborate closely with veterans daily and help them get into a new career, but I feel God is calling on me to concentrate on the kids, so therefore Mile Monsters Inc will be my charity. I hate having to ask for money, but I cannot think of a better cause. Hope to see everybody in August.