GWRRA and Chapter H - What they have meant and has done for me.

     When we got our first Gold Wing in 1992 the only riders we knew were a bunch of Cable people I worked with at TCI,  they all rode different types and makes of bikes, although a nice enough bunch of people, I wasn’t up to their style of riding and had a terrible time trying to keep up and would end the day’s ride stressed out and wishing we’d stayed home.

     At the time Betty was the Manager of Sea First Bank in Everson. One of her customers was a grumpy old guy named George Bartelds, who happened to be the Director of GWRRA Wa. Chapter H at the time. One day he showed up at the bank on his wing and they got to talking the next thing we knew we were invited to come to a chapter meeting in one of the back rooms of the Bowling Alleys in Ferndale. Of that original group of wingers there is a few still remaining in the chapter, the Calman’s, Shirley Petty, and Bob Pittman. Some moved away, some quit riding, a couple or two divorced and sadly two pasted away. Over the years there have been a number of Directors and members have come and gone but Chapter H is still here and bigger then ever and going strong.

        So where am I going with this. Over time I’ve read on the GWRRA Bulletin Board and have been told by some people that they didn’t see the valve in GWRRA or  belonging to a chapter. That they didn’t need to belong to GWRRA or be part of a chapter to enjoy riding their Gold Wings and you know what they just might be right. However Betty and I we have and still do enjoy being members’ GWRRA and part of Chapter H

        What have we gotten out of GWRRA?  I won’t even discuss the magazine, rescue plus, the gold book, all great stuff in my opinion. The best part is YOU, the members. Would we have met up with someone who matched our riding style?   More than likely at some point we would have. Would we have met all of you?  I strongly doubt it, Let me list some of the things that we have enjoyed and might have missed if we were not members of GWRRA and Chapter H.

* All the good times we’ve enjoyed camping with the chapter at District Rallies over the years.

* Betty and Jean Pittman seeing the bear at the base of Bear Tooth Pass in 1997.

* Salmon and Chips at Toby’s in Coupeville, with Jeff, Karry, John, Cliff, Bob, Ray and a number of others.

* Coming back to our camp in Frankfort Kentucky last year and finding the Gold Wing Rd. sign hanging on the front of our Kwik Kamp, a gift from the Renskers.

*Standing in a turn out on the Blue Ridge Parkway last year and laughing till we thought we’d wet ourselves with 3 people we didn’t even know 5 years ago and a few  minutes later choking back tears and fear at the site of a horrible motorcycle wreck with those same friends.

* Helping to change an Alternator on Cliff’s wing in a WalMart parking lot, was it a fun thing, not really but we were all there for each other. And Kathy Renskers setting up her coffee shop for us while we worked on the wing.

* Ray Hunter and Betty seeing a bear along a Highway in Minnesota last year.

* The fun ride up Shell Canyon and over the Big Horn mountains. And how about the Breakfast Buffet at Burgess Junction.

* Crossing Bear Tooth Pass on the wings with Paul and Cathy in a snow storm a few years ago.

* Helping a member over come the trouble he was having getting his wing on the center stand.

* All the back yard cook outs over the year’s.

* Going to the Idaho District Rally two years ago and meeting Slim and Joy Campbell a couple from Columbus Montana, who invited us to camp with them. Having them join us in longview for our District Rally last year. Then to top it off Slim bought the whole group of Go Anywhere Wingers a steak diner last August when we stopped in Columbus on our way east.

* Riding to the WW II memorial in New Orleans with the Chapter from Pairreville , La. And to Monument Valley with the chapter from Page Ar.

       There are many, many more good times and good things that happened, just too many to list them all. So has there been and is there still value in GWRRA and Chapter H ,for Betty and I  You bet there is. Why?, because YOU are there.

From the Desk of

Ron Robertson          

(Well said, Ron - ed.)