PITTSBURGH — We meet at the headquarters of Postindustrial to embark on a two-week exploration of our region following more than a year of pandemic lockdowns, political upheaval, and protests.
It’s the first trip of its kind post-shutdowns. And we’re traveling by motorcycle. Joining me is rider Jason Motlagh, who's on assignment for Rolling Stone. Jason is an awarding-winning journalist and filmmaker based in Baja, Mexico. Like me, Jason has covered conflicts and trouble spots abroad for many years.
I’ll write daily dispatches from our trip for Postindustrial, with photography from Pittsburgh-based, international photojournalist Justin Merriman, a founding member of American Reportage. So be sure to check back every day as we travel through Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and more. We're also capturing the trip on video.
From our home base, we meet up with the Ronin Motorcycle Club, a co-ed group of two-wheel enthusiasts.
Regular readers of Postindustrial will remember the Ronin from a story from the magazine in 2019, in which we discussed defying stereotypes about outlaw bikers. They may ride high-speed machines and show a little flash, but their club is all about community, family, and good clean fun.
After a short prayer in which we lock arms in a circle, we head out with the Ronin for a short ride along a beautiful stretch of highway on a sunny spring day.
We zip past the suburban sprawl and head about 40 miles east to Blairsville, a one-time coal-producing town where one of my great-grandfathers worked in the mines.
There we sit down at a delicious barbecue joint to enjoy a meal and talk about how life has changed during the last 15 months.
We also touch on topics of race, vaccine hesitancy, and much more. The Ronin members, who come from a variety of backgrounds, share keen insights into these strange and challenging times.
After parting, we head back to Pittsburgh so the film crew can capture breathtaking cityscapes on film just before the sun goes down.
