Woman taking "Freedom Ride" across American stops at 110th



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- For a lot of riders from out-of-state, the Harley-Davidson 110th in Milwaukee was the destination. For one woman and her bike, it was just a stop along the way, and at every stop, she spreads a message that's written all over her ride.

When Joan Krenning stops on her bike, even just for a moment, the messages on her bike can't be missed.

"The rear fender has Abraham Lincoln's equality statement: 'With malice toward none, but charity toward all,'" Krenning said.

Krenning doesn't just ride -- although she's done plenty of that. She rides with a purpose.

"I can be at a rest area, truck stop, gassing up, at a Harley dealership. It doesn't matter where I'm at. People approach me because of the motorcycle," Krenning said.

It all came to her a year ago on the road to Kansas City.

"All of a sudden I received this epiphany -- buy a brand new Street Glide, wrap it in the graphics of the Bill of Rights, and go on the road promoting the purchase of American-made products, the preservation of our Bill of rights, and the third aspect was to inspire hope in Americans," Krenning said.

Krenning says she was tired of hearing people argue about politics, and sad to see Americans divided instead of united.

"The bill of rights is for all of us. It doesn't really matter if you are Republican, Democrat, down the middle -- we all have the rights to believe the way we do, and that's what's so great about being American," Krenning said.

On February 4th, Krenning headed out from her home in Mesa, Arizona and hasn't looked back.

"Everything I planned hasn't happened the way I planned it, and everything that has happened has been better. I like to promote to my fellow Americans to love each other in spite of how they vote, instead of because of how they vote," Krenning said.

And now, with the Harley-Davidson 110th in the rearview mirror, the boots go back on.

"I'm going down through Illinois, St. Louis, then across to Kansas City (for another photo shoot), and them I'm going to go across to Denver and then I'm going to (take a week off) to ride Bear Tooth Pass in Montana  then head to street vibrations in Reno which is the last weekend in September  and then into California for two months," Krenning said.

Krenning says people always ask her if she's along. Her second epiphany hit her three months ago: that she's not alone. She's spiritually connected to all the other women riding. Krenning keeps a blog of her "Freedom Ride" on LadyRoadDog.com.