Downhill Southeast Round 3 - Bailey Mountain Bike Park(Marshall, NC)

I am absolutely, positively, going BACK TO BAILEY this summer! Every stop of this three-race series has been phenomenal, but I was most taken by Bailey's course. It was quick - best times falling around the 2 minute mark - but an absolute scorcher top to bottom. The best part was the view of other trails as we rode the shuttle to the top. It definitely had a BMX feel, with large, groomed berms and jumps snaking down the hill.



I'm also eager to ride the race course again, especially after seeing Neko's strategy over two of the biggest "G-Out" spots of the track.



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Downhill Southeast Round 2 - Windrock OHV Park(Oliver Springs, TN)

The last time we visited Windrock was in 2010. The community of riders has kept the trail network there in good shape and continually improved upon them. It's still one of the most challenging courses I've ridden.

This race weekend was another excellent time.


Photo by ALM Photo.

On Saturday the conditions were great and every practice run seemed to improve upon the last. Shuttles were in quick succession and by the end of the day I'd logged over a dozen runs. We all had in the back of our minds, however, that the rain was on its way.

The next day the course had been transformed to a greasy, muddy chute. All of the riders did their best to cope, but it seemed we'd need to throw out our strategies from the previous day in exchange for simply surviving. The best strategy turned out to be one of patience and careful navigation. I wasn't complaining, though - muddy conditions make for some fun runs and epic stories.




While in the area, Rebecca and I stayed with our friends in Knoxville, TN. They live literally on the top of a mountain and have the most beautiful views available to them every day.



The four of us visited Gatlinburg for dinner and took a stroll down the strip to take in the sights and sounds. The Ole Smoky Distillery even had a bluegrass band on stage while we breezed through.



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Downhill Southeast Round 1 - Trials Training Center(Sequatchie, TN)

It's been quite some time since I raced DH. This was mainly due to the realization that your amount of riding is reduced when taking part in race weekends. In order to do well on race day, you have to pace yourself and not wear yourself down too much during practice. On race day, one or two practice runs to refresh your memory of the course is all you get. After a couple of seasons of racing, I'd decided to step back and enjoy the riding a bit more...but I got soft.



This weekend was a great eye opener. I didn't push myself hard, but still felt wiped by the end of Saturday's practice runs. It was surprising how sore I was after the weekend, but in a way I was extremely satisfied to push myself to that point and to realize that I'd really gotten slack over the past couple seasons.

With that said, I had a blast riding the course and riding a new venue. The course was split at the top, creating an amateur and pro course out of this minor difference. At first, I signed up in the pro category, but after comparing the courses I decided that the amateur track was a bit more enjoyable. The beginning of the pro course featured a steep chute in contrast to the amateur track's longer upper section, which featured a few jumps that didn't exist on the pro course.



The turnout for the event was phenomenal. So much so, that the two U-hauls and single Sprinter van were kept in constant motion, shuttling riders to the top of the mountain throughout both days. There was plenty of talent, too, which seems to be the case whenever I ride with guys from the southeast.


(my berm blowout is at minute 00:46)

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Las Vegas / Grand Canyon / Zion Nat'l Park (Nevada/Arizona/Utah)

With the last few remaining days of leave that we had to spare before heading back to work, Rebecca and I decided to mark off one of our "bucket list" trips. After a few days of watching air fare and seeing no definite trend, we pulled the trigger and booked two tickets to Las Vegas. It's one of the cheaper hubs, and a good jumping-off-point for so many epic destinations.



Although the outdoor destinations were the real attraction on our trip, we did have a fun time taking in the sights of Las Vegas. We both agreed, however, that Old Vegas had much more style than the new version on the outskirts of downtown.



Fremont Street even had a Container Park filled with shops and restaurants. I've been ogling modular tiny homes lately, so seeing them used so well was inspirational.



The Grand Canyon was breathtaking! It's unbelievably vast - a sight that must be experienced in person.



The sights at the Grand Canyon were well worth the 4.5 hour drive, but Rebecca and I agreed that we'll have to make a return trip when we can dedicate several days to hiking/rafting/riding within the park.



The next destination was Zion National Park in Utah. I'd seen photos of the park, and had wanted to explore it first hand for awhile. In contrast to our trip to the Grand Canyon, we were able to explore on the ground-level of Zion. I found a spot to park and we bushwhacked to a suitable elevation to check out the beauty around us.





On our way to the Grand Canyon, we passed over the Hoover Dam. Because of the length of the drive, though, we had to leave in the early a.m. and couldn't see what lay below us. On our final day we had some time to spare, so we took a short drive to see what we'd driven past several times by that point.





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Wineberry Cabin (Stanardsville, VA)

We've been to a great many PATC cabins over the years, but I was most impressed by Wineberry. Its two-tiered porch, stained glass windows, and outdoor cook area were great.



The hike into the cabin was short - only about half a mile - so we brought all the toys including a chainsaw, four mountain bikes and, of course, the quadcopter. Elmer even brought his guitar to keep us entertained while we sat back and relaxed.



On these trips, the idea is to kick back and take it easy, but we kept ourselves busy on Saturday gathering firewood and exploring the woods by foot, bike, and Phantom.



Jeremy made use of the raised cook surface as he prepared a white bean & chicken chili for us that night.



We tried exploring the trails around the area, but soon found a locked gate. Instead, we parked the Jeeps and hiked to a lookout with the dogs.



On Sunday we cleaned camp, restocked the cabin with wood, and took the traditional dip in the spring-fed outdoor tub. This time of year would usually signify a brave plunge into the cold water, but this December's unusually warm temperatures made it a brisk but refreshing splash.



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Hollywood Rapids (Richmond, VA)

My first flight over water...scary!



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Turducken (Richmond, VA)

Last weekend we drove to Knoxville (no post, busy week) to visit friends and buy a DJI Phantom 3 quad-copter. After watching how-to videos all week long, I was chomping at the bit to take the copter out for a test drive.

As chance would have it, the annual Turducken Bike Polo Tournament was taking place in Richmond, so I was able to test out my flying skills there.

I would STRONGLY suggest any DJI pilot modify the controls in order to reverse the UP/DOWN stick. I like the feel of "pulling back" on the stick to gain elevation, and that instinctual response seemed to work well as I quickly picked up the navigation of the aircraft and had ZERO crashes on my very first attempt.



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