Two Scoops.

Thursdays nave been saved all summer for Buck Hill bike racing fun..

The racing has stopped but the fun has not..

The young one in the house and I got all dressed up in 

our super suits and headed out on our cross bikes for some ice creme.

In doing so we got to pedal some of the best roads that 

the Eastern Metro has to offer. 

His only complaint was that his back hurt towards the end..

I explained that he needs to stop growing and I would 

then make sure that the bike he has fits better..

Also told him that it is a right of passage to ride a bike that is just a 

titch too big.

Next up will be mtb racing up in Duluth.. 

Going to be a masochist  and race it like a man.. On the one by fun.

Fingers crossed their have been some epic days on Spirit Mt..

All

I ask is that you damn kids stay off my Lawn..

Oh one for Mom..

Stained and Confused

For years I would ride my bike to work everyday,, 

Like the mail man rain,, hail,, Sleet,, sUn and snow I would be out there getting to 

and from work..

Then I cracked my skull.

Today I rode to work

and it was cool.

Used ta could a would a ..

Not Back on shit ,, never left.. 

Lines in the Sand

 Oh so many years ago,,

Shortly after mister Brendan Grover Curran graduated from 

UWL my lovely wife .... Not Pictured jumped into our ratty car and headed out west. 

We found our selves in what for what it is worth never,,, never land.

Life was simple Ski,, work.. repeat.. 

 Then before we knew it we were blessed with a peanut of a Pip that changed my world..

Up until the point that Sophia came in to my world my silly 

young brain was stuck on live fast die young.. 

But that was short lived.

She was a reset button that made me realize that their was more than just me. 

I stopped being totally reckless and focused on what was important. 

Not saying that I have not been 

messed up multiple times.. I have hit the ground and even taken a helicopter flight...

Gravity is a mean mistress.

To this day I still live the life of get rad and have fun,,

Tuck and roll.

I have lost a lot of friends over the years and have felt a lot of loss. 

The Loss that I fell now 

is so much more than all the ones that I have said good bye to,, 

Life moves pretty fast..

Make sure that you love the ones your are with and Remember the ones you have lost..

THM

  

Rise from the Ashes..

There are events in life that make you have to grab the handrail and hold on. 

That feeling of being weak in the knees and the world around you spinning. 

The kind of life alternating moment that you search and search for answers. 

Loss can bring on this feeling,, loss of a pet, loss of a home or car,, the loss of a loved one,,,, expected or unexpected.  

Unexpected is by far the worst kind of loss,, Your dog getting hit by a car,, a tornado or forest fire destroying your home... 

Or a loved one suddenly  leave the physical world. 

A week ago Friday Morning I was into the office at work getting ready for a short day of calls..

It being Friday it was moms day for a Chemo treatment and 

at 730 my phone rings with my moms photo.. 

Scared that she is not feeling well I answer before the first rang stopped..

Mom comes through the speaker and All I hear her say is
" Trempealeau is Dead.."
What?
He is gone he is dead,

I am still to this moment in shock.
The Family is in Shock.
Too young..
He was a Shining star..
Named after a Beautiful spot along the Mississippi deep in the
Driftless of Wisconsin..

I hope that in the daze and years to come my Brother and the rest of my family can find some 

peace.

I am trying to put together some of the bike Industry for a memorial scholarship fund 

so young kids can learn to fly like he did.

The talent was unreal and 

he will 

never ever

be forgotten.

Love You Kid.

THM

Never Forget,,, Trempealeau..

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.