Hey everyone....we are Elvis and Silla of Graceland
North, (actually Alba, Michigan), but we like to call
our home Graceland North.
We have enjoyed riding for many years, both sleds and
scoots.
For those of you that don't already know us, I was born
and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. I moved to
Goodrich, Michigan in 2003. Elvis was born and
raised in Flushing. In 2004 Elvis retired from GM plant
38, then we moved up here to make Northern
Michigan our home. We have enjoyed this area for
the past 5 years from the beautiful scenic winding roads
riding our scoots, to the great snowmobile trails in the
winter months.
On March 9, 2009 I became a US Citizen, a very proud
moment in my life.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful country with me.
Elvis logged over 35,000 miles on his '83 Classic,
105,000 miles on his '86 Tour Glide before he
purchased his current ride, a 2003 Anniversary Heritage
Softail Springer Classic, named Lisa Marie, the
odometer reading currently is 78,000 miles.
My first ride was a 2003 Anniversary V-Rod.
I had it for 3 months put 10,000 miles on then sold it
to purchase my current ride a 2005 SE V-Rod, her name is
Wild Cherry. I have been riding my own scoot for
just over 4 years and have logged on just over 59,000
total miles.
The first time I attended the Sturgis SD Rally I was
as a co-rider on E's bike, what a way to break
someone in. Just about as soon as we took off I
was hooked forever, my first vagabond ride across
country. I realized then that this was what had
been missing from my life up until now. I found the very
thing that could set me free, it's simply
unexplainable....you know the saying " if I have to
explain you won't understand", but I think most of you
DO understand.
July 2007, after Elvis experienced some health issues,
we decided to take the trip we had been trying to take
each year after our annual trip to the Sturgis Rally in
SD. The weather always turned bad as we where
leaving the Black Hills, so we headed back to Michigan
with hopes that some day we could take our ride to the
California coast. In August '07 with the new found
meaning of how fragile life can be and how fast it can
be gone, we decided to take the trip and ride the
legendary Hwy 1. What a thrill it was, even though
we where both a little worried about Elvis's health, we
rolled on the miles enjoying each curve in the road,
each sunrise and sunset with new eyes and anticipation
of what tomorrow would bring.
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We met some great folks along the way. One
couple in particular invited us to stay at their home in
Pleasant Hills California. While we where there they
took us on some great rides, including cruising over the
Golden Gate Bridge, the San Mateo Bridge and through the
San Francisco Salt Flats. The tour would not be
complete without stopping at a few of their favorite bar
stops while rolling through Walnut Grove. One of my favs
was an awesome little bar in China town called Al the
Wop's.
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The following day we went to one of
their favorite little places with an outdoor patio where
a blues band played while we watched boats cruise the
canal. After a very fast 4 days we left them with tears
in our eyes, with so many wonderful memories and a new
found friendship, what an awesome experience.
We rolled outta there onto the next part of our
adventure. We visited family members, stayed one night
in Los Vegas, visited the Hoover Dam, stopped to visit
the Grand Canyon during a hellacious hail storm and
dense fog, arrived at the 4 corners just in time
to watch the Indian folks close up for the night,
witnessed the most spectacular sunset over Navajo
Reservation in the Ute Mountain Range , toured a while
in Colorado, dipped down into New Mexico, Texas then the
bitter sweet journey home. It is a trip I will
always remember, my husband at my side touring, and
seeing this beautiful country on two wheels, what a
journey it was.
We will continue to ride until we just
can't any more....can you say Trike??
Let's not forget our love for
snowmobiling....yes, we do that too....who the heck
would live in Northern Michigan and not enjoy the
snow...since it is here so freek'n long we might as well
love it!! Global warming??...NOT here in Graceland
North!
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We decided to move up to Graceland North after our many
trips to Northern Michigan to enjoy the weekend on the
trails...yes we where weekend warriors at one time, now
we are transplants. We made the decision to move
up here after a few close calls on I-75 on the way home
in some nasty snow storms. So no more close calls
on I-75 in the dead of winter, the trail systems begins
literally at our front door....how awesome is that!
Elvis has been riding sleds longer than I have....he
is a little older than I am after all.
Elvis rides an '02 Thundercat 1000, mine is a 600 ZRT.
I have enjoyed sledding over the years, however most of
my time on a sled has been in Canada. And yes I called
it skidooing and rode a skidoo for a while, so typically
Canadian eh!. Elvis has travelled more than 60,000
miles plus, of course not all where done riding here in
Northern Michigan. He had a great time riding his sled
in Hornepayne, Ontario...the snowmobile capital of the
world, and it's also where we met!! The Hornepayne
trail system is like riding down I-75, perfectly
groomed, smooth trails, you can get really spoiled.
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I hope this lets you know just a little bit more
about "Elvis & Silla". If you have any questions,
or comments give us a call, or drop us a line,
don't hesitate....we would love to hear from you!
Our contact info is near the bottom of this page.
No matter what you ride, get out there, feel the wind,
visit our advertisers, and don't forget to tell them FTW
Magazine sent you!!
Silla & Elvis |
