Joyce McCallum

It just doesn't seem like such an interesting topic...my motorcycle and I.  My '99 Road Queen (FLHP), Aretha, feels like such a part of me when I ride... it feels like I've been riding forever.  But I bought my first m/c, a '97 1200 Sportster new, with absolutely no experience.  Tim Shawger, the darling man that is, delivered it to my house with a very worried look on his face.  I've been a member of the GNW since that time also.  Never was very comfortable in crowds, so I kept my distance from the chapter meetings for awhile.  Anitra and Bonnie got the LOH off the ground and I found a place for me there.  Great comraderie and a support network that has never stopped being there for me.  The best part of improving my riding began to come along when I realized that to get more, you could give more.  So right from the beginning of my involvement with the chapter, I was the Photographer for awhile, then assistant LOH grrrllll, which led to wanting to join the Road Captain ranks.  I can't remember when that was...Rick Howe was the Safety Officer then and he put me through the paces...on an awful, rainy day, then people started following ME on rides.  This is my second year as Safety Officer now, and I realize that there is so much more I can do for the chapter and my riding friends and family.  My riding skills went to a place I could only imagine, after completing the Northwest Motorcycle School.  Zsolt and Craig continue to inspire me and drive me to be the best I can be...man o man, can those two ride a m/c!  By June '01, I was teaching the WA m/c riding and street skills classes on a regular basis.  Teaching people to ride bikes, now I can't imagine anything more rewarding.  The training I've gotten from the state of WA, along with the interesting folks I've met and worked with, has continually inspired me to want to be the best m/c rider I can be.  Do it right, safely, and be a good example to others.  I went to my first HOG rally last summer and was privileged enough to lead the first ever Ladies Day ride.  I'll admit again, that I don't like crowds and have a tendancy to get claustrophobic, so I'll bet that I don't go to very many over the years.  I enjoy riding with my grrrrlllfriends, especially when my husband is gone for weeks at a time fishing.  The best part of being a Road Captain is the challenge of trying to take people somewhere that they have never been, on a road they've never been on.  I've met some great people through the chapter, some I call family.  I forsee many more years involved with the GNWHOG, trying to balance teaching class and other responsibilities.  It's A LOT of fun and I encourage those of you on the outside looking in, get a little closer and get involved...it's YOUR chapter!