The Informant. Mark Your Calendars! Look inside:

Transcription

1 The Informant The official newsletter of: Women in the Wind Ladies of Chrome & Leather Chapter Table of Contents: Issue 212 January 2018 Next Meeting & Ride January 20 Mission San Luis Rey Mark Your Calendars! The LOCAL Pulse 2 What s Happening LOCAL-ly 4 Breakfast 7:30 am Meeting 8:00 am KSU 9:00 am Flo s Farmhouse Cafe 5620 Van Buren Blvd. Riverside New meeting time!! 8:00 am January 20 Chapter Meeting & Ride Mission San Luis Rey February 15-18, 2018 WITW Winter Internationals Charleston, SC February 17 Chapter Meeting & Ride Calico via Route 66 VP s Corner 5 Ride CA 2018 Update 7 Captain s Log 10 Chapter Ride 12 Look Back LOCAL Stayin Alive 15 Ann s E Ticket Ride 16 What you Missed 20 Look inside: Spotlight On: Dee 21 MUST READ: Ann s E Ticket Ride Spotlight On: Dee How It All Started California Missions Trail Challenge Info LOCAL Officers 24

2 the LOCAL pulse Karen Scott President Happy New Year, Sisters!! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. As much as I enjoyed it, I always breathe a sigh of relief when the calendar turns to January. I think it is a time where we can evaluate the previous year and move into the next year with renewed energy. It just feels hopeful and I like to reorganize my spaces and mind to move forward. I am not a big resolutioner but I am trying something new this year by just picking one word for the coming year that will be an anchor for me in various areas of my life. My word this year is persevere. I allowed the word to come to me rather than looking for it or forcing it. The definition of persevere is to continue on, be determined, persist, stand firm and maintain a purpose in spite of difficulties. The opposite of this word is laziness, apathy, idleness. I love words and found all these definitions fascinating. As I rolled it around, it felt perfect for my new year in so many ways. If you are going to attend, please register and book your room now so we can have funds available to use for the event and then you are set to go. When it all comes together well, as I know it will, we can all enjoy our accomplishments together. So Fun!! The new Ride calendar is so good this year thanks to Vicki and her team. It is chock full of new rides and opportunities. Our January ride takes us to San Diego County where we will be able to start collecting some of those pictures of the missions toward earning the California Missions Trail Challenge patch. It would be fun to have a lot of LOCAL ladies earn that patch and have it presented to them at Ride California. Persevering in the coming year with LOCAL is both a pleasure and a challenge. We are just five months away from Ride California and our Chapter putting on this grand event. I know the committees are hard at work meeting and planning their piece of the event. Thank you to the ladies who are persevering with me making time in their busy schedules to come together and spend time planning so we can ultimately execute in Big Bear. The planning committee would like an update from each committee by the end of January as to progress related to their assigned tasks. We look forward to that review and then steering the event planning from there. 2

3 the LOCAL pulse (cont d) Hope to see you all come out monthly for the rides. Remember that our meetings will start at 8:00 am instead of 8:30 so we can have KSU by 9:15 at the latest. We can re-evaluate this change if need be when we get closer to daylight savings time in the spring. If you are bringing a guest to one of our meetings and rides, we have put the finishing touches on our revised new member process. Remember they must attend one meeting and ride and then they will be eligible to join at the next meeting they attend. No paperwork will be filled out by them at that first meeting unless they plan on riding, which will mean they need to sign the release form. Shelley, our VP, will be heading up the responsibility of welcoming guests when they arrive and going through some talking points with the potential new member. This will ensure a smooth first meeting experience for them and not bog down the ladies sitting at the sign in table. Thanks to Shelley and a few others that will be our ambassadors for guests and potential new members. I think these are the main things at this point and thank you all for persevering with me in the coming months. I value and appreciate each one of you! You now have your finger on the LOCAL pulse! Karen For those of us taking the Ride to Live class on the 13th, we will persevere together. It may not be easy but I know it will pay off. I have been told in the past to train to your weakness which is not always a fun thing to do but I believe, necessary. This is a great opportunity to practice in a controlled environment with the support of our Sisters. So glad we can do this together and ultimately be more confident and safe riders. Thanks to Sandy for bringing this FREE training to us. 3

4 What s Happening LOCAL-ly On the first day of Christmas, we had another great LOCAL party... Seventy-degree weather... twenty-four ladies laughing... fifteen Santa hats... nine different desserts... four tries to get the group photo... three kinds of lasagna... two chances to steal gifts... and a great hostess (Elin) and yummy menu. 4

5 VP s Corner Shelley Beetler So we all made it through the Holidays, who is ready to ride? I know a few of us are starting the year off by attending the Rialto PD s Ride to Live safety course Saturday, January 13. Even though I attended this last year, we only did a half day because of the hot weather. So I am looking forward to freshening up my skills and using my new GoPro. I am hoping to get some good video so we can share what we learn. Vicki has been putting together great little videos on our facebook page; be sure to look for them. Vice President I know the Ride Committee is working hard on getting rides together as well as the other committees that are putting the finishing touch on things. Stay tuned for more info. As I write this, we are getting some much needed rain. We here in California are extremely lucky to have weather that lets us ride year round. With this little bit of rain keeping you from wind therapy, this would be a good time to give your bike a once over just to make sure all is well. Well, until next month, Shelley Ride California is coming up soon. Have you registered for RC 2018?? Made your hotel reservation?? Well, get to it if you haven t - you don t want to miss this! Keep your eyes moving when riding 5

6 2nd LOCAL Santa Run 6

7 COUNTDOWN TO WE NEED YOU TO REGISTER NOW! You may not have thought about this, but registration fees help finance all the events and goodies you will enjoy at Big Bear. So make it a point to register and get your fee in the mail as soon as possible. As of right now, only 12 LOCAL members have registered, but we are counting on 100% participation from LOCAL members. This is OUR event! You can download the Registration and Release of Liability Forms from our Members Only facebook page or print them out from the next two pages. YOU KNOW YOU RE GOING, SO DON T WAIT! WHAT S HAPPENING, ANYWAY?? Road trip being planned for April to earn your California Missions patch. Ride Committee has decided on the various escorted and unescorted rides (routes) that will be offered. WE NEED LEADS AND SWEEPS. Contact Vicki if you can help. DON T FORGET TO BOOK YOUR ROOM!! Rooms will go fast now that the holidays are over. To reserve yours, go to the hotel website: or call Click on Check availability Enter date of event (June 8-10, 2018) * Enter group code (LCL) * Group rate will show under Rate Details. We have secured special rates for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday in case you want to come early and stay late. Same rate for one or two beds. THE CREDIT CARD USED TO HOLD YOUR ROOM WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL YOU CHECK-IN! 7

8 RIDE CALIFORNIA

9 RIDE CALIFORNIA

10 CAPTAIN S LOG Vicki Goizueta Road Captain Aaah, the beginning of a new year. Optimism is at an all-time high. Hopes and dreams are initiated. Resolutions are made. Goals are set. This time of year, countless articles are written about why resolutions don't stick. From a goal perspective, most aren't met because they weren't set up for success at the onset. How many of you have said, "I'm going to ride more"? I know I have. But what does "more" mean? What's the benchmark? How will you know if you've been successful? Anyone who has completed a performance review at work in the last 10 years has undoubtedly heard about setting SMART goals. SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. To simply state that you want to ride more won't cut it if you truly plan to hold yourself accountable. Instead of saying, "I'm going to ride more," try "I'm going to ride my motorcycle 200 miles between January 1 and October 31 (safe-mileage deadline). This goal is Specific. I'm going to ride my motorcycle. This goal is Measurable. I'm going to ride my motorcycle 200 miles. This goal is Attainable. It could be met by participating in 2 chapter rides. This goal is Relevant. Well, we are a motorcycle riding group. This goal is Time-bound. There are specific dates in place from January 1 to October 31. Easy-peasy, right? Everyone is busy and everyone has hectic schedules with competing priorities. I completely understand. That's why it's important to be realistic with yourself. If you've been unable to ride for a while, it makes no sense to set a goal of riding 10,000 miles this year. You know what your abilities and limitations are. 10

11 The L.O.C.A.L. Informant January 2018 CAPTAIN S LOGOG (CONT D) Your riding goals can vary. Here are a few ideas to kick-start the process: Perhaps you have a particular destination in mind. (Hint! Hint! California Mission Trails ride, anyone?) Perhaps there is a particular training class that you'd like to participate in. (Hint! Hint! FREE Ride to Live classes are held throughout the year!) Perhaps you'd like the opportunity lead and/ or sweep November one of the 2017 chapter rides. (Hint! Hint! I m always looking for volunteers!) Perhaps you have a desire to serve as chairperson for one of the Ride California 2018 sub-committees. (Hint! Hint! We need your enthusiasm!) Perhaps you want to attend one more chapter meeting than you attended last year. (Hint! Hint! We'd love to see your smiling face!) What's my goal? My goal is to "Capture LOCAL chapter ride moments each month (photo and video) and post to our public FB page each month." I enjoy taking pictures and sharing what we do. It is my hope that these FB posts will tell a bit of our story and encourage new membership. What do you think? What will you achieve this year! Cheers to 2018! Vicki The possibilities are endless. The key is being SMART about it. If you need a little encouragement, buddy up with another chapter member and set goals together to hold each other accountable. Accountability partners will increase your chances of success. No goal is too small. It s about the journey AND the destination in this case. 11

12 CHAPTER RIDE MISSION SAN LUIS REY Join our chapter ride Saturday, January 20 and collect your first mission toward your California Missions Trail patch. The primary destination is Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, where we will be meeting up with the Sol Sisters (who are out getting THEIR missions!) After lunch, you have the option of returning home via the 15 or up the coast on the 5 for a quick stop at Mission San Juan Capistrano. 12

13 Look Back L.O.C.A.L. Pool Party Prescott Ride California Joshua Tree The Amazing Ride Ride to Live Photo Bomb of the Year 13

14 How it All Started WITW - Ladies of Chrome & Leather Chapter by Dee Norman, Founder This month is the 19th Anniversary of LOCAL Chapter so Sandy asked me to tell you how it all started. After being a member of the HOG chapter for many years, I started thinking about forming a ladies riding group. In 1998, 25 other lady riders and I gathered for the filming of a human interest cable TV show on KCET, Visiting with Huell Howser. The segment was called Harley Girls. We all met up in Temecula, and we were filmed while riding to Borrego Springs (Huell rode on the back of one of the ladies bikes.) I recently posted the link to the YouTube video on Facebook. In case you missed it, click on the link below to watch it: I had so much fun riding in this ladies only group that day that once I got home I started researching the internet for women s motorcycle groups. I kept coming back to Women in the Wind, and after talking with Becky Brown on the phone, I decided to form a Riverside chapter. From my connections in the HOG chapter I signed up 10 members, and we all rode around passing out flyers to all the Harley dealers and motorcycle shops in the area to advertise our first meeting. So in January, 1999, we had that first meeting at a pizza place in Riverside and I will never forget seeing bike after bike pulling into the parking lot. We had 33 ladies at that meeting and they all became members! Almost immediately, we became the largest WITW chapter. On June 2nd of that year a reporter from the Press Enterprise published a full page article on the Chapter with the title Chrome and Camaraderie. And as they say, the rest is history! LOCAL Chapter 1999 LOCAL Chapter

15 Stayin Alive Sandy Wietecha Safety Officer California Mission Trails Tour Hopefully you saw the post on the Ride California facebook page about the new contest LOCAL has rolled out for Ride California. Cat even mentioned it in the latest Shootin The Breeze! These regional meetups (focused on RIDING) are taking off throughout WITW and I believe Ride California played a major part in that! So now that LOCAL is hosting RC 2018, we wanted to develop some kind of a contest or award that was unique to Ride California and not the same oldest, youngest, farthest that you have at the Internationals. After some brainstorming about iconic places within the state to which we might entice people to ride, Karen suddenly suggested - the missions! It was perfect. It s not an easy challenge - you have to put in the time and the distance because the missions stretch from Sonoma to San Diego - but it s SO California and all 21 are well within the reach of all the California chapters and many other states as well. And if you earn your patch, you will have done what RC is all about - Ride California! We know some of the other California chapters are already working on this, so we don t want to show up at Big Bear without having at least SOME of our ladies having earned the patch! Therefore... we are putting together a 4-day trip for any LOCAL member who wants to go. We will use the first day just to get up to Sonoma and the following three fairly low mileage days to capture all the missions coming back down (except for the three that are south of Riverside. You can grab either one or two of those on our January ride, leaving only the San Diego mission for you to go get on your own.) We will have one group going the weekend of April and another the weekend of May 4-7. Unfortunately the purpose of this trip is not sightseeing (except for along the 101.) Due to time constraints, It will pretty much be a Park your bike, take a picture moment at each mission. However, the route is well mapped out and if you want to linger at a particularly interesting mission, you can catch up at a subsequent mission stop or in the evening at the hotel. We will be talking about the details of the road trip at the January meeting and check your and/or facebook as well. Think about doing this with your Sisters! It will be FUN! Sandy 15

16 by Ann Floerke Several times after buying Dee s Harley the subject of a road trip came up. He offered to be my chase car... which I declined. Some of you probably don t know what an E ticket was, but years ago Disneyland had coupon books and in those books were tickets for different levels of rides. E tickets were the very BEST you could have and usually limited to just a couple of rides. So I decided my little trip was from my E ticket book. I am not sure where I caught this riding bug. But as I have observed from my new biker sisters... I think it is contagious... It must be because... What in the world would possess a 65 year old woman, married with children and grandchildren, to suddenly decide to up and take a 5-week (and 6-day road trip alone - cross country? And on a motorcycle?? My husband of 37 years was wondering the same thing! I think he believes this riding bug has seriously affected my judgement! When I first broached the subject, he didn t have much to say.. just listened. When it came up again, this time with me saying that maybe a heavier bike than my Honda Shadow 750 might be smoother on the highway... still not much commenting from him. I gave myself permission to leave my problems at home. Permission to go off my constant diet (that is the 10 lbs. you may have noticed on my back side.) Permission to spend $$ I could have used for other things I am sure. Permission to ignore my husband s concerns. Permission to not be grandma or mom for awhile. Permission to do something just because I WANTED TO... It felt so decadent to even consider it. The biggest permission I gave myself was to play for awhile. Life is so serious sometimes, and so hard... I remembered all the times I just wanted to run away over the last 35 years, and this seemed like a good time to do just that! I talked about what gear I should take, what things needed to be done to the bike, what roads I should take, when I should go, what friends and relatives I might see on the way. As the time got closer I wondered if maybe my husband and family could be right. That maybe it was the wrong time of the year. That maybe I should have someone go with me. Maybe my husband should follow me in the car. Maybe I was too old. I had lots of maybe s and what if s going through my head for a couple of weeks. But I always came back to my thought that IF I didn t do it now, I might not ever do it... 16

17 Ann Floerke I questioned my decision right up until I was all packed and actually riding down our driveway. I remember saying to myself, WOW, I am really doing THIS!! Quite an empowering moment... I didn t know quite how to share my trip with you, so decided to just highlight some of my memories. The wind riding through New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma. I thought for sure it was going to detour me even further south than I already was. I thought it would never stop. Riding in Sedona, AZ and seeing the beautiful red rock landscape and then visiting Winslow where I stood on the corner and sang with Glenn Frey. Riding from Tennessee down the 95 in the rain. Riding in Florida towards Orlando in the rain... but in Florida that rain comes down from the sky in BUCKETS!! Thank God for those burger joints called Sonic with all the covered parking. Parking my bike at the Orlando airport and picking up my partner in crime and friend of 30+ years who flew there to celebrate my birthday with me. Driving to Key West and spending 3 days enjoying the sights. Spending time with a few old friends in Ocala where I spent 20 years of my life. Riding the Atlantic coast for several hours one day. Visiting with my daughter north of Dallas area for a few days, and friends in Oklahoma. Being pleasantly surprised that even on the first of November there were still areas where the trees were in brilliant fall colors. Riding the 40 toward Tennessee and wondering how many pairs of long johns I could wear and still be able to ride the bike (note to self... heated vests and gloves next time!) Riding through the National Forest in the middle of the afternoon where a BEAR ran out in front of me. 17

18 Ann Floerke Riding with my step brother and his Harley bikers group for a St. Jude benefit... It reinforced my commitment to NEVER drink and ride my bike as I watched the tremendous amount of alcohol they consumed at every stop. Riding the back roads such as old Dixie Highway with all the moss covered trees and swampy waters. Riding the gulf coast up through the panhandle of Florida. Spending all day waiting for a tow when I had a flat from a huge bolt in my front tire. Eating the best oysters ever... while I watched the boats bring them in to the processing plant next door... couldn t get much fresher... Shreveport Louisiana... not the best experience. I almost always planned which way I would ride and where I would stay at night. The day I rode from Biloxi to Shreveport, I did not look very carefully at a map and somehow ended up quite out of my comfort zone. I rode at least 400 miles that day. I got caught in a rain storm that held me up for at least an hour. I tailed a semi for about 1 1/2 hours after dark (not a good idea). Riding in what seemed like the middle of nowhere... did I mention AFTER dark?? Lots of road kill on the road... Very few gas stations and no motels... Alone and definitely out of my comfort zone!! Arrived in Shreveport where I knew there were places I could stay... took the wrong turn, ended up in a very dark area of town. My charger quit working, so I could not use my navigation. Pulled into what looked like a good compromise of a place to park since all the spots were taken. Walked into a bar, got directions. Walked out of the bar, discovered I was trying to back uphill onto the pavement that had about 2-3 inches higher asphalt than the parking spot I had selected. Few bad words later, several attempts to get my bike (that had suddenly gotten hundreds of pounds heavier) out of the space I had chosen to park. Fifteen minutes later I had to walk back into the same bar. They asked if I was still lost (laughing)! No, but could they help me push my bike backwards? Three great big Louisiana boys agreed. In all of their enthusiasm, they pushed me back and broke my kick stand. Got out, found a motel, pulled up... My kickstand seemed useless. Wondered if I could just sit on my bike till the Harley dealer opened the next day?? Someone checking in helped me; it stood. I had help tying it up and rode it to the Harley dealer the next morning. Even they could not get it to hold the bike up, so having it hold the night before turned out to be a huge blessing. New spring and welding job and I was off... Yeah! 18

19 Ann Floerke They say timing is everything. My riding through Dallas in rush hour was unreal. I was in a total body sweat. Those Texas drivers must believe that the 75 mph speed limit is a suggested speed. Never saw such poor roads ever!! Orange barrels diverting traffic, broken asphalt, all while trying to avoid those cars going that seemed to be going 90 mph... oh dear (note to self - bypass Dallas next time!) Waking up and looking for my BIG GIRL PANTIES when I realized that it was 41 degrees in Midland Texas, expecting snow and sleet that afternoon and 25+ MPH winds. What does one do?? Wasn t exactly where I would like to have been... I just rode on... Hit the 10 freeway, headed home. Having had a broken fuel gauge all this trip, I would stop every 150 miles to fuel up. Never did I put more than 3 1/2 gallons of gas in my tank, so I decided I could easily do at least 200 miles on a tank (after all I did have a reserve - which I had never used.) After topping the Chiriaco Summit and heading down the other side, sputtered... flipped the reserve (which I had never even checked)... Nothing. Totally empty. 52 miles from my house. Rode all the way cross country and NOW I ran out of gas!! I had not counted on the head wind when calculating my gas consumption. Duh. So much for surprising my husband by being a day early. Had to call him to come get me gas... lol... No grand entrance for me!! Someone did stop, give me gas and I met my husband for dinner!! To sum it up, every time I looked at the map, I saw a different way I could have gone or something I wish I had seen, or somewhere ELSE I could have gone. I loved no time schedule, no cooking, no cleaning, staying in Marriott chain motels every night. I loved the wind in my face, the smell of the cut grass, the beautiful clouds, the trees, the beautiful, wonderful, kind people I met. The unexpected hugs from strangers. The chuckles from more than a few people when I rolled out the motel cart with all the stuff that I was going to put on my bike. I know it wasn t climbing the world s tallest mountain or hiking the PCH, or a big adventure in the eyes of some. But for ME... It was all an E TICKET RIDE. p.s. I have a few more E tickets in my possession!! Anyone game?? Ann 19

20 WHAT YOU MISSED CHAPTER MEETING SATURDAY, DECEMBER 9 (XMAS PARTY) MEMBERS ATTENDING: 23 GUESTS: 1 # RIDING: N/A NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS: First of all, you missed A GREAT PARTY! (Thank you, Elin!) Reviewed membership process - one meeting, one ride, new member can join the FOLLOWING month at the meeting. Reminder not to post committee discussions and plans on the Ride CA 2018 facebook page. We want to keep some activities a surprise! upcoming birthdays dev jan 8 debbie sands jan 13 linda s. jan 17 gail g. jan 19 gail s. jan 20 joan dipietro jan 22 kim a. jan 23 judy jan 24 michelle jan 25 cynthia jan 27 20

21 SPOTLIGHT ON: DEE NORMAN A little background about myself. Most of you know that I am a paralegal but you may not know that I ve worked in some aspect of the legal field for 40+ years since I first landed a job as a secretary at Pepperdine Law School in I am hoping to finally be able to retire in March and spend time with my daughter and two grandchildren who live in Eastvale. I soon had it lowered and customized with a larger gas tank and a new custom purple paint job and a license plate that read HUGBL D. My love of motorcycles began in high school when I was age 14 and I would sneak out to ride behind my 18-year-old boyfriend who had a 750 Triumph. I still remember riding the curvy roads in La Habra Heights screaming Go faster! It was many years later that I got to ride as a passenger again, when my husband D.J. bought a Honda Magna. A few years later we bought a Harley and joined the Inland Empire Harley Owners Group (HOG). I rode behind D.J. many miles over a five-year period. During that time, however, I was in awe of every woman I saw riding solo. Finally 11 of us passengers got tired of riding on the back so we took the Honda Basic Course in December That day I will always remember because a few hours after passing the course, my mother passed away. What a high and low day. A few weeks later my sister and I found out we had been left a little bit of money and when my sister asked what I was going to do with my portion I didn't hesitate: "I'm going to pay off some bills and buy me a Harley." Within a few days I was the owner of a black Hugger Sportster. That same year, D.J. and I rode to Sturgis, SD and I got to participate in the Ladies Day Ride that ended with our group of 75 women riding down Main Street. An experience that will never be forgotten! While in Sturgis, I test rode a HD Super Glide and decided when I got back home, I was going to buy a bigger bike. Within six months I was the proud owner of a new black and silver 1996 Softail Custom. 21

22 SPOTLIGHT ON: DEE NORMAN (cont d) SPOTLIGHT ON: A couple of months later my Harley went through what everyone jokingly called a "sex change" when it got a passion purple paint job and lots of accessories that turned it into a chick bike. I loved that bike! but the very next week I opened one that said "Your place is in the driver s seat," and then the following week, the fortune said "Take that chance you've been considering," so I took the chance, cinched my belt a LOT tighter and went for it and bought a 2003 Harley Deuce and got riding back with the Chapter! Many a vacation was taken on our Harleys and in 1998 we rode with 20 others from the HOG chapter to Milwaukee for the 95th anniversary of Harley Davidson. The first half of the ride to Milwaukee we had great weather; then the last three days it was a complete downpour. On the way home we again hit bad weather when we unknowingly rode through areas where tornadoes were touching down. Back then I didn t have a handy dandy weather app on my phone! During my life I ve owned four Harley Davidsons, my last being a 2004 Heritage Softail that I called Baby (our new member Ann Floerke is now riding it) and my latest bike is my 2015 Can Am Spyder that I ve named Elvira. Besides Milwaukee and Sturgis, I ve ridden to Grants Pass, OR, and Prescott and Phoenix, AZ. In January, 1999, I founded the Ladies of Chrome & Leather Chapter. You can read about how that came to be on the page 14. In 2003 I had to sell my bike while going through a divorce and I wasn't sure I would ever have another. But in 2009 while riding a borrowed Sportster in a memorial ride for two very dear friends, I decided life was just too short not to be doing what I love, and whatever it took, I was going to own another bike. Now, normally I just laugh at the messages in fortune cookies 22

23 SPOTLIGHT ON: DEE NORMAN (cont d) SPOTLIGHT ON: A highlight of my biker life that I haven t shared with too many people is that for about five years I got to be a contributor for Thunder Press and a couple of other publications including Asphalt Angels magazine. In 1998, when I asked if I could cover the Love Ride for Thunder Press, I was shocked when I actually got the assignment! That meant getting a VIP press pass and getting to meet and interview many celebrities. I kept the interviews short as I knew they were all there to enjoy themselves. I must admit I was a nervous as hell when I got to talk to Jay Leno, Peter Fonda, and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado. Inside the Harley store I met the very interesting Stanley Mouse, the legendary rock artist and pioneer of psychedelic rock concert posters. In the VIP area, I tried my best to stay cool and collected as I smiled and said hello to Ann Margaret who was talking to Nancy Sinatra and Larry Hagman (remember, this was 1998)! My days as a contributor ended when I was bike -less for a few years. I wrote one last article for Thunder Press in July 2010 when LOCAL participated in the Corset Run organized by our former member Terri King. In 2013 after being a member of WITW for 14 years, I felt it was time to give back to WITW so I ran for International Secretary and was elected! 2013 was also the year that LOCAL and Sol Sisters jointly hosted the Winter International meeting in Palm Springs. What an incredible event! I still hear from other WITW members that Palm Springs was their all-time favorite International. And now we re hosting RC 2018 which I am so looking forward to. I am so very proud of the Chapter that I founded. I love all of my LOCAL and WITW sisters, and I have made some lasting friendships. Dee Elvira 23

24 L.O.C.A.L. OFFICERS Ladies of Chrome and Leather Chapter (L.O.C.A.L.) is the Riverside, California area chapter of Women in the Wind (WITW), an international organization for women motorcyclists. WITW was founded in Toledo, Ohio in 1979 and has grown to over 100 chapters with members in the USA, Canada, UK, and Portugal. L.O.C.A.L. Chapter was founded in 1999 by Dee Norman and currently has over 40 members. Our Purpose Is To: Unite women motorcyclists with friends of common interest Promote a positive image to the public of women on motorcycles Help educate our members on motorcycle safety and maintenance P PRESIDENT: Karen Scott VICE PRESIDENT: Shelley Beetler SECRETARY: Karin Whitehead TREASURER: Cathie Siglow We re on Facebook! ROAD CAPTAIN: Vicki Goizueta SAFETY OFFICER: Sandy Wietecha Contact us: WITWLOCAL@gmail.com ASST. S.O. (Maintenance) Trish Carlson NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Sandy Wietecha LAST LOOK REMEMBER - CHAPTER MEETING STARTS AT 8:00am FROM NOW ON WEBMISTRESS: Dee Norman L.O.C.A.L. FOUNDER: Dee Norman 24