Looking towards 2008

No pictures with this one, just a word on where things seem to be heading.

2007 has been one hell of a year, those of you who know me, know of some of the trials and tribulations that have been thrown my direction. Those that do not know me, well, you will get to know me and those questions will probably be answered.

For now I am in preparation mode, getting packed for my trip to California. I will be hanging out in the Bay Area with my family and hopefully finishing the business plan for B4 Consulting and Construction. This trip will be one to get the head straight and come back to Asheville refreshed and ready to blast into 2008. Things I am anticipating going into the new year:

1. Having my own business, which will center around getting people on two wheels with a smile on their face.

2. Traveling a little more, I didn't think it was for me, but turns out I do like meeting new people. I want a home and to travel. CAKE + EAT = SURE WHY NOT BOTH

3. Seeing a few friends get hitched and have kids, you know the whole "growing up thing".

4. Owning a car, a computer and a cellphone. WEIRD.

5. Building fun stuff for people to ride all over the country.

6. Putting on a huge National Trails Day project.

7. Putting together a trail work series, more chances to get down and dirty.

8. RIDING MY BIKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. This is one I have let slide over the last few years. I find myself ready to put in some serious miles next year.

9. Being involved in my local advocacy scene, hopefully helping it blow up.

10. SMILING...something else that I have let slip.

Life is a funny thing, how it can be a series of waves. You catch some and ride them through beautiful, carving turns and sweeping vistas. Other times, they can throw you into the rocks with a power only understood by those who have survived it. But, for all the bad hits, isn't it funny how we keep paddling out to meet the next set coming ashore.

I have always believed the world works in a series of sine waves we have ups and downs, but the thing that makes some people stand out in life is how they perform in the face of those breaks. Whether a great, easy-to-ride 10 footer or a monster 40 foot torrent. Enough of the Surfing analogies, sorry.

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and a Happy New Year. I doubt I will update again until into the new year. I want to focus on the business plan and relaxing. Keep your head up paddling into the next set and remember, it might just be the best ride you have had yet.

Busy Weekend.

This was a wonderfully busy weekend. I went and looked at a spot of land in south Asheville a few people are wanting to put some trails on and I also did a spot of trail work on Laurel Mountain with Mike Brown, Valerie Naylor, and Mark Almond with the club. We spent our day bob-ing in some tools and straightening up a few trees. I included a few photos.

Good day all in all. This first shot is of the new vehicle and how cool it is to have a place to throw all my crap.


Next is a photo of the bob behind Mike in action. These little things are a blast.


On to the major log rework of the day. We had a plan for this section, but ended up coming up on it already cut by a local hiking club. So, we turned it into an alternate line that is super fun and doable.

Mike and Mark looking over the hiking club handy work.


The complete product.




This is one of my all time favorite trails and one I hope to always be able to help with.

Meet my brother BOB

Well with a trail maintenance day coming up on Laurel Mountain I thought I needed to get myself organized and get the B.O.B. in gear. I spent most of the night working with it and it is still incredibly primitive, but there will be more added on. I am seeing a full blown Humvee of bike trailers, Disbeast gonna bee baaedd. And the pictures. Two MSR fuel bottles, one for Petro, the other for Bar oil. Oh, yeah. I used a chain length to hold them with bungees. Then the raw chassis and finally one of the finished product sans one more bungee. Here we go, pictures from Sunday for sure.

BC what? Creek...Ohhhhh.

How do I start? Been a little bit since the last update. The last few days have been spent in school. Also, got a new vehicle, pictures to come soon. Things have been a bit nuts. The photos will be from Bent Creek, went out on Tuesday and scoped a bit.

Monday and Tuesday were pretty straight forward. Tavis and I went down to Pisgah and got our first aid and CPR certs. Pisgah Ranger District ROOOOOCCCKKKKSSSSSS. We had two days of work and in between we got the new vehicle hooked up. Then, today we had our Chainsaw cert. Now I am ready to go to work.

The photos, okay here goes. A few from Wolf Branch doing a bit of research for the training and workday at the end of March. First one is of a soggy area next to a bridge. An awesome spot for a rock armor section. This is a prime classroom for the workday.



Next are two photos of the flowy upper part of the trail. The Berm at the top needs a bit of love, as some of the lower section is sluffing a bit. Then the next shot is of the section of s's just past that right now they are more s then braaaaapppp. So we will yip'em up really nicely. Like the phrases? Well they are registered trade marks, just kidding. Seriously, I want people to not have phrases for these things, I finished with an art degree and it really got me how people were able to destroy soul with certain words, so I want to try and avoid that. Oh yeah photo, here you go.

Viagra ain't the only drug in the woods....

Been bad this week about updating, but sometimes a break is needed in order to straighten out the head.



Yesterday, I went with Ryan Taylor up to work on the project in Barnardsville and had to get a picture of this poor tree's flaccid member. It is amazing the things you see in the woods and the interpretation they can have.











Today though reminded me what fun and a bike can have in common, ME. I have had a fairly deboturous week, with my little brother's b-day and then hanging out with friends until all hours this weekend. But today I went for a great ride with a few folks in Bent Creek. It started out with a rainy wet morning and people backing out of the ride we had planned, but Van, Adam, Merle and his wife...sorry, all came out to play. We rolled out of the parking lot into a sublime mist around 11:30 and started the climb up to Five Points. The route went N. Boundry - Ingles Field Gap - Little Hickory Top - Lower Sidehill - Explorer - turn - turn- look the lake - pavement - car... Papa's and beer. It was one of those days that makes you happy god smacked you with the bike addiction. The mind clears, the body feels like an intimate capsule, and all is right in the world.

Van and I spent much of the ride working through some of the great ideas he had in his road ride the other day. I am very excited about the things that will be happening in the Asheville advocacy scene in the next year. Remember no matter how life can bring you down sometimes, all it takes is stopping and enjoying the ride.

Great Buisness Crosstraining....

Yesterday I helped Tavis do some tree work. That guy is amazing. Climbing and descending roping in swinging from tree to tree. He is a regular George of the Jungle.

The day started with me dropping a few of the smaller trees under the large leaners we would be taking down. Next Tavis ascended a big oak and we started dropping limbs by pulling them to the side to avoid the shed we were next to. Once that was down we moved on tho the mish-mash of leaner and nasty caught up bundle. This was all great to watch now when dealing with blow downs and snags I will know a few more tricks. Chainsaw work is an integral part of trail building in this area, there is no bypassing being a good sawyer. Here are two pictures from the day. One is Tavis taking off some pressure on the snag, the next is of some of the equipment and carnage on the ground.




Tonight I will be heading up to Blacksburg to hang out with my little brother for his birthday. Then, Friday maybe go do design on one of the new pumtracks in town.

My neck, my back....my neck and my back!!

Yowza, man I took a beating this weekend and loved every minute of it.

Friday was my Birthday and a few friends took me to sushi and then to see Superbad. It was just that, but it was a great time. Friday night however, I was feeling, shall we saw swampy.

Saturday morning there was a Yack sighting then things looked up. Tavis and I went up to mom's and did some heavy duty woodworking. Cut down seven sizable trees and split it all into about two cords of wood. It was a beautiful day and the cutting was fine. Saturday night it was time o lay down and start a new book. One i read about on Kent Peterson's blog. The Werewolf Principle, classic nineties sci-fi paperback. Should be an enjoyable quick read.

Finally, today was awesome, I woke up to fifty degrees with all the clouds this morning and went out to Dupont for a hammer-fest ride. I showed up to a gaggle of folks in the parking lot but then went for a ride just with my friends Tavis and Ryan. We butched each other. Tavis took a serious digger on the new section of Burnt Mountain trail, I took it to the face on Big Rock and I think Ryan may have had a Yack sighting. But he was awful stealth about it. All in all just blowing the carbon out of the legs. Here is a map of the ride. 2:00 and BBBRRRAAAAAPPPPP......