On July 15th I rode with Tom and Billy to the top of Bear Mountain where we stopped to talk about motorcycling, how it changed in the past 40 years, how our families accept the fact that we ride, and about our own different journeys. Tom is the president of the motorcycle club I belong to and my mentor in the motorcycling world. He continues to help me find the right stuff for my bike, introduce me to new people, and share his vast experience on the road. Billy is Tom’s cousin and one of the nicest, friendliest, most generous guys I’ve ever met. At the end of the ride we came back to Billy’s house where he found a new set of saddlebags and gave them to me as a first step towards getting my bike geared up.

Here are the videos of our conversations. If you ever ride the Seven Lake Drive or just drive in the vicinity of Bear Mountain I strongly recommend getting into the state park and going up to the top next to the George Perkins Memorial Tower (who I believe is actually one of Tom and Billy’s ancestors).