BOULDERS ARE BIG

Several years ago when I didn't have as many domestic duties, I used to boulder along with the mutltitudes of other outdoor sports I did on a regular basis. Bouldering like motoring, kayaking, mtn. biking, is a sport that lends itself well to expanding your brain capacity via deep thought (like I am going to die if I miss this move). On my property, there are lots of boulders, I didn't really think much about "bouldering" on them until earlier this year when my friend Heather said we should check out one particular rock visible from the road. Well, I finally bought a new pair of climbing shoes and check out that rock I did.

It is a nice rock with lots of fun features, it also has a plethora of poisonous weeds on and around it, as evident from its portrait above. I am excited to get it cleaned up. Not that I need another sport to take my time away from more grown-up duties, but it is a nice activity to take my mind of the sadness of the last two waterless boating seasons.

Jeranimo my new cat came with me to check out the boulder this week. Here is is looking for a piece of poison ivy to pounce on and rub on me.

J E A L O U S Y . . .

This is a strange emotion, but sometimes you have a reason to feel jealous. In my case, my man is going out to Brianhead UT to go Dual-Sporting and watch our buddy Todd B. compete in the National Mountain Bike Super D Series, where he will most likely be the Champ again. Two weeks out West is like a dream vacation for me.

If I didn't work for El Corporation, I would definitely love to go there. Brianhead has got to be one of the coolest places ever, surrounded by Bryce and Zion National Parks. Oh well at least I do like working for said El Corporation and will wait for my vacation time to accrue so I can go to the MotoGP race in September at Indy.
P.S.: BTW- I am rocking out to Smashing Pumkins right now which I am going to see on the 15th of August in Charlotte, NC.
P.S.S.: My mouth is very numb right now from getting a tooth drilled, I hope I am not drooling everwhere.

ORAMM 2008 Photos

So on the 27th of July, I shot photos of the Off-Road-Assault On Mt. Mitchell. Here are the photos . This was my first Mtn. Bike Race and I have a feeling I will be shooting more of these events. Typically, I shoot Enduro Races for SETRA series and I can't wait for that race season to start.

The ORAMM race was fantastic, most of the people were super nice and Todd puts on one of the best races I've seen. The Enduros are a self-service event. You get to put what you want on the trailer for the gas stops (usually 1 or 2) and that's it. An Enduro is anywhere for 60-80 miles through the woods with times sections on single track, dirt road, gravel, etc.

I can't wait to shoot more Mtn. Bike races in the future either. I love to see people smile and there were tons of great smiles at this race even though I was shooting mostly at the climbs on Kitsuma and Curtis Creek.

...Solo Ride

This is my first blog. I think that most blogs are a very self-centered way of communicating to the world how incredibly awesome you are, but I decided to start one anway (see there are two I's in that sentance, well now three.) "I" am writing down my random thoughts here if you are bored off your ass enough to read them, good for you!

Okay enough about you and back to me, I have a KTM 530 Dual-Sport, I rode it 118.7 miles this weekend on a solo ride. I rode from Clyde, NC to Mills River via 276, Yellow Gap Road (FR 1206) - here I saw a head-on collision with a Subaru and Explorer, then through N. Mills River to get gas, back up to FR 5000, across the Parkway, then back down 276. It was sweet. My bike is one bad machine.

Riding motorbikes is a great way to think about nothing except riding, still I had two predominet thoughts this weekend. 1) How can two people's sense of morals be so different? (Not that I am an angel or the moral police or anything, but this questions fascinates me) 2) Sometimes I'm sorry just isn't good enough.