Profiles
Profile on Ginger Hightower and Elaine Cantrell
Reba McEntyre was at Wild Adventures recently and there is little doubt that she is the Queen of Country Music. So, that got us to thinking who would be the Queen of Motorcycling in this area.
As the odds would have it, we came up with two and they happen to be the best of friends. Ginger Hightower and Elaine Cantrell have each been riding since the early 80’s and each is a founding member of the Outback Riders.
Ginger Hightower came to Valdosta from Eastman, Ga via Valdosta State College (University) in 1979, and currently works with the Lowndes County Sheriffs office as an investigator. It was in 1984 that she first learned to ride on a Kawasaki 550. She rode several other bikes during the 80’s including a Yamaha Virago, a Sportster, and a Softail Custom. In 1990, she got serious about the love of motorcycling and got herself a 1972 FLH. It turned out to be her favorite bike of all time and she rode it until she graduated to a 1994 ElectraGlide Classic. She logged over 92,000 miles on that bike, until she upgraded to her current bike a 2003 Electra Glide. She and husband, Jim Hightower, have matching classic black Electra Glides.
Ginger has logged over 110,000 miles, with the longest single trip being to Maine and back with the Outback Riders. Last year, she realized a lifelong dream of seeing the canyons out west from a motorcycle seat. According to Ginger, “Everything just looks better from a motorcycle. It just makes you feel good to see the sites from two wheels, you can’t appreciate the beauty as much from inside a car.” She has one more trip that she really wants to make – The Salt Flats at Bonneville.
Judging from her history, I’d say that dream would become a reality
before long.
Elaine Cantrell 1989-1991 were big years. Some friends came to Rat Brauns “Run 2 Rats” and Elaine met a female rider that inspired her to become a rider herself. Within three months she had a bike, her license and “A Rat.” Elaine, Rat and Harley’s have been together ever since. And she also found a permanent riding partner with friend, Ginger Hightower.
Over the years, Elaine has owned a 1984 Harley Sportster 1000, a 1980 Shovelhead (her favorite), a 1992 Heritage Softail, and her current bike a 100th Anniversary ElectraGlide(maybe this is her favorite). She has never kept up with the number of miles she has logged, but “it’s got to be close to 100,000. The longest single trip was in 2003 when she and the Outback went to the Motherland. (Harley-Davidson National Headquarters).Her favorite trip was to Utah in 2006. 17 days of breathtaking scenery and challenging rides. Elaine is another original member of the Outback and fondly remembers that Utah trip when they all had matching shirt collections with the same artwork. Outback – Out West – Out of Control.
With almost twenty years of riding, Elaine has never wrecked a bike
and she attributes that
partially to knowing your riding partners and generally being safe. She has never taken a drink while riding a motorcycle. She encourages all new riders to take the safety courses and learn things like the common hand signals, and use them regularly.
Elaine has ridden in all of the continental United States except Michigan, and has been in parts of Canada. Most of her riding has been on long trips, but she is accustomed to that as a driver for Roadway. She is approaching her 10 year anniversary with the trucking company, and loves her job. When she is not on the road with Roadway or on her motorcycle, this Harley girl, through and through, enjoys collecting Harley art.
Last year, Elaine had her ElectraGlide “triked out” because of her passion for unfamiliar roads (sometimes gravel), her long trips, and the need for storage, Elaine loves the new sense of security that three wheels brings her. She can still enjoy the wind in her face and also know that she is safe.
So, if you see two female riders side by side and one of them is a trike, you might just be falling in behind Ginger and Elaine, and you may be in for a road trip!
