Black Bear Brand in the Cascades

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. Nothing is more important than my soul and truly feeling alive. Cause when you feel alive you make the most out of life and you don’t want to skip one second of it. When you feel alive you realize that your scars are signs of endurance and growth. And now you don’t care about having to get some scratches here and there cause you’re in the zone, you’re too busy feeling alive to feel sorry about some wounds. There’s no other option than living your dream once you get a glimpse of feeling alive, cause you feel like everything else does not add up, does not fullfill and it’s nothing more than illusions. It’s deep into winter here in the Pacific Northwest and it’s been raining for the last 40 days. I’ve had my head down designing in my home studio for weeks and I’m restless. I’m starving for inspiration. Black Bear Brand and its designs are an extension of my experiences. I’m driven to experience life, get touched by nature, learn, to be pushed and to endure, to have an affair with uncertainty… to ignite my love for living. Dreams of the West and of hitting the road are overtaking me. My restless, roaming spirit does not allow me to remain at home very long. It’s time to travel, to see and touch the world, disconnect and reconnect. It’s time for another adventure on my 1937 Flathead Harley Davidson. If one can love an inanimate object; my bike is that. From the seat of my 80 year-old chopper my senses are alive and my sense of presence is unwavering. In a car you are simply a passive observer, watching the world go by through another screen. On my bike everything I see and feel is magnified, intensified and becomes a part of me. These are the experiences that fuel my creative quest. Connecting with life and this magnificent world from the seat of a motorcycle is like falling in love. Tracking Through the Cascades The world is yours to explore. As I take-off the bike is running strong; there’s a light rain with breaks in the clouds exposing a bright blue sky. Today is a perfect day. I’ll venture through the Cascade Mountains as I navigate towards Utah, evergreen trees line the highway that splits the rugged terrain. This passage has been the primary east-west route since 1915, and has long-served as a conduit for people and goods between the east and west sides of the mountains. Even though I am from here and have been crossing over this mountain pass for more than 30 years, the feeling of excitement overtakes me every time I cross it; the towering peaks that pinch both sides of the freeway, the wet and cold air, the trees and shades of green. The West is romantic and it exudes an essence of freedom. I love it. It is wild with adventure, it has an essence of no regrets; it is rough, and has a natural disposition. All the cliches of the Wild west are what I love; its wild history, freedom, adventure and untethered harshness. Freedom... That’s what it’s all about We are meant to explore this earth like children do, unhindered by fear, propelled by curiosity and a sense of discovery. Allow yourself to see the world through new eyes and know there are amazing adventures here for you. Captured by: Caleb Keller Music by: The Last Knife Fighter