Westside Invite 9 pt. 2

Bonus pics! All these were taken by the Machine.


Dr. Doom hung tough in the trackstand despite recent ACL surgery. I expect to see a resurgent robo-Doom when I get to Durango in September.


At Anarchy Point.

Tarck bike tricks while wearing little dresses....not sure I get it but each to his own.


Esra scored the pink Aerospoke by finishing second in the Core Whore ladies only alleycat. First place was an all pink wheelset with custom anodized and engraved Phil Wood hubs and deep dish rims painted in script "Queen of the Core".

Best goldsprints ever.

Westside Invite 9

Best Westside ever. Big thanks to Justine the Machine for driving me up there, Esra and David for all their hospitality and all the Seattleites that made the event so smooth and fun.
This weekend I tried out the Dabby Method of photography, taking a million random shots, and came up with a few that might be worth sharing so expect a multi part post.

Road trip!
Esra and David, without a doubt the most adorable Turkish/Hawaiian punk couple I have ever had the pleasure of staying with.


I've noticed that these days I have a choice between having fun and RACING and I opted for the fun, working an alleycat checkpoint at Hat and Boots park in Georgetown. And by "working" I mean laying in the grass with snacks and drinks and doing some light heckling.

Plus we took glamour shots.

We had some local kids helping us out. This one was a punk, I had to wrassle him down at one point. I dig his hat though, is this a new urban trend I'm unaware of? Stuffed animals with the guts cut out worn on the head?

David dispenses a little park justice.

Guy and the LA crew showed up and helped with the heckling.

After the time trial we headed over to a superfund site known as Anarchy Point and found the large Portland crew including Tom. He got a sunburn on the spot where his bag normally is.

I've met this guy at least 10 times and I still can't remember his name. What is wrong with me? Anyway, Shigeo, he's from Japan, has a sexy bike and can skid really well.

That seems like the ideal skid. It's becoming less about skidding and more about attempting high speed nose manuals.

Which is cool but doesn't always work out.

Mini Super Work Party

Another mini super work party this weekend, this one focusing on the loop known as the Berms of Endearment, or the BORAT.

Choose your weapon.
photo by Mace

Natty has mostly learned to stay out of trail, though she loves to lay in the freshly dug, cool dirt.

Dabby deployed some guerilla geometry. We measured from entry to exit points, halved it and used twine describe the sweep of the berms. When B&K stopped by we learned that we were employing the "constant radius" I'm sure it was invented by Archimedes or Ptolomey or someone. Whatever, it still works.

Jaden losing control.

Crashing builds character, right?


Mace and Jaden focusing in.


This was a record setting attempt for sure, especially considering no one had ever attempted a 2 person wheelbarrow race around the BOE trail before.

I could see this becoming a popular and dangerous event at the Open this year.



The end of a delicious sandwich made by Jaden. Mustard seed salami from the Overseas Taste Market at 63rd and Holgate, on whole wheat with Tillmook cheddar, mayo, horseradish mustard, tons of spinach and a few miced jalepenos. Perfect.

Watch out, zombies.
Photo by Mace.

We took a few football breaks.
Photo by Mace.

An early test ride of the fern berm.

Mace at night.
A few mellow laps at night.


Party's over.

Holy shit, I got a sponsor!

The Rickreall Open presented by the Rickreall Mini Mart.

The Rickreall Quik-E-Mart presented by Team Wreck?

Either way my man Steve who runs the Mart has agreed to be a sponsor. We haven't finalized the terms, maybe 10% off beer for those that mention the RO, maybe some coozies and expired jerky, who knows?
The Mart has experienced some tough times recently with the economic slowdown and the recent failure of the main cooler and installation of the new coolers. Steve seems a little worried about the Mart's continued existence which makes me worried.
So if possible please stop at the Mart on the way to the Rickreall Open.
If you're riding down 99W keep going past Farmer Rd. and into Rickreall then take Rickreall Rd. east to Greenwood Rd. and cross the highway.
If you're driving follow 22 past Greenwood Rd. take the next exit and head south.

I suggested he stock up on PBR and High Life. If you have any special requests please leave them in the comments and I will relay them.

the good life

Once again I waited a little too long to harvest the morels. Quite a few were melted but there were some giants left.

They were super pungent to me from across the room, I can't imagine how it was for Natty.



A nice haul from the Polk County Master Gardener's sale at the fairgrounds and the Independence farmer's market. In a late bid to revitalize the herb garden I picked up cinammon basil, Vietnamese coriander and something labeled "7-Up plant" that really does smell like lemon and lime.

Also a delicious mushroom and garlic ciabbatta from The Bread Board, out of Falls City. A little chatting up also got me the secret business card with directions and news that they'll be offering wood fired pizza on the weekends to lure the apres Blackrock crowd.

Coolest album cover ever?

Rickreall Open 2009

June 12-14

I'm changing things around a little this year. No flyers, for one thing, so maybe it'll be smaller (or at least not bigger). Also I'm charging a $10 per car parking fee. No charge if you ride here.

I'm also slimming the competition aspect down in the interest of participation and getting everything done in a timely fashion. This year it's a biathalon. $5 gets you into both events and the winner gets the pot or $100 cash whichever is more.

Road Race - Noon on Sunday.
A 15 mile loop through the Eola Hills. See the map with elevation here. Neutral start for the first mile. The start line is the stop sign at Farmer Rd. and Oak Grove Rd. King of the Mountains bonus points will be available at the top of the Orchard Heights and Eagle Crest, at 3.2 and 10.5 miles. I hope to have a caravan or at least one vehicle to take pictures, hand out water and note the top 3 on the climbs.

Time Trial - The 2.4 Minutes of Rickreall - anytime, one official attempt each day.
How many laps of the Berms of Endearment mini loop can you do in 2 minutes 25 seconds?

I'm sure many of the traditional side competitions will still take place, just organized by people other than me. For instance Mace may announce he's having a bocce ball tournament, it's $1 to enter, winner takes all. Or Phil could host a speed scrabble game that is free to enter and the winner gets a signed picture of him doing something nasty to a bike.

And of course count on the usual debauchery. Dance parties, ditchstyle, fire jumping, exotic beverages, tree climbing, midnight mystery rides etc.

a day in the life

There's a little brown bunny in the middle if you zoom in.

Morels are sprouting up everywhere. Natty has an uncanny knack for stepping on them but those that survive I plan to harvest and saute this weekend.

I'm pretty sure these mushrooms are not edible.

Blueberry flowers, looks like a good crop this year.

Strawberry starts courtesy of Aunt Karen.


Two varieties of oregano have taken over this corner of the garden.

An early rhododendron.