When my husband bought his Harley, I ask him, “What am I supposed to do while you are off riding your bike?” He said, “You could come along too.” I had never been on a bike and was more than a little afraid to try. Wayne Worby tricked me into just sitting on his bike. I had no helmet on so felt pretty safe. Then he got on the bike and took off! He said we were only going to ride around the orchard roads and not fast. It was fun and I really liked it. That’s all it took!

My favorite ride was to the National H.O.G. Rally in Billings, Mt. Everything about it was so awesome. There were probably about 40 of us. We rode in groups of about 8 bikes so we didn’t over-crowd the restaurants when we stopped to eat. We all stayed at the same motel at night. You really get to know people when you ride together and this group was some of the neatest people I have ever met.

We rode through Yellowstone National Park on our way to Billings. The weather was wonderful. It was hot at times but easy to deal with. A wet scarf around the neck worked great. We saw deer, elk, antelope, and lots of buffalo, it was so much fun. A mama bear and her cub crossed the road right in front of us. On this trip, I learned what it meant to be able to smell the rain and the forests.

The Billings Rally was so well organized. Everyone should attend a national rally. There is so much to see and do. Some of us were given tickets for a special event. After waiting in line for over an hour, Willie G. Davidson signed my vest! I hadn’t even known who he was. What a thrill!

My husband and I got to represent our Yakima Valley Chapter in the Parade of Flags. That was so awesome! There were riders there from all over the world We were all lined up and as far as you could see, front and back, there were bikes with their chapter flags. What an honor!

My worst ride was from Panquitch, UT (sounds like sandwich) to Baker City, OR just this past week. We were returning home from Las Vegas. Out of a 2,760 mile trip, I suppose it is not too unusual to have a few bad days. The wind was terrible. I have a new appreciation for how bad it can get. We had just ridden from Bryce Canyon, which is one of the most beautiful spots I have ever seen, when the wind really started to push us. The wind was from 40 to 50 mph. It was 3:30 pm and there was a high wind advisory from 3:00 pm to midnight. We had our motel reservation in Ely, NV so we had to keep going. When we finally got there, we had to find a safe place to park the bikes. Some bikers staying there had already had their biked blown over.

Ride Advise: When going on a long trip, be prepared for everything - heat, cold and wind!

Ride Motto: The things that you will remember the most about a ride, are the things that went wrong or were not supposed to happen!