Labor Day Special: Their first jobs

MONTROSE—Morgan Spradling is living his dream.

The 32-year-old owner of Highland Cycles LLC said, “It’s been a dream of mine my whole life to do something I really like and get paid for it.” A year-and-a-half ago he opened an independent motorcycle, ATV and snowmobile service and repair shop on North Townsend Avenue, and hasn’t looked back.

“I love it more than anything I’ve ever done,” said the Oklahoma City native. “It’s my work and recreation.”

Spradling’s love affair with wheels and the outdoors began as a child. “Growing up I was outside all the time,” he said. “I literally rode my bicycles into the ground.”

However, his parents refused to let him own a motorcycle. “They even told me if I earned the money and bought one I couldn’t park it at their house,” he recalled. “I didn’t own one until 1994 or ‘95.”

Now his parents are supportive, “but they think I’m crazy to do what I do,” he said.

Spradling’s first summer job at age 16 was a gap checker for a title insurance company in Oklahoma City. “I was just an office gofer,” he said. “I wore a tie every day.”

He subsequently worked as a National Outdoor Leadership School instructor, professional climbing guide, carpenter, mechanic, and manager of a motorcyle shop in Gunnison. During his last two years of college at Colorado State University, he worked as a geographic information systems (GIS) intern for the city of Fort Collins. He holds a degree in natural resource management from CSU and met his wife, Ruth, in the program there.

Spradling credits his love for the outdoors to his dad, who is an attorney, and his mother, a recently retired environmental science professor. “All our vacations were spent out West in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. It was a natural choice for me (to settle here).”

He said this area is “like Mecca” for riding. “It’s as good as it gets. It’s a combination of the type of terrain and the amount of land open to public access.”

He likes street bikes and dirt bikes. “If it’s got two wheels I ride it.” A 990 KTM Adventure dual sport is his favorite bike right now. He solo-raced a big, fast Honda XR 650R dirt bike in the Baja 1000 from Ensenada to La Paz in 2006, and rode with a five-person team last year. He plans to compete again in 2009.

Spradling enjoys relaxing with his family in his off time. “If I’m not hanging out with my family I’m riding motorcycles, even in the winter.”

His son Thomas, 2, may be headed in the same direction. His first words were “vroom vroom.”