Schoolbus for Wandering Exploration of Everything TIGHT!

Myron Glaser Cabin

2011-11-21T07:34:00.000-08:00

The first cabin trip of the season!

Cameron and Eric rounded up the crew again for a great weekend in the woods. The best thing about the Myron Glaser Cabin was that it wasn't accessible by vehicle and required a decent hike to the cabin along the Appalachian Trail. We hiked in Friday night and started a fire as soon as we reached the cabin. The rest of the weekend was spent exploring the area, chopping wood and, of course, exhausting our supply of booze.

Summer 2011 Vid from Jarrod

2011-11-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

Jarrod made a great little summer recap - check it out!

2011 DH Season Part 2 on pinkbike.com

Snowshoe Mini Vid

2011-11-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

Alex put together this nice vid from our weekend at Snowshoe. He may continue editing the footage, so I'll post an update if he revises this version.

Snowshoe Adventure Mini Vid from Alex Fuller on Vimeo.

Murdered Out!

2011-11-13T06:10:00.000-08:00

The bus moved onto a new owner and a new adventure. It will be used on a winter-long trip to Florida - reminiscent of its original winter-long trip to sunny San Diego. The paint was the first thing to change. Opting for a less noticeable scheme, our friends flat blacked it from bumper to bumper with over twenty cans of spray paint.

I'll keep the blog rolling, however, detailing our camping, biking, hiking, canoeing, and general adventures. It was a great time owning the bus, but it was time to pass along to someone else to enjoy.

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

2011-10-10T08:07:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was Snowshoe's final weekend of summer operation. Now the resort will prepare for its winter season. It was a good chance to get out on the bike and say goodbye to another good summer of riding.

The bus had seven passengers for this trip [including two dogs] and we were met at the resort by Jarrod for Saturday's ride. The weather was phenomenal and the Fall colors were in full force.

We had a bit of mechanical difficulty when Krister's xLOC broke, which is designed to default to "lockout" on the front fork (a MAJOR design flaw, Rockshox!). It was a major pain in the ass, but he kept a smile on his face and rode the trails despite the hand-numbing vibrations and lack of suspension.

We finished up the trip with a quick dip in the Greenbriar River and a few scoops of ice cream in Cass, WV before heading home.

Gauley Fest (West Virginia)

2011-09-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Late each summer the Summersville Dam is released to provide a few days of increased flow on the Gauley River. It's become a regular event called Gauley Fest which includes concerts, vendors, boat raffles and gear swap.

We were lucky enough to have lodging, shuttle, and food waiting for us when we arrived, compliments of our friend's company, New River Outfitters. The place was great! Fully loaded with hot tub and kegerator!

Our group separated into two boats and soon we were headed down the river. Our boat had only one paddler with experience on a whitewater raft, but we all pulled our own weight and navigated the river with ease. I fell out of the boat at a crucial rapid, Pillow Rock Rapid, and our entire boat (minus the guide) was pitched later down the river at Box Canyon. The other boat was tangled in the hydraulics near the end of the trip, which sent a few of its members swimming for the shore. Somehow we all emerged from the carnage with smiles on our faces and tales to tell.

Gauley Fest on pinkbike.com

Aquabattle (Richmond, VA)

2011-09-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

Aquabattle on pinkbike.com

Video from a friend

2011-07-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

One of our buds edited this video from Highland Bike Park, check it out and click to see his other edits.

Mountain Bike Gypsy Part 1 from American Mutt Studios on Vimeo.

Seven Springs (Pennsylvania)

2011-06-27T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last year we visited Seven Springs for the second stop of the Gravity East Series. At that time, we were in a rush to practice and race which doesn't leave much time to explore the other trails in the resort. This weekend, however, allowed us time to ride every trail in the park.

Our group for this trip was Jake, Ryan, Crystal, Sean, Kate, and myself. It was my birthday weekend and Crystal made sure to inundate me with gifts and birthday surprises. To complement these gifts were the damn near perfectly groomed trails at Seven Springs. The conditions were wonderful too!

Jake, Ryan, and I hit the mountain while Crystal, Kate, and Sean explored the rest of the resort. Their all-access pass let them ride the chairlift, play disc golf, bowl, swim, alpine slide, hydrobike, paddle boat, kayak, mini-golf & rock climb!

The weekend was epic to say the least!

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

2011-06-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

Our first trip to 'the shoe' this season was marked by relatively good weather, fun in the mud, and a few injuries to body and bike. The weekend's weather was constantly changing, with dark rain clouds rolling in and out of the area all weekend long. You could see blue skies approaching even with torrential rains overhead. Each storm was brief but heavy, a reminder that we were lucky to have sunshine otherwise.

Three of us had GoPro cameras, so we were shooting video both days. Alex and Jake decided to compile the footage and as soon as they're done I'll have the finished product posted here.

Joe learned an important rule - protect your nose region! Luckily he'd just purchased some Oakley goggles with a noseguard, otherwise this little scrape would have been a broken nose.

Tubing on North Anna River (VA)

2011-06-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Single-day trips are sometimes the best. This float on the North Anna River is one of my favorites.

Our group dwindled a bit from our original twenty or so to a group of twelve people (and two dogs), which worked out pretty well since we were only taking one vehicle in addition to the bus. The temperatures this previous week had been near 100, but the day of the float they hovered around 85-90 - still ideal for a lazy river adventure.

Just Friends' Day / US Open (NY/NJ)

2011-05-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

For this double-header weekend, we dropped off a busload of Richmond Cutthroats in Brooklyn, NY for our annual camping trip to Floyd Bennett Field, then headed to Diablo Freeride Park to ride and watch the US Open.

Joey and I rode nonstop on Friday and Saturday, taking a short lunch break on Saturday to watch the US Open qualifying runs. It was the first time this season that we've been on our DH bikes, and it was a great way to start the summer.

Friday night we caught The Hangover 2 at the Warwick Drive-In Theater near Vernon, NJ.

After two long days of riding, Joey and I decided to head back to Floyd Bennett Field a day early. It was a good call and it allowed us a day to relax before heading back to Richmond. On Sunday we headed to Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY. I was amazed that such a gorgeous beach lay just around the corner from the big city. After that we headed back to camp, relaxed and leisurely packed up, then headed back to Richmond.

Shoe Creek (Nelson County, VA)

2011-03-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to go Jeeping on the Shoe Creek trails, near Crabtree Falls.

The trails were rocky, but not too technical. We were all able to find plenty of challenges climbing boulders and maxing out the Jeeps' articulation. I even brought my DH bike to ride on the rocky descents.

As one last sign of winter, we woke to 3-4 inches of snow on Sunday morning.

PATC Cabin (Charlottesville, VA)

2011-02-14T08:52:00.000-08:00

Our original cabin from the PATC was pretty rustic. It was basically one room that we spent most of our time in, huddled around the wood stove for most of the duration. It was nice, though, just to be away from it all.

This time our cabin was surrounded by the UVA campus, but the cabin was much, much nicer. It was a lodge (called Dunlodge) to be exact, with all the amenities of home like running water and electricity. We chose this spot instead of the more rustic cabins since we wanted more people to feel comfortable going on the trip without the fear of "roughing it" the whole time.

We spent most of our time lounging around the cabin and its acre or so of land, putting in some effort to drink our keg for the weekend. It was a nice, relaxing time even though we weren't far from civilization. To get some of that feel, though, several of us slept outside in tents and hammocks.

Joey supplied entertainment on Saturday when he found a log that he dubbed "Thor's Hammer."

A short walk into the woods revealed a ropes course, so we spent some time climbing around and exploring the challenges. We even spotted a zipline, but had no way to test it out.

Superbowl Ride (Briery Branch, VA)

2011-02-07T07:10:00.000-08:00

For years now there has been an annual tradition called the Superbowl Ride. I've always missed it for some reason or another, but this year I was able to make it for the first time.

The general theme of the day is to freeze your ass off, grind up a long climb, then celebrate by downing whatever beer/alcohol/other that you faithfully carried the whole way to the top (Flagpole Knob to be exact).

This year it wasn't especially cold, but every other aspect of the ride remained the same. We grinded up the asphalt road until it met fireroad, which was a great relief - just having something to pay attention to was nice. Although it's...well...a climb, the ride is actually pretty fun. Once we gained some elevation, we began to see snow on the ground and frost in the trees. We even had a chance to ride on solid ice, carved out of the muddy tracks from trucks driving in the Fall. It was a good distraction from the tedious nature of the climb.

When we reached the top we all set to digging through our individual stashes of the goodies - I brought two Brooklyn Brown's. I also discovered that Time Atac pedals are perfect bottle openers.

The descent is always the best part of the ride and this one was certainly worth the drudgery. The thin layer of water/mud on the top of the surface made it a "blinky" ride down, but still at warp-speed despite the minor lack of sight. I was reminded of our trip in the Spring with the big bikes and how quickly the descent was over. There's some satisfaction in riding smaller, less "sled-like" rigs on technical descents. You get to pay attention to the details I suppose, although railing through the rocks on a full DH bike does have its pros too.

Once out of the woods, we had a quick jaunt along the road back to the parking lot. Muddy and tired, we relaxed in the sun and retired what remaining booze waited at the bus. It was a full day of riding - almost 30 miles; but we still made it back to Richmond in time for kickoff. A great day for sure.

Potomac Trail Club Cabin (Virginia)

2011-01-10T10:12:00.000-08:00

Our friend Cameron set up this weekend's trip. Our destination was a rustic cabin within the Shenandoah National Park managed by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC).

When we arrived Friday night we quickly started the wood stove within the cabin to warm the inside from its brisk temperature of around 22 degrees. By morning the entire cabin was a toasty contrast to the outside temp, not that Joey minded as he slept outside on the porch.

On Saturday we collected more wood for the stove by towing it from the woods with Warren's Jeep. After that a short hike led us to the Skyline Drive, where we took in the views and made a few quick snow angels.

Killing the keg became the main event of Saturday night. Joey, Eric, Mike, Warren, and Cameron found every imaginable way to kegstand and before morning there was barely a drop within the steel barrel.

Another drive for firewood and some extensive cleaning had the cabin back in shape for its next inhabitants. Shortly after that we were on the road and back in Richmond.

White Oak Canyon (Virginia)

2010-12-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

For our friend Catherine's birthday she decided to take us all on a day hike to White Oak Canyon. It was my first time there and it's definitely a new favorite.

James and I had just finished our drive from Christmas in Alabama when we rendezvous-ed with the caravan near Charlottesville. It had been a long 24 hours up to that point for James and I, but we were excited for the hike and pushed on through the lack of sleep.

The hike was phenomenal. Beautiful views of semi-frozen waterfalls and clear sights across the Shenandoah Mountains. The air was brisk, but far from uncomfortable with the bright sun shining on our backs.

Our group of over ten hikers split off into segments as we explored the area. We even came upon a group of ice climbers just beside the trail.

When we returned back to the parking area, Catherine's mom lit the candles on her homemade cake and we celebrated her birthday before heading homeward. When James and I reached Richmond it marked the 36-hour mark. With only a handful of hours of sleep between the two of us, we crashed at our respective homes as soon as humanly possible.

Spy Rock (Virginia)

2010-12-21T12:43:00.000-08:00

Weekday trips are tough to pull off. For this most recent trip Jeremy, Ellis, John, Tim, and Brian headed out on Monday morning. The rest of our crew, Peter and myself, set out early Tuesday morning - 3am to be exact.

When Peter and I arrived the sky was still pitch dark. We made our way up the snowy fire road to the trailhead (which we missed by 100 yards at first), and up to the summit at Spy Rock. When we reached the top the sun was just peeking through the trees and we could see the single tent housing our five friends. They were packed tight, bracing against the bitter cold.

We decided to sneak up on them and play with them in their sleepy state-of-mind. After that we worked on re-establishing their fire from the previous night. The wind was unrelenting and their previous fire was not large enough to counteract the cold air - evidenced by the iceblock of beef stew sitting upon the dead fire.

After a few minutes we had a respectable blaze and we began thawing out the stew. Eventually our shivering buds left the tent to assemble around the fire and share stories of the previous day at camp. We finished the stew and decided to explore the rock, climbing up ice and stone to the top. Tim had "drunkenly discovered" a slide on his way down from the rock, so we played on that for a bit before packing up camp and heading back to the cars.

One stop at Boylan Heights for a delicious burger (I chose the Varsity burger) and a brew, followed by a quick jaunt back to Richmond wrapped up our daytrip.

Southern Traverse

2010-11-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

Possibly one of the ONLY times we've had TOO MANY PEOPLE for the bus! For this trip we had to slip three people in an extra car in order to carry ten bikes and the six OTHER people in the bus.

This trip was definitely a mountain bike ride, but two of my friends, Elizabeth and Jeremy, came along for the ride so that they could do a road ride while we were off in the woods.

After dropping off Jeremy and Elizabeth, we headed to the trailhead for the Southern Traverse Ride. There we met a group of over twenty riders to begin our ride.

The Southern Traverse seems to be a bit more about "the climb" than the descent, which is perfect for a winter training ride. It keeps the wind speed down and body temperature up, especially during the slow-speed and extremely technical ascent.

Our ride was a certified epic, ending only minutes before nightfall. Most of us were completely spent after the ride, especially Jeremy and Elizabeth, whose ride ended HOURS before we were back in Bridgewater to pick them up - whooops!

While we were sweating it out in the mountains, Jeremy and Elizabeth explored the Natural Chimneys and did some unguided cave exploration.

Windrock (Tennessee)

2010-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Windrock was a real eye opener. The trails there are phenomenal! Largely natural terrain with an extremely high level of risk and technicality. It's as if the trail builders tied trail between the gnarliest rock piles they could find as they scouted out the path for their trails. They're really impressive and definitely some trails that will leave rider challenged for years.

The weekend marked the end-of-season for this system of shuttle-accessed trails. There were two trucks pulling trailers filled with riders all weekend long. The trails are located on the Coal Creek OHV Park in Oliver Springs, TN. The company allows access for a small fee and offers trails for ATV's and large trucks. The mountain bike trails were available after local riders approached Coal Creek about building on their property. It's a lucky relationship that worked out for both parties.

On Saturday night we even got to watch a Mud Bog at the park.

The only bummer of the trip was my wreck on Sunday afternoon. We were lucky that it happened on literally the last run of our trip, however, since it taco-ed my front wheel and left me unable to ride anymore. Other than that mishap, the trip was great and I think everyone on the trip would be glad to revisit the park next summer.

Blue Mountain (Pennsylvania)

2010-10-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

The final stop of the Gravity East Series was well-picked. Honestly one of the most enjoyable courses (and parks) of the summer. The weather was especially friendly too, raining the week before and stopping for two days of pure sunshine.

As a most excellent bonus to the trip, Rachel and I visited Dave Laverdure, one of my very best friends. Dave moved to Philadelphia years ago and it's a rare pleasure to spend some time with him.

After a night at Dave's, Rachel and I drove the extra hour and a half to Blue Mountain, just in time for a full day of practice. The course was fun and fast, a deceivingly steep course that left the rider at least "touching" the brakes for nearly the entire track. What I liked most about the trails at Blue Mountain was their resemblance to good XC trails, with a more natural, singletrack style. The course was littered with technical rock gardens too, but had a definite "line" through every section.

After Saturday's practice Rachel and I explored Jim Thorpe, PA. The town was alive with activity. Bands on every block and people everywhere. We also took a drive to Lehigh Gorge State Park before the sun set.

On race day the course had dried a bit more and seemed even more enjoyable. I had a great run with little error and a smile on my face the whole way - good enough for 3rd that day and 1st for the season in CAT2. It's been a long summer with a load of races (and highway hours), but it's taught me a lot about the layout of the east coast. I've decided to take a step back from racing next season and focus more on riding, visiting many of these GES stops again to explore THE REST of what each mountain has to offer.

Googled!

2010-09-19T10:23:00.001-07:00

Oh sunny California - how I miss thee.

Whiteface 5K (Lake Placid, NY)

2010-09-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

The seventh stop of the Gravity East Series took us to upstate New York. This time we had six people on the bus along for the trip.

The drive to Lake Placid began on Thursday night at 7:30pm and lasted 13 hours until we finally arrived at the Whiteface parking lot at 8:30am the next day. We set up camp and decided to lounge in the bus to catch up on lost sleep when we received our first surprise - no camping at the park! We got in a few hours of rest and then decided to explore the area while inquiring about possible camping locations. Luckily we found a relatively cheap spot only a minute away from Whiteface. Upon exploring the area, we discovered an amazing view just behind our campsite too.

Saturday's practice was warm and sunny. The course was extremely fun with tons of technicality in the upper sections leading to fast, rooty chutes near the bottom of the mountain. Overall, it was about a ten minute lap which left your hands begging for relief. Four runs were all that my forearms could handle.

That night we headed to the town of Lake Placid to grab some drinks at the Great Adirondack Brewing Company. We also drove around to check out Mirror Lake and Lake Placid. Back at the campsite we started a fire and shared stories before heading off to sleep.

On Sunday we packed up the campsite and headed to Whiteface for the race. Rain began as I rode the Gondola to the top, but made a departure a few minutes before my start time. The course was largely unchanged except for on fireroad section that seemed to have been raked out before the race, I went down once there as my tires lost traction on the high-speed corner and again in the rooty chutes of the lower section. Even with those two bobbles, I snuck away with 2nd place in CAT2. We quickly packed up the bus and got on the road as soon as possible, skipping the podium in order to get home before Monday morning. The drive back was almost straight through, cutting the 13 hour drive by 2 hours. All totaled, we put in over 1,300 miles in the 3-day trip.

Shenandoah 100

2010-09-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Every year I make myself do at least one cross-country race. My favorite race, and by far the toughest, is the Shenandoah 100.

It's a punishing race, with over 12,000 feet of climbing. Finishing was my main goal and luckily I was able to stave off the cramps and fatigue in order to finish all 100 miles in just over 12 hours. Our two other riders, Chad and Joe, smoked my time by HOURS. Joe turned in a remarkable time of 8:24, a personal best and good enough to place 43rd in over 650 riders!

The camping aspect of the 100 is always a highlight too. Everyone there is relaxed and ready to chill. The camping site features an observatory too, so we can stargaze each night. We parked RIGHT next to it.

Blacksburg, VA / Snowshoe, WV

2010-08-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

With only a week to go before the Shenandoah 100 it's time I ditched the gravity bike and got on my XC ride. Well, sorta...

On Friday night Joey, Taylor, and I drove to David Verde's house in Blacksburg, VA. The next morning we woke to pancakes and gnar-e-o's! On the schedule for that day was shuttle runs on Brush Mountain. We took turns driving shuttle and cruising down the sweet singletrack. Taylor was on a borrowed Anthem X1 (for the first mtb trip of his life) but kept up with us just fine. We got three or four runs each and capped off the day with a trail that led straight to the VT Freeride Farm. There we spent the remainder of the day making trips down their newly built dual-slalom course.

That night we headed to our favorite camping spot near Slatyfork, West VA. Here's the view from my hammock:

The next morning we split into two groups. We met Jarrod and Joe at the summit so they joined Joey and David for lift-accessed riding at Snowshoe while Taylor and I headed out for a XC loop around the mountain. The ride was great despite missing one of the turnoffs and instead completing the loop on fireroad. My favorite trail of the day was 600 steps. It's a medium pace with lots of fun technical features to snake through. The coolest obstacles of all were the tree stumps cut six to seven inches from the ground. They've been in the trail for so long that moss has covered them, along with most of the trail, which gives the illusion that they're simply part of the ground. Another fun spot was the tree-laden mud pit we found:

We also found a cool Jeep Wagoneer built as a "troop carrier" for Snowshoe's Dining staff:

Once our loop was over, Taylor and I lumbered over to the store to replenish our bodies with some much needed carbohydrates - pizza! Soon after that Joey and David arrived back at the Jeep. We said goodbye to our Blacksburg guide, David, and headed back for home.

Dirty Bird (Boone, NC)

2010-08-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

Finally the bus was up and running again this weekend. It was a good thing too, with ten people coming on this trip to North Carolina.

The event this time was the Dirty Bird DH Race near Boone, NC. It's the first time I've been to this event and I was thoroughly impressed with the great job all of the organizers/riders did this weekend. It was a grassroots race on a former ski resort called Hawksnest. The resort remains in business because of their zipline in summer months and tubing park in the winter. The ski lifts, however, are not in use anymore, so the organizers of the event provided shuttles for the riders all weekend long. It was obvious to see that the event was made possible by a lot of personal sacrifice and effort. The trails were cut by hand and even the trail builders are not allowed to ride the course much other than during scheduled events.

This year they cut two brand new trails for the race. One was designated for the Pro class and the other for Intro/Amateur. I signed up for Pro since I figured that course would be more fun. It was short and sweet - featuring two rock gardens, some very slippery roots, a fast section of slalom-style berms, and three mandatory jumps (two step-downs and a double). The amateur course was no joke either, but the Pro side seemed like a bit more fun.

We met Greg Wittwer's brother, James, at the event since he attends Appalachian State University and had a great time hanging out with him at our campsite. Nat and Sean (and I) knew another friend in the area, Katie (aka Squirrel), and she drove to the event to hang out and show Nat and Sean around downtown Boone.

The rain moved in on Saturday afternoon and we hid in the bus until it passed. After that we headed to Boone to eat and buy more supplies (beer & food). We returned to the resort, started a campfire, and relaxed a bit before heading to bed. The next morning we walked to course to inspect its condition and then I got in a couple practice runs before the race began. My race run went well, with no real slip ups despite the muddy conditions. The main rock garden was the favorite spot to spectate, and our group got to see some dicey runs on the slick and bumpy section.

After the race we packed up the bus and headed for a local swimming spot that Katie knew of. It was an excellent way to cap off the weekend and the drive afterwards felt effortless, especially when compared to last week's drive to Vermont.

Killington (Vermont)

2010-08-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

For a weekend trip, Vermont is a LONG drive! 25 hours behind the wheel over the course of three days - yikes! Who cares though, it was worth it.

The course at Killington was long too - a 2.2 mile downhill run that traversed the mountain, linking wooded sections with fire road sprints. The wooded areas were extremely technical - slippery roots leading into loose rock gardens and soft, loamy soil. The pros found multiple sneak lines, often straightening two or three turns, allowing them to cut directly through the slowest portions of the track.

Even with these shortcuts, the fastest time of the day was 6:01:12, posted by Geritt Beytagh - minutes longer than any of the other five courses thus far. My run went well, good enough for 1st place in CAT2, but nearly a minute slower than the pros at 6:58:28. I was exhausted by the time I passed the finish line and amazed that the pros could shed so much time on the course. It's one of the most impressive aspects of racing, seeing the fastest riders achieve what seems to be simply impossible.

After awards we said goodbye to the friends we'd met over the weekend and buckled up for another long drive home, just under 12 hours, stopping only a handful of times during the 500-plus mile trek. There are only two more races left in the GES, the next of which will be even lengthier than Killington as we head for the endurance downhill of the Whiteface 5K.

Sherando Lake (Virginia)

2010-08-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

With only one month left to prepare for the Shenandoah 100 it's high time we got on some cross-country bikes. The closest, and most grueling ride is the Sherando Lake loop. The last time we were here was a shuttle trip. We made three or four trips DOWN the trail, but never once had to face the dreaded switchbacks of Sherando's climb. This time we began the ride with the ascent, which is a grueling ordeal that leaves you with a wonderful feeling of accomplishment once atop the ridgeline.

The descent is great too - roughly seven miles of singletrack and rock gardens which spit you out at the upper lake at Sherando. The great part of this trip was that we rejoined the rest of our group at the lower lake and got to take a quick dip in the water once our ride was over.

During the drive back we visited a peach farm and stocked up with ripe peaches, which we've been eating for the past few days.

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

2010-08-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

Another great weekend at the Shoe!

This summer's weather has been phenomenal. A stark contrast to last year's, which only offered two or three weekends without rain.

On Sunday I traded bikes with Jake. He spent Saturday bouncing around on his hardtail dirt-jump bike, so I figured I'd give him a break and let him feel the soft 8" suspension on my Glory. He had a great time and so did I, picking my lines carefully around the slippery roots and rocks.

Chickahominy River (New Kent, VA)

2010-07-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Since the age of, umm, well, since birth - I've been going to the Chickahominy River. A friend of my parents lives there and has always been glad to open his home, kitchen, dock, and boat to us.

Last summer we were so tied up with racing and riding that we didn't get to the river very often. This summer is certainly making up for lost time, though, as we've begun going once or twice a week, usually for the last few hours of sunlight after working all day. Well, enough of that sappy stuff - the photos:

Three interesting facts about my Dad:
1. He's 64
2. He can't swim
3. He's AWESOME on a slalom ski!

The boys from left to right: Payton, Ernie (Payton's Dad), Ray (My Dad), Me

Tubing on the North Anna River

2010-07-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

A ragtag group assembled on Saturday for an impromptu float on the North Anna River. Nineteen of us spent five solid hours drinking, joking, and having a generally awesome time. My favorite aspect of this trip was the mixing of different "circles" of friends. Everyone got along great and I think the trip established a few new friendships as we floated along on the lazy river.

The VIP of the trip, of course, was Dignon. He spent most of the time in his corner of our canoe, but didn't hesitate to jump overboard and get a few quick swims in over the course of the day.

Plattekill (New York)

2010-07-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

What a bummer!

The third installment of the Gravity East Series turned out to be a marathon of driving. Friday afternoon we clocked in at around nine hours on the road. Saturday started well, but ended quickly when Ross broke his wrist practicing the pro course. After that it was back on the road, driving to hospitals, waiting in ER's, and finally leaving Ross in the OR while driving back to the campsite - all totaling about 10.5 hours since the time of his accident.

The next morning Joey and I took some runs and competed in our respective classes while Ross patiently waited post-op. I had a couple slip-ups on my run, coming off the bike twice. Otherwise the run was great - fast and fun seemed to be the theme of the sport course. After our runs we packed up and headed the hour and a half to the hospital to grab Ross, turn around (the hospital was NW of our campsite), and head back to Virginia. We pulled into town at 3:45am.

After that trip I think we'll skip the next GES. It's only a week away and the drive promises to be even longer than Plattekill. I think we'll need a couple "local" trips to get back into the swing of things. The next long drive will be Sugarbush, VT for the fifth round of the GES.

Seven Springs (Pennsylvania)

2010-06-14T14:40:00.001-07:00

Redemption! After a season-opener that featured a trip to the hospital, I was eager to get back in the groove of things at the second stop of the Gravity East Series. That's just what we got, too.

The bus was back in action again too. This time our group consisted of Rachel and three team riders - Nick, Ross, and myself. We showed up to the resort late on Friday night and slept in the parking lot. When we woke, Nick and I took a short walk to check out the layout. The feel was similar to that of the Massanutten Yeeha - a fairly large number of riders, spectators, and sponsor tents. The course was short and fun, featuring only one truly technical area - a short rock garden that would prove more daunting than expected. Other than that area, the course featured several jumps and a generally fast and flowy pace.

Ross's successful ride through the garden.

Gutted!

2010-06-07T07:25:00.001-07:00

The interior of the bus is being revamped from scratch. It's bare now, but will soon have a new floor, couch, storage space, and TV with Super NES! Here's its current state.

UPDATE: Now the floor has been sealed with bedliner paint.

I also redesigned the door latch, which looks like an erector set in its current state.

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

2010-06-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

The bus was still out of commission, so the trip to the US Open was out of the question last weekend. Instead, Joey, Jarrod, Joe and I went to Snowshoe to ride.

The rain had been constant all week, but subsided by Friday night. The weekend was sunny and hot, which dried out the soggy ground by Sunday. On Monday Joey and I planned on driving to Timberline, but his sprained finger swelled overnight and we decided to forego that trip. Instead, we hiked to the top of Seneca Rocks on our way home.

Massanutten Yeeha! (McGaheysville, VA)

2010-05-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hmm...how can I explain it?

Friday's practice was going perfectly. My tires were hooking up on every corner, I was feeling confident and fast. Each run was increasingly better than the last and I was really settling in well on the new bike.

On my fifth practice run I came screaming through the first rock garden and set my sights on sprinting out of the first "bump garden" - a field of small, but awkward and sporadically-placed rocks. As I'd done in previous runs, I started to mash the pedals in order to "ride the rear wheel" through this bumpy patch. Unfortunately my front wheel smacked a rock just as I rose the the front of the bike to apply power, which threw my weight forward and sent me flying over the bars.

Some people say "face first" to describe any over-the-bar fall, but this time I mean it. I landed "face first" in the rock garden and have the stitches to prove it. Oh yes, somehow I busted my face despite wearing a full-face helmet and goggles.

I was carried off of the trail and transported to the hospital where they cleaned up my face and stitched me up. Everyone there was amazingly helpful and one of the eye-witnesses to the crash rode to the base to find Rachel and tell her where to find me at Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg.

It was a rough way to start the season and I hope that it's my only BIG wreck of the year, much like the Snowshoe wreck of last summer.

In true idiot-fashion I claimed to feel "much, much better" the next morning. I still wanted that run, even if it was going to be slow. The rest of my body was sore from the fall. My right knee was swollen, my right hand had two jammed fingers, and the rest of my body had scrapes all over it. Still, I insisted that I'd take it easy and just try to make it down safely.

I carried a bag of ice on the lift in an attempt to loosen up my jammed fingers enough to grab the handlebar and brake lever and committed myself to a slow and cautious run. I made it to the bottom [eventually] and my time put me in the middle of the pack, 16th out of 30 riders in CAT2.

I found this photo on Sempertubby's Photobucket.

It seems that I was hardly the only person to go down, even if I was known as "that guy" for most of the weekend. I was topped on Saturday by the US phenom, Neko Mulally, who broke his wrist on that morning's practice run.

There was, however, some good news to report from the weekend. The event was very friendly, fun, and competitive. We met a bunch of great people over the weekend and got to see some of our friends do quite well in the first race of the season (for this region at least). Neko's brother, Logan Mulally landed first place in CAT1 Junior. Jason Memmelaar showed well with a second place result in the Pro category, complimented well by his teammates Gavin Vaughan (4th in Pro), Chris Higgerson (18th in Pro), Alex Moschitti (21st in Pro), PJ Mihalick (3rd in CAT1), Alex Couture (12th in CAT1 junior), and Dennis Yuroshek (1st in open). Our camping neighbors, Ryan and Becky Gardner did well too. Ryan put in an amazing run of 3:31:73 to place second in CAT1 and Becky put in a time worth 3rd place in women's CAT1. Trevyn Newphyr from Snowshoe secured 5th place in pro with a time of 3:21:27. Our friend from Ohio, Thomas Herman, grabbed fourth place in CAT2 despite catching traffic on the course and losing crucial seconds. Butch Greene of Asheville and Life of the Butch scored big time this weekend with an astounding 3rd place in Open, not even two full seconds behind Dennis Yuroshek. My teammate, Ross Ciminelli, stepped up big time and entered CAT1. He put in a respectable time of 4:00:57, which correlates to about one month of shit talking since he beat me by twelve seconds.

Sherando Lake

2010-04-25T10:37:00.001-07:00

Just returned from another great shuttle trip! This weekend Sean, Joey, and I drove to Sherando Lake to get a few runs on Torrey Ridge, Kennedy Ridge, Slacks, and White Rock Gap trails.

The weather forecast was grim - rain expected throughout the weekend. Our luck triumphed once again, however, and we only had rain at night, which burnt off early on Saturday morning to reveal blue skies and comfortable temperatures. This weekend we stayed at low elevation also, which meant much warmer temps while we camped.

Our plan on Saturday was to take turns driving the jeep, while the other two rode the trails. That meant two runs for each rider after three quick shuttles to Torrey Ridge. Unfortunately, Joey and I both wrecked during our runs. Joey caught the worst of it, though, when he bruised his ankle after being pitched over the front of his bike. To add insult to injury, he smacked a tree limb with his eye a little further down the trail, which ended his day of riding. We decided to break for lunch and then shuttle Kennedy Ridge via offroad trails. Since Joey was unable to ride for the remainder of the day, he volunteered to drive Sean and me to the top. The drive up was pretty epic - rocky terrain and several water crossings - all the while with two bikes strapped to the rear rack.

The drive to the top took a while and we were losing light, so Sean and I quickly grabbed our gear and headed down the trail. The Kennedy Ridge trails were mainly fire road with some bits of singletrack mixed in. We flew down the wide-open sections and made it back to camp in no time. After a full day of riding, we relaxed by the fire and celebrated a great weekend of riding. The next morning we packed up and headed home.

Chaching

2010-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Just another example of my random luck - Snowshoe used a photo of me for one of their preseason ads. Sweet!

Flagpole Knob

2010-04-19T14:20:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked the first mountain bike trip of the season. We left Richmond on Friday night and met up with John and Robin at our campsite. The wind was nonstop the entire weekend, which made the brisk temperature feel even more chilling. We had a great campsite though, aided by the ultimate convenience of having John's offroad trailer to use as our kitchen. John's got a pretty dope setup. A Jeep CJ pulling a stout offroad trailer, which holds most of the essentials and one very fun toy - a 1980 enduro motorcycle. I'm definitely jealous.

On Saturday we took a run on a scorching downhill trail to Hone Quarry, where we were met by Rachel, Robin, and John. When we returned to the top of the mountain, we were met by Nick, who'd driven from DC to ride with us. After lunch we took another run. This time we set out for a longer route, which turned out to be a bit more hiking than riding as we followed the ridgeline on a "tour de knobs." The last section of the trail was all downhill, however, and a real scorcher at that.

The next day we packed up camp and took two runs on our way out of the area. One was similar to our first ride, which dropped us again at Hone Quarry. It had it all - narrow singletrack, loose rock gardens, and fast, wide-open sections. A great way to cap off the weekend. One more quick run near Second Mountain topped off the weekend and soon we were on our way home.

Ready to Race!

2010-04-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

After nearly eight months of waiting, my new 2010 Glory has arrived! It couldn't have come at a better time with the first race of the season only one month away. That should leave enough time to break-in the bike and get a couple of rides on the new setup before the Massanutten Yeeha.

The new frame is drastically lighter than its '09 predecessor. With nearly the same build as last year, minus some lighter rims and tires, the new Glory weighed in at 37.3lbs - over 6 pounds lighter than last year's bike! It's going to be a great season.

Bus Work

2010-03-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

I planned on building, fixing, and revamping the bus over the winter months, but never really got in the groove until now. I've got four projects that I want to finish before the season really gets into full swing:

1. Redo the rear rack to be easier to load (and more secure).
2. New interior including waterproof flooring.
3. Minor engine repairs and final mods to the vegetable-oil system.
4. Fresh paint job on exterior.

Last week saw the completion of a new couch, to replace the previous benches. The old benches could hold tons of people, but they were too upright and cramped for long trips. I built the new couch like a futon - only sturdier, with storage underneath. It's closer to the ground than the old benches so it should be much more relaxed and better for our many trips to the northeast this summer. All I need to find now is a cushion - anyone have an old futon mattress?

The next project I've begun is the rear rack. All winter I kept designing and redesigning the rack in my head. Some designs were simple and most were WAY TOO COMPLEX. Luckily I had a vision of the perfect system - and it's the simplest design of them all. I bought twelve u-bolts (from a truck suspension shop) and welded them together as six super-beefy "utility hooks". Those hooks were welded to a piece of angle-iron (from a bedframe), which can be bolted to the 2x4 already installed from the previous bike rack. I've just about finished putting the final touches on the system and I can't wait to test it out. It will work almost identically to the previous system, but it can be loaded easily by one person and it does not block the rear door like the old system.

Slaughterama is next weekend, so I certainly won't be working on the bus much. Hopefully the engine repairs and vegetable oil mods will go smoothly and perhaps even a new paint job will find its way onto the bus by the end of April!

It worked!

2010-03-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

I planned on dyeing my new, never-worn riding pants to match my jersey. Definitely had fears of it turning out pink or something. Luckily, however, it all worked out and looks pretty damn good.

Car Show

2010-03-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

Only a couple of weeks ago I was viewing a slew of boutique bikes, now I'm drooling over cars.

We got some free tickets at work, so Joey and I decided to give it a shot. Not a bad way to start your Saturday morning.

Spring?

2010-03-09T08:50:00.000-08:00

The weather's made a great turn for the better. Hopefully it stays that way and doesn't dip back into the "dreary days of February" again. In just over one month we'll be back on the bikes, with two rides planned before the first race of the season, the Massanutten Yeeha.

Filthadelphia

2010-02-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

The last time the bus was in Philadelphia, it was tagged in a matter of hours by some prick. Not to disappoint, Philly made sure to leave its stain on the bus once again. This time it was shit - human shit. Yes, some piece of shit TOOK A SHIT on the rear fender/wheel of the bus. It really didn't surprise me at all since it is, after all, the filthiest city in the country.

Not everything about Philly sucks though. We've got some great friends that are always down to party. Here's a photo from Saturday night's game of "spin the taser."

The main purpose for the trip was to take part in the Ballentine's Day Massacre. The snow and freezing temperatures were rough, but there was still a decent turnout for the event. The race was point-to-point with a huge list of scavenger hunt items that challenged the racers' creativity and...um...boldness.

We even got to visit FDR, which has become somewhat of a ritual.

Snow Day

2010-02-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

As soon as the snow piled up, there was only one thing left to do:

Sorry Mom.

2010-01-21T12:30:00.000-08:00

Woodward, PA

2010-01-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

After a couple of months of downtime, we had an excellent opportunity to ride this weekend. My friend Nick's sister works at Woodward camp in Pennsylvania. Her husband rides BMX and builds ramps for a living too.

Following another "interesting" New Year's celebration, we left Richmond early on New Year's Day. The highways were almost empty, so we arrived in PA by mid day. A short tour of the camp followed by a few hours of riding rounded out the day. On Saturday we woke with quite a bit more rest and headed to the park after a leisurely morning. This time we were able to explore Lot 8 and Cloud 9 a bit more thoroughly. With a heavy layer of dust on the ground due to the offseason, the floor and ramps were especially slippery, which meant that switching lines was often the most treacherous maneuver. We weren't going nuts though, since we're admittedly more amateur than the rest of the Woodward crowd. The foam pit was cool though, giving us a chance to try moves that we'd never be able to pull otherwise. Naturally we had to try a couple backflips just to get it out of our systems.

On our last day at the camp we mainly just played in the foam pit and the skate bowl. We walked the downhill BMX course which was INSANE! 30 to 50 foot gaps strewn all over the course with blind takeoffs and zero margin for error. John (Nick's brother-in-law) said that no one has really ridden the course after the X games since the jumps are so huge. I can't say that I'd disagree with that.

As a last goodbye to the camp, John showed us the "belt sander" - a goof move that he'd pulled once in competition just for laughs.

The trip was great. Definitely a treat to ride in a heated warehouse while the outside temperature hovers around 17 degrees. Just a few more months of hard work and preparation for the next season lie ahead. I'm certainly eager to get back on the mountain.

Diablo Race #5 (Vernon, NJ)

2009-10-19T07:39:00.000-07:00

Nick and I headed to Diablo for the last race of the season this weekend. The weather forecast didn't look good - with rain and snow possible. Despite the cold, we made the best of our time and competed both days in both the Giant Slalom and Downhill races.

We walked the course on Saturday after our Giant Slalom runs to find a very interesting course. The upper section included several tabletop jumps and fast berms. That was followed by two sections of rock gardens that zapped speed and required heavy pedaling. The lower rock garden was steep, slippery, and super-technical. Once out of the upper area, the course ran into the familiar lower shoots seen in three of the previous races. That area seemed like a breeze after navigating the tricky rock gardens above. The race finish was again in the grass field - this time was by far the most slippery that it has been all summer, evidenced by several wash-outs on its off-camber left turn.

It seemed like the key would be constant pedaling through the rock gardens followed by some controlled sliding through rest of the course. The racers had two runs to put together a winning time, which was nice since the chance of slipping off course seemed especially high.

In my first race run, I went slightly off-course on a corner in the lower rock garden. In my second run I corrected that mishap and gained six seconds on my previous time. It was good enough for second that day, second for the DH overall, and even second in the combined (slalom & DH) overall points.

The prize package at Diablo was truly impressive. Each of eight classes was showered with goodies from Jamis, Shimano, JBL Audio, Scott, and Diablo's cash purse. I walked away with a bevy of gear, including a 2010 Dakar Bam 1 frame!

Snowshoe Race #4 (West Virginia)

2009-10-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

This has been a great season of racing - with results better than I'd even hoped. I did have one major screw-up at the end of the season, however, when I sold my '09 frame before my new '10 came in - which has still yet to happen. For this race (and next week's final round at Diablo) I was on my friend's Turner. A great bike, just not a familiar setup.

During a practice run, I broke the chainguard on the Turner. This didn't seem to be much of a problem until my race run, when the chain came off and wrapped around my right pedal. Luckily, I had the pedals horizontal when it happened [about halfway down the trail], so I could at least coast over the rest of the course. I even hit the large rock drop, although a couple pedal strokes would have been nice before pitching over the face.

In the lower section of the course, there were a few muddy spots that slowed my momentum, followed by a long straight into the finish line - man, it sure would have been a lot faster with the ability to pedal. I ended up coming in 6th place, which is fine with me given the handicap. My position for the overall series held stable at 3rd, which was a great feeling at the end of my first season. One more race to go and then a long and productive winter of training ahead.

Dude's Day 2009 (Snowshoe, WV)

2009-09-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we had some last-minute dropouts, and perhaps the nonstop rain on Saturday wasn't ideal - but we still had one hell of a weekend!

Puck, Jarrod, Joe, and Andy headed for Snowshoe on Thursday and were met by Sergio (who drove from Detroit). On Friday night Joey, Dignon, and I showed up to find the whole bunch of them waste-faced and ready to party. The weekend was looking good!

The next day we watched the rain fall while we finished off the rest of the beer in the cooler. Eventually a few of us decided to get out there despite the weather. Joey, Puck, and Dignon did some four-wheeling in Joey's Jeep while we soaked up the rain and made a few runs on the mountain.

A trip to refill the cooler and a delicious dinner rounded out Saturday's festivities and the promise of less rain had us looking forward to Sunday. When we woke, the view from the porch looked poor, but by the time we'd finished breakfast the rain had stopped and only a thick fog remained. We geared up and headed out into the muddy, wonderful woods. The riding was phenomenal! Slippery and wet, but absolutely fun at the same time. Sunday's riding definitely made up for the constant rain earlier. Even with the inclement weather, hanging out in the condo and just spending time with close friends really made this trip great.

Diablo Race #4 (Vernon, NJ)

2009-09-16T13:26:00.000-07:00

Sean and I headed for Diablo Friday night and arrived at the Wawayanda camp site around 3am. In the light rain we quickly set up our tents and headed to sleep. Bright and early the next morning we were woken up by a fellow camper - apparently we had set up our tents in his site and we'd need to move. With just over four hours of sleep, this may have been a blessing in disguise, since I doubt we would have rolled out of our tents any earlier.

After a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts and a second to look over the bikes, we were on the lift and headed to the top of the mountain. We made some warm-up laps first, then headed to the race course to see what we had to look forward to on Sunday. The course was interesting. Some sections that we've seen before, but one new area that looked very challenging. It was a large slab of rock with several exit lines that seemed to offer plenty of room for individual routes. We walked the obstacle and then I hiked back up to give it a try. It wasn't super tricky to navigate, but misplacing a tire meant falling off one of the elevated rocks that made up the "fast line."

The rain continued all day on Saturday, so we came back to Sean's truck often to dry off and rest. The weather report for Sunday was promising, so we decided to leave some of our practice runs for then.

On the way back to our campsite, Sean and I noticed a drive-in theater playing Inglorious Basterds. After drying most of our damp gear over the campfire, we returned to the drive-in to catch a flick.

The next day was a vast improvement on Saturday's weather. The sun came out and dried the course to an ideally grippy consistency. We took a few practice runs and then headed to the top for our individual starts. The course felt great - fast as hell. I did get a bit greedy though, coming into the rock slab way too fast I slid to the side of the course and had to walk around the slab since I'd blown past my entry point. Even with that mistake I snuck by with a second place finish.

Sean had a rough time in that section too. He cleared the slab, but his front wheel became stuck in the following rock garden. It ejected him immediately and he landed hard on his shoulder, elbow, and thigh. At first he tried to hop back on the bike to ride out, but he could barely lift his bike with the bruised shoulder, so he was forced to walk out off course and down the remainder of the mountain.

Despite our falls, the weekend was still a blast overall. There's just one more race left for the Diablo Gravity Series, then it's time to prepare for an even bigger season in 2010.

Snowshoe Race #3 (West Virginia)

2009-08-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

After my last race ended in disaster, I decided to focus on overcoming my wreck and learning from my mistakes. It turned out to work wonderfully and couldn't have been a more fitting way to cap off a great weekend.

Along for this trip were Rachel, Puck, Joey, my brother Dave, my Mom Carol, and her husband John. We lucked out big time this weekend too, as we were able to stay in a friend's condo instead of roughing it again at our usual campsite. The condo was so close to the trails that we were able to ride/walk everywhere we needed to go. The weather was cool and comfortable, with only a few short rainstorms amidst the
otherwise clear and sunny skies.

On Saturday we took several runs on the race course to get a feel for the terrain. The course was somewhat of a combination of the first two, including two of the road gaps and a new section that featured two large tabletop jumps. The technical area this time was found on "lower quickdraw." This section offers multiple choices of lines, so finding the fastest route was key. It's a challenging run, with sharp turns within the maze of rocks and roots. Even after emerging from "lower quickdraw" the course offered one last taste of technical riding in "lower hairball." This section was part of the previous racecourse, which I stumbled through rather embarrassingly last time. The final stretch of the course was the same as last race, including the rock jump that threw me face-first to the ground. I decided to take it slow over the rock and work on building my confidence in increments.

That night we went out for pizza in the village and played a game of spades at the condo before retiring for the night. Early the next morning, Rachel and I walked the course before the lift opened. It was helpful to take time to look at the lines and assess the best way through. At the final rock, I carefully studied the approach. The line is barely wider that a tire and the small rocks cause your bike to jerk side-to-side at speed, so coming into that area prepared is very important. After the course walk, we rode the lift back to the top and walked back to the condo to join the rest of our group for breakfast.

Pro practice had begun by the time we emerged from the apartment so Puck, Joey, and I headed to the Basin side to get a few runs in before the race. Puck left after one run to compete in the intro category. It was his first race at Snowshoe, and he finished in 2nd place! A great victory for the Get Loose Crew indeed.

Joey and I took a couple more runs, but unfortunately he suffered a flat and I had to split to get to the staging area of my race. My run went well, with only a couple minor slips and one complete stop when I reached another rider in "lower hairball." The crowning victory for me, however, was at the finish line rock. I approached the jump with my eyes focused intently on the run-in. As soon as I left the ground I could feel that it was smooth, and I landed comfortably in the lower section of the landing. Since I'd passed a rider on the trail, we had to wait until the end of my class to find the official time. It turned out to be 5:12, good enough for first place in amateur.

After the race, the three of us took two more runs on the mountain and then headed back to pack up our stuff and drive back to Richmond. On the shuttle ride back to the top of the mountain, we rode with the 1st and 3rd place riders of the pro class. The margin between 1st and 2nd was the closest I've seen this year, with Chris Herndon being beaten by only three tenths of a second. The winner casually joked that it must have been because of the skin-suit he wore during the race. I've got a feeling he'll be sporting it next time too.

Diablo Race #3 (Vernon, NJ)

2009-08-25T10:16:00.000-07:00

For this race, Puck and I decided to leave town on Thursday night in his truck since most Richmonders were staying in town for Best Friends Day and we'd be the only two making the drive to New Jersey. That gave us an extra day to ride and time to stop by his Dad's house in Hightstown, NJ.

Diablo runs their lift until 7pm in the midweek, so we casually headed to the park on Friday and began to take some runs. Unfortunately, a storm rolled in after only two runs. As soon as thunder was audible, they shut down the lift. To make matters worse, we learned that Diablo offers no sort of rain-check for instances like this one. We waited out the storm in the parking lot and met a rider from Brazil named Sergio. Even after the rain had stopped, the lift remained static, so we headed to the campsite and called it a day.

The next morning was damp, but the sky looked promising, so we got an early start and began the day by walking the course to check out this month's race run. Surprisingly enough, the course was much simpler than the last one. The bottom half was almost identical to their first course and it seemed to be the shortest run they've had in a race thus far.

I spent most of the day making runs on the course, but took a few with Puck and Sergio to break up the monotony. We even found a few trails that we'd never seen before at Diablo - helping the park's reputation in our minds after being smashed by the overwhelming acreage of Snowshoe.

The ground was perfect - grippy and soft, without even a hint of dust which usually plagues the park. The temperature was much better also after the previous night's rain. Around 4pm, we were exhausted, so we headed back to the campsite with a quick stop at a local pizza joint.

The rain returned that night, so we each retired to our tents a bit early. The next morning was clear and within a few hours the sun was shining brightly above. Again the ground felt wonderful, so the rain wasn't really too much of a downer. We were able to hang out all of our wet gear while we rode, which was toasty dry by the end of the afternoon.

I took a couple of runs on the course to make sure it felt roughly the same as the previous day, and then returned to the parking lot to relax and mentally prepare for the race. At 1:29 I left the top of the mountain and crossed the finish line a mere 2 minutes, 26 seconds later. It wasn't a perfect run, but overall I felt confident about my performance. I was the first rider in my category, so I was able to wait at the bottom for the two main opponents to cross. Dennis Yuroshek and his teammate, PJ Mihalick (2wheelfreaks) were my most formidable opponents, but I snuck away with the win 5 seconds ahead of them. The best thing about the finish was that all three of us on the podium were riding the same bike - the '09 Giant Glory DH. I'll be selling my frame at the end of the season too, in case anyone's interested.

After the race, we said goodbye to Sergio and headed for Puck's Dad's house for a cookout, then back to Richmond for a quick rest before the next race - SNOWSHOE!

Snowshoe Race #2 (West Virginia)

2009-07-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

After a great practice weekend, I figured this weekend's race would be almost a breeze, even at the pro/elite level. The only areas that I wasn't allowed to ride prior to race weekend were the two lower road gaps and the "wild zone," a rock garden that ended with a rather magnificent rock drop to steep chute.

On Saturday I took a few practice runs and felt fine on those areas. I knew I'd be a bit slower over the large gap than the rest of the pro field, but figured I could live with that. The rock garden in the lower half of the course was tricky, but not unnavigable. Saturday afternoon, however, everything changed. The rain began in the late afternoon and continued until Sunday morning. Half of our group left after Saturday since the rain showed no signs of letting up and had already soaked through their tent back at the campsite. The rest of us rode out the storm and woke on Sunday morning to a damp, but sunny day.

Immediately the difference in the course was obvious. Areas that were simple before became all-new challenges and the rock garden was especially tough to navigate, since keeping your line was such a battle. After a couple practice runs, though, I felt comfortable and adjusted to the conditions.

The race run was a bit different. The course had been torn up so badly by the race traffic that the lower half was almost unrecognizable. There was a stream running down the trail just below the "wild zone" and the "hairball" rock garden was more slippery than ever. My run was going fine until just before "hairball" when my rear tire slid out. I paused, ran up the muddy run-in a few feet, and tried to restart the section, which began with a jump off of the first rock. With no time to compose myself and neither pedals clicked in, I didn't last long before going over the bars. Again I tried to relax and restart, but doing so in the middle of a rock garden is extremely tough. A few more falls and one very long breath later, I was over "Roberta's Rock" and almost through "Lower Hairball" when my tires slid out again on the wet rock and ejected me once more.

After so many spills, I figured that my chances of posting a good time were lost, so I decided to take the rest of the course easy and simply go as fast or slow as I felt comfortable. By this time I was near the bottom of the course and through the most challenging sections, so I decided to stay off the brakes and enjoy the speed. There was only one more obstacle in my way, a high-speed, low-elevation, rock drop that lands on the downside of a series of tree roots. It's something that I took slow last race, but had mastered during last week's practice. I felt no fear of the jump, so I decided to hit it hard and fast - big mistake! As soon as my bike left the ground, I could feel that the rear wheel had bounced too hard, and was going to throw me off the front of the bike. I landed face-first on the ground, cutting up the entire left side of my body. Luckily, I had no broken bones and my full-face helmet did its job wonderfully. The race run, however, was a complete bust and I'll be off the bike for at least two weeks.

I suppose even wrecks can serve as valuable learning experiences and this one wont soon be forgotten. It was a bummer, but could have been much worse, so I feel lucky coming out of it relatively uninjured. Even with that outcome, it's still nothing to ruin the weekend. Hell, to top it off, we snapped the best group photo I've ever seen on the drive back to Richmond.

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

2009-07-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

We really lucked out this past weekend. Some of our friends from Industry Nine in Asheville, NC rented a cabin that was perched almost directly under the lift on Snowshoe's Western Territory. It was a great change from our usual tent and campfire style.

We even had access to a hot tub after a long day of riding.

The riding was more relaxed and casual too, and the conditions were perfect. Rain fell on Friday as we drove to the mountains, but it stayed dry for the next two days, giving the trails a tackier, grippy feel.

Most of the locals knew the probable route for next weekend's race, so I was able to preride some of it ahead of time. Next weekend's race will feature three road gaps on the pro course. Only one of them was available to ride this weekend, but I could at least take a sneak peek at the other two. It'll definitely be a great race to watch, with the builders creating the most challenging course they've had in recent years.

Once the riding was over, we all packed up and headed to our respective homes - Asheville, NC and Richmond, VA. It was great seeing some familiar faces and meeting a few more. Once the race season draws to a close, there will definitely be a trip to Asheville to ride and hang with I9 crew.

Diablo Race #2 (Vernon, NJ)

2009-07-13T19:15:00.000-07:00

The last trip to Diablo was without the bus. It was a more focused trip I suppose, with no distractions to worry about other than the race itself. It was a great change from the regular weekend expeditions in the bus, but I've been looking forward to returning in the bus ever since then. On this jaunt we had nine people - Rachel, Kaycie, Ashley, Jake, Jake #2, Sean, Nick, Chris, and myself. The ride up took its usual FOREVER, but this time we had plenty of room inside thanks to my recently built bike rack.

We showed up to the campsite around 3am on Friday night/Saturday morning, pitched some tents, and grabbed a mere three or four hours of sleep before our first day of fun. We rolled into the parking lot the next morning and split off in our two directions - some to the water park and the rest to the bike park.

The race course was tough to say the least. The upper section was only one week old and had little to no traction. The center of the course was new also - although the challenge this time was not limited to a lack of traction. Instead, this was the rock garden. A haphazardly spaced field of boulders, jaggedly pointing in every direction. Finding a line was a real task, and staying on that line was even more of an ordeal. Eventually I did come up with a strategy through the section, but I'm sure it looked like nothing more than a stubborn tear through the center of the garden. Once out of the woods, there was little left of the course. A large step-up followed by a steep left-hand turn that dropped about twenty feet simultaneously. This feature was appropriately named the "crap shoot" since it very often resulted in crashes. I came off the side of the turn once in practice and feel a bit lucky to have survived. After the "crap shoot" the course went through a few tight banks and then spit out into the bottom field. This was where most spectators could watch as riders took their last few turns and flew over a jump before mashing the pedals to the finish line.

After a day of practice we headed back to our campsite to build a fire, cook some burgers and hot dogs, and grab a decent night's sleep.

Sunday was race day! Sean had suffered a fall on our last run the previous day, so he decided to volunteer as a course marshal. Nick did the same in order to get two free day passes for our next trip. I took three practice runs while the rest of our group rode the rest of the park. Jake came back to the bus with a bruised leg and had to end his day of riding a bit early. Soon, however, the races began and I headed to the top of the gondola. My run down the hill was quick, but I decided to play it safe when possible since staying on the bike would be faster than a high-speed wreck. I rode about half of the rock garden with one foot on the pedals after barely saving myself from sliding off course. When I popped out of the garden I pushed the pedals as much as possible, sliding into the dry and dusty corners. My tires were slipping on the loose gravel and sand, but it was a feeling I'd become accustomed to in practice, so I just held on until they found some traction. When I passed the finish line the announcer reported my time and position - second place! There were still several riders to go, but my time held firm and I walked away with a great result.

We packed up the bus after the race, Ashley cooked the remainder of our hot dogs and burgers, and we were soon on the road. About an hour past midnight we pulled into the Rowlett's parking lot, tired and satisfied - looking forward to next weekend's adventure.

Snowshoe Race #1

2009-06-23T10:57:00.000-07:00

One of the best trips to date - for sure! Where do I even start? How about the mud...

It was wet and slippery on Saturday when we prerode the course. Just the kind of conditions that I love. We took runs all day, taking breaks in between to relax at the bus.

That night at the campsite we returned to hear the whistle blowing on the Cass Scenic Train, which conveniently ran just behind us.

After that, we walked a mere fifty yards or so and found quite a surprise - zoo animals! When Sean and Puck initially returned from their discovery, the first thing out of Sean's mouth was "don't fucking go over there - it's a fucking tiger!" There were actually a bunch of animals - a leopard, coyotes, two bears, and ducklings - just to name a few.

The next day (race day) we headed back to the mountain in the bus while Greg took his cross bike down the mountain to Cass and then straight up again (10% grade) to meet us in the Snowshoe parking lot. That man's a machine!

After seeing the pitiful "dual-stunt course," Sean decided to race downhill instead. He and I took a quick run down the mountain to survey the conditions and soon after it was time to race. Sean went first and came in mid-pack, a very good result for his first race.

My start was after Sean's. I put in a pretty good run, making only a couple minor mistakes and having to sit once in a while to catch my breath on the fire road sections.

When I reached to finish line, Puck and Sean were sprinting down the hill to meet me. "I think you're winning" said Puck. Knowing that there were still plenty of riders to come, I had my doubts; but as we watched riders file in it started to sink in - I might have a chance of winning! I could hardly believe it - I came in first - over 15 seconds ahead of the next rider in my class! It was a dream come true.

On the way home, we stopped at the Confederate Breastworks to take in the view and unload a few bikes to do a quick bomb down the hill.

A few hours on the highway (with one tire losing its tread) and we were back in Richmond - an unbelievable weekend of fun under our belts.

Snowshoe (West Virginia)

2009-06-15T07:01:00.000-07:00

The bus is still in the shop after an electronic malfunction, so this weekend's trip was aboard Joey's Jeep Cherokee.

We left Richmond on Friday night and arrived at Snowshoe around 12:30am. Our friend Dave let us use his condo for the weekend, but the first night we crashed at his friend Darryl's house. The next morning we grabbed the key to Dave's place and headed over to make breakfast and prepare for the mountain.

The conditions at Snowshoe are well known to be muddy, rooty, rocky, and above all - slippery. I switched my tires over to Kenda Excavators in advance, and it seemed to pay off. The rain had stopped a day before, but the ground was still treacherous. I particularly enjoy riding in mud, so I was happy, even when I did slide out from time to time.

We kept making runs on the basin side, since the western territory had only a shuttle bus and we'd gotten a relatively late start on the day. It worked out well, and we put in a decent amount of runs.

When we returned to the condo I started making phone calls to find the rest of our party, which had left Richmond on Saturday. After checking in with them, Joey cooked us a FINE meal - steaks with roasted red peppers and broccoli - delicious!

On Sunday we got an earlier start and were on the mountain by 10:30am. Our group of seven riders stuck together for awhile, then eventually we divided into our own groups to ride our personal favorites.

At lunch, we met a couple guys from Asheville and I decided to ride with them once on the Western side of the mountain.

The trails there are much longer and varied and the shuttle bus can be timed almost perfectly to pick up as soon as you reach the bottom. The guys from Asheville, Thomas and Scott, showed me some great trails. After I'd found Nick and Joey again I took them to that side to show them what we'd been missing. On the shuttle ride back to the top we ran into two of Joey's friends (originally from Staunton, VA). We decided to make one last run with them to end the day. At around 5pm we were back on the road, headed home to Richmond. It was a great practice weekend and I'm looking forward to next week's race.

Just Friends Day (Brooklyn, NY)

2009-05-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Lori 40, our wonderful host for the Cutthroats' latest adventure, really hit a home run with this trip.

The only overnight camping near Brooklyn, NY can be found at Floyd Bennett Field. It's about an eight-mile ride from Lori's apartment, but in true Cutthroat fashion we stretched the ride to a day-long endeavor.

When we reached the campsite, the group of over 50 people spread out and began staking claim to their respective camping domain. By nightfall we had a grill full of food and three fully stocked coolers. The laughter and constant banter didn't seem to end until morning.

The next day the majority of the campers took a trip to the beach, but a party of three - Rachel, Sean, and myself - drove to Diablo to watch the U.S. Open of Mountain Biking.

We walked up the course during the last few minutes of practice and had enough time to preview the course before the race actually began. The amateur class started and we watched it until a thunderstorm rolled in. The officials put a hold on the race, so we decided to grab some lunch in the meantime. Once the weather cleared up we headed back to the mountain. Our timing was pretty good, and the racing continued soon after we'd reached the top of the course.

The rest of the amateurs rode through and then it was onto the main attraction - the Pro Class! There were so many top names in the race, and their superior skill and speed was obvious. Sam Hill ended up the Victor with Gee Atherton and Brendan Fairclough coming in just after him.

Sean took a ton of great photos while the pros rolled down the trail. The predominant viewing area on the trail was a huge rock garden with a pretty gnarly line. The faster riders opted to jump off the last large boulder, landing just below the final set of jagged rocks.

You can see more of Sean's photos on his flickr account.

On our way back to the campsite we picked up Darryl Nau and beer - both of which basically guarantee a good time. The last night in Floyd Bennett Field was great. Another chance to spend time with some of my very best friends.

The next morning we cleaned up, packed the bus, and headed to Richmond - another great trip on the list.

Diablo Race #1 (Vernon, NJ)

2009-05-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

At 2am on Saturday morning, Rachel and I reached the parking lot at Diablo. We decided to just lay our sleeping bags behind the car and catch some sleep in the lot before the sun rose. With the exception of one short visit from the security guard, it was a pleasant camping spot.

Once the sun came out, we ran over to the local Dunkin Donuts for breakfast and then I started practicing the course. After a few runs I decided to play it safe on race day. I chose to run the course at a comfortable pace instead of trying to crush the entire track - which meant running the risk of going off course or wrecking.

That night we hiked up the hill and set up my tent on the edge of the woods. It was another pleasant night of camping, even with the nonstop rain and thunder storms. The next morning we threw the tent and bags into our backpacks and quickly hiked back to the parking lot - all the while getting some confused looks from some of the Diablo staff. We just acted like there was nothing strange about us emerging from the woods on the edge of their park and again headed to Dunkin to start the day.

I took a couple more practice runs that morning to check out the condition of the track and then headed to the car to run through the race in my head. At 1:45 I headed to the start box and at 2pm I was headed down the hill. I kept to my original plan - avoiding any wrecks, but still pushing the pace while staying in my comfort zone. There were a few spots that I knew I'd run faster during practice, but overall the run was what I'd hoped for. When all was said and done, I'd landed in 7th place (out of 32 racers) - not bad for my first rodeo. I've now got a good sense of my abilities and have already started visualizing ways to speed up my run next time out.

After the race on Sunday we headed to NYC to visit some friends. It was a dizzying night, stopping by four people's houses and catching up on lost time with some of my absolute favorite people. Monday morning we grabbed breakfast with my friend Darryl and again hit the road - seven hours later we were back in Richmond. It was a LONG weekend, but man was it fun! I'm [reluctantly] taking a few weeks off from racing, then the bus will be headed to Snowhoe Resort in West Virginia. I hope to get two practice weekends in before their first race on June 21st.

Diablo Preride (Vernon, NJ)

2009-05-11T09:03:00.001-07:00

With one week to spare before the first race of the season, this trip to Diablo was a crash course in what to expect over the next few months. The bus had nine riders for the trip - Puck, Ryan, Joe, Jarrod, Chris, Nick, Sean, Joey, and myself. We met several other guys when we arrived too. In total I think there were about sixteen of us. It almost felt like we were the only ones on the mountain.

We rode together for the first few runs and then split off to ride our favorite spots. Joey and I stayed in the rocky, steep race courses and most of the other guys headed off to the jumps and stunt areas.

I think the weekend was a good warm-up for what's to come. I felt comfortable in the rocky, technical sections and I think that's where I'll be able to make some time on the rest of the competition. We'll see though - the race is next sunday!

Hidden Valley Canoeing

2009-04-27T10:43:00.001-07:00

A week ago the temperature was 20 degrees cooler, the skies were full of rain clouds, and the wind was howling. The first trip of the summer had been planned for weeks and we were going to carry it out no matter what the circumstances. To our delight, the weather broke and the sun came out in full force for our inaugural weekend of fun in the bus. The temperatures were in the 80's and everything around us was full of life - perfect timing to say the least!

Our group for this trip consisted of 11 paddlers - Jeremy, Tristan, Michael, Peter, Barbara, Brooks, Will, Graham, Harrison, Julian, and myself. Oh yeah, Dignon came along too.

Four of us (Jeremy, Tristan, Michael, and myself) headed out on Friday afternoon and met up with Peter and Barbara near Staunton, VA. The initial paddle was short, which came in handy since it was nearly dark when we hit the water. When we reached the rest of our party at the campsite we promptly pulled out the coolers and began to celebrate the beginning of a fine trip. We all hung out by the fire until late that night, each retiring at different times as the night rolled on.

The next morning we woke up, threw together some breakfast, and then headed down the river. Our trip that day was relatively short and we reached the next campsite before noon.

We spent the remainder of the day exploring the area, fishing, and generally enjoying the abundant nature around us.

That night Jeremy grilled us a fine delicacy - cow heart! You'll have to check his facebook profile for photos of that one.

Our last day was a longer paddle, filled with some fun rapids and walk-around sections. We reached the take-out in the late afternoon and were packed up and ready to roll a couple hours later.

The drive back was as fun as the drive there, through meandering country roads and fun, twisty turns.

Viral Classic

2009-04-09T10:25:00.000-07:00

My friend Lori 40 was in the right place at the right time during Slaughterama and caught my tallbike joust on video. It was the only event that I took part in, so I went all out.

Slaughterama 6

2009-04-06T07:34:00.000-07:00

Words just can't describe it. Why try?

It's always been the craziest weekend of the year and that simply will never change.

Four days of parties, bikes, and friends.

If you've never been, you should correct that immediately.

BMX Training

2009-03-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Sean and I decided to take the big bikes down to the Gilles Creek BMX track. We figured that pushing our mountain bikes around the course would be a challenge in both skill and endurance, and it's definitely more fun than a road ride.

A few of our buds that ride BMX were down there when we arrived. They were surprised to see us with our bikes and immediately wanted to give the track a spin on our heavier, longer, and springier bikes. The result was the same for everyone - one lap around and the rider would return to the start line gasping for air and laughing at the inefficiency of our bikes on that course.

We stuck around for a couple of hours and shot through the track as many times as possible. As the sun began to lower over the horizon we headed back to our homes. The last challenge being the climb from downtown to the Fan District. I was completely drained by the time I reached Belvidere on my 43-pound Glory and have a feeling that the month of April will be a very productive time, assuming that I follow through with this ritual at least two or three times a week.

Home Sweet Home

2009-03-24T10:29:00.001-07:00

Now that we've arrived back in Richmond, it's time to get back on the grind. The bus needs some repair and modification, I need to find a workshop and apartment, and my bank account needs a serious infusion of funds.

The trip was great though - an adventure I'll remember for the rest of my life. We racked up 9,788 miles in all, and I've driven the bus 18,144 miles since purchasing it last February. There will be some great trips this summer too, just as long as I can make the most of April in order to prepare the bus for another great season!

Keep an eye on the calendar [below] and send me an email if you'd like to come along on any of our trips. I also hope to have t-shirts for sale soon, so watch for that too.

Asheville, NC

2009-03-23T16:52:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Matt took me on a cross-country ride with a few of his friends. I always count on being exhausted after one of Matt's rides, since he excels in long climbs. I knew this would be an especially tough ride when I noticed that my bike was the heaviest of the group - probably by more than ten pounds.

The ride was great though! The climb was long, but not brutally technical or steep. I had to hike some of the sections, but the company was good and the sights made it all worth it.

The descent was stellar and my bike made up for its weight as it blasted through the rough, rocky trail.

There were a bunch of stream crossings, which supplied a quick challenge to cross.

At one point we crossed paths with a herd of horses. It was strange to see them there, saddled and clearly tamed, without a rider in sight.

Brevard, NC

2009-03-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

After a ruckus night in Knoxville, the four of us rolled to our feet and into Sam's Diner for breakfast. With full stomaches and a mere 130 miles ahead of us, the drive to Asheville seemed almost effortless

We pulled into Park's driveway in Brevard, NC in the late afternoon, but with just enough time to squeeze in a ride with Park and Chris Regis. An out-and-back just under a mile from Park's house in the woods. It seems every time I visit Park he's somehow managed to find the most amazing house to live in. The first time it was a small log cabin in the woods. Last summer it was a farmhouse; and this time he's got a small house on more than an acre of land. I'm not sure how he finds these places, but it's always nice getting to visit them.

Last night Park took me to the Brevard Rock Gym. I haven't seriously climbed since I was in the Boy Scouts, but all the kids in the gym pointed me in the right direction. One of the employees, Liz, helped point out some fun routes and good techniques, which I was in dire need of. The gym is mainly all set up for bouldering, so you don't have to wait around to be belayed which is a nice change. It didn't take long for my forearms to completely cramp, but I think that proves that it's time I start climbing regularly. It's tons of fun and one hell of a cross-training technique.

After the gym we walked over to The Square Root where James and Adam were killing the trivia competition. With a team of two, they were in second place. Quite a feat considering that the first place team had about ten team members. When we arrived, we did our best to help, but the questions were getting increasingly difficult. Our score dropped to fourth place, but we rallied at the last second when we wagered it all on the final question, bouncing back into second place overall - a $25 gift card helped pay for our drinks and made second place even sweeter.

The next day Park took me to a secret trail that he was working on and showed me the ropes. The trail was almost invisible and sometimes following the correct path was a challenge.

It was the closest thing to the trails I'd ridden out west. The trail basically consisted of a few jumps and hips following the steep side of a ridge.

Park ruled it and I tried to match him, but my pedals were fighting me due to a broken bar on my Mallets.

Vail, CO

2009-03-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

All I can say is that it's definitely time to retire my board for a new one. The second day was about as successful as the first, so I think I might take a season off and save for my next board. Even with worn out gear, Vail is unbelievable and the experience of being on the mountain cannot be duplicated anywhere else.

Today's drive lasted 21 hours! We made some SERIOUS distance - Vail, Colorado to Knoxville, Tennessee! We were given some veggie oil from Green Guru in Boulder before we started the long haul. It totaled over 1,500 miles!

Vail, CO

2009-03-15T15:42:00.001-07:00

Now that we're in Vail, it's time to shred the gnar! Martin and I hit the mountain this afternoon to see what good snow we could find in these late-season conditions. I've got to admit, I wasn't exactly tearing it up out there. There are probably several reasons why, but the main two are the fact that it's been over a year since I've ridden and the current shape of my board. It's made it through three seasons, one of which lasted over 90 days. Last year when I came out here I rode it from the slopes all the way to Allie's (Martin's girlfriend) house, which included some snowy streets with scattered road salts and gravel. I remember saying something to the effect of, "whatever, I need to get a new board before next year anyway." Actually, I've said that for the past two years. Anyway, it rode like a piece of plywood, but we still made it across most of the frontside of the mountain and plan on riding the frontside trees tomorrow.

Being out there brought back memories of my time out here two years ago. I mean, I basically lived in paradise for five months and had the ability to ride one of the finest resorts in the United States every day. Oh yeah, I was also reminded of what a workout snowboarding can be. I thought that mountain biking all winter would have me in tip top shape, but there are clearly plenty of muscle groups that just don't see much action on a bike. We took things easy today and I doubt I'll be sore by tomorrow morning, but tomorrow Martin and I are planning a much more strenuous day, which I'm absolutely looking forward to!

The Drive to Vail

2009-03-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today we drove from Salt Lake City to Vail, CO. It was, in my opinion, the most scenic drive so far, and I seriously doubt that we'll see anything more beautiful in the rest of our travels.

Utah had giant mesas and long, flat expanses with perfectly clear skies above.

Colorado was much rockier and jagged. The difference was obvious as soon as we passed the border.

It's been a few days since I've ridden my mountain bike and every time I saw a drop off or great ridgeline I'd imagine myself flying down it on my Reign. There were fences bordering the shoulders along the entire drive, however, which made that almost impossible. We did find a small set of hills in the center median, so I pulled over immediately and pulled out the mountain bike.

Travis and I climbed up the slippery surface to the crest. The sand was like silt and it merely sat on top of a layer of slick dirt - almost muddy, but completely dry.

I mounted the bike and took off towards the cornice. I bunny-hopped at the edge and landed a little bit down the other side. It truly was tiny, but the runway was only about twenty feet long and the surface of that hill was impossible to control.

I tried it another time to see if I could go bigger, but a county sheriff pulled up when I reached the top, so I was a little rushed in my takeoff and I only had one foot clicked into the pedals [yeah, and I have clipless/flat crank bro's]. I hit the ground with my tires first, but I knew my head was next to land. It was like falling in snow though, with the full face and soft soil.

Speaking of snow, I'll be shredding the gnar for the next two days...sure am glad I brought the snowboard!

Utah Snowmobiling

2009-03-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last night one of our awesome hosts brought me along on a midnight snowmobile ride. I'd never driven a snowmobile before, but Ed (our host) did a great job of showing me the ropes. We rode up a snowy road for a while as I got the feeling for it, then we pulled off into some fields and really started letting loose.

The views of neighboring mountains and the full moon were insane, but I couldn't capture any of it on my camera. I guess you'll just have to take my word for it.

24-Hour Drive

2009-03-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Two nights ago we loaded up in Seattle and headed for Covington, WA to visit my Aunt and Uncle. They cooked us a great meal and we all got to share stories from the road. We left there around 8pm, destined for Salt Lake City, Utah. The drive was beautiful as we passed snow-capped mountains and canyons.

Some time around 7 or 8pm the next night we pulled into the parking lot at Adam's brother's apartment. We continued our DVD marathon [which began in Portland] and I woke this morning to The Dark Knight. Since then, I've been scouring the web for local trails to ride after my normal day of rest after the long drive.

Colonnade Park (Seattle, WA)

2009-03-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Today's our last day in Seattle, so we drove down to the Colonnade Mountain Bike Park under I-5 this morning to check it out before departing.

It was pretty fun; certainly the best use of such a small plot of land. They packed in as many jumps, drops, and log rides as possible. Nothing seemed too challenging, but it would be nice to have something similar back in Richmond.

Port Angeles, WA

2009-03-09T12:45:00.000-07:00

Somewhere around 9am we left Portland. I think everyone was a little tired, but a quick bite to eat on the road got us rolling. Our destination was Port Angeles, WA. Along the way I called a veggie oil hookup in Tacoma. He had a barrel ready with pump when we pulled into the driveway - a quick fill up for a six-pack - can't beat that!

We crossed the bridge into Port Angeles in the early afternoon and stopped at a local bar to ask about camping spots. Apparently it was our lucky day - an offseason campsite across the street with bathroom, fire ring, and picnic table - for free! We had a couple brews and some delicious home cooking before setting up camp.

The next morning I slipped into the driver's seat and started heading for the day's event while the rest of the guys slept. By the time I'd pulled into the parking lot, everyone had woken up and a few minutes later I caught a ride to the base of the day's event - the 2009 Port Angeles Shuttler. The Olympic Dirt Society was shuttling riders to the top of a local trail, offering lunch too, as a fundraiser for the club before the official start of the spring season.

The trails were fun - super slippery and muddy wherever the ground was visible and just pure white snow everywhere else. Some of the trails had wooden features too. If you weren't aimed perfectly straight, you were going down. No chance to correct the line on those icy, slick planks. I took a few runs and we hung out around the fire until about 4:30, then loaded up the bus for the next destination - Seattle, WA.

Hood River, OR

2009-03-06T20:48:00.000-08:00

When we were riding Black Rock, James and I ran into some locals and talked with them about their trailbuilding techniques. They advised us to check out Hood River while we were in Portland, so we assembled a crew of Portland natives to hit the trails on Friday. There were six of us in total, two of which were our hosts in Portland, Shannon and Gabe. Also along for the ride were Spencer, Rev Phil, and Dogeye.

The ride began with a long, steep climb along a fireroad - eventually into the snow of upper elevations. Quickly, however, we decided to turn around and take one of the spur trails. It also contained a steep climb, this time traction and angle meant hike-a-bike only. The trail leveled out and contained a few skilled features, some of which were topped with snow. Soon, though, the trail met a section of land that had been clear-cut, completely obliterating the trail and our forward progress. We climbed through the fallen logs for more than thirty minutes before reaching the other side.

When we reached trail again and started uphill, I noticed a step-up jump next to the fireroad. It was steep and fast, but the ground was about five feet higher and the soil was soft and forgiving. I scoped it out and hit the ramp three times, just lofting it up into the air and landing softly on the ground above.

I guess everyone was feeling it, and Rev Phil actually decided to give it a try. I lent him my bike and Dogeye gave him his leather jacket (with padding) and full face helmet. The first attempt was scary. He took my advice and approached it with tons of speed, but was bucked forward immediately and landed square on his face. Once we realized he was okay, we all shared a laugh and joked about his epic attempt. Phil started asking our opinions on "what went wrong" and then announced, "okay, I think I've got it this time." We were all blown away - he was going to try it again! I shot video of the second fall, since I'd foolishly snapped a still photo the first time.

Surprisingly enough, we had to coax Phil out of trying it a third, fourth, or fifth time.

The rest of our ride was nice, despite having to back-track a bit to return to the bus. We did also find the most rewarding treat for us near the bus. Apparently we'd parked just a few yards from their skills section. Upon discovering this, we rode the three areas - Family Man, Middle School, and Drop Out. The largest of the three, Drop Out, had eight large features, three of which were increasingly larger ladder drops. They were built so well and the entire area flowed perfectly. I ran the set three times and we even snapped some video of the lower section.

Phil hit the first drop on his rigid, way too big, mountain-ish-bike. Spencer and I saw it happen twice and pretty much left us speechless. He's not really scared to try anything, even after a tough fall.

After that we loaded up the bus and headed back to Portland. Today the bus is headed North to Port Angeles, WA. Tomorrow's festivities include a day of downhill shuttling through another stellar system of trails.

Black Rock, OR

2009-03-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

By the end of our "one day" drive, the bus was parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Salem, Oregon. We camped out, made some food in the bus, and fixed the rear brakes and leaky tire on the bus. It wasn't spacious, but it sure was cozy sleeping in the bus (four dudes, one dog, two bikes). Travis even shared his sleeping bag with Dignon.

The morning comfortably rolled in and we slowly crept from our mummy bags. Breakfast oatmeal in the bus and coffees at the bikini drive-in were our tickets to ride. In about an hour we were flying down a loose country road, drifting corners due to understeer up front. We followed a minivan with rooftop bikes, but apparently went through some gates that they left unlocked, so I whipped the bus around in the middle of the climb [scaring all three occupants] and headed back to the parking lot that we'd missed. A truck pulled up around the same time and James and I hopped in back for a shuttle up the road.

The trails were EPIC! The forest service designates this area as an experimental forest, which allows cutting-edge trailbuilding techniques to be "tested." Everything that we saw was immaculately built. Dangerous to rider - YES - degrading to the ecosystem - NO.

James and I walked up the fireroad a bit further and turned into the first black diamond that we saw, Granny's Kitchen - James on foot and me on my bike. I'd shoot ahead for a second, find a bawlsy stunt to try, and then wait for James to catch up. He would listen for my yell and bushwack straight through the woods in my direction, so he was usually there in mere seconds.

I'd try just about anything we saw. Failure meant broken bones, but the features were well built so you really just needed to take a long, hard look at it before the first attempt. Well, that AND you have to commit to these things - no bailing out at the last minute. Anyway, we have a couple of shots that came out, but all the action shot were a blurfest.

During the ride down my derailleur hanger broke (second time too). I removed it, along with the chain, and rode chainless the rest of the way. I walked some of the flatter sections with James and we were able to pay more attention to the beautiful scenery.

At the bottom, when we reached the fireroad, James and I doubled it. I rode on the handlebars with braking duty and James sat on the saddle in charge of steering. We'd come flying around a corner, moving way too fast, screaming "SLOWER!" "LEFT!" "NO, SLOWER!" "NO, FASTER!" the whole way to the parking lot!

Rogue River

2009-03-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'll be honest - I'm not positive that it was actually the Rogue, but it was cool nonetheless.

Pacific Coast

2009-03-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

The next attraction on our drive felt just like The Goonies. The beaches are epic, viewable from the cliffs above on Highway 101. Once we reached sea level the bus was promptly parked and emptied onto the rocky shore. It was cold and windy, not perfect conditions for swimming, especially with sneaker waves about. Long story short, James and I just couldn't resist.

The place was gorgeous!

The drive had similar views for almost an hour.

Redwood National Forest

2009-03-04T12:10:00.000-08:00

I woke from my nap at 1:30am (read: in da mornin'). The bus was packed, a pizza was in the oven, and I was loading my semi-drunk passengers onto the bus. I figured they'd be easy to motivate with the promise of pizza, more beer, and sleep. I, on the other hand, was lured by the pleasure of driving through two states in one day, mountain biking in Oregon, and not much sleep!

The first attraction was the Avenue of the Giants. The trees almost scare you when they first appear, lurking around every bend. One thing that surprised me was how much it felt like driving along a rock wall in the east. Some of the trees are large enough to create the inside wall of a long switchback. It feels comfortable and familiar, just like the granite walls of the appalachians. Then you remind yourself that it's a TREE and you're lucky to close your mouth before your head explodes! I mean, these things are HUGE!

On the Road (San Francisco, CA)

2009-02-28T19:09:00.000-08:00

My friends John and Lolita met me in San Diego and we hit the road on Wednesday. The drive was along the coast and offered some great stops on the way to Ventura. In Ventura I saw Mike one last time on the West Coast. We checked out the local shops and walked around Ventura for a while before grabbing a bite to eat at a Thai restaurant. After that we hung out with Mike and his girlfriend Galen at their place.

The next day we drove to Santa Cruz to catch a great sunset and walk along the shore before jumping in the bus and driving the rest of the way to San Francisco.

Adam and Garren live in Oakland and James and Travis flew in about the same time that we drove into town. We went to Radio, the bar where Garren works, our first night. The next day we did the touristy thing at the harbor.

Yesterday we drove to Sacramento to visit my buddy Whit and his wife Emily. Whit held a small bike swap the next morning at his frame building shop. Now we're back in Oakland and tomorrow night the bus will be heading to Salem, Oregon.

Hawaii

2009-02-24T07:58:00.001-08:00

A vacation from my vacation - how nice is that?

My Dad and stepmom have been vacationing in Hawaii for six seasons and this year they invited my brother and I to join them for a week. The entire week was great and it was nice getting to spend some time with them during my west coast retreat.

Some highlights of the trip were kiteboarding, sailing on a catamaran, whale watching, surfing, snorkeling, and seeing my Dad and brother RUN the local pool table. The trip charged up my batteries for the long haul back home which starts TOMORROW!

San Juan Capistrano

2009-02-21T13:13:00.001-08:00

After a rough day of nonstop flat tires on Anderson Truck Trail, Andy and I decided to reward ourselves with a trip to San Juan Capistrano. At the base of the trail we met some riders that were about to shuttle the trail, so we hopped in their truck and rode up to the top of the mountain. I really enjoyed the climb last time we were there, but the shuttle allowed us to cover some additional trail that isn't available on the out-and-back route.

Before the main descent we hung out and talked to a few other riders for a bit. By the time we were all ready to descend, there were six or seven of us, so we staggered our start. I headed off first and decided to ride nonstop to the bottom. The downhill is pretty long and offers some areas of uphill effort, so tying it all into one run was fairly tiring. I'm not sure how long it actually took, but it felt like thirty minutes or so. Once I hit the parking lot at the base, I waited for the next rider behind me. It was Andy. He'd picked off a few of the other guys and made it out of the woods in second place. Even with a staggered start, he wasn't far behind me.

The next day I headed off for Hawaii...

Camera Woes

2009-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

My recently exchanged camera broke yesterday. I should have read the online reviews before buying the original. Apparently the problem I'm having is commonplace with this model (Kodak M1033). It's a shame too, since I can't take any photos of beautiful Hawaii. Luckily I can use my Dad's camera, but it's half the resolution. Maybe I can swap it out for a new one this afternoon; but what's to say that one won't crap out by the end of the week? Oh well.

Trolley Tour

2009-02-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

After I swapped out my busted camera for a new one (which was a complete pain in the ass), I hopped on the MTS Trolley and headed south. I rode down to the border of Mexico, walked around for a bit to check it out, then boarded the trolley heading north, stopping anywhere that seemed interesting.

Unfortunately, I discovered that the sights along the trolley tracks are really not that spectacular. I'm sure there's plenty that I just didn't discover, but it seemed to just get poorer and dirtier as I went south. I did snap a few photos of some local graffiti when I was in Chula Vista, but the majority of my wandering occurred near San Diego. Not a complete bust, but less than I'd expected from the Tijuana area.

Today I'm busy planning the trip back on the TomTom. I'm also trying to find veggie oil hookups in some of the cities that we'll be visiting. The drive back will be over 5,000 miles, so I hope to fill up [on veggie oil] at least four times, reducing our diesel-only miles to about 3,600.

San Juan

2009-02-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a breath of fresh air. It's been a few days since I've ridden and today felt great!

This morning's sun got us going - we had a relaxed Sunday morning unwind, then loaded up for the trails. On the highway we hit some spots of rain, but decided to press on since we'd packed for the worst anyway. When we got to the trailhead there was some light precipitation, but the temperature wasn't too cold, so it felt comfortable.

The climb was really nice. It's a few miles up, but it's steady and the mist in the air felt good. Halfway up we were warm enough to shed the rain jackets. The rain and cloud cover was spotty, so we'd just ride through short showers and then into bright sun. It was a nice change from the normally sunny days.

When we reached the summit, we sat at the top for a few minutes to just take it all in. I felt like I was taking my camera out constantly on the way up. There was just so much to see and the sights were breathtaking.

We knew the ride down would be muddy and fast, so we opted to leave our rain jackets on. The ride down was awesome! I'd blast downhill for a few minutes, stop for a small break, and then shoot down the next section. The ride up was so pleasant that I'd hardly realized how long a downhill we'd earned. The entire descent probably lasted a solid 30 minutes, which is fairly long considering how quickly we were covering trail [between breaks].

I doubt I'll have the chance to ride at San Juan again before I leave, but I'm glad that I was able to get a sample of it before hitting the road. Just one more week in San Diego, then it's off to Hawaii for a vacation with my Dad and brother, followed by the drive up the coast. I'll pick up James and Adam in San Francisco, then the three of us will continue north before heading back to the east coast.

Noble Canyon

2009-02-07T15:49:00.000-08:00

The forecast for this weekend wasn't promising, but Andy and I decided to try our luck at Noble Canyon. There were spots of rain during the drive, but still a chance of riding lured us on.

When we got there, however, the rain had turned to snow. The temperature dropped from a chili 56 degrees to a downright cold 34. We just drove around for a bit to take in the sights, but our day of riding was definitely not happening.

Click on the pano [twice] to check it out in full size - the thumbnail just doesn't do it justice.

Black Mountain

2009-02-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning Andy and I got our free breakfast, then I headed to ride a new spot - Black Mountain.

There are plenty of ways to climb to the summit, but the most direct is a fire road that runs to some sort of cell tower at the peak. The climb is steep, but short. I took a few minutes at the top to relax before riding the singletrack and doubletrack to the trailhead. The ride down was short, but over loose rocks, which slows the pace slightly and makes it seem a bit longer.

After I got back to the house, Scott and I rode down to Balboa in search of more jumps. We found some, but they were small and neglected, so we went back to our original set and sessioned them for a bit.

Dirt Jumps & Anderson

2009-01-31T20:24:00.000-08:00

Headed out early this morning with four people and five bikes. Our crew consisted of Scott, Andy, Ashton, and myself. We hit the dirt jumps near Best Buy first. Scott was tearing it up right off the bat, eventually clearing the entire line. I was having trouble with the first jump for a bit, but ultimately got the hang of it and even went for the second double (didn't reach the landing though).

Got a short clip of Scott clearing the entire line:

Andy shot photos for a bit, then grabbed his BMX and started hucking off the first lip. Reaching the landing took some practice, but he too figured it out and started focusing on the second set, which he nailed.

We met another rider there named Richard, who was visiting San Diego from LA. He was more of a street rider, rocking a brakeless BMX, and his style in the air was evident. The landing evaded him also, but in time he reached that tall berm.

After our session at the Best Buy jumps we headed for Anderson Truck Trail. Since we had only two mountain bikes, Andy and I paired off with Scott and Ashton to shuttle the trail twice. Andy and Ashton went first.

This was Andy's first ride on his new bike, but he adapted to it quickly and even dropped the feature that broke his last frame. Ashton was completely new to mountain biking, my bike, and the trail; but after a couple spills and encouraging words from Andy, he got the hang of it and managed to ride one of the most challenging trails out here.

Scott and I picked up those two and then started our descent. Scott was the big man at the dirt jumps, but I got to lead him into my domain at Anderson. In usual Scott steeze, he conquered it all and cleared the trail with no problem. As we loaded up the truck and drove home, the sun was dropping below the horizon - just another day in paradise.

Anderson Truck Trail (Alpine, CA)

2009-01-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

I taped my old camera to the stem of my bike and took a trip to Anderson today with the hope of getting some SICK FOOTAGE! Too bad - the video's shaky enough to induce motion sickness, so I chose not to add it to the blog. The ride was great, though.

In other news, Andy's frame came in yesterday, so he'll be able to get out there with me and shred the gnar!

Best Buy Jumps (Chula Vista, CA)

2009-01-27T15:44:00.000-08:00

Scott and I took a drive to Chula Vista to check out some dirt jumps named the "Best Buy Jumps" because of their proximity to a strip mall [and Best Buy]. They had been built up since the last time Scott had seen them, but he wanted to see if he could still clear them.

The first jump was the main challenge. It's a step-up that's pretty large. If you can even reach the landing, then you have to deal with its pitch, which is basically straight down.

Scott gave it a few shots and eventually nailed it. He then set out to land the rest in the set, which seemed easier to him after tackling the first double. He nailed almost the entire line, but never quite reached the landing on the second to last in the set.

The transitions are built for BMX's and Scott tried to talk me out of attempting it, but I just had to try. Gaining enough speed for it became the main challenge, but I did manage to land it, which felt great since I expected to just get thrown off the lip, flailing my way to a hard wreck.

Sunday Morning Come Down

2009-01-25T20:48:00.000-08:00

Scott, Sarah, Andy, and I gathered this morning with a shared feeling of joy over last night's decadence. The pulled beef that Sarah prepared was heavy in our stomaches and Andy's birthday drunk could only be cured by coffee. We sauntered to Twigg's to grab a hot cup and then we basically just hung out at home, enjoying some hair-of-the-dog and riding bikes in the street.

Somewhere around 3pm we rode down to Balboa Park to check out some jumps that Scott knew about. They were pretty fun, so Scott and I rode them for a bit.

Scott was demo'ing a Jamis Parker from his shop, which broke at the chainstay during our session. I let him get a few runs in on my GIANT Reign X1, which has been bombproof thus far.

We made our way home and then had dinner nearby at Chevy's Mexican Grill. Sarah works for the corporate office, so our dinner was complimentary. It was the perfect meal to end our weekend of over indulgence.

Birthday Boy

2009-01-25T10:28:00.000-08:00

This is Andy's birthday weekend. Saturday morning we cleaned up the apartment and then Andy and I went to Penasquitos Canyon to ride the tunnel trails. They're winding singletrack trails with thick growth on both sides and above, which creates a tunnel. They're the first trails that we rode when I arrived in San Diego.

Unfortunately, just before we headed down the trail, we ran into a Ranger that informed us about a park-wide trail closure. Yeah, bummer. We talked to him for a while about the reasons behind the closure, but it sounded doubtful that they'll open them up again. Super bummer.

After the ride we had a few people over to the apartment for food and drinks, then walked down Park Boulevard to a few bars to celebrate Andy's 21st birthday (31's the new 21). We live in a predominately gay/lesbian community, so you don't exactly go to the bars expecting to cruise for chicks. Sarah and I made the most of it though, as we jumped up on the pole and made fools of ourselves. I even got a group of rando's to sing happy birthday with us outside of one of the bars. Good night for sure.

Sitting One Out

2009-01-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Tuesday's ride left me pretty worn out, so I've been taking it easy the past two days. Figured this would be a good time to start the clinical trial at UCSD by picking up a blood pressure arm cuff, which will take my blood pressure every 15 minutes for 24 hours total. It doesn't pay much since there's no risk, but at least I get to sit around and recover.

I also sent in a application for Wipeout. James thought I'd be a shoe-in, so I emailed them for an audition. Doubt I'll still be here during the eventual taping, but who knows, maybe I'll be back in California sooner than I'd expected.

Inauguration & Anderson

2009-01-20T18:59:00.000-08:00

I'm hobbling around like an old man. Knee's cut up and my left wrist is JACKED. Oh well, just comes with the territory I guess.

Tried out my bus route to get to Anderson Truck Trail today. It takes a while and you have to transfer between buses and the trolley, but it does get you pretty close to the start of the World Cup section. There is a short, but heinously steep climb on the road before the trailhead, but it's well worth it. I was alone, so I decided to take my time and just learn the individual features of the trail instead of just tearing down as fast as possible.

Some of the drops and jumps are out of this world. I surprised myself, though, as I attempted and landed most of them. I fell a few times of course (hence the sore wrist) but felt comfortable overall. Once I'd made my way down past the majority of the jumps, I turned around and hiked back up to the top, where I'd left an Arnold Palmer for motivation. After taking a short break, I geared up one last time and headed down to the bottom, linking all the areas together and tying together a killer run. Just as the World Cup section ended I came upon two other riders. We chatted for a little while and then rode the rest of the way together. I was able to catch a ride with one of them back to San Diego, so I didn't have to sit in a bus for two hours looking like I fell off a train.

I didn't photograph much, but did get a couple video segments before the battery on my camera died. Now I'm going to watch the inauguration online, soak my sore bones, and eat some tacos.

A Day at the Beach (Pacific Beach, CA)

2009-01-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

I wanted a way to introduce the people I know (and have met) in San Diego to each other and last weekend I figured out a way - a game of beach volleyball.

Our group consisted of Miles & Claire, their roommate Zack; Andy, Nina, and myself; and Ashton & Beth. We played a few games with mixed teams and had a great time. Even broke out the horseshoes and jumped in the bay a couple of times.

After the beach, we headed to Miles, Claire, and Zack's house to cookout. The feast was magnificent, naturally, and we topped it off by watching the last quarter of the Steelers/Ravens game.

Park riding, Surf watching, Mountain biking

2009-01-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

We got an early start to our Saturday - 6am. Apparently all of the skatepark attendants were laid off due to the recession, so previous "skateboard only" parks are wide open to whatever. We decided to go early to have the park to ourselves, but had to jump the fences since the park wasn't open yet.

Andy and Scott ripped it up for awhile and then we headed to Ocean Beach to get some breakfast. We ate at the Pier Cafe and got to see some surfers catching some pretty epic waves on our way there and back.

After relaxing at home for a bit, Andy and I headed to Noble Canyon, about an hour's drive from San Diego. The ride was about eighteen miles, we'd estimate, and offers some rolling, beautiful singletrack. It's a change from the usual mini-DH that you'd find at other trails, but did have one great stretch of blisteringly fast trail into the bottom of the Indian Creek Valley.

Another busy Saturday draws to a close. I think we'll watch Roam or Mr. Deeds tonight to recover from the action-packed day.

Oh yeah, we saw a tight Chevy Bel Air on the drive home.

RIP Cuyamaca (El Cajon, CA)

2009-01-16T14:57:00.000-08:00

I took the city bus to the Cuyamaca jumps this morning, but found a sad sight when I arrived. In an earlier post, I received comments about some 50cc dirt bike riders vandalizing the jumps, but didn't think it would be that bad. It was.

All of the jumps were destroyed. Even the new ones that were almost finished the last time we went to Cuyamaca. I guess we'll just have to wait for the next rain to rebuild them. It's a bummer, though, since there were two other spots that we'd planned on rehabbing during the next rain.

Anderson Truck Trail (Alpine, CA)

2009-01-15T17:41:00.000-08:00

Andy arrived at the airport this afternoon at 12:45pm. I decided to load up his truck with our gear and my bike and see if he'd want to take a shuttle run on Anderson Truck Trail when I picked him up - of course he was glad to get a run in.

We grabbed a bite to eat on the way at the In-N-Out Burger and then headed to the top of Anderson. I went first while Andy drove to the base to meet me there. Those trails are my favorite in the area - they've got berms, jumps, and rock drops all over the place.

When I got to the bottom, I threw the bike in the truck and we headed to the top again so Andy could get a run in. Since his bike is broken and we're still waiting for the replacement frame I let him take the run on my bike. I drove down to the base and about the same time Andy popped out of the trail. A great way to end what could have been just another weekday.