Day: August 21, 2009

Tevas 1, Planet Earth 1+x

/ chollaball / 1 Comment

The Planet always wins, but these Tevas put up a good fight. Never have I had a pair get so worked by daily usage, running, climbing, swimming, painting, shlepping children and spreading dung in the garden. The tread is faded, the cushion is shot, the velcro won’t hold, sand and my grime have sealed up the airflow, and the soles are coming apart at the toes. You know something has given up all it has when the shitty old pair you leave in your beach house turns out to be better than the shitty old pair you are wearing. What this says about the quality of construction of these shoes, my lifestyle, or my cheapness in wearing an old shitty pair of shoes til they rot off my feet is an open question. They only cost about $75 retail, and I got em for $26 closeout.

I could wax philosophical about the intimate relationship between a person and an excellent piece of gear, the miles and experiences and daily grind and adventures we’ve been through, deliver a eulogy for an excellent (set of) friends.

I shall give in to no such inflated oratory. They’re not dead til they shuffle off the mortal coil attaching themselves to my feet.

Where is this trial?

/ chollaball / Leave a comment

Alex had been talking this one up, and it did not disappoint. Instead of taking the rock bridge through the Cliff, which is pretty easy if you just roll it downhill, you go up over the rocks on the outside of the channel. There is an awkward wheel grabber that you have to get up and over, then line up several narrow rocks just right for the exit line. Its not that hard, but there is nowhere to fall. Got it on the 3rd try after 2 approaches. Riding it in the dark added to the challenge.

Later we tried to play photographer and Alex made me do the jump at The Church about 8 times and still couldn’t get a pic worth a shit. If you use your pretendination, you can see a headlamp, a barlamp, and a streak of white sorta flying by.   After the 5th time, it got kinda silly, and Ray will bear witness that it was not about my ego shot but all about Alex being an artistic control freak.

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Then I ate shit on a benign corner skidding over the kitty litter. Otherwise an awesome NR with Alex, Ray and Rick.