Well, it was a long night on the bike to get to Indy, but I am glad I did. Thankfully, when I arrived at about 3 am (several stops to stretch and avoid fatigue), my good friends Charlie and Wilma Williams left the light on for me. Very gracious of them to open their house to me and Charlie is not a half bad breakfast chef either. After the previous night on the hard old ground in a tent, I slept like a log.

Charlie, writer of all things motorcycle, entrepreneur, and known by everyone (including the Pope ;) ) had set up a meeting for me with folks with DIRT (Discover Indiana Riding Trails) and, as it turned out, some of the leaders from ABATE of Indiana. In the picture adjacent, Roy Garrett (w/ABATE of Indiana), Rick Dorfmeyer (w/Tucker Rocky), Charlie Williams, yours truly, Gary Williams (Operations Director with ABATE of Indiana), and Al Pivonka (President of DIRT.)

One of the big things that I want to quickly share about this meeting was that I learned that DIRT and ABATE of Indiana have formed a tight partnership to the mutual benefit of both. Both Gary and Al extolled the virtues of this partnership and we had a lot of discussion on how many, if not most, riders got their start in the dirt, the legacy they want to preserve for future generations to be able to do the same, and, perhaps most important, how by joining together in their efforts they can be and are so much more effective in their advocacy. AWESOME!!!

Unfortunately, I also learned of the challenges they face. Indiana is a beautiful state, but they have an uphill climb. Sadly, even with 200k of state forest and 180K of federal forest, Indiana has very little legal off-road opportunity. But for a couple of parks, the trails are sparse. These guys are all about changing that and I believe they will. I am hoping we can join with them in their efforts and I learned a lot about how. I appreciated our time and want to thank you for taking the time to meet with me! I know it was well worth my time.