Riding with Dad: A Journey of Bonding and Adventures

For the past 20 years, I’ve balanced life as a teacher and a landscape business owner, but my true passion has always been riding motorcycles. It’s a love that started when I was just a kid, tearing around on quads and dirt bikes. Those early days of off-road adventures naturally led me to street bikes, and now, I find myself cruising on a motorcycle, savoring the open road. This passion didn’t come out of nowhere—it’s rooted in my childhood, growing up in Massachusetts, where I’d sit on my dad’s motorcycle, dreaming of the day I could ride one myself.

When I finally got my first motorcycle, my mom wasn’t exactly thrilled. But my dad? He was all in. He went out, bought himself another bike, and just like that, we became riding partners. My dad, a Vietnam veteran, wasn’t one to open up about his past experiences. Words weren’t his way of connecting. Instead, we bonded over the hum of engines and the wind in our faces, riding together from Roselle Park to the Vietnam Memorial off exit 116. Those rides were more than just trips—they were my chance to be with him, to share something special. He loved being there for other veterans, and those rides to the memorial in Washington, D.C., held extra meaning.

Dad was always an adventure-seeker. Motorcycles, skydiving, mountain biking—you name it, he was game. I’ll never forget the time my brother and I went skydiving with him, or the countless mountain biking trails we tackled together. Those moments were our way of bonding as father and son. Motorcycle rides, though, were the heart of it all. They were our time to connect, no words needed, just the road and the rhythm of our bikes.

Now, at almost 76, Dad’s getting older. I’d love nothing more than to take one more ride with him, but I hesitate. He’s still capable, and knowing him, he’d probably hop on a bike without a second thought. But I want to keep him safe. Still, those memories of our rides together—the freedom, the bond, the excitement—they’ll always be a part of me, carrying us both down the road, side by side.