Fallout Shelter

Life in a vacuum is void of sound and light.. External forces tend not to apply.. The landscape does not change and yes it is the same everyday.
This platform has been going on now for eleven years.. Sometimes with great consistency and other times lacking any voice or substance. It is time for a change...

It is time to blow things up... Content has grown stale.. Time to go off to the desert with Hunter S and find my words and my way.
The daze of chaseing the professional cyclist life has come and gone.. The lust and passion for movement stays the same but as the names to the right and left come and go the redefinition of a DMC will come with ebb and flow.

So as we grow closer to the bringer of the light and the fire and daze begin to grow bright a new address maybe a new sight will rise as I burn thus sucker down and rise from its ashes.

Boneless

Still not winter here yet in the Great White North,, just wet.. It has been raining and raining making it hard to go outside and play.. So it was super great to hear the boy say today when he got home from school that he wanted to go and Sk8 at Familia.. Only issue in doing so is that the trip home would be in the throat of rush hour traffic in the rain. But the boy said sk8 so I was in.  Jumping on the Interstate from hell I was treated to some fresh rubber that the little buggy got installed.. Love new tires,,, just hate paying for them. We got our selves to the

 HQ and started banging out the tricks,, the boy was even going after some moves I have never seen him  try before.. I dig it when I see him think outside the box and see him progress,,, He just doesn't let me give him advise. Which drives me nutz.. So much so that tonight as he went into Karate Class,,
    I was finishing up listing to the Tony Hawk Radio show,, so I call in and asked him for advice.. Funny as an old man talking to the guy that you grew up watching and idolizing getting advise about bring up a young skater. It was some good back and forth until my phone dropped the call,, but the guys continued to talk about the subject of kids,, learning and trying not to do too much as a skater parent.  Told the boy about the phone call as we walked out of Karate class and needless to say he was pissed that I spoke to Tony and he did not..

I seem to be wearing holes in my shoes and the ones on the bottom of the shoe are getting worse every session,, The only place that has the best selection of Vans is in the MOA and being so damn close to the holidays not sure that I want to go in to that place regardless of  what they have on the shelves.

This kid has been getting a lot of views lately.. He is kind of nut and I would to spend a day following him around the Valley Of The Sun..

I am not the only one Here in the 612 with Grey in his hair that have fresh wood.. 

Here is the Godfather of Minnesota cycling Geno with a 

fresh box of goodies from the Master Of Disaster 

Stevil.

Get out and hump the crap out of this hump day..

Keep the Wheels Moving.. 

Blank Page

Sitting starring at a blank page.. Started three different post.. Had a bunch of whitty words about adventures and fun that was had.. But after reading and thinking about it all......I was left with nothing... It just doesn't matter.. Find what matters dü good be good to each other.. Their is a lot of crap in this world and what we need is everyone to just be cool....

Tucker

Tuck and roll is a way of life when it comes to participating in wheeled sports fun.. Even with my two plank powder daze the ability to assess the fall mid action and Tuck the Roll is a big part of not getting really f..ed up...  It is a skill and one that can take years of practice which means years of going down to the ground.       Rollerborading out of all the things I enjoy doing has the highest rate of tuck and roll moments.. Now while most times you try to run out the gravity challenge and escape scratch free....and  at other times the running ends with a quick tumble until tour momentum comes to an end...
 When it really sucks is when you don't have the chance to run.. and or tuck and roll.. When you just slam.. When all of the force you have generated turns you in to a pancake splattered on ground..
This is all part of the fun.. the mystery of standing or falling.. Rolling away with you arms in the air in victory..or skipping across the ground like a stone on the pond..

The weather here has been great and not sure how long it will last.. The boy and I have been able to play out side more than normal for this time of year.. And I have been able to roll two and four more than expected...

I keep saying that I want to go for a night ride but when the work day is short and the sun is out u am going to ride and not wait for the nightlight.. My LaMere has been silly fun to ride and it has my face mucles making smiles more often than not..

On a more serious note lets all take a moment to think about those who helped make this country what it is by fighting for our freedom..  Grandpa was stationed in AK making sure no unfriendlys  came over the Bearing Sea..

Now get out there and remember to Tuck and Roll..

Falling

Keeping the wheels moving is a good mantra and one that a good Friend always uses.. It is something that I try and try to do.. And being fall and not really chasing any kind of goals for the seasons end for me it is now just about keeping the wheels moving and having fun on either two or four wheels.

 Pre crash DMC was riding everyday back and forth to work and finding small side missions on the way to and the way from. Now in a new place at a new job and a new home I am enjoying the exploring and searching that is all in front of me..... Friday I was home early enough to dawn the super suit and head out to the neighborhood single track and rip leaf covered trail before coming home to do all the dad stuff that comes my way..

 And again keeping the wheels moving two or four... So like planed me and the boy headed to the Valley Of Golden to ride the indoor park there. Saturday morning is reserved for Kids and old guys like me.. Normally when we enter and the money has been exchanged the child and I go our separate ways,, only to cross paths when awesomeness happens.

  It was a good session as the boy was throwing down and smiles were all around,, lots of High Fives on this day,, and we finished with a stop at the Familia Shop  and checked out all the fresh wood that they had to offer,, and the old man scooped up something red and shinny to complete the stoke factor.

Nothing like fresh wood to make you want to shred unit the lights go out. 

And the more and more that I ride and spend time with the boy the 

better I fell inside. 

So flash-forward to Sunday morning and the unseasonably warm November weather

me and the mini-me headed back out to the local Mountain Bike Playground that had been 

all leaf blown since I was there last,..  The trails were coated with lot and lot of happy people on bikes. 

All kinds were out and accounted for,, most were Fat Bikes from all brands under the sun..

Me and the boy rode the standard issue of  fat tire bicycles.. 

Ripping around on this full rigid carbon machine is dream come true. 

Now the goal is to see if their is a way to get some bigger tires on this rig or on the single speed,, so if and when the snow does come that I can continue to play in the woods. 

Top off the weekend with some more ripping on the four wheels one town over.

Quite day inside the fences and a bit of head wind every time you headed south,, 

For the third week in a row,, we ran into a young ripper with a beat to Crap board.... 

Felling like a sk8boarder Robinhood I grabbed an old Flip out of the back of the Rav and 

mad yet another kid smile from ear to ear.. 

All I asked was to Keep the Wheels Moving and to Ride with Pride. 

I may not be the raddest dude in the world but at times I sure do fell like it.

Keep rolling forward and keep the fire lit so the Stoke never goes out. 

Age is a number and smiles go a long way. 

BE excellent to each other.

Noises

So days are longer than others and some posts are shorter than some... Breathing has returned and the sore throat is gone.. Hard being sick when the indain summer stretches in to Movember.. Which to say blowing ones nose with an upper lip sweater is no fun..

  Thankfully the weekend is here and their are some house projects to get done.. Days are short and the nights are long...but the wheels continue to move... Indoor tomorrow with the lad... Then outdoors with one of my two wheeled toys..
So here is to the weekend raise a beer and raise a ruckus..

Daily Grind

So I can't spin,,,or flip but I can roll with style and jump some shit and slide down other stuff.

Taking twenty years off of being a full time sk8er boy was a tough thing to come back from,, but I would like to think that I have taken it in stride. 

Their is something pure and powerful about riding a Sk8board,,

It is not just something that just comes to you and their are no short cuts. 

It is full if pain and joy... 

        It can leave you full of joy and cripple you and leave you in a puddle of pain. 

My second coming of four wheel fun and the time that I get to spend with my boy is 

something that this old man really enjoys.

Their is something about sharing what you love with the ones that 

are in your life.

For me riding a skatetoy is nothing more than riding a bike..

I du have a whole lot of fun riding a bike or any of my bikes and 

it is time for me to get back to the old form and shape that I used to be. 

Being this old and turning grey pudgy guy has to end.

The fire is burning again and I have been really digging being on the bike as of late. 

It has been a tough year with my recovery/comeback tied into the move and dealing with all that comes along with all the changes. 

So as the days get shorter and the nights get longer I look forward to 

finding a path and chasing the light at the end of the tunnel.

The bringer of the light will Chase the Darkness away. 

Throw out the Clock

 Battling through another weekend and came out with a smile on my face.. Getting to spend time with the family is by far the most important thing as we still adjust to the move.
 The flooring project that we did in the kitchen and dining area looks and feels perfect..

Saturday was a rainy wet start and the  Party was taken indoors to the Familia HQ.. Not only did we get to have the park to our selves the Rocket got a new board and got it signed by the Pro who's board it was..

After all the ripping the boy and I along with his cousin walked around the hood and got candy.. Rocket went as Marty Mcfly from the second movie.. Fun to watch him tear through the hood on his cruiser board.

Topped the weekend off with a sunny Sunday morning road ride even though I felt lagged from the clock switch..

And then we set out for a skate tour of the Western metro.. 

We got to see some cool stuff and skated some rad spots.

Now time to adjust to the work week and

Move forward with the November plan.

Duddy of Fuddy

It has been said by me over and over again... And I will stand by my words I do not like Holoween.. I can't really put my fingers on why but their is something about kids begging at my door for free candy... And as an adult the over the top dress up costumes that big people get into...... I know that makes me a fuddyduddy but I can live with that..

That being said the weekend is almost here and I am looking forward to not doing anything..  Their is a ton of stuff going on with two cross races and the legendary Homie Fall Fest..But Until all my house projects are done it is hard to get my brain around training and racing...  I need to evaluate the next two months and start the come back...
And this time it will be called a come back..

The big hope for the weekend is that wheels will move and that my town house does not get egged... Be safe be nice and don't get tricked..

Pane

I have spent some thirty plus years coming up with different ways to bend ..break...and destroy my body... From my first sk8 toy in eighty four,,,through my ski bumb daze and all the up to the present not forgetting my years chaseing my cycling dream.
At times at the ripe age of 42 I feel hobbled.

It has been mentioned to me a number of times by my better half to maybe just give my body a rest.. But I have an issue with sitting still. I don't wear it well.
My biggest issue as of late is a lower back issue that has caused many a slow morning of just trying to get loose... Over the past few years I have blown it out to the point where I was laid up for a day or two...... Latley it has become a chronic daily pain... And still to my colors I don't stop moving and playing..

And the best part is I am passing it down to my youngest.

What I need to do is start stretching and or find a bone bender to get my back straight.

Age is a mind set and pain is just weekness leaving your body..

I can't stop

And as they say

Get it straight ride Krooked. 

Spent

Time comes and goes.. It is trying to find out how to spend this time with out wasting it.
Occupying space in time and doing the things that you want to do is key..

I had a new partner for a single track session.. The boy has slowly grown in to his Karate Monkey... And yesterday he was letting it fly through the woods.. Think that he likes the lack of hills here in the 612..

Watching the boy control is time in space is enough to make a Old Blackhearted Man smile.. He left the sk8park all smiles and excited about some new tricks that he learned..

Making Time while the sunshines

Enjoyment..is Key.. 

Looper

Inspiration can be found in the strangest of places if you look at it right..

Time spent with the boy in the trenches is enough to put a smile on an old man's face..
Trying new things even better..

The weather has been unreal and bikes have been ridden.. This is where the rubber meets the trail..

The oldest is in West Virginia for College nationals.

Hoping that she can have a good ride.

Meanwhile her old man will be sipping beer and waiting for his pizza to be done.

Alive and Kicking

So I have been off the radar for awhile.. But everyone's favorite Dark Harted Rebel is still a live and we'll..

It is safe to say that it has been crazy in our world.. But I am still standing .. The family is still in tact and we are constantly moving forward..

The townhome we bought is a bit of a bust.. But we have a good aittude anda lot of projects to bust out ... Things are coming together..

My boy and I have been thrashing as much as we can and my whole quiver of bikes are back together and living in the garage. From the door to the trailhead its only four miles and I can rip some nice single track.

Shit I even lined up this weekend and didba cross race... Or at least started one.. Flatted on lap three and did not have a pit wheel.. That is what you get for riding with tubes in your tires..

Life moves pretty fast...and unless you slow down once in a while you may miss out..

Not that anyone has been missing my ranting and raving.. But I will try as life gets back to a normal pace to blurt more and more..

When At Home

I am with the family down in the Driftless,,, as we only have a few more daze left down here.

One week from tuesday we close on this home and then have a few days unit we can move into the new house in Woodbury.

Been super tough to be separated from the family the way that we have been,,

but being able to come home on the weekends and spend quality time with them helps me through my weeks.

Bowling,, Drinking Beer,, Playing on Sk8 toys and 

riding bikes are all the things that bring me back to normal..

I did get to take the boy out yesterday and test out his new to him 9 speed shifting set up..

He still gets a bit overwhelmed when riding up at the Human Powered Trails... but 

did like that fact when the trail gets hard that he could shift and life got better.

For me 

I was able to get out on the LaMere today and play on the Vista Trail...

I wanted more but time is at a premium

and I need to make sure that I am not gone for too long.   

Felt good to pedal up the hill,, 

not one of my fastest times but still not slow for not riding up anything like this in 

weeks. 

With a a few more hours of daylight this little family will make the most

out of it.

A session at the Sk8park with the boy some front porch sitting with 

the wife and 

soaking up the late summer sun..

Life is an adventure Grip it and Rip it. 

Going Mobil

I am still squatting in my cousins house and almost a week has gone by with out my family. Still looking for a new home and enjoying the new job.. Things are coming together..

 Today is my lovely wife's Birthday and she is driving up here to the 612... To celebrate and house hunt..

 This happened..  www.allhailtheblackmarket.com

One for the weekend.. Or am I just living for it?

Just another Story

Getting  the last few pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together..

Today should be a bit of a whirlwind as I need to try to cram everything in and not miss out on anything.

We are still waiting on the people in IGH about their home that we put an offer on...

And may end up having to jump ship and put an offer on another one. 

This is by far the most stressful part of moving,,,,dealing with homes,,, money,, and people. 

I got to go out last night with this girl..

I'll be gone for the next few weeks as I start working and #ANNA and James 

wrap up our life down here. 

My plan is to be able to get down the river and see them on the weekends..,

Especially next weekend as it is her birthday.

We did do our best to celebrate as we tore up downtown 

on a Thursday Night.

I hope with all that I have going on that 

I can 

get out and play one last time in the woods..

Yesterday was short but sweet it feels good to push the pedals up the hills,,

Knowing that I will be back again..

So this may be one of the last post that I du for a while as I wont have a computer to 

play with.

I figure it should to be that big of a deal as I am sure not may really read this.

So their you 

have it time to Turn the Page and start a new Chapter..

23 years this 

boy comes back to the 612.

Party On!

to all and to all 

Ride ON!

Hedgehog

Back in the summer of 1992,, I drove down from the cities to hang out with my older brother while he was at college here in Lacrosse.

Now I am done with high school and have been to orientation where I just so happened to meet the love of my life...#ANNA..

But the real reason I was down was to be a Punk hang out in a college house,

which was by far one of the grosses places I have ever been in,, and to ride 

my new Mountain Bike.

My Blaze Orange Gary Fisher.

My brothers house mates were a rag tag bunch of guys that either had bikes or would find one and go up the bluffs then back down,, usually at and or after the bars closed. 

For me I had never ridden up a hill for as long as we had to.

Decked out in my Ski Hut kit,, which I was the only one wearing a super suit,,
we headed out off the campus and out to Old Vineyard road.
This was and still is a very steep and twisty road,,paved but old and forgotten when eventually led to a gravel climb to the top of Hedgehog Bluff.
From here is was single track heaven,, ripping around onto of the bluff through open pastures of wildflowers and steep sandstone cliffs...
Then came the down...
What I can remember it was a mix of single track and maybe an old logging or mining road all over grown and fast.
As I descended and tried to keep up with Paul Gnay I missed what should have been a right hand turn and dumped my self and the bike into a old rottened out tree/stump.
My toe clips were on so tight that the bike and i were still one and thanks to the old decayed tree my young 18 year old body was in one piece.
As the rest of the riding party came around they all checked to see if I was ok..
I earned some street cred for this ride and from here on out
I knew what I wanted to do with my life.
Their was only one thing left to do.
That was open the Phone Book and
Call about a Girl.
I did this and spoke
to #ANNA on the phone for a while.
Don't think that she was impressed with the dorky
city boy on the other end of the phone..
Thankfully that did not last for ever.

   

Besties

As I sit here in front of this glowing screen I realize that I am still

wrecked from playing on my bike saturday.

Quick backstory,, since I have not been riding much and dealing with selling my house and

then buying a house and all that is involved. 

Bikes have or had been ridden leading up to this day of craziness. 

Just not for anytime longer than and hour and a half. 

Saturday turned out to be an almost three hour ride but we got to touch every inch of trail. 

The Fam and I rolled into the campsite under the cover of darkness and for the first

time ever I put up the Pop-Up in the dark.

The found wood and got a fire started ,,,, got all of this done and had a beer in hand 

sitting by the fire all in Thirty Minutes.

As morning finally rolled around breakfast was cooked 

and coffee consumed ,, and I was off to see what was happening at the 

Levis Trail Head.

As I pulled in and saw a number of weary faces the landscape look as if 

Burning Man him self had been here the night before.

High Fives were slapped and some stories were shared, 

then it was back to the camper to get my shit together. 

In years past we have had our bikes laid out and then messed with,,

last year we just rolled out up a road that went straight up..

This year they had us lay our bikes in the field then 

walk around like sheep.

This had all wondering what was going to happen??

As the information was given out,, they finally yelled go and it was a mad dash to 

our bikes.

Nothing had been messed with and we were all off up the ski trail.

The ski trail lasted a good bit and the groups were forming fast with 

Creepy-Friendly off the front.

Sliding into a group that happy with 

I eased just a bit was not comfortable on the overgrown trail,,

then through a mud puddle that rendered drinking water non-drinkable.

We went up around and over and was flying up on some 

single track trail,,,, when my phone started to ring..

Now it is a saturday and it is not work because I don;t work there anymore

and my phone never rings,, makes all kinds of other noise,,

I am thinking that it one of the family or my real estate  guy something.

So I stop and answer,,, nope kid for the bike shop wanting to 

come over and pilfer through all my old bike gear..

Back on the bike passed by 15 or so racers and now i have to put my head down and 

try to make up time.

As the rest of the ride went I pedaled and rode over and around stuff,,,

my hands became bloody pulp..

and my body was screaming.

I crossed the line and my name went on a board some where in the 

Top 20..

Not bad for some adult like guy who has not been him self. 

I had a blast riding some of my favorite trails and getting to party with 

a fun crew. 

Now I need to get this whole finding a house under-control.

Up to the 612 with the boy to look at schools and homes..

More to come Party On and On!