Sunday, April 06, 2008

A 5,500-mile, one-way motorcycle trip to Nicaragua from Idaho


Story by Tim Woodward - twoodward@idahostatesman.com

Every so often, you meet someone whose idea of helping others makes you feel like you've spent your whole life thinking only about yourself.

Sure, most of us give money to charities. We might sort food at the food bank, rake leaves for the elderly or do other random acts of goodness. There's nothing random, however, about what's happening at Happy Trails Products in Garden City.

Happy Trails is a company that makes motorcycle accessories. It is a magnet for bikers, but forget the stereotypes. When it comes to helping the needy, these guys put most of us to shame.
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"They're Kawasaki KLR650s," Bernard said. "They're the Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles - dependable, economical and ideal for the roads down there. Some of the missionaries are in pretty remote places, and these bikes are good on both pavement and dirt."

Ken Hunter went on the first trip from Boise to Nicaragua a year ago. It took 19 days to make the 5,500-mile ride.

"The roads are narrow and there's no shoulders, but it wasn't bad," he said. "I've ridden 120,000 miles in five years, so 5,000 wasn't a big deal for me."

The ride, he said, is just the beginning.

Read the entire, inspiring story in the Idaho Statesman.

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