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Come with me as I travel through this great country of ours...sometimes on the back of my motorcycle....sometimes not. Experience what I see, what I hear and what I smell.



Sunday, March 26, 2017

Harley Owners Training - Day 3

Day 3 of our trip was actually the first day of training...bright and early.  Breakfast was served between 7-8am so everyone wanted to be there at 7.  We agreed to meet in the lobby at 6:45...I set my alarm for 5:30 so I wouldn't be late.  Even before my alarm went off, my phone's text tone was going crazy...several of the group was already down in the lobby.  Of course, I once again thought I had overslept.  I got dressed as fast as I could and went to the lobby only to have to wait until 6:45 to walk over to the convention center.


Following breakfast at 8:15, the training kicked off with a general session and hyped up H.O.G. personnel getting the crowd jazzed up.  They began by driving two motorcycles onto the stage, to everyone's delight.  The short video they showed was very well done.  The theme of the training this near was "No Boundaries".  Every time we heard that phrase, we were supposed to respond with "Let's Ride".  Of course, the two speakers tested us several times over the first hour.


After the general session, everyone broke off to attend the breakout sessions.  These sessions ranged from risk management to designing rides to H.O.G. finances.  The same sessions were given twice each day so if you heard about one that was really good you could show up.


There were about 1100 attendees, ranging in age from 20-something to 70-something and experience levels from fairly new riders to riders with 30+ years riding.  The dress among the attendees ran from one end of the spectrum to the other, from shorts and t-shirts to leather jackets with patches all over to tie-died shirts.  However, no matter how a person dressed, they were all there for one thing...to learn about Harley Davidson, H.O.G. and chapter activities.


The conference was very well run with corporate trainers, a professional media staff and good food...although a little fancy for my taste.  However, for the most part it was tasty...and, it was free.  Friday night, the first night of the conference/training, H.O.G. put on a dinner and party afterward.  The food was good...and free...and anyone who wished to imbibe could get free drinks.


After dinner a band from Chicago began playing...really loud, but that didn't seem to deter folks from hanging out and dancing.  I didn't drink or dance and eventually left the party early so my ear drums could adjust back to normal.



Overall, the first day was pretty amazing.  Wonder what day 2 of training holds.















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