Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
85 www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS nOctober 2016n to school in Alabama to learn the electronic sub-assemblies of the Tow, Dragon and Lance Missile systems and was stationed in Kansas and Germany after that training. He left Germany and the Army in 1985, moving back to Texas but came up short on luck fi nding a job at the time. That prompted a move to Tacoma, Washington, to be with Traci, a girl he'd met while they were both stationed in Germany. They just celebrated their 30th anniversary in January. Darryl and Traci Watkins have two children, daughter Sephra, who Watkins said, "has given us a won- derful granddaughter Elaina who's seven," and son Raymond, who Watkins said, "has blessed us with two granddaughters, Addison who is also 7, and Brinley who will be two in October." When Traci got out of the Army in 1986, the couple moved to Littlerock, California, where a job with Lockheed was to come to Watkins but was derailed by an unexpected hiring freeze. Watkins joined the Army Reserves as a Munitions Center Manager in February 1987 and shortly thereafter started a job as a contractor on Edwards AFB. He transferred from the Army Reserves to the California Army National Guard the same day the Rodney King verdict and ensuing riots took place. In the National Guard, he was in a communications unit that provided support for the entire 40th Infantry Division. He retired as a Sergeant First Class from the California Army National Guard in 2005 and as a pres- ent to himself, bought a 2006 Harley Davidson Road King Classic. Traci doesn't ride solo but loves riding as passenger. They traveled to Texas the fi rst summer and go to the Laughlin River Run every year. Watkin's bucket list includes Sturgis, the Ride to the Wall, and there's a plan in the works for Hollister next year. The couple currently call Lancaster, California, home and share it with two dachshunds, a basset hound, a Russian desert tortoise, and a pot-bellied pig. They're looking forward to retiring in Texas. "That's where I belong." Watkins is currently a Department of Defense civilian working as an information technology specialist and engineering supervisor. While at Edwards AFB he's been involved in a lot of fi rsts, the fi rst B-2 fl ight, fi rst F-22 and F-35 fl ights and he watched the space shuttle land there. The '06 Road King is his daily transportation and he just topped 150,000 miles in early September. Because of the miles on the Road King, the couple decided on a 2014 Ultra Limited in February of 2015 and it has almost 20,000 miles on it. I sometimes ask interviewees if they have any riding "pearls of wisdom" and Watkin's answer was, "Never ride outside of your comfort zone. Know your limitations and don't ever be afraid to stay within them." 4 this time. Orcas Island was where the boat was moored, but a rendezvous was to occur at a different location on the island and choices of conveyance to get from the boat to the friends (with beverages) was one of the fol- lowing. There were two of each avail- able: a bicycle, a Zodiac watercraft, or a Honda 50. Since alcohol was to be a strong theme that evening, the bicycle was out. And since Elkin wasn't keen on swimming, the Zodiac was nixed. That left the two Honda motorcycles, and no license was required. He said with great affection, "I fell in love with it, with the freedom, no shifting required." The moto-hook was set for life. Although he tried to buy another bike, Elkin's fi rst successful motor- cycle purchase was a Honda Shadow acquired shortly after the San Juan getaway. He responsibly took a motor- cycle safety course but the night before his exam, he partied, well, too much, causing him to fail the fi eld test. His instructor knew what was up and a scolding followed. The details are admittedly a tad fuzzy on some of this given Elkin's generous disclosure that many of those years were spent under the infl uence of alcohol, a truth that stopped on a shinier dime March 31, 1990 when a life of sobriety got its start. The threat of liver disease and utterance from a medical professional, something about "six months to live," provided some incentive. Regarding relationships, Joe Elkin's been engaged quite a few times, but he explained that the women "either sobered up or smartened up," so he's never married. Home is in Grand Forks, British Columbia, only one mile from the U.S.-Canada border. It's a two- and-a-half story 1903 with wraparound porch and a 900 sq. ft. shop. That foot- print is "larger than the house I built up in Squamish," he explained. "The house being built the same year Harley- Davidson got its start was a selling point, and the shop clinched the deal." Other bikes that have found parking space in Elkin's stable have included the following: '88 FXRS, '91 Heritage Softail (bought with money saved due to absence of a bar bill), '98 Heritage Springer that he still has, a '98 Anniversary Edition of the same (sold), a fuel-injected '04 Ultra Classic (for sale: US$8,900), a 2001 Heritage and a 2002 V-Rod that took out a deer in Washington State. "It wiped me and the bike out." Since then Elkin has repaired the damage (to the bike, not the deer). A BMW R-100 GS and R-1200 C, and a Moto Guzzi have also been enjoyed. The Guzzi, a California Special. Joe Elkin is a humble man who's survived liver disease and colorectal cancer, been sober 26 years and count- ing, and who loves to ride. He's also an animal lover and for many years has shared tales of fellow rider Regal the Beagle. Sadly, Regal is no more, but a new riding companion is a rescue. Floyd, also a beagle, loves to ride. Joe Elkin also writes for THUNDER PRESS and we're hopeful he continues to do so. 4 Darryl Watkins Continued from page 78 Joel Elkin Continued from page 78