Heywood checking in:
We’re back. I do ask for forgiveness from the loyal listeners (Solo) regarding the recent lack of posts from the 3 bicoastal boys. We have all been busy. Out on the east coast, there was a temporary work shutdown for Al and Fred. They both did what any great American would do with a few days off, take a well deserved holiday. I hope those two enjoyed themselves. Both those birds are unaware of the technical advances recently made with laptops so they are unable to post while away from their houses. Come on guys, it’s the nineties, get with it!
As for me, I have been hanging out with the family in So Cal and spending some much needed time with the wife and dogs. Wood likes to keep a tiring schedule most of the time with riding, backpacking, and dog training. Sometimes the wife takes a back seat although she never complains about it. In fact, she usually encourages me to do it all. “Get busy living or get busy dying,” is what she tells me. And so I try, in large part due to her never ending support though all my endeavors, to truly LIVE life.
So pretty soon I get accustomed to her ways and start to expect such behavior. Many days surely pass without Heywood even noticing how special she truly is. Sometimes it takes a very stressful moment to realize what you have. These past couples of weeks have been filled with some extreme stress. The kind of stress that every family unfortunately faces every few years. And with all this stress surrounding the Jablome’s, there was my wife, solid as a rock. And it’s this stress that forces me to step back and appreciate what I have at home. So this past week was with my family. No computers. No blogs. No riding. Just family. Sure it was stressful and hectic. But it was also one of the best weeks of my life. I got to know my wife all over again and I loved it.
Now forget about all this mushy shit and get to the real shit with this blog. Heywood got a new ride. Wood owns a Santa Cruz Blur and loves the way it eats up single-track. It climbs fast, descends like a dream, and handles magnificent. But it lacks the 6.5” travel desired for some really big hits and fast downhill that Heywood loves to do. So last month, great wife #1 gave Woody the OK to purchase a new Santa Cruz Nomad. Unexpectedly, it came in just four weeks. That has to be an all time record for Santa Cruz. So I got a chance to take the beast out on the trails today and I am impressed. This bike just rocks!
So while riding with Big Cat and Oscar the grouch, we decided to mix it up a little today. There is a local OHV/mountain bike park that splits the days between the two sports. Saturday was for the vehicles without engines so we gave it a try. Not knowing what trails to take, we just rolled the dice and tried a trail named Murderers.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Hell no. This shit was balls to the wall, straight down with large boulders and drop offs and Wood loved it. This is kind of terrain used on downhill races. The Nomad was eating the trail up giving Wood a smile from ear to ear. I know what you’re saying, how tough could it be. Well at the bottom, the three of us run into the YETI-Fox downhill race team with Jared Graves. Yeah, the team was testing out equipment for the upcoming Sea Otter Classic next week in Monterrey, California. These guys had there team manager shuttling them up over and over in some big Ford Diesel with FOX plastered all over the sides. And in between runs the team mechanic wrenched on the bikes in the 30’ toy-hauler while they each received messages from the Swedish bikini team. These guys are the real deal and there fine tuning there downhill rigs for next weeks race on some trail that I just happened upon. Wood’s got no armor on, no full face piece and one very small set of balls. What the fuck was I doing here? These FOX dudes are going down these trails with some protective covering stolen fro
m a medieval knight.
Somehow the trio survived the ordeal without a scratch. Luck was on our side. Will there be a next time? Yeah, I will give it another go around I guess. Like my wife says, “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
We’re back. I do ask for forgiveness from the loyal listeners (Solo) regarding the recent lack of posts from the 3 bicoastal boys. We have all been busy. Out on the east coast, there was a temporary work shutdown for Al and Fred. They both did what any great American would do with a few days off, take a well deserved holiday. I hope those two enjoyed themselves. Both those birds are unaware of the technical advances recently made with laptops so they are unable to post while away from their houses. Come on guys, it’s the nineties, get with it!
As for me, I have been hanging out with the family in So Cal and spending some much needed time with the wife and dogs. Wood likes to keep a tiring schedule most of the time with riding, backpacking, and dog training. Sometimes the wife takes a back seat although she never complains about it. In fact, she usually encourages me to do it all. “Get busy living or get busy dying,” is what she tells me. And so I try, in large part due to her never ending support though all my endeavors, to truly LIVE life.
So pretty soon I get accustomed to her ways and start to expect such behavior. Many days surely pass without Heywood even noticing how special she truly is. Sometimes it takes a very stressful moment to realize what you have. These past couples of weeks have been filled with some extreme stress. The kind of stress that every family unfortunately faces every few years. And with all this stress surrounding the Jablome’s, there was my wife, solid as a rock. And it’s this stress that forces me to step back and appreciate what I have at home. So this past week was with my family. No computers. No blogs. No riding. Just family. Sure it was stressful and hectic. But it was also one of the best weeks of my life. I got to know my wife all over again and I loved it.
Now forget about all this mushy shit and get to the real shit with this blog. Heywood got a new ride. Wood owns a Santa Cruz Blur and loves the way it eats up single-track. It climbs fast, descends like a dream, and handles magnificent. But it lacks the 6.5” travel desired for some really big hits and fast downhill that Heywood loves to do. So last month, great wife #1 gave Woody the OK to purchase a new Santa Cruz Nomad. Unexpectedly, it came in just four weeks. That has to be an all time record for Santa Cruz. So I got a chance to take the beast out on the trails today and I am impressed. This bike just rocks!
So while riding with Big Cat and Oscar the grouch, we decided to mix it up a little today. There is a local OHV/mountain bike park that splits the days between the two sports. Saturday was for the vehicles without engines so we gave it a try. Not knowing what trails to take, we just rolled the dice and tried a trail named Murderers.
Sounds innocent enough, right? Hell no. This shit was balls to the wall, straight down with large boulders and drop offs and Wood loved it. This is kind of terrain used on downhill races. The Nomad was eating the trail up giving Wood a smile from ear to ear. I know what you’re saying, how tough could it be. Well at the bottom, the three of us run into the YETI-Fox downhill race team with Jared Graves. Yeah, the team was testing out equipment for the upcoming Sea Otter Classic next week in Monterrey, California. These guys had there team manager shuttling them up over and over in some big Ford Diesel with FOX plastered all over the sides. And in between runs the team mechanic wrenched on the bikes in the 30’ toy-hauler while they each received messages from the Swedish bikini team. These guys are the real deal and there fine tuning there downhill rigs for next weeks race on some trail that I just happened upon. Wood’s got no armor on, no full face piece and one very small set of balls. What the fuck was I doing here? These FOX dudes are going down these trails with some protective covering stolen fro
m a medieval knight.Somehow the trio survived the ordeal without a scratch. Luck was on our side. Will there be a next time? Yeah, I will give it another go around I guess. Like my wife says, “Get busy living, or get busy dying.”
