% Born in 1942 Germany, immigrated to U.S. at 18, a naturalized citizen, in her 70's she is enjoying riding an Elf enclosed human-Electric-hybrid trike, stopping at cities with a Lion's Club across the U.S. %
http://thetandd.com/news/local/year-old-pedaling-across-u-s/article_d1f44324-c826-5766-82f0-13f1d7143b86.html 74-year-old pedaling across U.S. Mar 16, 2016 PRINCESS B. WILLIAMS [image http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/thetandd.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/2/02/2021a446-9ee3-5c04-b86d-e26c20a94a6c/56ea08607476c.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C759 (Hanna Elshoff in her Elf) ] A 74-year-old woman has been on a road trip for a year now, pedaling from state to state on her ELF tricycle. Hanna Elshoff is pedaling to promote the Lions Club. The native of Germany is also thanking the American people for their efforts during World War II. “I’m like the drummer boy. I don’t have much to give back. I’ve been here 50-something years in this country, but to say thank you – that’s all I can do. As long as I’m doing that, I might as well promote the Lions,” Elshoff said. Elshoff made a stop in Orangeburg on Wednesday to fellowship with her fellow Lions Club members. She has been a member of the Lions Club for 17 years. “I feel Lions keep the community together,” she said. Born in 1942 during the middle of World War II, Elshoff emigrated from Germany in 1961. She lives near Rochester, Minnesota. Elshoff did not speak English at the time, and worked in a hospital as a housekeeper. “All I had was a bike,” she said. Years later, Elshoff had connections in Texas, and thought to herself, “I’m going to ride my bike to Texas.” “I was footloose and fancy-free. I’ve always been a little bit nuts. If it took a year, it didn’t matter,” she said. Elshoff got to Texas, but not on a bike. “Life takes you in all kinds of directions,” she said. About two years ago, she purchased a solar-powered bike called ELF, which stands for electric, light and fun. The bike has pedals and a motor. “I pedal all the time with power assist,” Elshoff said. On May 1, 2015, she decided to begin her journey pedaling state to state, meeting people from all walks of life and traveling over 4,000 miles. Many tried to persuade her not to travel by herself, but Elshoff says she’s not afraid. “It’s totally incredible. I haven’t met a bad person yet,” she said. Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Kentucky, Indiana and Wisconsin are just a few of the states that Elshoff has pedaled through. “I’m just having a good time!” she said. “The places I end up, I see that that was a reason why I was there.” Elshoff has had a few bumps in the road while traveling, but they have not slowed her down one bit. There is a small crack in the fiberglass in the front of her bike. “I fix everything with duct tape. They’re just band-aids that add character to my bike,” she said. Her bike is equipped with a portable tent and air mattress. Elshoff has a Facebook page called, “Hanna’s Dream Ride,” where she documents each of her destinations and describes her journey. She has several stories to share about her adventure, but one of her favorites is when she had dinner with former President Jimmy Carter, who is also a member of the Lions Club. The former president has always had special place in heart and Elshoff says she admires him because he was a farmer, just like her family members. “I thought to myself, ‘only in America could a farmer run for president,’” she said. She plans to end her journey in Minnesota on May 1, 2017. On Thursday, Elshoff will be headed to Camden. She doesn’t know what her next stop will be once she leaves there. “I figure it out as I go,” she said. Elshoff says she is riding with a purpose. “I’m meeting beautiful people everywhere and touching lives with my story. Every day I say, ‘It can’t get any better,’” she said. [© 2016 The Times and Democrat] ... https://www.facebook.com/Hannas-Dream-Ride-771762409598544/ Hanna's Dream Ride Personal Blog ... http://organictransit.com/product/elf-solo/ $6k ELF SOLO (Human-hybrid enclosed tricycle) http://www.thealmatimes.com/news/elshoff-inspiring-others-with-journey/article_ad5b29d0-e48b-11e5-bdb9-c798bb11a772.html Elshoff inspiring others with journey Mar 7, 2016 Rick Head “I’m just having the time of my life and I’m not doing anything strenuous.” While most 73-year-old grandmothers are enjoying doing things around their home, Hanna Elshoff is out pedaling her way through states east of the Mississippi River, blazing a trail with “Hanna’s Dream Ride.” The mission of her ride is to give thanks to World War II veterans who helped save her family’s life from the Nazi regime. She also promotes local Lions Clubs and helps raise awareness for “Leader Dogs for the Blind Person Puppy Raising Program.” “My trip has been phenomenal and everyone has been wonderful,” said Elshoff, who left May 1, 2015 from Chatfield, MN on a two-year journey that had a layover Friday, March 4, in Alma. “It has been divine. I never know where I’m going to be from day-to-day. I’ve never been threatened nor have I been scared.” Chatfield is located in the southeastern part of Minnesota, approximately 25 miles from Rochester. Elshoff plans to be back in Chatfield May 1, 2017. Riding is something she longed to do after arriving in the United States in 1961 as an immigrant from a small German village. Born in 1942, Elshoff arrived in Ft. Dodge, IA as an 18-year-old moving in with a couple who had sponsored her. Elshoff’s plans to pedal to Texas a couple of years later after becoming “foot loose and fancy free” fell through. “All I had was a bike,” she recalled. “I thought I would ride my bike to Texas like a hobo and work as I traveled. The plan fell apart so I thought, by the time I was 80, I would set out again.” When Elshoff’s 70th birthday rolled around, she started making plans for a trip south. “I wanted this to happen by the time I turned 75,” she said. “This gave me five years to think about it and make plans. I thought I could use the Lions Club to make this happen because every town seemingly has a Lions Club.” Around her 72nd birthday, Elshoff visited a bike shop and saw a bike with a motor that piqued her interest. Several days later, Elshoff said she Googled a solar-powered bike and her dreams were answered. “A picture of the ELF (Electric, Light, and Fun) popped up,” said Elshoff, “and I knew that was what I wanted.” She bought a plane ticket and flew to Durham, NC to visit the manufacturer, Organic Transit. After a test ride, Elshoff put in an order for one. The ELF is a cross between a bicycle and a car. It has three wheels, pedals, a solar panel, an enclosed cab, a carrier in the back and runs on a rechargeable battery. It does not use gasoline. There are now more than 300 ELFs on the road. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld also owns one. Once the bike arrived, Elshoff started wrapping up her plans for a journey south with one thought in mind. “I wanted to visit Plains, GA,” she said of the home of former President Jimmy Carter. “He inspired me to become a legal citizen of the United States.” A television commercial way back in 1975 grabbed Elshoff’s attention. It was Carter asking for support during his campaign to become president. “Up until then, I didn’t care about becoming a citizen,” she said. “When one immigrates to the United States, they get a green card. In order to become a citizen you have to be here five years. There’s a lot of paperwork to get a citizenship. “That particular day, I heard Jimmy Carter say “I’m an American farmer and I’m running for president.” I took a step back and thought, “a farmer running for president ... only in America.” I thought I would vote for him just because of that.” Elshoff never got the chance because she wasn’t a citizen. But, it was those words that inspired her to seek her citizenship. She was sworn in in St. Paul, MN several years later while Carter was finishing out his only term in office. “I received a letter from the President of the United States,” said Elshoff. “I read through it and I get to the bottom of the letter and it’s signed by Gerald Ford. It was outdated stationery. I thought one day I would get Jimmy Carter’s signature.” Her first attempt to meet the former president three years ago fell through when a snowstorm halted air traffic out of Rochester the day before she was to meet Carter. She made the trip to Plains a week later, but was unable to meet him. Then, she found out he was a Lions Club member and the ball started rolling. She pedaled south, averaging about 40 miles a day, and visited the Florida Panhandle. From there she went into Alabama and eventually over to Columbus, GA. That’s when things fell in place. Staying with a family that were members of the Lions Club in Columbus and telling them her story, the family called a friend whose cousin lives in Plains and graduated high school with Carter. A meeting was scheduled for Sunday, January 31, 2016. “I went to church and listened in on his Sunday School class,” said a beaming Elshoff of the meeting. “Then we went to dinner and I now have my signature.” Since that meeting, Elshoff has crossed the state of Georgia. She arrived Friday in Alma with plans to head to Waycross for a couple of days. That will be followed by a trip to Statesboro. She has plans to be in Durham by April 8 to catch a plane home for a convention. After taking the month of April off, Elshoff will return to get her bike and continue her trek home. “I’m loving what I’m doing,” she concluded. “Every place I go, every person I met, seems like I was meant to be there at that time.” [© thealmatimes.com] http://www.chronicle-independent.com/section/39/article/44354/ Journey of gratitude Mar 22, 2016 Pedaling after her dream on her solar-powered ELF bike, Hanna Elshoff is ... a solar powered bicycle called the ELF, which stands for Electric, Light and Fun. http://media.morristechnology.com/webmedia/upload/chronicleindependent/article/2016/03/21/LadyLion.jpg ... http://www.baxleynewsbanner.com/archives/8980-An-amazing-ride,-an-amazing-lady.html An amazing ride, an amazing lady Mar 16, 2016 The company that produces the ELF claims it is a revolution in transportation and gets the equivalent of 1800 MPG. On its electric motor, the ELF can reach a top ... http://www.baxleynewsbanner.com/uploads/2011/News/HANNAS-DREAM-RIDE-pic.jpg ... http://www.havanaherald.net/archives/6591-73-YEAR-OLD-ADVENTURER-PASSES-THROUGH-GADSDEN-COUNTY.html 73-YEAR-OLD ADVENTURER PASSES THROUGH GADSDEN ... Mar 4, 2016 Elshoff rode her “ELF,” three-wheeled hybrid solar-powered vehicle (it can be ... on one from OrganicTransport in Durham, N.C. The ELF is short for Electric, ... http://www.havanaherald.net/uploads/News/Hanna-solar-car....jpg For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-She-is-a-74yr-old-German-American-Elf-pedaling-across-U-S-tp4681217.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
