Vegan Motorcyclists

Karla

I was born and raised in southern California. After college, I taught bilingual special education classes for ten years. In 1993 I moved with my own family to Portland, OR. where I raised my three children. I taught high school Spanish for eight years.

Looking for a change, in 2012 I decided to move to the “sunny side of the state.” Being an outdoor enthusiast, I love Bend and all that it has to offer!

When Don first brought up the subject of the motorcycle I was a bit ambivalent. I never would have envisioned myself riding on a motorcycle.

In the almost ten years that I have known Don, I have ridden 80,000 miles on the back of a motorcycle, changed to a plant based diet, and rediscovered my love for dancing! It has been a blast!!

Routine changes with pandemic

We’re about to start back up at our gym, after a 2 year break.

We do one hour of power Yoga, 5 days a week. We’re walking a pretty routine 3 miles/day. Rock & Roll dancing has not returned for every weekend; but some bands are starting to gig and we’re on it.

We’re planning on Hiking Angels Landing in Zion National Park in May. Some additional training is in order !

We have applied for the Zion Angeles Landing Hiking Permit. We find out late January if we got a permit. ****WE DID NOT DRAW A PERMIT!****** We’re still going to Zion & Bryce, just can’t go above, “The Chains” on Angels Landing…..oh well 🙂

Distance (roundtrip): 5.4 mi / 8.7 km
Elevation Change: 1,488 ft / 453 m
Estimated Hiking Time: 4 hours
Description: Long drop-offs. Not for young children or anyone fearful of heights. Last section is a route along a steep, narrow ridge to the summit.

Don Hamon

I was born in a small logging town in Central Oregon and went to college to be a Firefighter & Paramedic. My first bike was a Honda Mini 50. Later I had a Yamaha Enduro that I rode on & off road.

I learned to sky dive, SCUBA dive, repel off buildings, windsurf and white water kayak, but I gave up motorcycles. I gave them up, but never forgot them.

I’ve thought about motorcycles all of my life and knew one day I would ride again. But it had been 40 years, and I wasn’t sure if I would remember how to ride.

I spent a winter searching every website, reading every book and watching videos to gain every bit of safety edge without yet owning a bike.

This website is a payback / pay-forward effort to those who helped me and to those starting now.

Oregon Governor’s Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety

I currently serve as the Vice-Chair, Governor’s Advisory Committee on Motorcycle Safety.