BRONCO DADS - MIKE CLOUDS

Last week we shared a profile of Mike Clouds, a key member of Bronco Nation and a fixture in the Bronco Community (check it out here!). As President of Lonestar Early Bronco Club out of—you guessed it—Texas, Mike coordinates a packed calendar of special events, group rides, and meetups for anybody with an Early Ford Bronco. But not so long ago, he considered himself more of a “Harley Guy”. As Father’s Day approaches, we asked Mike to describe how fatherhood brough him back to the Bronco. “I got back into the Bronco scene 12 years ago when my first son was born. It’s far more family oriented,” Mike begins. Though he bought his first Bronco in the early 90s—a ’74 he loved—he also enjoyed long rides on his Harley. But like so many dads, his priorities changed when he had his first child. “I’ve been to Sturgis twice, Milwaukee for the 100th anniversary, but it is a different atmosphere…you do see some children there, but it’s not designed for families.” Even more important, with his three kids, Stormy, Shade, and Skylar, two seats on a motorcycle simply isn’t enough for the Clouds family. “I’ve been to Bronco events in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, all over Texas… I have always felt my children are welcome. There are a lot of great people in the Bronco community, and that’s what I wanted to raise my children around.” Now as President of LEBC, Mike works to take each event to the next level by introducing even more special activities for women and children. “We have children’s raffles, coloring contests—last year my wife started a pancake breakfast for the kids. Snow cones, face painting, obstacle courses, hide and go seek where we hide Bronco emblems around the camp, and when the kids find them, they get a prize from the treasure chest.” If you check out the club’s Instagram at @lonestarbroncoclub, you’ll see Mike is saving another great prize for his kids. He recently bought three early Broncos to fix up, one for each of them. But these aren’t just gifts. It’s important to Mike that each one earns their Bronco through passion and commitment, not just receive them as a gift. He’s starting with his oldest son Stormy: “I’ve got a ’76 Bronco in pieces, and he’s laid claim to it. I told him I’m not going to work on it unless he helps me. It’s going to be a family deal, father and son.” Mike and his family have met people all over the country because of their connection to the Bronco community, and its core to their connection with each other. “My kids have been going to Bronco events since they were born. They get to see friends, have fun—Bronco get togethers have been our vacations throughout the years. It’s important to give them memories so that 20 years from now, my hope is that no matter where life takes them, Bronco events will bring us back together every year. And they can do the same with their kids and generations after.”