I was born in 1984. That does not make me old compared to most but it takes you back damn near thirty years. Back when Panheads were cheap. My dad bought his 1963 Panhead and 1949 Flathead a few years previous to my birth for $2,400 each. The Panhead had two first place trophies which stood as tall as I hoped to be some day. Dad would take me out riding when the Oregon rain went into seclusion which was not often but it became special like going to the fair. He even let me steer a few times and neither of us were wearing a helmet. A passionate father if you ask me. The outlaw days of my father's wild past started to dwindle with the births of me and my sister. Every now and again that mean old son of a bitch nicknamed Spike would surface and to this day I still wonder why he is not in jail. From a young age, the tales of going 130 miles an hour on the Panhead which he had gold plated the engine of, and the accounts of throwing a woman off the back at 45 miles an hour because her shoes were melting on the pipes made me laugh and I would always want to hear more. The stories cut short as I’ve come to realize we're to keep a small child’s mind innocent. The late 1980’s economy crash excused my dad from his job at the machine shop so he took what he knew best and opened a motorcycle repair shop in our home garage. This is where I grew up along with my grandmother babysitting me on off days. Melvin, my mom’s brother, lived with my grandmother. He was a biker and a close pal of my dad. My grandma's back pantry was filled with flathead parts where he told me the wise tale of a cougar living. To my young ears that meant you become dinner if you go back there. Here I am, damn near 30 gaining age faster than I can count. Harleys are now parked in my own garage but I took a road different than my dad. I haven't married or had kids. To me the motorcycle has become a passionate lover along with my old friend the camera. The friendships, shitty situations, and places these two have taken me have turned a boy into a man and left my soul wanting more. See you on the open road.