From an early age, it seems that T.R. Gordon was destined to wander. On his seventh Christmas, he received a bicycle that would take him to the far reaches of his small hometown of Carthage, Mississippi, often returning home after dark with his worried parents wondering where he had been all day. At the age of nine, he was selling snowcones for a dime, saving money to buy another bicycle. He eventually graduated to a motorcycle, then another, then another. Finally, at age 25, he bought his first four-wheeled vehicle, a Chevy van that would make a trip to Alaska without ever touching an interstate highway. He always preferred, and still does, the road less travelled and marching to the beat of a different drummer.

In 1982, aged 26, T.R. Gordon made a decision that would ultimately change his life forever. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps, which eventually led to his being stationed in Scotland. Though he really didn’t know anything about Scotland, he felt lucky to get orders there instead of some place like the USS Neverdocks floating aimlessly around the world. At every opportunity, he explored the countryside and met the people, falling in love with his new home. There was something soothing, something delightful, even something magical, about this place. To borrow a phrase from a John Denver song, he felt like he was “coming home to a place he’d never been before.”

After his Marine Corps enlistment ended, he returned to the USA but as he readily admits “my heart was still in Scotland.” Working seasonal jobs around the USA for several years, he finally landed a job with a small American company leading bicycle tours in Scotland. He spent three glorious summers cycling the single-track roads and sharing his beloved adopted homeland with cycling friends. During one of the tours in 1990 that coincided with an antique bicycle rally, he was introduced to the highwheel bicycle that was popular in the late 1800s. He was bitten by a bug that continues to this day. After acquiring his own highwheeler, he has been known to take 100-mile rides on it.

Later adventures in Scotland led to freelance and contract work as a writer and photographer for Scottish Life Magazine. Even today, on return visits, he has Scottish friends who tell him he knows the country better than they do. He has a real passion (some say bordering on obsession) for anything Scottish. Considered by some to be a throwback from the past, he has a special affinity for castles, old barns, covered bridges and the early years of the bicycle. In addition to photography, his interests include playing the bagpipe, collecting pub coasters, and cycling, both a 12-speed touring bike and the aforementioned highwheel bicycle. His four-wheeled vehicle now is a 1975 Austin FX4 antique British taxi.