February 2004

Why the Capitol Cruisers?
Lynn O, Founding Chapter Director

Since I've been such a slow poke for so long, I'm finally getting around to writing a brief history of the Montgomery County chapter of Women on Wheels.

It all goes back to the early days for Women on Wheels in Maryland,
back when there was only a fledgling chapter forming in the Baltimore area, unchartered at the time. I was riding my little old Honda Rebel to those meetings which were held in different locations while the chapter was forming and the Beltway was undergoing constant construction.

I finally got tired of getting lost and figured that there had to be
more than ten women in Montgomery County who rode and might be interested in joining a group for women riders. Sure enough there were; and the first organizing meeting was held at the old Lou's Crab House in Wheaton. My left foot was in a cast as I had just had my Suzuki Savage taken out from under me in an accident on my way to work a couple of weeks earlier. So, I got my friend, Tom, to give me a ride on his bike. Must have been the longest ride I'd taken on the back of a bike in ages!

Unfortunately, I can't recall all nine of the names of those charter members, something with CRS, I think. There was Mildred, Lois, Eloise, Elaine, and myself. I wish I could give you all those wonderful women’s names, but I'm at a loss. My sincerest apologies, and if you are one of the ten original who helped use get our county charter, please contact me. I’d love to catch up with all the founders.

We came up with the name Capitol Cruisers, at my suggestion, as my daily route to work took me down 16th Street directly in view of the Nation's Capitol. We even took an evening ride down into D.C. to do some starlight sightseeing, as I knew my way around very well my experience as an installer with the telephone company in and around the capital city. We saw the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the statue of Albert Einstein, the Lincoln Memorial and had a great ride back out of the city along Beach Drive by moonlight. It's one of my favorite memories.

Well, that's the short history of our Capitol Cruisers, folks. We've been filling those old memory banks ever since, ladies. I can't thank you all
enough for the friendships we've forged throughout these almost fifteen years now.

Here's hoping we have many more in the years ahead of us.

Donna Leigh Bliss Chapter Director

Cruising with Donna

As I sat and thought about what I wanted to talk about this month, several ideas swirled around in my mind. I could talk about how the International Motorcycle Show last month at the Washington Convention went or I could talk about what it felt like to lead my first meeting of the Capitol Cruisers. But, I could talk about the Polar Bear Ride and how awesome it was or about the upcoming WOW Ride-In. Finally, given all the help I have received, I thought I could talk about the role of service in maintaining the well being of the Capitol Cruisers. No matter how hard I tried to settle on a topic, I couldn’t stay with just one. I guess that means that this month’s column will be a potpourri of lots of topics.

First, the Bike Show was fabulous. Not only were there lots of really cool motorcycles to check out (Yes, I did look at and sit on an 1100cc Yamaha V Star Silverado!), it was wonderful to see and talk to so many women at the show who rode. Working at the WOW booth was challenging when the Ball of Steel Stunts were roaring behind us, but is was lots of fun to meet so many women who were interested in WOW. Honors must go to Gaby for signing some up on the spot!

Second, I was nervous about leading my first meeting of the Capitol Cruisers on January 13. I had so much on the agenda and wondered if everything could get covered. I was excited about presenting the plaque to Donna. I wondered if we could raise some money raffling off a Capitol Cruisers sweatshirt. Well, it all worked out just fine despite my fears.

Third, I was apprehensive about scheduling the Polar Bear Ride on January 17 because the weather is typically pretty cold this time of year. While it was cold that morning as I was heading out to Dominic’s, I also felt a sense of adventure. Little did I know that five others would be there for the ride in addition to myself! Gaby, Monique, Bob, Maxine, and Liza came along and we had a great time. The scenery was beautiful, especially the ice-encrusted streams and creeks. Lunch at Tom & Ray’s in Damascus was nice too, especially the hot chocolate.

Fourth, getting the registration information for the WOW Ride-In was great. I am so psyched about going that I feel like I am going to split. I feel the same about going to MAWMR.

Finally, I have nothing but thanks for all the support and encouragement I have received. Thanks to Donna D. for helping me with the transition, to Gaby for writing up the minutes of the meeting, Monique for tackling the website, Elaine for handling the treasury, Heather for agreeing to be the Fundraising Coordinator, and everyone else for just being there.

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