It's a strange thing for someone from Jamestown to travel halfway around the world, into the desert, to ride a buffalo.

They could do that right in their hometown, you know.

Jamestown is the Buffalo City, home to albino buffalo White Cloud and also the world's largest buffalo - a 26-foot-tall, 60-ton cement statue easily visible from Interstate 94.

But several Jamestown residents are about to head to Iraq to ride a different kind of giant Buffalo. The Army's Buffalo - which is 14 feet tall and weighs 13 tons - is a fully armored vehicle that soldiers use to clear bombs from roadways.

In just a few weeks, 104 Jamestown-area soldiers will leave for Iraq. The soldiers are members of the North Dakota National Guard's 817th Engineer Company, which has already been training at Fort McCoy, Wis., for two months.

About three-fourths of the soldiers going to Iraq have been there before, with the 141st and 142nd Engineer Combat Battalions. They know what it's like to be away from their families, but this time they'll get an extra chance to say goodbye.

A Jamestown motorcycle club raised $8,100 to send two buses to Fort McCoy to pick up the soldiers and bring them home for a few days before they deploy to Iraq.

"We've been at the Civic Center both times they've deployed, and this time we thought it would be nice if we could do something for the families," Ridin' Free Motorcycle Club member Mary Albright said Saturday. "Last time, the families had to drive to Colorado to say goodbye. This time, we wanted to bring the troops home."

The club has held various fundraisers since the 817th left Jamestown in June. It raised about $1,300 selling hamburgers and pop, and the rest was donated by businesses and individuals.

Albright and other club members presented the check to the unit's family support group last week. More than 70 of the 104 soldiers will come home Aug. 16-20.

"When I heard about it, I was like 'Oh my God, that's so awesome!'" Beth Tebelius, wife of Spc. Matt Tebelius, said. "They're all out there in Wisconsin and they weren't sure if they'd have a couple of days to come back before they went to Iraq. They didn't know if they'd get to see their families. This is just such an awesome gift."

Tebelius and her husband live near Breien, about 35 miles south of Mandan. They were married after Matt Tebelius came back from Iraq the first time, in 2005.

"We're closer now as a couple, so it's going to be even more difficult," Beth Tebelius said. "We bought land together, we have a house together, we're building this life together - it's just a lot more demanding this time. This will be such a nice break for us."

Initially, the motorcycle club set out to raise $4,000. Albright said she was surprised to see how fast the total doubled, but the community support didn't shock her at all.

"We support what they do 100 percent,"Albright said. "This all came from the community."

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@;bismarcktribune.com.)