When It Started for Me! …by Paul Shearstone

My Harley experience began December 25^th 2003.

After Christmas dinner, my family sat by the fire talking about the New Year ahead. My father began, yet again, telling us how He wanted to ride his Harley to California. He had talked about this trip for years. I reminded him that he was 74 and his ‘long-distance-riding’ years were limited. He said, “That’s why it’ll be this year and you should go with me.”  I laughed and dismissed the idea.

Later, my wife turned to me and said, “You know you have to go with your Dad on this trip-of-a-lifetime… It’s His Dream!” I don’t even own a bike, I said. “Then buy one and go!”

I did, a Heritage, and the adventure began. My cousin Johnny and friend Ronny agreed to accompany us. We called ourselves The UnEasy Riders. We got colours, a website, sponsors and media coverage.

July 3^{rd 2004:}

The UnEasy Riders, my Dad and I at the front,  60 bikes behind and 5 Harley-Cop escorts, drove up Yonge St, turned onto the Yonge-Dundas Square, past the CBC cameras and Sun reporters, through crowds of spectators, to the sound of the Mid-Life-Crisis Band playing the song I wrote, ‘The Theme to the UnEasy Riders’.

After a few short speeches, we all drove to St Michael’s Cathedral to have our bikes blessed by the Monsignor. The Coppers escorted us to the QEW and then one-by-one, our friends dropped off until there was just the four of us. My Dad’s life-dream has begun!

We endured weather of every kind. We saw, Mt Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Car-henge, Trev Deeley’s Bike Museum. In San Francisco 20 bikers escorted us across the Golden Gate Bridge to a welcoming crowd of supporters and family-members flown in to greet us.

12,000 Kilometers, 3.5 weeks later, having made so many new friends, the weary UnEasy Riders made it safely home. Truly, a father and son’s ride-of-a-lifetime!

But our journey didn’t end there. 2005, we rode to Newfoundland. 2006, Sturgis. This spring I am riding alone to California for the second time since our first trip. There I’ll meet up with my now 80 year old father, my brother-in-law George and his son Kevin. The two father-son teams intend to ride Cali’s ocean coast.

It’s hard to put into words, the sense freedom one encounters on a Harley. Perhaps that’s the magic. The true ‘Harley-Experience’ isn’t found in the words that describe it, but rather in the memories, excitement and exhilaration one gets from Living It!