Tommy Boy
Last weekend was awesome. 2 days of kick ass weather and ATV riding in the desert with my Dad. Living so far from home I don’t get to see my family much and I am sure they think I am avoiding them, but that is not the case at all. I never imagined staying in the 801 after college but 23 years later here I am. Anyway, my Dad and I did a trip to Yellowstone a few years back on snowmobiles that was great and pretty much set the high water mark for trips with my Dad. I was not expecting much from this trip. Spending time with Dad is alwyas good, especially when my life is in order and he doesn’t have much to worry about.(other than my inability to get a girlfriend, I think he has lost all hope on that anyway) The idea of riding ATV’s on trails that I shred on a bike though sounded pretty dull though. Man was I wrong. Say what you want about motor sports but there is a reason they are so popular. It would be nice if my Dad were fit and able to get out and ride a bike but he is not. An ATV is a way for him to get out and really see some incredible country away from the paved roads and the comfort of a car. It was so cool to be able to share the land and experiences that have defined my life for the last 20 years with my Dad. Until now I dont think he really understood why I would spend so much time pedaling a mountainbike in the middle of nowhere. As a kid my parents took us out camping on the lake we lived on almost every weekend in the summer. My Dad is a big time hunter and to a lesser extent a fisherman. While the fishing bug did take hold I never liked hunting. The point is both my parents gave me an appreciation of the outdoors and I think now my Dad and I both get the point that the it does not matter how you enjoy it just get your ass out the door and do it. This summer while I am ripping sweet Wasatch single track on the Scalpel my Dad will be exploring the back country of Maine on a Yamaha. The thing we will share is the ETFE (ear to fucking ear) grin.
Speaking of shredding. I got my ass kicked pretty good by Tommy Boy last night. We hit the Shoreline with Slohran and it was game on. On Dry Creek we passed tons of people climbing in their granny gear. Tommy Boy passed a group near the top and i got stuck for a while. After I passed them I pinned in to get back on his wheel. I was dangling a few seconds back when we hit the wall. TB caught 2 dudes at the base and I settled in to a good climbing rythm and was staring at my stem. About halkway up I look up and see TB going berzerk and the 2 dudes (who I later found out were on single speeds) are panicking tryin to follow. I stayed on my pace and cuaght one of them near the top and was content to follow. As soon as I catch this guy he tries to attack. Hmm an attack by a one speed, I see an easy way out of this and shift. Nice try lunk head. TB is gone and I follow one speed guy on the DH for a while before passing him and leaving him for dead. Neve did see Tommy Boy or Slohran again. Yaaa.
