Building Friendships on a Motorcycle

For the last nine days I have been riding with Joe Trey from where I met him in Fairplay, CO, to the end of the Trans American Trail in Port Orford, OR. Joe is my new friend, as I had never met him before this trip. One of the beautiful things about traveling with someone, whether it’s on a bike or not, is the expedited growth in a relationship. Yes, I have only known Joe for nine days now, but I know much more about his life and story than I do about other people that I have “known” for years. This is a byproduct of motorcycle traveling that is not talked about too much. It is the riding partner dynamic, the stages of growth in friendship that can quickly be accomplished in days rather than months. During my short time riding with Joe, I have learned a lot about him—from his childhood to his role as a father to the main reason that he is doing this ride. You see his trip didn’t start in Fairplay where we met on that first night. He started two months ago, solo, in Connecticut. There he picked up his dad’s KLR to ride it across the country in his father’s memory while carrying his ashes.

The Trans America Trail was a trip that Joe and his father had decided on doing together. From my perspective, father and son riding is a special thing that I didn’t get to do too much of with my dad so I can really appreciate not only riding with your dad, but embarking on such a ride as the TAT. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but that hasn’t stopped Joe. He decided to step up and do the ride anyway, aboard his father’s bike and even carrying him alongside. This is something to look up to and respect, and I’m thankful that I could be a little part of it. So here I sit with Joe at the Pacific Ocean glancing out as I am typing. The journey is over. Congratulations Joe, a good man, a good father, and a good son, you finished a hard ride.