By Paula O’Kray

Part Eight of a Series

The trophy my sister awarded me with when I arrived in Milwaukee. (Paula O’Kray photo)

The ladies refer to it as dancin’.

When a group of motorcyclists have been riding together for a time and things start to flow, that’s dancin’. It’s when you no longer count those two seconds between you and the next rider, you no longer struggle staying on your side of the lane, you don’t actually think about where you need to be or how to react, you just know. It’s part of you now.

You’re no longer an individual, but part of a “murmuration.” Similar to when a school of fish reacts as a single entity, the group is now a sum of its parts, a well-oiled machine, a dance.

This is the state of mind I was in as we headed back to my home turf, Wisconsin. The night prior I had penned some of the words that I had played with in my head during the long miles on the road, trying to create a brief but complete goodbye to this amazing group of women I had been privileged to have become a part of. The time had come to figure it out and deliver it. We’d be staying in Milwaukee for two days, so there was still time to get it right.

To read the rest of the story, pick up a copy of the Portage County Gazette at one of the many newsstands in the area, including gas stations and grocery stores. Or subscribe at https://www.shopmmclocal.com/product/portage-county-gazette/ to have weekly copies delivered by mail. For more information or to subscribe over the phone, call 715-343-8045.

Bike night at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. (Paula O’Kray photo)

Our morning prayer was read each morning by Tink, one of the road captains. (Paula O’Kray photo)

Final odometer reading after pulling into my driveway Saturday morning: 4,312.5 miles. (Paula O’Kray photo)