So yesterday, my husband shared with me this post from our local Retro York Facebook Group. It was a tribute to Hulk Hogan, who passed away at the age of 71.
They remembered him fondly for all the times he biked the York County Heritage Rail Trail, especially around Hanover Junction. According to the post, he had “friends in Monkton, MD” and was a regular on the trail.
And look—I’m not trying to start a Facebook war with local historians.
But I’m 90% sure they were talking about my dad.
Let me explain.
My dad, Mark Hess, passed away in 2021. He was a cyclist, a local character, and a full-time art gremlin who spent retirement biking, building ghost bikes, and stealth-dropping garden stones in people’s yards like a concrete elf.
He also happened to look a lot like Hulk Hogan.
Exhibit A: The Jeep Incident
One of my friends texted me:
“I just told my friends the story today of riding in the jeep with your dad and someone telling him to roll down the window at the light at Roosevelt and 30—and them yelling ‘YOU LOOK LIKE HULK HOGAN!’”
This was not an isolated event.
He had the bandana. The mustache. The wraparound sunglasses. And big ol’ arms from hauling sculptures and biking all over York County.
He never tried to impersonate anyone. But if you yelled “Brother!” at him, he’d probably nod and keep pedaling.
Exhibit B: The Rail Trail
He loved that trail. Rode it all the time. Especially south, toward Monkton. And yeah—he had family in Bel Air, so that “friends in Monkton” bit? Checks out.
When my friend Valerie read the post, she said:
“If actual Hulk Hogan had been hanging out on the Rail Trail, we would’ve heard about it.”
Correct. York County doesn’t do “quiet celebrity sightings.” If Terry Bollea had been biking through Hanover Junction, I feel like someone would have heard of it. Facebook searches show nothing, other than paid appearances at grocery stores.
The Plot Thickens
After I posted about the mix-up, Jeri Jones followed up with another detail in the comments:
“Hulk had a farm in Westminster, Maryland.”
I have… questions.
Because I went down the Google and ChatGPT advanced research rabbit hole, and there is zero evidence that Terry Bollea ever owned a farm in Westminster. No public records. No fan site lore. Not even a weird Reddit thread. And if there’s any place that would’ve documented Hulk Hogan plowing fields in Carroll County, Maryland, it’s Reddit.
So either this is:
- a case of mistaken identity,
- someone repeating something they “heard from a guy on the trail,” or
- the beginning of my dad’s posthumous mythos taking an even wilder turn.
Honestly? I love it.
Because here’s the thing—my dad definitely biked that whole corridor. It’s not a stretch to think he might’ve chatted with someone near Westminster, maybe even mentioned visiting family in Bel Air, and that conversation turned into “Hulk owns a farm now.”
It’s like a game of small-town telephone, but instead of ending with “Mark Hess rode the rail trail,” it ends with “Hulk Hogan raises goats in Maryland.”
Anyway, if someone in Glen Rock has a blurry photo of a mustachioed cyclist and swears it was Hulk, please please send it to me.
To Be Clear…
No shade to Jeri and Retro York. I love the effort to honor someone’s legacy.
My Dad: Mark S. Hess (1951–2021)
- He ran a social club and retired to become a full-time maker of funky public art.
- He was an unexpected mix of biker-bar grit and grandpa-level whimsy.
- He made York more interesting, more creative, and weirder in all the best ways.
Desperately Seeking the Hulk
- We’re seriously considering an ad in the Monkton Gazette: “Were you friends with Hulk Hogan on the Rail Trail? You might’ve actually been friends with Mark Hess.”
- T-shirts coming soon: “I Saw Hulk Hogan on the Rail Trail… But It Was Just Mark Hess.”
I’m thinking how much he’d love this story—and how his eyes would twinkle knowing he’s been publicly mistaken for a WWE icon (minus all the baggage).
oh bother. blog 