chollaball.net

Can you believe this shit!?!?!?!

graphic I made in 1999 after our trip to Greece

May 10, 2010 edition of The Economist

First time I tried was about 2 weeks ago, cause it was easier to toss it off the balcony then walk all the way downstairs.  The 90 degree turn from the backyard to the sideyard is a challenge, since over the roof is not feasible — I could probably make the height, but dropping it into the 5 ft wide side walkway and not over the neighbor’s fence requires FantasyLeague Jeff Feagles-like skills.

The second try i went for accuracy, and laid it right on the walkway near the garbage pail.  This is a delicate maneuver, too hard and the bag will smash the wall and spill open, too soft and it will skid along the gravel and spill open.  EWWW!

Closer, but still unable to negotiate the corner.  A disc is whats really needed here, I wonder if I could strap the steaming bag of poo to a disc?

I’m not all that big on reposting, but this is amazing.  So now think about all that clean air, and all that legal weed.  Coincidence?
 http://www.flixxy.com/netherlands-rush-h…

I got this route from Yuri, and had to go back into his queue sheet for his PEE race a few yrs ago for proper directions.  I was lulled by an 8pm start, the darkness, and easy CX terrain on a 4 inch mtb.   My only company suicidal rabbits and homicidal cats, my moving speed so fast that I kept wondering if I was outpacing the directions, and had to leave a petzl strapped to my upper arm for reading the sheet and my 2 gps units.  Past memory of the route was useless, but current cartographical wisdom of Scottsdale was invaluable.  I still blew a turn or 2 when Yuri’s directions said “follow the path around some walls and shit“.  Ok, I made up the last part, but things look different at night.

I passed up the suggested turn off the Res path and pushed onward behind houses and strip malls, popping out next to the ACE Hardware where I bought some insulation at 90th & Via Linda, turning almost a mile of road into dirt.  A quick shot under the 101 and I was on my commute path and now-familiar territory.  Back-tracking on Via Linda, I spotted a grocery store and several bars – essential beer resupply points before the 11 miles home through dark corners.

My moving time was 2 hrs, 23 miles, with a surprising 1200 vf.  I was beat, but not beat up.  No bikes were injured in the making of this movie.  Next trick is to link in some of the Taliesen\Quartz\Paradise trails, and some of the washes and paths north of Bell along 98th St., and I could have myself a 4 hr NR workout ride.

G and A’s school had Teacher Appreciation Week, Beckie had the epiphany to give them some of our bookshelves full of kids books, after discovering at 10pm the night before Teacher Appreciation Week Brunch that a nasty-looking cheese plate from Bashas cost $16.59.  My house is tidied, we did the school a solid, and according to Miss Jen a roomful of kids were quietly engrossed in fine literature for about 2 hours.  She said it was eerie, kinda Children-of-the-Corn.  Beckie’s mother the librarian would be so proud, a classroom fascinated by new books.  Maybe G’s teacher is figuring us out, that we are not as uptight as the average Scottsdale parents.  Or maybe I’m just working the room, trying to crack so much ice and blackberry screens so that my kids will feel at home.   The other day neither Miss Jen nor i could find G on the playground, I whistled for her like i do Kila and she soon came running.  People know when you’re keeping it real. BTW, that works at IKEA too.

When i came to pick them up, G & A were playing together at a little table. They both came running across the room to see me.   It was amazing, Alana toddling mechanically towards me with outstretched arms, G hurtling above and beyond her with outstretched arms.  It was like Terminator Salvation, or maybe The Empire Strikes Back.

Jen made a point of thanking me for the books, and telling me that G had just eaten a bunch of snacks.  Great, I give you and the 4′s the written word for years to come, you give me Cat 5 Hurricane Genevieve.

While getting G’s stuff, she spotted across the room a bag of lollipops.  I bet she had been scoping them all day.  Being such a good girl in school for like 10.5 hrs while i rode Somo with Bob, i told her she could take 2. Alana started to have a fit, going from happy in my arms to thermonuclear panic in 2 seconds – the time to spot a lollipop.  i have underestimated her, she’s probably been scoping them all day too.

lollipops for a baby in the car seemed a terrible idea, and Alana had another fit when i put it away.  So i stuffed…litterally, shoved…graham crackers into her yapping piehole. This kept her til we got in the car, when she saw unopened lollipops in G’s hand. Panic ensued, and now I had to reason with G as to why i’d like her to put her lollipops away for the 5 minute ride home.  She starts to panic, and i shove graham crackers into her yapping piehole.

So many personalities, so much interaction. Beckie said about a year ago that she thought Alana made us a family, but i did not feel it much before now.  A new era of two opinionated Monsters has begun.

i’ll give it to myself 27 of July.  first time i’ve looked up since december.

sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song?

i’ve had this thing about 24th St. since even before i rode 24th St. It was this superduper hard trail, DHrs spoke of total flummoxation, and trail riders were afraid of the steeps. I have no pictures of 24th St., cause 80% of the time I’ve ridden it alone, and i and others have always been so focused on the ride we don’t come up for air.  a little over a mile and about 800 vf in ~12 minutes — it feels longer. It certainly looms longer for me.  it ends in this awesome place on the north side of the mountain, a quick spin back to the old office. I rode it like a drug the first year i had the Heckler, and since then its been my benchmark for how i’m riding. There isn’t a single move that’s all that, but quite a few that are almost all that, and they stack up 20 or 30 in a row and i crap my pants staring down on them.

I haven’t ridden National in a month, again. only 3 times this year. Hairball and antiMcDs-antiXC waking up the technical cravings, and my thing about 24th Street.  So up 24th->National->Tele->road->National->24th. 

I think dblbypasage is strengthening me, or maybe its swimming, or maybe heat-induced hallucinations. I did not feel strong-man-needing-powerful-deodorant strong , only able, more able than in awhile. Low gear didn’t stall so badly, further up the hill. On the climb out of BV i got a lift i i’ve maybe gotten once (the one below the one you think it is), and i slid through the Waterfall without much worry, afloat on the the choppy cadence of National, dimmed by rhythm and heat.

i told myself on the way up 24th the way down would be about discipline and technique and screw stoner bullshit about rhythm and flow.  I WAS TIRED!!!  and hot and spacey from thus far leaving it on the field. whatever shred of flow i had left was like finishing up last week’s dblby when a guy on a huffy pedaled past me on the roll out Levee trail (i was coasting, duh!!) (and i caught him on the next rise).  24th St. has pwned me too many times.  right brain off, left brain on!

i got the whole thing but for 2 dabs – one for a hiker which should not count.  the other was a tight switchback that could be on any xc trail.  I just worked it, hanging back over the seat, and massaging the brakes and the nose.  It was probably pretty smooth looking, it did not take very long, its linger on me is like a math class.

The right brain part went like this: mmmm….me fork eat up big drops chomp chomp chomp nom nom…burp! WOOT WOOT!

this was the first one.  the first second and third ones were not all that when there were 2 adults (2.5, including Kila) per tinyHuman.  the fourth the ratio was still approximately 2.2 adults/tinyHuman.  2 is so much harder than 1, hence this is #1.

we was keepin’ it real to start the day yo: beckie mopped the floor and dealt with 2 screaming children.

and some of this

after nearly completing my Chore-A-Thon ’10 choreathon for the weekend, i crossed off another and took everybody to the zoo: #8 – dad time for G & A

Is it true it’s always happy hour here? and if it is, I’d like to stay awhile
– “Mekong”, The Refreshments

The WOR was a wakeup. about what, I am not sure.  Lack of routine, lack of motivation, lack of planning, lack of actually deciding to get out and enjoy my bikes and be challenged by the fitness required.  Adrift on 2 wheels;  it had to end. I scheduled a Hairball ride with Alex, to be followed 2 days later by Tom’s Thumb->Bell.  Both of us hosting the signature rides in our new houses.

Alex has been riding Hairball every week since he moved from Mesa, but with Doug and Jeff Schneider along to challenge him and show him some new things, and me along to push his pace and ride his wheel through the gnar, the vibe was like the spring wind gusting in from the west – soft, turbulent, soothing, buffeting, refreshing and disconcerting.  I chased Doug and Jeff up VOAZ, then we decided to hike up Upper Cheesegrater and go instantly from 0 to double black.  I watched the other guys trip up on some of the ridiculous grabby chunks, then surprised myself by getting it all on the first try.  The stoke i felt was enough to take the edge off of the humbling going up Irregular Link and down Hairball. The Hairball is slowing down, and someday I’ll get most of it, but not today.  As sloppy as I was, it was still a good ride with no blood and nothing broken, far better than Doug and Jeff who both snapped off their deraileur hangers within a few hundred yards of each other.

Saturday was Tom’s Thumb -> Bell Double Bypass again.  Alex, Ray, Tim, Dave and my bud Aaron who I had not seen in 2 yrs since Moab.

discovered a little issue at midnight cleaning my bike, but strapping tape saved the day

It was a good social pace. I got more and attacked far more than the last ride.  Hard to quantify, but each climb lately seems to get stronger.  A double bypass every week or 2 will surely pay off. I had a nice crash going up a switchback deep into the climb, the price of commitment.  Like Hairball, Tom’s Thumb started to slow down on the 3rd attempt. and the backside is just plain fun once you know whats coming and are not afraid of it.  We rocked up and down Bell, then Paradise->Quartz->Westworld-home->beers.  Great group of buds! I’m so happy they let me show them my new backyard.

Tom’s Thumb

Bell

Ray finishing the climb

Tim

Alex

Tim’s son had grown out of his 16″ bike, which made a great hand-me-down for G. Thanks Tim!!!

she’s got a harem of her own

Beckie went for a ride after we got back.  She was going to putter around on Gateway Loop, then returned 2 hrs later having knocked out her own Dbl Bypass of Windgate\Bell. She never did either of em before, her only beta (cuz I’m pretty sure she does not ready my blog) that it took about an hour to crest Windgate…ballsy to deal with the headgames of a long climb and steep descent by yourself, first time, having not ridden the mtb in like 2 months. 

while waiting for mommy, we played dress-up…Halloween is year-round

then we set off on a G-based-bike-adventure.  She rode great!  The bike was big, but we taught her how to drop it & jump free.  She knocked out 2 laps around the neighborhood, and was ready for a roll down the street.  There is some practice yet to be had, but a great day for G!

bike vids are meaningless without crashes

despite living in a microminiMcMansion, the Chollaballs still hang out under the overpass

I haven’t seen another soul in the open spaces beyond Bell road, which offer plenty of adventure for a little girl and her dog