11,000 Miles From Florida To Alaska On A Motorcycle, No GPS, No Hotels, 13 Days – These Two Michigan Men Did It!
What better time than the middle of winter than to pass on a great story of riding the country on a motorcycle? The story is unreal and has me longing to get back on my bike!
This is an unreal story of logging thousands of miles on two wheels with no hotels, no GPS, and just two friends making the trek.
Meet “Dingo” and Bobby McCraight, who did just that! Yes, 11,000 miles in 13 days on a ride called the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge. They did it this past summer, starting in a hurricane!
Watch the video interview above as Dingo and Bobby talk about the trials and tribulations of this grueling ride. Bobby explained, “The roads are chosen for a specific purpose…they put you on technically challenging roads, so if you’re whipping through there at 50 or 60 m.p.h. you’d better know what you’re doing. This is the first year where nobody died on the ride.”
As far as getting rest on the route, Dingo said, “We would ride until we couldn’t, and when we couldn’t anymore, that’s when we started to look for where we’re going to sleep.” This went on night after night.
Dingo’s bike almost didn’t make it. He had mechanical problems early on. His motorcycle was burning through oil. He said at one point, a mechanic looked at the bike. “He took my tank off, and he saw that my forward two spark plugs had melted into the bike.” They didn’t have time to make the proper repairs, so the call was made to trek on, even though the mechanic said the bike wouldn’t make it to the Canadian border. He added oil whenever he could and kept moving forward.
They didn’t go into this challenging ride without a “practice run”. We did a trial run up to the U.P., a “shakedown” run we called it.” Bobby told me. “We wanted to see what worked and what didn’t. How many times have you gone and lived off your motorcycle for a few days? How can I get things on my bike? What’s important and what’s not.”
One of the other incredible things the guys said was that no one knew the route until just before they were ready to leave. Dingo said that the organizers spend the odd years interviewing prospective riders and creating the route for the following year. He said he was interviewed three times, while Bobby only twice.
The guys said they learned a lot about themselves and each other. Will they do it again? I think we’ll hear more stories coming from them in 2026.
For more on the Hoka Hey ride, click here.
Hockey Legend Darren McCarty Greets Motorcycle Enthusiasts At The Diamondback Music Hall
What a night at Diamondback Music Hall in Belleville! Hundreds of motorcycles filled the parking lot as hockey legend Darren McCarty met with fans and promoted the Call Sam Chopper from the Sam Bernstein Law Firm. If you’re unsure what that is, Dave and John at Bad Pig Customs in Hazel Park take a motorcycle and refurbish it for charity. This is season number four, as this year’s bike is an awesome Detroit Lions-themed motorcycle. All the proceeds go to the Volunteers of Michigan to help local veterans.
The Latest Call Sam Chopper Episode Hosted By Darren McCarty
Darren McCarty Meets Hockey Fans At The Diamondback
DMac showed up around 6 pm to meet the hundreds of bikers who showed up on a picture-perfect night for a ride. He took pictures and talked sports with the fans on hand. And he may have made a joke or two at your humble scribes’ expense. LOL
Thank you to all who showed up! Also, thank Mark from Bad Pig Customs for bringing the bike out. Check out some pictures below and some upcoming bike night events.
Coming Up At the Diamondback Music Hall Bike Night
Make plans to join us next week, as the first 50 bikes get tickets to see Faster Pussycat at the Diamondback on August 20th.
On August 21st, it’s Foundation 14 night. The group will be on hand to talk about their group, how they help veterans and mingle with other bikers.
