The Riders  I.  The Walker 5

I find a bit of irony in the name of our first set of featured riders, "The Walkers" but trust me, they are riders.  This Father, Bam Bam Brandon, has a philosophy of kids and bikes:  If you are willing to wait for your little kids on big rides they will be waiting for you when they are big kids.    Yup, it's a hassel but your giving them a gift they will have forever.  

                                                             

Here is the proof of his theory:

Jumpman Jeremy                Madman Michael

As good as they are on bikes, they are better in life.  These are outstanding young men. They work, play and ride hard.

 



They even let me try and keep up with them.  It is an act of pure charity on their part, but I'll take it!

  

Dirt Track Daniel and Big Time Brian

Bam Bam has another theory as well:

Put em on big bikes and let them take their punches.

(Not everyone agrees)

Moma Walker

  

  

Speaking of big bikes, and taking your punches . . .

       Some day ask Bam Bam what happened to his visor.      

The 1,000 miles of 2015 II

    

January 23rd and 30th 2015
Unseasonably warm weather for January, and with 1,000 long ones in front of me I summoned the gang and made eyes for Little Gem Cycle Park.  Not much chance of riding there in a typical January, but this year was different, so off we went.

Conditions were better than you would expect, but not as good as you would like.  Any south-facing slopes were in pretty good shape, but you could forget about anything facing north.  Watch the troughs on the whoop trails too, because everyone of them was filled with water.  It was so fun to be out, a week later we hit it again.  

Geoff and Jeremy
Running and Revin

We found a great hill to climb and spent a bunch of time on it.  Jeremy, Michael and Brandon make it look easy, but as I tumbled down, head over tea kettle, it did cross my mind that it wasn't so easy.

I mentioned the mud, but in an attempt to illustrate, this is what your hoody would look like if your bike, like Ashton's, is missing a rear fender:

      

Of coarse, if you ride in your skater shoes, maybe you don't care.




      



Stats

Riders:

•    5 Walkers, 2 James, 1 Geoff, Ashton, Jake, and a Menlove

Casualties:

•   Harrison went down on the hill climb and the bike, in slow-motion, came right over the top of, and on him.  Boogered up his wrist, but rode out, and was back in the saddle the next week.  Handlebars not quite right.
• On the ride home, Michael's CRF 250 decided it would prefer to run with enough oil.  Yup--bang-clang-bang.  We are shopping for a new top end.  NOT GOOD.  Lots of steam from motor and Father.  

Quotes:

• I'll give you $100 bucks if you can climb that hill on that bike."  -Harrison to Ashton  (There was no opportunity to find out if he really meant it.)

Miles: 

•  Betwixt the two days and some dinking around at home I am at 62!

The 1,000 Miles of 2015

Inasmuch as I was quite unhappy with the amount of riding we did in 2014, I set a goal/resolution to punch out 1,000 miles this year on the bike.  That's a lot of time in the saddle, but hopefully will just be a good start.

Rocker Michael Walker

Someone made the comment a little while ago, "You need more to do."  

Perhaps.

Perhaps everyone else needs less to do.  

That being said, my Christmas wish was granted and a new TrailTech was received and installed, and the clock started running New Year's Day.  Let "The 1,000 miles of 2015" begin!

Intentions

There seems to be plenty of blogs out there that ought to be called, "Blahs" and at the risk of this becoming one of those, which is probably already too late, I want to state my objectives clearly:

• Highlight some of the great places to ride in Idaho.  I will give my reports, try and hook you up with some directions, and give give it a rank on "The Rev Scale" which I just invented.  Hopefully it will help someone else have a great day, or at least make them really jealous. 

 

•  Maybe if we are recording our rides it will lead to more rides.  I am declaring this year as, "The 1,000 miles of 2015", to which I will discuss at length, later.  
  
• And the best reason of all: Highlight the riders.  The ride is fun, but it's the people that make it great.  

  

Salutations

I am a bit embarrassed that it has taken over 30 years of living in Idaho to discover how great of a place it is to own a dirt bike--but I am figuring it out rapidly.  Oh, my name is Robb, and that's me on my KTM 520 SX that I affectionately refer to as, "Shadowfax". (LOTR thing)

I love all things that have to do with riding bikes in the hills, deserts and mountains of this great state.  Something else I have come to understand--It's not any fun without great people to share it with.  Please consider this blog as an invitation to join my family and I for a ride.  Vroom Vroom.