rolling thunder...

I am really proud to be the daughter of my father.  For many reasons that I won't go into now, but for one specific reason that I want to tell you all about today.  

My dad has always been into motorcycles.  He started his passion with Harley Davidsons and when I was a little girl he swore he would never ride anything else.  I went on my first motorcycle road trip when I was in high school with him and Kelley and we road around Lake Superior.  It was terrible.  There was wind, it was cold, and it rained every day of the trip.  I wasn't able to enjoy any of the scenery because I was extremely cold and bored out of my mind.  I think even my dad was miserable on this trip, but it is definitely an experience I will always remember because I was able to appreciate his passion, even if I didn't in the moment.    


He even had his bike custom painted and has been in numerous periodicals for it.  Check it out for yourself!  What a stud!

Eventually, he evolved from Harleys to Indians and he and Kelley owned many vintage Indian bikes, one of them even included an old police bike with a side car.  Now that was my kind of riding!  


Eventually, even this passion evolved into a dream to build his own bike.  I will never be able to explain what exactly this bike is and be able to do it justice, but I can tell you that it was built my my dad's own two hands with his dear friend, Sharky.  I can also tell you that it is made from all original, vintage Indian parts.       

Right now, he is embarking on an amazing journey from California to Washington D.C. with his friend, Kiwi, to honor POW's and MIA's from the U.S. military from all conflicts at an event called Rolling Thunder.  

More about this in a minute, but I have to pause here and tell you another thing I love about my dad that he has always tried to instill in me as well...that is to not care what other people think of you.  He truly lives this way in everything he does and is not afraid to do and wear what he likes.  So, if you ever get the chance to meet my hero, he will be wearing a ripped, sleeveless T-shirt and his "happy shorts", which are made out of cotton with a tie dye design.  You will also eventually look down and see his toes and notice that they are always painted.  This journey deserved the best and here is the latest design adorned on my dads peds!

Ok, back to Rolling Thunder.  My dad has been looking forward to this event and journey for a very long time.  He left sunny California and has been slowly making his way across the country with his mate, Kiwi.  They meet interesting people at every gas or food stop, stay in cheap hotels, ask locals for restaurant recommendations, sometimes get lost, take back roads, and the best part is that they blog every day about their adventures.  

I read many blogs, but this has been my favorite to read recently.  One of the reasons is that I am used to talking to my dad every day and haven't been able to with this trip, so it makes me feel him as I read his words each morning.  I can picture each experience and often laugh out loud at how he describes things or the situations they get themselves into.  

There was one day that I was almost brought to tears as I read this blog and I felt an overwhelming proud feeling for who my dad is.  It finally hit me how important this trip is to him and the symbolism behind what he is doing.  I guess you could say that I had an "aha" moment.  I highly encourage you to read his words from that day and if you are as moved as I was, follow their entire journey because each day has been filled with more stories just like this one (Note: My dad's posts are all titled with their total mileage and his friend, Kiwi's posts will usually say the town and then his name in the title).  

It is hard to explain or put into words how my dad's journey has also affected me except to say that I was and am proud of my dad.  I think it is a little and special thing to be able to say that you are proud of your parents.  So many times people are embarrassed of their parents and I, of course, have those moments just like everyone else.  But, right now, I am beaming with pride in who my dad is and what he stands for.  It is even more special to me that some day my child will know him and be able to look up to him just like I do.  He/She will be able to hear these same stories and be overwhelmed with pride that Greg Johnson is their grandfather (PePe).  I love you dad and am so proud to be your daughter!