Reposted from the Hawley Blog in all it's pedal powered awesomeness! The soundtrack could use a little tweaking. It reminds me of a yoga video, or self help relaxation tape. What it needs is some good 'ol Saturday morning cartoon non sensical kid bop metal.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Well, This is Fun
So, it's been a couple weeks since my last day at Ski Country. You may wonder, why would someone give up a perfectly good job, when so many would love to be employed in this economy? Maybe it's because I am so burned out working as a mechanic. I've been working in various shops on and off for the last 13 years. Don't get me wrong, I've loved the people I've worked with and will miss them, but I want to do something different. I guess I am getting antsy. It's been a year since I got my WEMT certification. I only have a year before I have to recert, and as of now have 0 working hours or CEUs. No jobs in the area is stressing me out. All the bigger cities are downsizing, having paramedics take over most roles. There are jobs, just not here. Not sure what to do about it. I guess I quit, because it would force me to do something. I need to move forward.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
New Kid Day
Congratulations Larissa and John
Jacob Andrew Newman
9/22/10 @ 17:38 8 lbs 2 oz 21.5" long
I think the kid has a mustache and can bench 210 already
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
But What Can You Do ?
Yesterday I got a text from my sister that I have been expecting for a while. She was on the way to the hospital, contractions had started. Hmmm, doesn't the kid know that he wasn't due for arrival until around the 27th? I had received the text on the way into Bent Creek forest, a dead zone as far as cell phone coverage is concerned. After reading the text, the first thing on my mind was "how is she getting to the hospital? Were my parents trying to be out there for all this? Was John able to take her?" After contemplating all this for a while, I came to a conclusion. Regardless of the answer to these questions, what could I actually do about any of them? Through out my life I have had a bad habit of what if, and what can I do? I want to fix things and make them better. I got my certification in EMS last year, maybe this was an underlying reason. I wondered if I should call her and make sure that everything was ok, I wanted to call my parents and make sure that they knew. Then the more that I thought about it, the more I kept coming to the same conclusion. I am 2000 miles away, what could I possibly do? I knew that she has always surrounded herself with people that could help her if she needed. I needed to trust that these people would. After putting all of this into perspective, I was able to pedal off into the woods. I know that I need to be able to adapt this to other parts of my life to keep my brain and heart form exploding from anxiety. Sometimes no matter how much you want to be involved or to do something about it, it's better to realize that there is not much I can do to affect the outcome good or bad.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Leaves of Grass
Long ride in the woods today. Been spending a lot of time on the road bike the last few days, but I know that I will always love mountain biking. Something about being away from the speed of life. In the woods no matter how fast the pedals and wheels are spinning, time seems slower.
I love taking the time to get lost in my head. Alone on the 8 inch wide strip of North Carolina dirt, I'm able to wrestle with things inside my head and slowly feel my shoulders lower as the tension eases, even if only for a few moments. My new favorite route is to start out at Rice Pinnacle parking lot, ride up North Boundry, down Greenslick, up Sidehill, up Wash Creek , cross the parkway over to Trace Ridge and then ride back. This ride gives me plenty of time to just pedal, not even conscious of the job my body is doing to propel me through the forest.
On this ride I find a weird balance. I revel in the solitude, my mood brightening as I leave the crowded trails of Bent Creek behind, but I also have enough time to remember all of the people that I have ridden these trails with. Some I still ride with, others only come along with me as a memory. Bicycles have allowed me to see amazing places around the country, and to meet even greater people. Both of these making lasting impressions. Even on the days I don't have a camera, it never matters. These rides will always be with me.
I love taking the time to get lost in my head. Alone on the 8 inch wide strip of North Carolina dirt, I'm able to wrestle with things inside my head and slowly feel my shoulders lower as the tension eases, even if only for a few moments. My new favorite route is to start out at Rice Pinnacle parking lot, ride up North Boundry, down Greenslick, up Sidehill, up Wash Creek , cross the parkway over to Trace Ridge and then ride back. This ride gives me plenty of time to just pedal, not even conscious of the job my body is doing to propel me through the forest.
On this ride I find a weird balance. I revel in the solitude, my mood brightening as I leave the crowded trails of Bent Creek behind, but I also have enough time to remember all of the people that I have ridden these trails with. Some I still ride with, others only come along with me as a memory. Bicycles have allowed me to see amazing places around the country, and to meet even greater people. Both of these making lasting impressions. Even on the days I don't have a camera, it never matters. These rides will always be with me.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Doug and Telisha Williams
If you guys ever get a chance to see my friends Doug and Telisha Williams play, I highly encourage that you do!
Tour Schedule here
Tour Schedule here
BIKE!!!
It's new to me bike day! Why is this day significant to someone who's life revolves around bikes? First, it's a road bike. Second, it's a STEEL road bike. Third, it not only has gears, but has a triple and it freewheels! It has been ages since I have had a road bike with any of the previous qualities. Soo excited to be able to cruise at 24 mph without blowing up. Looooong rides actually sound fun, and dare I say, it is making me seriously consider triathalons. Gasp! I am also happy to report that the Jamis Ventura is equipped with pannier mounts. Bike touring? Yes please!
I found the bike on craigslist for a ridiculously low price, like it only should have come with one wheel and no handlebars, low price. After emailing and texting back and forth with the seller, we agreed to meet at four on Tuesday after work. I have to admit that I have spent very little time in Marshall, NC. It is BEAUTIFUL country! I wanted to just keep riding and riding when I was test riding the bike. I have to admit that the singlespeeder in me wanted to scoff at the triple front chainring, but I have to say, it was actually fun to change gears and go FAST! I will definitely be making it out to Marshall for more riding.
Now for the bad. A individual that shall remain nameless was said to have worked on the bike. They have been advertising on Craigslist for a while for cheap on the spot tune ups. After arriving home, I proceeded to go through the bike a little more thoroughly. Having been a mechanic for 13 years, it's hard to trust others work whether it is my cars, or my bikes. Please note that I am not trying to bash the individual as I know this could have been an isolated incident and we all have bad days. It is just that the problems I found were pretty significant, and just plain dangerous. Plus the previous owner had paid good money and probably expected quality work. First I found 2 of the main bolts on the stem to be loose. Not sorta loose, but starting to backout of the stem loose. Next, the last cog on the cassette was not keyed properly to the freehub body. This caused not only the cassette to be loose and to rattle, but also did not allow the lock ring to be properly tightened. In other words, it could have come off. Next all the adjustments had been made by rolling the barrel adjusters out. Finally, and this was another dangerous mistake, the front brake cable was not properly bolted to the brake and actually came out when I pulled hard on the front brake. Luckily none of these problems were found on Town Mountain.
I am fortunate enough to have the capacity to fix my own bike. If a less skilled individual had purchased the bike they could have seriously gotten hurt. I also feel bad that the previous owner paid good money for a service that was not performed properly. I realize that money is tight these days on both end of the bike repair industry, but please realize that this is a case of you get what you pay for. Be careful out there! Now get on your bike and go somewhere!
I found the bike on craigslist for a ridiculously low price, like it only should have come with one wheel and no handlebars, low price. After emailing and texting back and forth with the seller, we agreed to meet at four on Tuesday after work. I have to admit that I have spent very little time in Marshall, NC. It is BEAUTIFUL country! I wanted to just keep riding and riding when I was test riding the bike. I have to admit that the singlespeeder in me wanted to scoff at the triple front chainring, but I have to say, it was actually fun to change gears and go FAST! I will definitely be making it out to Marshall for more riding.
Now for the bad. A individual that shall remain nameless was said to have worked on the bike. They have been advertising on Craigslist for a while for cheap on the spot tune ups. After arriving home, I proceeded to go through the bike a little more thoroughly. Having been a mechanic for 13 years, it's hard to trust others work whether it is my cars, or my bikes. Please note that I am not trying to bash the individual as I know this could have been an isolated incident and we all have bad days. It is just that the problems I found were pretty significant, and just plain dangerous. Plus the previous owner had paid good money and probably expected quality work. First I found 2 of the main bolts on the stem to be loose. Not sorta loose, but starting to backout of the stem loose. Next, the last cog on the cassette was not keyed properly to the freehub body. This caused not only the cassette to be loose and to rattle, but also did not allow the lock ring to be properly tightened. In other words, it could have come off. Next all the adjustments had been made by rolling the barrel adjusters out. Finally, and this was another dangerous mistake, the front brake cable was not properly bolted to the brake and actually came out when I pulled hard on the front brake. Luckily none of these problems were found on Town Mountain.
I am fortunate enough to have the capacity to fix my own bike. If a less skilled individual had purchased the bike they could have seriously gotten hurt. I also feel bad that the previous owner paid good money for a service that was not performed properly. I realize that money is tight these days on both end of the bike repair industry, but please realize that this is a case of you get what you pay for. Be careful out there! Now get on your bike and go somewhere!
2002 Jamis Ventura 520 butted steel frame
Random video of the day is......
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Pisgah Sorta Badass
So 9-11-10 was slated for the Pisgah Badass race/ride. This course was the evil vision of Pisgah Works. There was little known about the ride, save for the cue sheet on the Pisgah Works website. In bold letters it promised fun, pain, and possible injury. Sweet, I'm in! The previous night was host to the New Belgium brewery Clips of Faith tour. With the Pisgah Badass having a start time of 9 the next morning, I figured I would hang out for a couple hours before turning in early. Highlights of the Clips of Faith festival were: seeing lots of people riding bikes to the event, tasting a few select for event only beers (mmm peach), getting my kick ass socks from Shanna, making a rad button, and seeing friends in various stages of drunkedness.
I awoke at 6:30 to a familiar but dreaded sound. Nope, not the alarm clock, but the steady pinging of raindrops on the roof. Great, I don't recall if there is a rain contingency built into the plan. Well, it is called the Pisgah Badass. I load up the bike, fill a couple bottles with craptastic tasting sports drinks, arm warmers, wool hooded jersey, Pisgah map, and cue sheet. The drive is uneventful, and I pull into the ranger parking lot. Awesome, 8:40 and not another soul. This is not encouraging. I start to get dress and then ride over to the Black Mountain trailhead. Crap, still no people. At about 9 (the stated start time) I notice a group of about 8 take off. I didn't recognize anyone in the group, so I continued to circle the parking lot waiting for any familiar face to show up. If I had looked more closely, I would have noticed that Adam Penny was leading that group, but I wouldn't discover that until about 4 hours later. Finally, I get sick of waiting and set off on my own. A very nice girl informs me that a group, left at 9. I laugh and pedal on alone in the rain.
The climb/walk up Black is painful, and it hadn't even started to rain hard yet. I figure I will do this ride at my own pace, for fear of injuring myself alone. I'm armed with the cue sheet, waterproof map, and an assortment of snacks and clothing layers. I am prepared for the long day ahead. At the top of Black, I cross the first rider that has opted out of the ride. He says that pushing up Black pretty much took it out of him, and that he is heading back to the car. I make sure that he knows his way back, and continue on my way. Down Buckhorn, the increasing rain is making the sand stick to the tires and flings into my face. Good thing I wore glasses, oh wait, I didn't. On to South Mills where I come across my second rider. We chat a bit and he says that he has had enough of the rain and talks about a little misadventure he had further down. On down the trail I come across the third rider. Sweet, another singlespeeder! I finally get a head count of how many other riders started out, and come to find that Pisgah Productions was no where to be found, so the group made the executive decision to start the ride anyway. Apparently there are 8 riders total, so that leaves 5 more to find.
Seems though most of the riders are turning back on Squirrel, and that the torrential rain is wreaking havoc on riders and bikes. Squirrel pretty much tries to kill me as always, I continue my pace of caution, especially with more wet root beds being encountered, and less riders in the woods every hour to help me out if I wreck myself. I come across a group of 3 heading back a third of the way into Squirrel, that makes 5 headed back. Laurel Creek to Bradley, I finally come across Adam and an unknown bearded singlespeeder. Adam calls out, asking if I'm doing Badass. I confirm that I am, although not feeling like much of one right now. That was 8. I am now alone in the woods.
I encounter a guy on South Mills while consulting my map, we chat a bit and come to find that he and his family had come out to camp. He says they had not expected the torrential down pour and had brought a tent with a fist sized hole in it. He was making the lonely trudge back to the truck to head into town to go buy a new tent. I wished him luck and headed on pushing my bike up to Turkey Pen parking lot. Under the shelter of the info board, I took stock. I had about 2/3 full bladder of water, 1.25 bottles of sports drink (FYI cytomax tastes like crap. Never again), 1 peanut butter and honey sandwich, no dry clothes, soaked electronics (phone, camera), 6 loose spokes, and 2 sets of brake pads that were spent. That's right, my brakes were done. No amount of adjusting or fiddling was going to bring them back. There was literally only a couple millimeters of pad compound left on the plates. I had no brakes, during a ride that necessitated brakes. I still had to cross back over Squirrel and down Black. This did not look good. I had to make a decision. Ride for pride, or play it safe and get to ride another day.
I swallowed my pride. Riding back 280 in the down pour was terrifying. Small shoulders on the road and deep puddles made for an interesting ride. I had no lights with me and hoped that I wasn't going to get hit from behind. Coming over the crest towards Brevard, I see the blue lights of 4 squad cars. I'm certain a motorist had called the police to inform them that a moron cyclist was riding down the highway. I pedal past without incident. Making the turn back to 64, I'm on the last leg of the ride. I stop by the Davidson River parking lot, and see that two cars remain. Adam and the unknown singlespeeder are still on the the trail. Good for them. Pulling up to Chester, I slide open the side door and find relief in putting on warm dry clothes. As soon, as I'm comfortable, the doubt starts to sneak in, and I play the what if game. Should I have stuck it out? Should I have just walked the steeps, and not worried about brakes? The return leg was way easier, why didn't I just gut it out. Oh, well, I try to convince myself that I made the right decision. I did find solace in the fact that I was never tired, physically I could have gone on. The rain, and mental games got the best of me that day. I hope to make another go of it soon, I feel like this ride is unfinished, just on hold.
I awoke at 6:30 to a familiar but dreaded sound. Nope, not the alarm clock, but the steady pinging of raindrops on the roof. Great, I don't recall if there is a rain contingency built into the plan. Well, it is called the Pisgah Badass. I load up the bike, fill a couple bottles with craptastic tasting sports drinks, arm warmers, wool hooded jersey, Pisgah map, and cue sheet. The drive is uneventful, and I pull into the ranger parking lot. Awesome, 8:40 and not another soul. This is not encouraging. I start to get dress and then ride over to the Black Mountain trailhead. Crap, still no people. At about 9 (the stated start time) I notice a group of about 8 take off. I didn't recognize anyone in the group, so I continued to circle the parking lot waiting for any familiar face to show up. If I had looked more closely, I would have noticed that Adam Penny was leading that group, but I wouldn't discover that until about 4 hours later. Finally, I get sick of waiting and set off on my own. A very nice girl informs me that a group, left at 9. I laugh and pedal on alone in the rain.
The climb/walk up Black is painful, and it hadn't even started to rain hard yet. I figure I will do this ride at my own pace, for fear of injuring myself alone. I'm armed with the cue sheet, waterproof map, and an assortment of snacks and clothing layers. I am prepared for the long day ahead. At the top of Black, I cross the first rider that has opted out of the ride. He says that pushing up Black pretty much took it out of him, and that he is heading back to the car. I make sure that he knows his way back, and continue on my way. Down Buckhorn, the increasing rain is making the sand stick to the tires and flings into my face. Good thing I wore glasses, oh wait, I didn't. On to South Mills where I come across my second rider. We chat a bit and he says that he has had enough of the rain and talks about a little misadventure he had further down. On down the trail I come across the third rider. Sweet, another singlespeeder! I finally get a head count of how many other riders started out, and come to find that Pisgah Productions was no where to be found, so the group made the executive decision to start the ride anyway. Apparently there are 8 riders total, so that leaves 5 more to find.
Seems though most of the riders are turning back on Squirrel, and that the torrential rain is wreaking havoc on riders and bikes. Squirrel pretty much tries to kill me as always, I continue my pace of caution, especially with more wet root beds being encountered, and less riders in the woods every hour to help me out if I wreck myself. I come across a group of 3 heading back a third of the way into Squirrel, that makes 5 headed back. Laurel Creek to Bradley, I finally come across Adam and an unknown bearded singlespeeder. Adam calls out, asking if I'm doing Badass. I confirm that I am, although not feeling like much of one right now. That was 8. I am now alone in the woods.
I encounter a guy on South Mills while consulting my map, we chat a bit and come to find that he and his family had come out to camp. He says they had not expected the torrential down pour and had brought a tent with a fist sized hole in it. He was making the lonely trudge back to the truck to head into town to go buy a new tent. I wished him luck and headed on pushing my bike up to Turkey Pen parking lot. Under the shelter of the info board, I took stock. I had about 2/3 full bladder of water, 1.25 bottles of sports drink (FYI cytomax tastes like crap. Never again), 1 peanut butter and honey sandwich, no dry clothes, soaked electronics (phone, camera), 6 loose spokes, and 2 sets of brake pads that were spent. That's right, my brakes were done. No amount of adjusting or fiddling was going to bring them back. There was literally only a couple millimeters of pad compound left on the plates. I had no brakes, during a ride that necessitated brakes. I still had to cross back over Squirrel and down Black. This did not look good. I had to make a decision. Ride for pride, or play it safe and get to ride another day.
I swallowed my pride. Riding back 280 in the down pour was terrifying. Small shoulders on the road and deep puddles made for an interesting ride. I had no lights with me and hoped that I wasn't going to get hit from behind. Coming over the crest towards Brevard, I see the blue lights of 4 squad cars. I'm certain a motorist had called the police to inform them that a moron cyclist was riding down the highway. I pedal past without incident. Making the turn back to 64, I'm on the last leg of the ride. I stop by the Davidson River parking lot, and see that two cars remain. Adam and the unknown singlespeeder are still on the the trail. Good for them. Pulling up to Chester, I slide open the side door and find relief in putting on warm dry clothes. As soon, as I'm comfortable, the doubt starts to sneak in, and I play the what if game. Should I have stuck it out? Should I have just walked the steeps, and not worried about brakes? The return leg was way easier, why didn't I just gut it out. Oh, well, I try to convince myself that I made the right decision. I did find solace in the fact that I was never tired, physically I could have gone on. The rain, and mental games got the best of me that day. I hope to make another go of it soon, I feel like this ride is unfinished, just on hold.
Late Start
Pisgah in the mist
Pads after the ride
Random video time 'cuz no one reads this anyway.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hey I know that girl!
Dumpster Bike Reborn just in time for .......rain.
I have to say that I kinda take pride in dumpster bike. As it's name implies, it was a dumpster rescue in Blacksburg, VA. As far as I can tell, it used to be an REI brand Novara Reason 1. This thing is HEAVY. 520 straight gauge steel coming in at a 6.2 pound frame weight. It's heavy, it's rusty, it's a little too big, but I love this bike. It keeps morphing according to my mood. 69er, fixed flat bar cross bike, Freestyle fixed gear, it takes it all in stride. It's latest incarnation is another fixed gear with 26" wheels, and flipped mary bars. I loved riding fixed offroad for some reason. Maybe I just like the attention, or because people tell me it's a bad idea. I love that it's ugly. I had a guy come into the shop and asked "what's the story with the ugliest bike in the world out there? Man that thing is ugly." He then proceeded to ask if it was for sale. There is something satisfying, riding past the high dollar rigs, on a machine that looks like it will give any one in a 10 foot radius staff infection. I've ridden it all over Pisgah, ridden it fixed for solo class at Burn 24, and commuted the hell out of it. I will probably never get rid of this bike. Sure I could probably sell it a couple hundred bucks that could be put into the nice bike. I will probably just keep dressing it in ridiculous guises.
What the bike probably looked like in a past life
Thanks to Tomi McMiller for making an awesome bolt on cog.
RIP stripped track hubs you won't be missed.
What the bike probably looked like in a past life
What it looks like today
Thanks to Tomi McMiller for making an awesome bolt on cog.
RIP stripped track hubs you won't be missed.
Crap, my bike kinda looks like the one on the sign
And now for random video time.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Welcome to Asheville, now go home.
I don't know what my problem was today, had a much lower tolerance for people than usual. This being Labor Day weekend, it seemed like everyone from Ohio to Florida had ended up in Bent Creek Experimental Forest. Now, I'm all for people getting out in the woods and enjoying the sunshine. It just seemed like a majority of the people out there were unintentionally out to kill me. So what was I doing in the woods? Well, trying to ride my bike without ripping my face off. Ever since I had started mountain biking, I have been the king of flats and mechanical problems. I used to have to carry a day pack to haul around all the tools and spare parts I needed to make it through a ride. People used to stop riding with me after they started realizing how terrible my luck was. "Uh aren't you a mechanic?" yeah "Why does your bike suck so bad?". *sigh*.
Soo.. the greatest invention for me aside from fixed gear mountain bikes (less moving parts for me to destroy) was the development of tubeless tire systems. But isn't that high end racer technology? Funny you should ask, as per usual I chose the ghetto way of converting to tubeless. Would you expect any less from a guy that rides a bike called dumpster bike? Anywho, I had converted my wheels back to tubeless and had decided to go on a longish ride from rice pinnacle to mills river and back, making sure to find plenty of rocks and roots to try to dislodge the tires on. Ever since my friend Tina had a tire unseat during a race, forcing her to use her face as a brake, I've been leery of running tubeless since I love to ride my rigid singlespeed the same way I ride my downhill bike. I'm happy to report that despite my best efforts to get the tires to burp, I didn't lose a pound of air. Hooray!
Back to my rant, the things that DID try to kill me were 2 riders hauling ass down Wolf Branch and failing to yield any room to the uphill rider (me), 1 rider deciding that since I was going slow up the top of Ingles Field Connector, that it would be ok to go ahead and drop in and then lock up the brakes to slide into me, 1 Ford Excursion hauling ass up wash creek on MY side of the road (jackass, go back to Ohio) and finally 1 gigantic tour bus style RV that forced me off the road when the huge vehicle decided it was ok to use both lanes in the hairpin turn (where the hell did they think they were going to turn around once they got to where they were going?)
So yes, I love Pisgah, when I leave WNC it is the one thing that I always miss. Today I just wanted to get lost in the woods. Yes, I know that I would have been better served to ride in the Brevard side of Pisgah, but I really didn't want to have to sit in the car for and hour to go ride my bike. I know, I know, ride more, bitch less. I realize that the reason that all these tourists come to Asheville, is because it's amazing. I guess I'm just selfish and don't want to share.
Soo.. the greatest invention for me aside from fixed gear mountain bikes (less moving parts for me to destroy) was the development of tubeless tire systems. But isn't that high end racer technology? Funny you should ask, as per usual I chose the ghetto way of converting to tubeless. Would you expect any less from a guy that rides a bike called dumpster bike? Anywho, I had converted my wheels back to tubeless and had decided to go on a longish ride from rice pinnacle to mills river and back, making sure to find plenty of rocks and roots to try to dislodge the tires on. Ever since my friend Tina had a tire unseat during a race, forcing her to use her face as a brake, I've been leery of running tubeless since I love to ride my rigid singlespeed the same way I ride my downhill bike. I'm happy to report that despite my best efforts to get the tires to burp, I didn't lose a pound of air. Hooray!
Back to my rant, the things that DID try to kill me were 2 riders hauling ass down Wolf Branch and failing to yield any room to the uphill rider (me), 1 rider deciding that since I was going slow up the top of Ingles Field Connector, that it would be ok to go ahead and drop in and then lock up the brakes to slide into me, 1 Ford Excursion hauling ass up wash creek on MY side of the road (jackass, go back to Ohio) and finally 1 gigantic tour bus style RV that forced me off the road when the huge vehicle decided it was ok to use both lanes in the hairpin turn (where the hell did they think they were going to turn around once they got to where they were going?)
So yes, I love Pisgah, when I leave WNC it is the one thing that I always miss. Today I just wanted to get lost in the woods. Yes, I know that I would have been better served to ride in the Brevard side of Pisgah, but I really didn't want to have to sit in the car for and hour to go ride my bike. I know, I know, ride more, bitch less. I realize that the reason that all these tourists come to Asheville, is because it's amazing. I guess I'm just selfish and don't want to share.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
The Great White Hype
My favorite time of year has come around. It's hurricane season again in the south east. We've had three systems off our coast for the last couple days. It's time to chase some storms! I've been watching the Folly Beach surf cam for the past few days. Hurricane season is always the best time to make up for the usual east coast flatness. Soooo... just like every other time I plan a quick trip down to Folly, I always have plans of getting on the road by 7. Once again, that goal was FAR from met. Like a kid on Christmas (yes I said Christmas, suck it all you haters) insomnia set in. For the life of me, I could not sleep grrr ! Wondered if I was still reacting weirdly to the mass amounts of benadryl that I had consumed to combat a lovely reaction to a bee sting the other day. Anywho, I proceeded to watch my new favorite tv series (well it's not really tv since I have to watch it on the laptop) The 808. This series kicks ass! Seriously, how can you not like a series about surfing in Kuai and angry Hawaiins? 4 o clock rolls around and finally get to sleep. I get the van loaded and gassed up, and finally get on the road about 9:00. Alright, let the drive begin. Luckily I'm going down the friday before Labor Day, and fully expect to be sitting in a parking lot on 26 for most of the trip. For some strange reason, I make it down in the usual 4 hrs. Ok, time to buy some warm weather wax, cuz I'm sick of my cold water wax left over from VA Beach melting all over the place. Roll into Longboards and go to pick up a couple of bars. "3.00 please". Ok, no problem, whip out the debit card. "Um sorry there is a 10.00 minimum for card purchases, do you have any cash?" Crap, who the hell still carries cash these days? Hold on, I'll look around. End up with "free" wax after buying an 18 dollar shop shirt. Oh well, support the locals. On to The Washout. Hmmm surf looks good, tide has filled in pretty nicely but.....isn't this hurricane season? The report said head high +1. This stuff is looking chest high at best. I guess they use the same measuring system as Pinkbike, powered by 13 year old groms. At least we got some waves! So, 14 footers or not the day turns into a good session, with clean waves, no morons vibing, and the added bonus of USC being back in session and blessing the scenery with their student population. It's always sad to see summer come to a close, but I love how it always goes out with a bang.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Facebook can suck it.
Hey all,
Well, after months of deciding whether or not to cancel my Facebook account, I finally pulled the plug. The whole reason I created the account in the first place was to keep in touch with friends, and make it easier to share thoughts and photos from my day to day. Unfortunately, it went the way of high school drama, making me want to punt the whole thing into the toilet. Soooo... here is my new outlet, and brain dump area. It will be filled with useless nonsense, and hopefully halfway decent photos. Enjoy :)
Well, after months of deciding whether or not to cancel my Facebook account, I finally pulled the plug. The whole reason I created the account in the first place was to keep in touch with friends, and make it easier to share thoughts and photos from my day to day. Unfortunately, it went the way of high school drama, making me want to punt the whole thing into the toilet. Soooo... here is my new outlet, and brain dump area. It will be filled with useless nonsense, and hopefully halfway decent photos. Enjoy :)
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