Trailer Park Rockers

I told you web video is the new video.  Tyler Deshaine put this beautiful piece regarding the Dowagiac jam.  He even used a TBIAPB song!  You'll really understand what the Dave Moon and White Lotus lines are all about now (as well as everyone else's).

          I think I'm a straight shooter.  I don't exaggerate much, nor do I embellish, except when it comes to schedules and/or travel times.  Driving home from Detroit tonight, my wife called and asked where I was "Galesburg", I said, as I was looking at a sign for exit 92.  Galesburg is exit 85, so I was embellishing a bit on my current whereabouts.  A bad, lifelong habit that goes back to strict parenting.  Anyway, I immediately began to regret my milemarker claim as I heard the newscaster on the TV in the background say "I repeat, a tornado will be entering the Galesburg area in six minutes".  I couldn't believe it.  Almost exactly my distance from said eye of the storm.   Three minutes later I was in the craziest monsoon I've ever driven through, going about 30 on the highway, looking at all the semis around me and pondering what it would be like to become airborne in a VW van.  The rain finally let up a little bit and just as I started to relax, I hit what had to be the equivelent of a small pond.  Nothing really happened, other than all the noise and sudden decelleration driving through deep water, but it scared the bejeezus out of me.   

Trailer Park Rockers

I told you web video is the new video.  Tyler Deshaine put together this beautiful piece (updated) regarding the Dowagiac jam.  He even used a TBIAPB song!  You'll really understand what the Dave Moon and White Lotus lines are all about now (as well as everyone else's).

          I think I'm a straight shooter.  I don't exaggerate much, nor do I embellish, except when it comes to schedules and/or travel times.  Driving home from Detroit tonight, my wife called and asked where I was.  "Galesburg", I said, as I was looking at a sign for exit 92.  Galesburg is exit 85, so I was embellishing a bit on my current whereabouts.  A bad, lifelong habit that goes back to strict parenting.  Anyway, I immediately began to regret my milemarker claim as I heard the newscaster on the TV in the background say "I repeat, a tornado will be entering the Galesburg area in six minutes".  I couldn't believe it.  Almost exactly my distance from  eye of said storm. 

     The lightning show was non-stop.  Literally every few seconds more fireworks.  It was wild.   Three minutes later I was in the craziest monsoon I've ever driven through, going about 30 on the highway, looking at all the semis around me and pondering what it would be like to become airborne in a VW van.  The rain finally let up a little bit and just as I started to relax, I hit what had to be the equivelent of a small pond.  Nothing really happened, other than all the noise and sudden decelleration driving through deep water, but it scared the bejeezus out of me.    Lesson learned? 

web video is the new video
Now Playing: Television: Marquee Moon

I love it.

  It's funny when dudes get pissed at their bikes and throw them.  I've never done it.
 

dirt bikes

Hanaan and Matt from Veteranbmx.com posted a bunch of sweet pics from the Dowagiac jam.  

Here are some FODs in action on MCs.  This is my old pal Jeff Venekamp kicking ass (at left) at the XR75 Nationals at Red Bud in Buchanan last weekend. He ended up a respectable 4th.

And here's Clint Baker, getting busy on his PW50.  Nice.

 

 

 

Joes Pizza

Joe's Pizza in Plainwell, Michigan is the best.  I love that place.  I remember when it opened.  I was probably 13 or 14.  It was a long ride there from where I lived but totally worth it.  Except for the time I crapped my pants after eating there and my friend having to ask his dad if he could borrow the car to give me a ride home.  "Well, why does Scott need to go home right now?"  20 questions from my friends super nerd dad (also a teacher at my school) while I stood there with poop in my jeans.  I haven't had any such incidents since moving back here this summer and we get Joe's a lot.   One time, when I was a little older, my dad heard from someone that dudes were selling weed at Joe's and he told me not to go there anymore.  He called it "dope", not weed.   I skipped a week but went back.  It was the first place I played a video game, I think.  I won't even tell you what game it was, it would make me seem even older than I really am.   I bet PJ posts a comment about this one. 

     I took Noah on the road with me last week and we had a good time.  It was a lot of time in the car (almost 1200 miles!), but with a little help from ELmo on Noah's DVD player, we made it through.  We stopped and took in the great outdoors a few times.

We stopped at almost this same spot on the way up and we were wearing tee shirts.  Three days later it was 30 degrees colder, but at least the sun was out.  The pic above is from the snowboard video premier we went to.  Noah handed out stickers and was stoked.

     Happy birthday to big time Deliverance supporter and sweet dude, Stephen Anthony Crandall.  You're not getting older, you're getting nicer.  Nice.  These pics are from a sweet nice trip last year.

I'm pretty sure Crandall's middle name isn't Anthony, but it has a nice ring to it.

    I've been working on trails here and they are getting better.  I think that big trail bike I built up is starting to crack, which is a bummer.  I worked out there tonight with the miner's light on, so we'll see tomorrow what I actually built.

 

 

   Sorry for the lackluster report on the Dowagiac jam.  The pics tell a nice story, but it should be noted that THe White Lotus did some good stuff and Dave Moon did some really good stuff, including the aforementioned ice-over, which was and still is ridiculous.  Jeremy Ball did a flair on one of the crazy quarters too.  It was a fun time and I'm really thankful to everyone that came out and especially to all the folks from the Detroit area for making the long trip.  I sold almost all the one-off tees I made too,  which is nice. 

Nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

D Wack
The Dowagiac Trailer Park Rockers jam went down yesterday and it was pretty sweet.  Tons of TRP, Novi Modern and Detroit area folks on hand, as well as crews from the surrounding area.  Mysteriously, only one person from Dowagiac was there.  No Jim on a bike?  Maybe they ain't got the internet.  It was hot like August and a smart event organizer would have had the event in the summer so as not to take chances with the weather, but I'm not that smart.  Mother Nature t through us a bone (a hot one) and it worked out great.  Dave Moon won the best trick event with an ice-pick to over on the vert wall.  I can't even put into words how ridiculous this was.  I figured someone would ice-pick or foot jam or do something on the top of this very high, very sketchy wall, but going over the back side to a super steep bank was just absurd.  Dave did it with style, pulled it clean, and then ate it pretty good into the fence at the  bottom.   I think he won the Fly out distance challenge as well. It was funny.  Dudes were getting worked on the distance jump.   I have to leave to hit the road soon, so I can't put captions on all these photos, but here you go.... 

 

Sorry about that first pic. 

Sean Newton photography.cam 

betterer

I found a better video hosting service and here is the that same video, only better....and here is the web edit for Fresh Air Cure.  I'm really excited to have this web video stuff up and running.  Originally, I wanted to put Fresh Air Cure out on those little 3 inch DVDs, but it actually cost more than regular DVDs.  It seemed ridiculous to put an eight and a half minute video out on a full length DVD. 

      I rode Kzoo tonight with Sean Newtron Bomb, the White Lotus and UP Mike.  Here are some rad pitures of Mike and the Lotus, shot by Sean, of course...

Note the Lotus' stache and Mike's shirtless approach, even in October.  He should be wearing a red and black flannel shirt.  I think I just renamed him "Lumberjack Mike".   It was a fun session.

   I got the new Props Rock and Roll Road Fools today and it's super good.  Davey Coop has a couple clips and a speaking part.  I love Props, especially the Road Fools series.  Check it out. 

 

 

The Dowagiac Files
I've been wanting to do this for awhile and I got it figured out tonight.  It's a re-edited segment from Fresh Air Cure and you can see it right here.   It's kind of a bittersweet accomplishment.   I worked really hard on this and it came out well, but posted on the net it loses a lot of quality.  It's my first effort at a web video, so I hope it gets better as I learn more about it.   I posted twice tonight in case you missed the one below...

We ride!
Now Playing: Elliot Smith: Coast to Coast
Tonight, Levi and Sean FarvegNewton came over to check out the trails.  I've been working hard on them and was excited for someone else to actually see them in person.  Daylight was fading fast, but we took care of business.  Here's Levi carving the newest berm.

And  here's one of me, jumping the mid-section.

Sean took the pics with my camera, so they aren't up to his usual hight standards (I think the photos are great, but I know he was kind of bummed with them and can do better).  He's a Canon guy.  I'm a Nikon guy (who still doesn't know how to fully work my camera). 

  I love trails, even my small, weird ones.  I'm considering some rebuilds now after having visitors.  

PS  Ryan Garvock still comes to this site.   He told me so  himself.

 

 

 

 

night train
Now Playing: Witch

I'm siked, I just got in over an hour's worth of digging in pitch darkness.  This light cost me $11.99 and was worth every penny.  Just as I started adding to my new berm, I noticed something sparkling about ten feet away, in the weeds.  I walked over to discover a super gnarly spider.  He winked at me and grinned.  I backed away slowly and got back to work.  These jumps aren't huge, but they are getting bigger and more dialed every time it rains and every time I work on them.  Dowagiac jam is shaping up.  Celebrities such as Dave Moon, Davey Coop, The White Lotus and more are expected to be on hand....

Speaking of celebrities, my old friend McGoo posted on nice comment under the "Biltwell" post.  If you go to their site, you will see McGoo's latest MC build, which is a site to behold.   

  On the mend are both FODs Chris Hatfield, who has a new bike built up and is riding strong again after his broken ankle and subsequent surgery and Kelly Baker, who broke his hand a few weeks back and just got his cast off.  I know it's  hard on Kelly to not be able to ride, but he's shredding vicariously through his chillins.

   I probably should have called 911 tonight when we saw this instead of taking this picture, but, uh, I took the picture instead.  Poor guy...