{"id":8131,"date":"2025-12-22T12:15:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/?p=8131"},"modified":"2025-12-22T12:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:15:15","slug":"meet-the-92-year-old-who-realised-her-route-66-dreams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/meet-the-92-year-old-who-realised-her-route-66-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the 92-year-old who realised her Route 66 dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Mother Road is on many a biker\u2019s bucket list, and this determined rider proved it\u2019s never too late to make that dream happen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For most riders, Route 66 is the ultimate dream \u2013 a legendary stretch of asphalt steeped in Americana, freedom and the roar of V-Twins. For Jean Scott, that dream came true this summer in the most extraordinary way. At 92 years old, Jean swapped Somerset in the UK for the California coast, riding pillion on a Harley-Davidson\u00ae<\/sup> Road Glide\u00ae<\/sup> for 2,700 miles along the Mother Road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all started with a simple email. Jean reached out to Orange & Black Motorcycle Tours in Hampshire, UK, with a request they hear often: \u201cI\u2019d like to ride Route 66.\u201d But then came the twist. Jean didn\u2019t want to ride her own bike; she wanted to experience the journey as a pillion. And then came the kicker: Jean was 92 and she wanted to use the trip to raise funds for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we heard her story, we knew we had to make it happen,\u201d says Dave Marsh, sales and operations manager at Orange & Black. \u201cWe pride ourselves on helping customers create their dream trip, and Jean is a great reminder that it\u2019s never too late to make those dreams a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Embracing the open road<\/strong>
It was June 2025 when Jean touched down in Chicago, ready to take on the adventure of a lifetime. Her guide for the journey? None other than Gary \u201cBear\u201d Fleshman, Orange & Black\u2019s legendary Route 66 expert. Bear welcomed Jean onto the back of his Harley-Davidson Road Glide, and together they set off west, chasing the sun toward Santa Monica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t usually offer pillion-only rides,\u201d Bear admits, \u201cbut we\u2019re all for people finding their freedom through riding, and we wanted to help Jean experience that after she got the bug in her youth. Next year Route 66 celebrates its centennial, so we thought it only fitting that Jean come along for the ride and get a jump on hitting her own centennial milestones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 13 days, Jean and Bear covered eight states, battling all kinds of weather and ticking off some of Route 66\u2019s most iconic sights: the Blue Whale of Catoosa, the Route 66 Museum and the Grand Canyon. \u201cThe whole experience has been full of highlights,\u201d Jean says. \u201cI think my favourite places to visit have been Kansas and Oklahoma as I\u2019ve heard a lot about them but had never been before; and the Grand Canyon \u2013 that was breathtaking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time they rolled into Santa Monica, Jean had not only conquered the Mother Road but also raised awareness for a cause close to her heart. Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance provides vital emergency services for local communities and is part of a network of 21 UK air ambulance charities that collectively undertake more than 126 lifesaving missions a day. For Jean, this ride wasn\u2019t just about ticking off a bucket list, it was about giving back. The end of the tour was bittersweet \u2013 the conclusion of the adventure of a lifetime but also an incredible gift: Bear presented Jean with a leather cut, complete with badges commemorating her epic journey. It\u2019s a piece of biker heritage she now treasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A hero\u2019s welcome<\/strong>
Jean\u2019s story didn\u2019t end when the kickstands went down in California. Back home in Somerset, her local Harley Owners Group\u00ae<\/sup> chapter embraced her as one of their own. At a recent Bridgwater H.O.G. meeting, Jean\u2019s friend John Rodger, who plays in a ukulele band with her, gave a presentation about the trip and the chapter even gifted Jean a crash helmet and offered to take her on future ride-outs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A few years ago, Jean told me that she fancied having a ride on the back of a Harley. I kept it in the back of my mind, but didn’t take it too seriously – so I was surprised when she told me she’d booked with a specialist travel company to do Route 66 at the ago of 92!” says John. “Well, she made it out and back and thoroughly enjoyed the trip – and can’t wait to do another.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jean\u2019s adventure is a powerful reminder of what the Harley-Davidson spirit is all about: freedom, community and the open road. For Jean, the message is simple: \u201cIt\u2019s never too late to take that life-changing trip.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Mother Road is on many a biker\u2019s bucket list, and this determined rider proved it\u2019s never too late to make that dream happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":8248,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-8131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-riding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8131"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9751,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8131\/revisions\/9751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hog.thecreativeplot.com\/en-eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}