Besides meeting new people, being part of a HOG chapter is all about riding. Over the years we had some great rides. One of the first that we formally organized was something called "Flog Your Hog." Norm, one of our members at the time, came up with the idea for a ride where there were no entry fees to pay, no prizes to win, and a route that would be for the most part a mystery. All one had to do was bring one's hawg, play follow the leader, and ride; a simple concept containing all the essential ingredients for a good time. Wanting to contribute, I volunteered my time to create the poster to advertise the event. Norm had a logo of a hog's head from some radio station, and I incorporated it into my poster's design. I liked the graphic so much that I eventually designed a masthead for our newsletter using it there as well.
We attracted about a dozen or so participants that first year. I remember visiting some famous church ruins, and the St Albert cheese factory where I tasted my first cheese curds. Not only was it good fun riding as part of a pack of Harleys, but I discovered new places that I might not have visited otherwise. On the next "Flog Your Hog," the route took us further along the eastern borders of Ontario and into parts of western Quebec. We made many stops at points of interest along the way, one of which was at a popular bikers' hangout; the L'Alibi bar in Valleyfield, Quebec. Many bikes were already  |
parked in front of the bar when we had pulled up. In stark contrast to our predominantly stock two wheelers, those Harleys boasted extended front ends, custom paint jobs, and many exotic and shiny parts. Quebecers are a more passionate people in general, and their bikes showed us that day just how conservative a group we were from the nation's capital.