Mattoon woman highlights poverty

MATTOON, Ill. (AP) – As a two-time cancer survivor, Junie Rose sees the world in a different way.

And what better way to see things than in the open air of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle long-distance ride, covering territory from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean and beyond?

Twice she's ridden in the organized event called Hoka Hey Challenge, most recently this summer. Her 30-day experience went from Mesa, Ariz., to Cape Brenton, Nova Scotia, Canada.

In all, 165 riders left Mesa on the challenge. Rose, 51, of Mattoon, finished at No. 50. She is one of only two women who made the challenge - twice.

She wanted to see the 48 contiguous states and Canada, but mostly she wanted to raise awareness about people living here under conditions one might not expect in the U.S.

All totaled, Rose traveled 18,770 miles. The average miles each day varied, depending on conditions, but climbed to as many as 1,000 miles a day.

The course took riders through some of the most scenic highways in the nation and Rose said she encountered or witnessed some difficult weather including snow, plus Hurricane Irene and a tornado, all that caused detours; some mechanical failures and accidents; poverty and devastation - but also, kindness of people and the beauty of the country.

According to the Hoka Hey Challenge website, the skill and determination of these riders put them in the category of the “World's Best Elite Long Distance Riders.”

“It was an experience that is hard to express, but one that when experienced, will not be forgotten,” Rose said.

Initially, she wanted to ride in order to check off one thing from her “bucket list.”

Several individuals and businesses helped make the ride possible, and in return she felt a need to reciprocate by raising awareness about the plight of the Lakota Sioux tribe.

Compelled to share about the devastation and plight of areas in the U.S., Rose said, she hopes her prayers and story will stir hearts in an effort to help others.

“The people on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota live on an average income of $3,300 a year. There are no jobs to be had. The water there had been contaminated from mining. And life expectancy there for a man is 48, and for a woman, it is 53,” she said.

Although alcohol is not allowed on the reservation, Rose said she learned that alcoholism is rampant - at about 80 percent on the reservation.

“There is a town called White Clay in Nebraska, that is only 2 miles away, and has a population of 14, but it has four liquor stores. Ninety percent of their business comes from the reservation.”

The motorcycle trip's rules included that the cyclists could not use global positioning systems and riders had to sleep with their bikes. There were no luxuries of hotels or warm beds. Showers were scarce. Sometimes, she was alone, other times with other riders.

“While staying outdoors, there were times when I was pretty scared. When I would stay in a campground, I would go in late at night so no one knew I was by myself,” she said.

One time, for her own safety, Rose set up camp at a rest area in West Virginia, and then created a booby trap out of bungie cords near the opening of the tent.

“Just in case someone or something - like a critter - tried to get me.”

Shelters for Rose and her riding partners were sometimes just tarps or small tents, as they slept in places like campgrounds, parking lots, and rest stops.

While she started the race with fellow rider Bill Reynolds of Woodstock, he wasn't able to finish due to the length of time of what was expected to be a 17-day trip. She later joined up with Chuck Marble of Anchorage, Alaska, who finished No. 51.

“The reason for the rule of staying with the bike and sleeping outdoors was to help understand what a homeless person feels like, not having the conveniences of shelter. The Lakota Sioux have several families oftentimes all sharing homes with up to 19 people living in one house,” she said.

Rose didn't qualify as a monetary prize winner in the challenge, but she received a certificate for finishing the route.

“I met some homeless people in No Name, Colorado. I broke down in Fort Bragg, Calif. And I had an accident in Yellow Stone National Forest, which did some damage to my bike.”

She said a tourist was looking at the sights and braked in front of a group of riders and that caused the accident.

“I flew off, doing a kind of Ninja flip and landed on my rear end. Fortunately for me, I was padded by one of my sponsors, Lipowear Sitrelief, and I was not hurt,” Rose said.

The bike suffered some damage, but it was able to be mended well enough to continue.

“There are so many awesome people out there that we met. We made friends with some homeless people living in their pickup truck who even shared their barbecue chicken with us. They assured us it would be OK to sleep, because they had done it at that location, several times,” she said.

At a Canadian Wal-mart store, a man gave them money to buy breakfast. Another man in Washington insisted on buying her a salmon dinner.

“It was heavenly. At that point, I was on more of a hot dog budget, and he kindly bought me the salmon dinner,” Rose recalled.

She said showers came at truck stops, but were few and far between. Rose said her own family members scattered about the U.S. were able to meet up at different times, and offered meals, but she had to turn down offers for a warm bed in order to remain qualified in the challenge.

Several local sponsors helped Rose make the ride: Hoggaiters, Lipowear, Woodstock Harley-Davidson, The Ice House, KC Summers, Pilsons and Lincoln Land Credit Union. She also raised money by having Hoka Hey Days selling T-shirts and taking donations at Harley Davidson dealerships: Legacy, Chuck's, Andrea's, Black Diamond, Hall's, Bud's, Bowling Green.

“People probably would think this is kind of crazy and wonder what would possess a person to ride like this. But, for me, it really is about awareness to what people right here in the United States are living in every day. It's not just about the Lakota Sioux, but people right here in our own backyards,” she said.

Rose added her own struggles have given her a new perspective on life.

“Being a two-time cancer survivor makes a person really embrace the days I have. Not everyone is fortunate to survive - and for some, their life was cut off short.

“But, for some reason God kept me around to be able to see these things with my own eyes and He has given me a desire to tell people about it. If everyone would do just a little, a lot would get done.”

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Information from: Mattoon Journal-Gazette, http://www.jg-tc.com