Sound Check

Carly Zuckweiler, sound engineer with HDMG, goes over the details, tricks and "have-tos" for recording audio with me before I take off. Carly has been the sound expert extraordinaire for the Minnesota Motorcycle Stories by helping me to successfully leap from filmmaking to podcasting. Two very different beasts.

Kick Off Party

June 19th marked the kick-off of the Minnesota Motorcycle Stories project. Folks came by to connect and walk through a 15' x 20' map of Minnesota drawn on the patio. Destinations carved out with sidewalk chalk, marked my intended journey into the stories of people across Minnesota. The crowd raised gas money, ate S'mores and shared stories about life changing events. A special thank you to everyone who helped, stopped by or gave a bit of advise. Over the four hours, many familiar faces came through and some new ones. Each of you reminded me that no project can happen alone. I look forward to seeing you all again on July 25th at the Welcome Home Party!

Harley Patrol

I sat down with Sgt. Rich Jackson of the Minneapolis Police Department to ask him about motorcycles. Jackson led the department to bring police motorcycles back to the streets of Minneapolis after a 50 year disappearance of officers on cruisers. Jackson researched the effectiveness of bikes in a police department, before proposing the department's use of bikes. He found faster response times and efficient use of resources were the results departments reported when utilizing motorcycles. Jackson said he was skeptical when he found research pointing to an increase in positive community response to officers on motorcycles. The same research reflected a change in the officers experience as the public began to talk and relate with them because they saw the bike. Jackson was surprised, but had the same experience himself when the Minneapolis Police Department invested in a fleet of Harley Davidsons for their Traffic Division.

Jackson explained to me that once an officer is outside of a box, a squad car, they are vulnerable to the world around them. The same is true for any motorcycle rider. That when a rider is on the road they see everything. They smell and feel everything. This not only changes the publics experience of the officer, but changes the experience of the public for the officer as well.


Jackson is a motorcycle safety instructor and trains both police officers and the public how to ride motorcycles. To take a course with Rich Jackson visit: www.rideracademy.com

MAP

View Larger Map

Dusting Off the Bike

The Start Line

I am curious. My friends and family worry about my safety. I am a magnet for taboo conversations. Fear has been a constant companion in my life, rational and irrational fears, fears around work, home life or personal reflections. My confrontations with fear have been my most life changing events. What better way to embrace this companion and discover its many mutations, than by capturing the stories of this ill-mannered friend in the lives of Minnesotans who have faced their fears and changed their lives.

This blog will follow the Minnesota Motorcycle Stories project from start to finish. You are invited to observe, participate and share your thoughts about the question: "When have you faced fear and changed your life?”