Dirt Drags - Living the Life - The Photography of QBall

"Dirt Drags" by QBall, aka Doug Barber from "Living The Life"

“Dirt Drags” circa 197? from “Living The Life”, biker photography book.

One of my crew’s favorite runs was the Dirt Drags. It was an all day adventure getting there, and a long time before we got home. While we there we excelled at getting drunk, falling down and getting dirty, after all we had a reputation to uphold. One of the events we won nearly every year was piling on a bike, and see how far you could ride before breaking bones.  The reason we did so well was, we practiced all year long, at getting drunk and breaking bones.

Long May You Ride,
Q-Ball

Buy his book, "Living the Life"

Journey - Circa 197? - Qball's Biker Photography from Living The Life

“Journey” circa 197? from “Living The Life”, biker photography book.

It’s been said “It aint the destination, but the journey”. When it came to my old club “Dirt That Moves MC” it got even more involved than that. We couldn’t even keep it together at a cross road. Some would go right, some left, some straight ahead, while others did a 180. A couple of hundred miles could take all day and into the night. A trip to Daytona Bike Week took nine days. We had break downs within 50 miles of home, flat tires, bar stops, stripped gears, beer runs, fried wires, piss stops, more beer runs, side trips to visit old friends, broken chains, beer runs, piss stops, well you get the picture. Damn, I nearly forgot the best part, fights. It was said the only way to get us from stop fighting each other was to have an outsider step in, and get pounded. We fought over women, beer, bikes, or just being bored. We would party all night long, fall down in the dirt, get up the next morning with wicked hangovers and attitudes to match, then ride off in the wrong direction. Damn, I love my brothers and miss those aimless times.

Long May You Ride, Q-Ball

Buy the book "Living the Life"

Qball aka Doug Barber with "Journey" circa 197? From "Living The Life" biker photography book

Qball Photos - Living The Life - Dixie Welcome

“Dixie Welcome” circa 197? from “Living The Life”, biker photography book

It is one thing to get pulled over for something you know you did wrong. It is another thing to get pulled over for nothing at all. If that wasn’t bad enough, to be pulled over and detained while the man checks your papers three times in a row, that does it. It was all I could stand. Despite the objections of my club brothers, and the obvious police threat, I pulled out my camera and started to take photos. I got about three shots off when the sheriff and deputy stopped me in my tracks. After a failed attempt to discuss Constitutions Rights with the sheriff, “boy, let me tell you about rights”, I put away my camera. Later down the road I received some schooling “thumping” from the club on dealing with like situations. After which cold beer, war stories, and brotherhood prevailed. Long and short of it, I got my shot, and here it is.

Long May You Ride,

Q-Ball

Living the Life - Buy the book

QBall aka Doug Barber Photography circa 197?