KING CITY CRUNCH WRAP

well im winding down from the first day out on the road.  other than a crazy wind storm my drive was fairly uneventful… however i did have some highlights: first off, i made a stop at was has been referred to by many as the best taco bell. after hearing this rumor for years driving up and down route 101, i decided since i had time to kill and could use a stretch, i’d give it a whirl. after pulling off the freeway in king city i was greeted by a rather delapidated T bell but nonetheless i was in.  i must say it was crunchwrap worthy of westlake T Bell circa 2005-2007. after that i got on highway 25 and drove thru pinnacles state park and into hollister. after gettin a tasty burrito and enjoying local memorablia from the “wild one” movie a local friend of mine, miss KB, took me out to her friends ranch of 500 acres overlooking the valley, unreal! we had fresh slughtered burgers and did some skeet shooting off the back porch, after the dirt bike drag racing that is. so, all in all i’d say it was a good day, stay tuned for pictures soon and hopefully some more interesting stories… till then

FTW

well, i’ve been pluggin along since last time but havent had much of a chance to get online. not that anybody is really counting on my stories to get them through the day anyways.  so heres the brief rundown, day 2 i drove into santa cruz and got a tour of the santa cruz and swobo bike facilities by willie,(thanks dude). after checking out all the cool stuff i headed over hecker pass, which would be a killer road ride, and headed into morgan hill to fox racings hq.

thanks to furry matt and fox for the sweet tour and awesome gear!  after leaving fox i headed north some more enjoying the beautiful rolling drive up the mountains above shasta. i made myself a delicious 3 layered almond butter and jelly sandwich just before the oregon border and took in the sights of the setting sun over the cascade mountains. the finer things… after fighting off the temptations of crawling into the back of the van for some sleep i finally arrive in portland and made it to scott’s house where he had a lovely sofa bed that was so angled i could have used it as a roll in for a big gap! despite my sleep on sideways street, i awoke recharged and ready for another day!

after rollin out of portland i was happy to get back on the quite roads again. the greenery of the pacific northwest is something completely different compared to the lovely browns and tans engulfing the santa monicas that i’m so used to.  after lunch in seattle i was given a reality check of city life and had a good 30 minutes of traffic to think about my last meal, by the time traffic had cleared i was hungry again and my mind was wandering looking for an excuse. there it was! i passed a pendleton outlet store, some of you received my frantic calls and texts as i rushed to share my excitement. so, as one could imagine with a plaid problem like mine, a few hours and few hundred dollars later i was back on the road for b town. my undisclosed secret location to meet some locals i’d never met before to show me around.

once i pulled into town, which i will not name due to threats i’ve received from my very friendly new companions.  i will simply say, this last holdout for americans before the border is a breath of fresh air!  it is set on a beautiful bay nestled into a backdrop of mountains and trees. the historic looking old town is full of life and bicycles crossing every which way in front of me as i drive the meagan-mobile.  the stories and things that happened last night after stopping to start a conversation with a kona clad rider will be shortened into a wonderful chain of events that  only can be described as a perfect night out.  after leaving the boundary bay brewery, which was our last stop we on the tip of old town.  as we neared the center we heard a roar of people and yelling, we get closer and see its about 150-200 people half on bikes or rickshaws dancing and yelling to michael jackson’s “beat it.”  after having a few good laughs and a couple crotch grabs i moonwalked outta there as the police arrived and headed back to my new friends house for a comfy place to crash. today is another day, and the way this town’s been treating me it should be good. waitin for my new friends to wrap up work and shred some local dirt! until then ill keep my guns, money, and freedom. you keep the change

turn it up!

FTW

DAY ZERO

hello everybody, i am now in vancouver after spending a couple awesome days in northern washington with the Kona guys. Much love and thanks for the good times and beds to sleep in! to anybody who got the call or text talking about how much i loved this town and wanted to move there, this kinda capped off the evening and showed me how rad a town full of kids can be. as you may have read, the michael jackson party in the middle of a busy downtown street as i was leaving a local brewery had me rolin! here’s the video which gives away the name of my new home town but is worth everyone enjoying!! make sure you watch the bum who stumbles into the middle of the dance and grabs his crotch while gettin jiggy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MknnTd987G4

ENJOY!! Today is full of safety meetings and logistical briefing so, i will try to get some more info out as we go. tonight will be my last night in the urban jungle before heading into the canadian forest for 7 days. if technology is unavailable i will be sure to post pics and stories when back to the big shitty. keep the rubber down.

FTW

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

  Well, I have made it back to sweaty southern California just in time for the lovely heat wave.  Unfortunately the trip home was a bit quicker than I had hoped it would be but just the same, I got some great riding in and met plenty of cool people at all my stops along the way.

  Mountain biking is the best sport/lifestyle I could ever ask to be a part of!  This trip has again shown me how lucky I am and reminded me so much why bike riding and bike people are the coolest around.  In the 2 plus weeks i was gone, (aside from my tent living for the BC race) I did not get one hotel room and only slept in the man van once.  Different towns, different people same love.  

  On the way home my first stop was at one of my favorite new towns, Bellingham.  Once again I was greeted by people I barely if at all knew and was given a warm couch and a trail guide for some local shredding.  Chris from Kona was kind enough to show me the key local spots and a place to crash and clean up.  While in Bellingham I discovered a Hostess surplus store where the Twinkies and Ding Dongs flowed like the salmon of Capistrano.

  Once back on the road I decided to stop back in Portland since I had some unfinished business.  No trip to Portland is complete without a stop at VooDoo donut.  Thanks again to Scott for the sweet quarter-pipe bed to sleep on.  The next morning we had a lovely breakfast of deep fried dough, Scott even smoked his crueller blunt.

  After a belly full of donuts, I hopped back in the van and headed southeast to Bend, a town I have been reading about and seeing in videos for years.  After cruising through the old town I found Bend Cyclery, an awesome gravity geared shop with a colorful staff.  I had a great time hanging with the owner and employees and much appreciated the time they took to point out their personal recommendations and choices for trails.  Bend, has an incredible biking scene and the amount of trail work and open land is unreal.  After a spending the early afternoon there I decided to make a conscious effort to stay off I-5.  Who wants to smell cows and get home fast anyways.  

  Taking route 97 I continued southeast and along the way found a kick ass logging museum in the woods (ironic I know)  On display were massive machines, locomotives and saw’s from as early as the turn of the 1900′s.

  So as the day and my trip come to an end, I enjoy the beautiful sunset that is masked by a thick brown haze covering the San Fernando valley.  At this point my mood changes from normal sadness of a good trip coming to an end to downright depression.  I look in the rear view mirror to navigate my way over to the 101 freeway and notice my face is bright red.  The red hue is not from the days of riding in the sun, or the brown sunset coming through the window, but from a rolling barricade of brake lights stopping me from getting home.  Thoughts race through my mind, what am I doing here, why did I come back to this, all these people are lost!  

  My mind shifts gears and in an attempt to escape the gloomy reality of L.A. traffic I reflect back on my awesome trip and how lucky I am to be involved in the mountain biking community.  A little over 2 weeks gone and only 1 night in the van and no hotels.  Mountain biking is the best thing that has happened to me and the people I’ve met are the best around.  The fact I could roll into a town and strike up a conversation with any shop employee or rider putting around in a parking lot speaks volumes of the mentality and brotherhood that riders have for each other.  I was instantly a friend to these strangers who only knew that I too shared the same love for gettin dirty and shredding new trails.  Instant invites to burrito stands or bbq’s to discuss local trails and when people could ditch outta work to show me around was a common theme.  These towns were full of great trails and awesome people, and I wonder what is keeping me from joining them.  The days may be few.