Peters Mill Run (Edinburg, VA)

Knowing that I'd be driving to Winchester to celebrate Christmas with my wife's family, I scoured the internet for a possible place to ride the DRZ between there and Richmond.

What I found was an ATV/OHV area near Edinburg, VA called Peters Mill/Taskers Gap.



This trail system features 36 miles of rocky terrain. The section below Edinburg is mainly doubletrack (only wide enough for ATV's) while the section above is a full-width road with smaller chutes branching off from its main artery.



First, I explored the area below Edinburg. It was a great warmup for what lay ahead, with technical climbs and descents, while not letting myself wander too far from the starting point.

Next, I ventured to the area North of Edinburg. Although it was primarily a fireroad, I did eventually turn right onto Walters Gap Trail. This ascended to the Green Mountain Trail, which runs along the ridge of Green Mountain. Once I reached Opechee Peak, the trail descended back toward Peters Mill Run, where I could complete the circuit.





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Aruba!

Long overdue for a return trip since our last in 2014, Rebecca and I joined my brother David and his girlfriend Lisa on the Saturday following Thanksgiving to fly to Aruba. By the afternoon, we were meeting my father and his wife on the beach!



I arranged two activities for our time in Aruba. The first was a kiteboarding lesson at Aruba Active Vacations.

Since I'd taken a lesson in North Carolina, I figured this time I'd be out of the water and possibly catching some air. Unfortunately, the wind wasn't blowing especially hard and I only managed to catch a strong enough gust to get me out of the water a couple of times. It was a little frustrating, but those things are simply up to chance I suppose.



Our second activity was one that the four of us could enjoy - renting UTV's to explore the island!

I made reservations with Arubiana to rent two side-by-side UTV'S for an eight hour period. The company was great at explaining the conservation areas to avoid, some highlights of the island to visit, and proper use of the machines. They even had an app which helped us navigate to areas of interest.

After a briefing, Rebecca and I headed back to La Cabana to get Dave & Lisa. Soon we were loaded up with groceries for our daylong excursion, heading on a clockwise tour of the perimiter. Despite the island's relatively small acreage, there is plenty to see. Even with several hours at our disposal, we had to choose some landmarks to skip in order to return the UTV's before close.

On our final day there, we again returned to the beach in front of our hotel. A few hours spent soaking up the sun and floating in the turquoise waters before heading to the airport to return to the reality of life on the mainland...



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Bryce Bike Park (Basye, VA)

It's been a while since I've ridden at a bike park. After selling the DH bike, I've sort of shied away from the more punishing runs on my carbon fiber Enduro rig. Bryce, though, is one of the more tame parks near us, with generally smooth trails with less gnarly rock gardens than can be found at Snowshoe or other more race-inspired parks.

For this visit, I was also testing out my new GoPro MAX camera. I fitted a mount to it for tying a floaty (for its eventual use in the water). I'm glad I tested this, too, as the mount did show up in the footage and would need to be nixed.



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Wave Daze (Virginia Beach, VA)

Since our inaugural trip to Wave Daze, I've been preparing my 650sx for another run at the surf of Virginia Beach.



Last year my time in the water was cut short due to a faulty bilge switch. This year, I bought another "waterproof" switch, disassembled it, filled with dielectric grease, then reassembled and glued into its housing. Finally, I coated the switch and its wires in a roofing "tar" and tested before the trip. This worked for a day, but eventually the salt water found a path into the switch and it stopped working.

After that, I wired a regular toggle, applied silicon caulk to the wires, then wrapped it in three layers of plastic bags. Believe it or not, THIS was the arrangement that worked best, allowing the ski to purge itself of seawater each time I submerged it.



Other than that, the ski ran wonderfully. The footholds I'd epoxied into the tray helped me keep my footing & balance in the choppy surf, and the engine rebuild & porting seemed to give the ski a bit more power. Probably most noticeable was the finger throttle - a huge improvement over the thumb lever which hampered my ability to get a strong hold on the bars.



For three days, I watched the other riders rip it up in the ocean, launching my ski a few times each day to ATTEMPT to hang with the more experienced guys. I wasn't throwing any tricks, but I could noticeably see the improvement in my balance each time I'd go out.



Most importantly was the warm welcome I felt from the more seasoned veterans. Each person I spoke to was happy to share stories of their experiences in the surf. Since I had my wife and four friends joining me, I didn't spend much time with the jet-skiers outside of the daily sessions on the beach, but I'm confident the comaraderie would have extended to the post-ride parties at the Quality Inn which hosted the event.



After each day of riding, I used my flush hose to clear the salt water from the engine and hull compartment. Each morning after, the ski would fire right up, so I was happily reassured that the previous day's flush had worked. To say that I was content with the ski's performance was an understatement. We all expect to be subjected to some level of mechanical frustration while thrashing these 2-stroke machines, but my 650sx performed wonderfully without issue!



The experience of riding in the surf is intense! Admittedly, my ski is still a but outdated and cumbersome, probably contributing to the fatigue that quickly sets in from holding up my stock handle pole.

Now that I've at least experienced the ride on my ski, I'm going to list it for sale and upgrade to something more current - hopefully a 2005 or newer Yamaha Superjet.







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Longdale Furnace (Virginia)

If given the chance, and enough time, I usually like to pack as many activities into one weekend as possible. With the upcoming Labor Day weekend approaching, I loaded up the Crosstrek with bikes, a kayak, and the jet ski in tow. Our destination for the extended-weekend was Lake Moomaw, but my first stop along the way was the North Mountain Loop at Longdale Furnace.



The ride was arranged just the way I prefer - a long slog up a fire road to warm up the legs, followed by a ridgeline trail with sights off either side leading to a fast descent off the side on the way back to the car.

Given the rocky terrain, I believe this trail is more commonly used for hiking than mountain biking, and I did pass a few trail-users along the way. Otherwise, it was a relatively remote backcountry route.



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Western VA Moto

The DRZ's first experience offroad was great! I swapped my spare set of wheels onto the bike and it thumped its way up the trails with ease!





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Blue Ridge School (Dyke, VA)

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Grandview Beach (Hampton, VA)

I've been dreaming of a day on the beach with the newly-restored ski for a while now. In fact, the entire time we were at Cape Lookout, I was constantly thinking about how awesome it would be to have the ski on the beach - just waiting to be ridden in the surf.

Finally, the dream became a reality!



I scoured Google Maps for a boat ramp in close proximity to a beach. The closest that I found was the Fox Hill Boat Ramp in Hampton. Not far from the ramp are Factory Point and Grandview Beach.

Once I'd found these potential destinations, I called the Department of Game & Inland Fisheries to inquire about regulations. I was glad to find out that boats were allowed at Grandview Beach (Factory Point is off-limits due to migratory birds). Also, I was told by a ranger that we could beach our skis on the sand as long as we were mindful of other beachgoers.



I invited my friend John and his family, who arrived with their boat so we could bring all the beach essentials.



Another friend, Ben, brought his JS440 and the three of us made our way from the boat ramp to the beach, spotting a few dolphins swimming alongside us as we rounded Factory Point.



Once at the beach, we set up our canopy and spent the day playing in the water and making runs on the skis.



It was a great place to discover. At only about an hour-and-a-half drive, I think we'll be returning for sure!





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Bowens Creek (Stuart, VA)

When Rebecca and I decided to rent an AirBnb in the mountains to celebrate our wedding anniversary, the immediate question that came to my mind was "what toys can we bring?"



After a bit of deliberation, I decided to pack boats & bikes - splitting the weekend into "on water" and "on land" days.



After completing our drive on Friday, we didn't have much time to spare, so we quickly unloaded our gear and drove into Floyd for dinner at The Blind Pig & Lush Lounge, an eclectic speakeasy that was completely worth the short jaunt from our lodging in Stuart, VA.

The next day we headed to Bowens Creek with the standup ski and sit-on-top kayak. I'd just bought the kayak for Rebecca's birthday, so this was our first time using it. Rebecca took to the boat quickly, even with the extra challenge of balancing Lola between her legs while she paddled.



We found a spot in the sun to disembark on the clay shore. From there, we took several trips to explore the coves in the beautiful turquoise waters.







That afternoon, the rain moved in. We got off the water just in time and headed back to the screen porch of our AirBnb to watch the storm move over the mountain range while we sipped drinks and celebrated our day on the water.

On Sunday we packed up and headed to complete the Woolwine Loop on our way out of town. The loop was a great mix of short descents and ascents, over rocky and rooty terrain.



As we were nearing the last of the climbs, Rebecca stopped suddenly. One black bear ran up the hill into the woods while another stood upright, facing her from a distance of about 80 feet. She wisely backed away and we decided to find a reroute to finish out the ride. A short bit of bushwacking helped us shortcut around the bears and in a few minutes we were back at the Crosstrek. With that last bit of excitement, we were happy to have stories to tell as we loaded up and headed home.

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White Bank Park (Colonial Heights, VA)

Now that my ski is back together, it's time to RIDE!



My friend Ben scoped out a great spot to explore on a Friday afternoon - White Bank Park & Boat Ramp in Colonial Heights, VA. It was only about 30 minutes from town and the area was a beautiful setting to relax and get a few runs in.



I brought along another friend, James, and my canoe so that we could chill between laps on the skis.



Conditions were perfect - a sandy bottom and waist-high water (even at high tide).



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Cape Lookout National Seashore (North Carolina)

One of the absolute highlights of each summer is our trip to Cape Lookout National Seashore. This year was especially unique, since a third couple joined us in their Crosstrek. The extra vehicle and awning created a great home base for our days on the beach.



A couple years ago we were surprised by Caribbean blue waters. Luckily, we returned to find the same beautiful colors this year!



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VA Creeper Trail (Damascus, VA)

Every summer, Rebecca and I choose a rail-to-trail path to pedal with my mother and stepfather. Two years ago, my brother and his girlfriend started joining us for this annual ride.



So far, we've pedaled sections of the C&O Canal Trail and the Greenbrier River Trail. To change things up a bit, we decided to try the Virginia Creeper Trail this year.



Since the drive is significantly longer, Rebecca and I decided to add a mountain bike ride to our trip to Damascus. We chose the Rowland Falls to Jerry's Creek loop about halfway between Marion and Damscus, VA. As evidenced by the elevation profile, it's a rather grueling climb - luckily that effort is rewarded with an exciting descent.



After our ride, we finished up the drive and were soon pulling into the driveway of our AirBnB rental right in the heart of Damascus.

The next day we rolled our bikes to The Bicycle Junction just next door and were soon being shuttled 17 miles up the road to Whitetop Station.

From there, the ride is mainly downhill all the way back to Damascus. This allows plenty of time for sightseeing and enjoying the leisurely pace with the rest of your group.



Once we'd reached Damascus, we decided that we were up for more pedaling, so we jumped aboard the same shuttle and had them drop us off in Abingdon. There, we had lunch at 128 Pecan before hopping onto the trail to pedal back to Damascus. This second leg of our ride was actually more interesting, with a few more sights to see.





On Saturday we chose to explore Backbone Rock in Tennessee. Only a 10 minute drive from Damasus, we just couldn't pass up the opportunity!







We even had a chance to cool off in the Beaverdam Creek.



On our way out of town on Sunday, we decided to make one more stop - Grayson Highlands State Park to hike the Twin Pinnacles loop.





After the loop, rain began to fall, so my Mom and John headed out while Rebecca and I continued on in the hope of seeing some of the wild ponies the park is known for. We lucked out on both fronts - the rain subsided and we got an up-close view of the ponies before heading back to Richmond!



All-in-all, it was a fantastic way to celebrate my 40th Birthday!

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Jet Ski Hull & Painting

After rebuilding the engine over the winter, the time has come to finish my modifications to the hull of my 650sx, including footholds and a new splatter-paint scheme!

In between home-renovation projects, I found time to install a set of Wamilton footholds into the ski using rivets & Fasco 110 epoxy glue.



A few weeks later I continued my work, sanding and repairing the hull before laying down a coat of Krylon Appliance Epoxy.



The next day I returned to apply an 80's-inspired effect - neon splatter! I used neon acrylic paint and thin paint brushes to throw the design onto the ski. I was nervous about the process, but it turned out exceptionally well!



Another first for me was hydroturfing. To make things even more daunting, I'd be attempting to roll the turf around the footholds.

I started the process by creating a template of the tray side. I used aluminum foil so that I could bend & fold it into place without it losing its shape as I moved toward the back of the ski.



Next, I transferred the pattern to the hydroturf and fitted it to the ski. I used the top rail as my starting point, trimming the turf and adding reliefs to help it bend around corners. Once I was confident my shape was correct, I began applying the contact cement. Other than some innertube patching, I'd not had much experience with this product either. I learned that the best technique was to apply the cement to both surfaces, let it tack up (five minutes or so), then apply a second (and maybe third) coat. The hydroturf would "soak up" the first coat, so I continued until a tacky "glue" existed on both surfaces.



I made the mistake of fully glueing the section of turf that I'd be rolling into the foothold. This was not wise, as it stuck to another section before I was ready to roll it into the foothold. Once these surfaces touch, they're pretty well bonded, so I ended up having to tear the turf and patch the missing areas later.



I had better luck on the other side as I bonded the majority of turf before applying cement to the section I would wrap into the foothold. In either case, though, I was left with some areas that needed to be patched.



Overall, though, I was happy with the end product. I think the patched sections blended well and won't be noticeable.



Next I'll be plasti-dipping the rail bumpers, reinstalling the engine and new bilge pump, and hopefully taking it out for a proper ride & photoshoot!

UPDATE:

Once assembled, I took the ski out for a test run - it was in perfect working order. The only mishap was the handle pad falling off, but that's an easy fix!



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