COEUR d'ALENE - Glowing brightly in the afternoon sun, hundreds of motorcycles packed the parking lot at Lone Wolf Harley Davidson on Saturday.

There were orange roadsters, blue choppers and black cruisers. There were knife vendors, popcorn sellers, a live band and barbequed grub. And there were bikers - leather-clad, vest-wearing, festooned with pins and patches, enjoying the warm weather and cold beer, swapping a few tales of the open road.

With more than 600 registered riders and an estimated 1,000 participants, the Idaho State Harley Owners Group (HOG) Rally by the Lake took over the streets of Coeur d'Alene this weekend.

On Friday morning, volunteer "Road Captains" led various rides to scenic locales. Destinations included the Silver Valley, Sandpoint, St. Maries, Metaline Falls, Wash., and Troy, Mont. The evening wrapped up with a parade down Sherman Avenue and a campfire social.

Saturday featured an around-the-lake ride, several activities and games, a bike show at Lone Wolf and a banquet at the Shilo Inn. The rally concludes today with a breakfast ride and final farewell.

"It's been fantastic," said Beth Ernst, co-owner of Lone Wolf, located on Appleway Avenue, just west of U.S. 95. "I think the farthest person was from Georgia that rode his bike up here."

The HOGs are a worldwide organization of Harley enthusiasts, Ernst explained. The local chapter hosts rallies, charity rides and get-togethers. Starting in October, for example, members will donate items to an area food bank. Part club, part philanthropy, the HOGs take pride in their community spirit and shared passion.

"It's not just riding a bike," Ernst said. "It's, really, you're part of a family. You have your own kind of home away from home."

Ernst and her husband, Greg, opened Lone Wolf in the spring of 2008. The spacious dealership offers a wide variety of motorcycles, apparel and accessories, making it the perfect base camp for Rally by the Lake. Beth said she'd like to see the rally get even bigger.

"We just opened our second dealership (in Spokane) that we opened two weeks ago," she said, "and I would love to do kind of a joint rally between Washington and Idaho."

Were the event to grow, there'd be no shortage of Harley afficionados. HOGs journeyed from far and wide to participate in this year's Rally by the Lake. Bikers from Colorado, Salt Lake City and St. Louis packed their saddlebags, revved their throttles and rolled into Coeur d'Alene. Brad Harrison, a burly, amiable biker from Lewiston, traveled 108 miles on his old-school chopper.

"I rode it up from Lewiston, and that's about as far in a day as you want to go," Harrison said. He gestured toward his ride, a handsome bike with tall sweeping handlebars and a powerful engine - clearly built for performance and aesthetics, not comfort.

Bev and Chris Ranger made the long trek from Calgary, Alberta.

"It's amazing," Bev said, carefully polishing her 2002 Dyna Super Glide. "These guys put on a really good show."

Chris was also working on his bike, an orange 2002 FLH Electra Glide. The Rangers were about to particicpate in the Lone Wolf bike show, and he was scrubbing off the dead bugs that had accumulated during the trip.

"Doesn't matter where you go," Chris said, "as long as you're on two wheels to get there."