Shred the Earth

metamorphose

2012-01-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

Drink it.
Once a sea.

Unreal.

Water eats rock.

4miles in the desert is far.

Lately

2011-10-11T19:15:00.000-07:00

Flat

2011-09-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

The new stem is sweet. Get flat.
This jump is fun. I have only riden it once and I may never ride it again. The area is weird and desert like but the view is of Boulder, which is wonderful. The jump is a 5 foot lip hipped left to a landing that is 50 feet tall of broken shale and clay. Just another reason why biking is cool.

Bike on Bike

2011-05-23T18:10:00.001-07:00

I saw this bike rack on a motorcycle last year and it made me want to do it. With metal and some tools you can do whatever you want.

It took some work and thought. Function over fashion. Ride your bike to ride your bike.

Get Rad

2011-05-21T07:36:00.001-07:00

Ride Photo

2011-04-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

Pictures in magazines are always cool.

First of many, hopefully

2011-01-22T18:41:00.000-08:00

Golden Bike Park construction photos.

Winter is Amazing

2011-01-22T18:26:00.001-08:00

Added a bunch of new rollers at the trails. Still in progress.
It snows so much. Snow piles over 10 feet high.

Moose are giant animals. I have now seen 7 in my life.

Never Summer in the winter is a great instrument for fun.

Shred the Earth

Camera Phone 1 year

2010-11-24T09:27:00.000-08:00

Sample location at work.Another day at work.

Red Rocks never gets old.

Driving photo of Golden, CO.

Wild sunset above the house.Working in Climax.

Four wheeling in Alice, CO.

Mountain bike ride with a view.

Hundreds of fish come to the shore at this secret reservoir that can not be fished.

Colorado Fall is perfect, no rain, all sun.

Our home.

Golden Bike Park berm work.

Heading to work.

Spark plugs.

Lots of work scerenery.

Conveyor 15 miles long under the mountains.

Freedom

2010-10-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

travel the world if you can and want to.

Never Saw this Coming.

2010-07-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

BIG BANG BIG BOOM - the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Wheeler Geologic Area = eARTh

2010-07-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

The most art in one spot on earth.

Getting ready for the 7 mile walk to the car.

Amazing.

The hike was long but so worth it.

Scale.

Bike Park Berms

2010-05-22T13:00:00.001-07:00

Stacey has been fixing up the house while I heal from surgery. New plants and paint.

The bike park is coming along. This sections is a right to left to right berm. It looks super fun.

Building is slow. The area where the dirt is located is about 5 minutes from where the dirt needs to be. It is going to be a fun place to go ride and then go home and eat dinner.

Getting High

2010-05-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have never seen anyone get this high. These trails are insane.

Missing the Bike

2010-04-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

See you soon V.

The start of the Golden Bike Park Flow line, 1,500 feet of jumps and berms. Should be good fun.

My two longest periods off my bike have been this year. Traveling took me off the bike for 3 months and then this disc injury has been 4 months. I am really missing the feeling of catching air on the bike.

Spring

2010-04-28T16:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Vail for the begining of Spring. One week later I am on the couch healing from back surgery. Fun one day, pain the next.

Approved: Golden Bike Park

2010-03-05T11:47:00.000-08:00

The Bike Park has been approved by the City Council of Golden. We are stoked!

Now we build and design.

Park Page

2010-02-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

The Tittle is the page for the Golden Bike Park. The Parks and Rec. meeting was intense. Lots of fire on the side of the opposition. One thing I have learned for being apart of the biking underground is that the "normal" and unaware hate that you ride bikes. They just don't get it and if they don't ride then they want to stop you from having your place in the world to ride. The opposition does not want this near their homes. The park will be built it might just get delayed and/or moved.

City of Golden Bike Park

2010-02-12T07:50:00.000-08:00

For the last few months I have been meeting with some local guys to build a legal bike park in Golden. The City may approve it in the next few weeks. It is cool to be a part of it and see the working of how complex it is to get anything done in government. The plan is to have everything from little to big. Maybe not as big as the Downhill racing in 2003.

Star Cluster NGC 2074 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

2010-02-09T17:31:00.000-08:00

I was looking at something and it led me to the Hubble Telescope photos. If you really want to blow your mind go to: hubblesite.org

Worst Place on Earth = Liberia

2010-01-24T15:41:00.000-08:00

Stove

2010-01-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

This stove came with the house. It goes perfect with the wood panels and the asbestos flooring.

The Darkness

2010-01-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

The last four days have been spent 3,000 feet underground in a mine learning about safety and the mine.

I drove home in a blizzard.

This toilet is 3,00o feet underground. The one we use near the class room is no longer white.

This is the shaft that the cage takes you down in. They brought down 80 ton trucks on this. Insane.

Heading down from 10,300 feet to 7,500 feet. Going that far underground is just a mind mess. It is similar to swimming in the ocean with 5,000 feet of water below you. It is just really odd to think about compared to daily surface life. My instructor has gone underground for 30 years.

Out of this World

2009-12-27T08:28:00.001-08:00

I heard of this place called Wheeler Geologic Area in a magazine. It is in the middle of Colorado far from the big towns. It is the result of possibly the largest volcanic eruption in earth's history about 26 million years ago. The ash that erupted could completely fill Lake Michigan.

No Longer Possible

2009-12-17T07:19:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Christian' s Facebook I now have memories that can no longer be replicated.

RIP 248!

Car Loop

2009-12-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

New Home Soon?

2009-11-29T07:33:00.000-08:00

This could be our new home.
We will be very close to downtown Golden and we are stoked.

The Earth is an Office

2009-11-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

It is nice to have job and get to see this two days a week. Ute Pass, CO.

This is the view from a sampling point at the Mill. Not a bad office.

Shred the Earth for Molybdenum

2009-10-28T20:00:00.000-07:00

Working at a mine is really cool and interesting. This picture is near the end of a 15 mile conveyor belt that starts 1,000's of feet underground at the mine. It crosses under the continental divide and goes for 5 miles above ground to the mill. Where does everything come from? The Earth.

Read about the Henderson Mine and molybdenum.

Back to Work!

2009-10-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

I am lucky and fortunate to have found a job about 2 months after coming home from the big trip. I definately worked hard to find it and the hard work has paid off. The company is Aquionix and they do a variety of environmental work for many types of cleints. My shredding will now be limited but that is the price I must pay.

Aquionix.com

Bear Video

2009-10-09T08:57:00.000-07:00

Koala bears eat leaves and sleep. This one happened to be eating when we saw him and it was really cool to see him in his element. The Great Ocean Road, Australia.

The Earth is Alive

2009-10-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

While driving through Big Sur, California we came upon a traffic jam. We sat, talked and looked at the beauty. After sitting in the jam for 15 minutes at a stand still we saw this. It makes you realize that the Earth can eat you and your car. Respect your surroundings.

Alley Art

2009-09-29T17:27:00.000-07:00

When you are busy and full of stress just get on your bike. Your life will be better for it. Hit a jump or 29 too.

The coolest alley in Christchurch, NZ.

The Best Place?

2009-09-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Every one that I speak with about our trip asks, "What is the best place?" As you can see, the best place was New Zealand. The country is the most scenic and pristine place ever. The people are kind and the dirt jumps looked so good. I would love to get back there someday but I will be happy with just going through the photos every so often too.

Food

2009-09-10T15:51:00.000-07:00

Best Scenery in Colorado

2009-09-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

The best spot in Colorado, so far.

Lone Eagle Peak

Start at 5:30 am. We will not see another person until 3pm.

Marmot.

Pawnee Pass

People of the World

2009-08-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong

Huelien, Taiwan

Bangkok, Thailand

Tiger Temple, Thailand

Phi Phi Island, Thailand

South Island, New Zealand

Nadi, Fiji

Cambodia Boarder

Sydney, Australia

Beijing, China

Forbiden City, Beijing, China

The Great Wall, China

The Market, Beijing, China

Village Near Kunshan, China

Old City Beijing, China

China is Communist? Whatever that means.

2009-08-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

China was our favorite place for culture on the trip. It is opposite of what you think.

We went to Hooter's in Beijing. Funny and sad.

Walking the Great Wall was humbling. Seeing these old, skinny men carry bricks in the wooden backpacks made me feel weak, lucky, and shocked. One stopped and said "Where are you from?", and I said "The US." Then his manager yelled at him to get moving after a 5 second break. We couldn't believe the entire situation.

Stacey and I loved walking the wall. We are so lucky to have walked with the master of the wall, Ed Davis.

One of the best experiences in China was riding bikes through the small streets of old areas and then ending up in a shopping mall. There is so much old and new fighting for space. the new is winning.

A farmer on the wall showed Ed his tobacco, which he grows in the fields below. He let us try it too.

Taiwan to Hong Kong

2009-07-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Taiwan was a great time with Derek, Ed and Ashley. This baseball game was super cool to see. Cheering the entire game is normal in Taiwan.
We are now in Hong Kong. This was on the first day when we walked all over and went to the top of Victoria Peak.

Then we went to Aberdeen on the other side of the island to see the floating village. It wasn't really much to see but the boat ride was cool and the apartment buildings are just insane. The contrast between people living on simple boats compared to people living on the 30th floor of a building is dramatic.

This is the view from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island at night. They have a music/light show daily which was very colorfull. This city is amazing, chaotic, and one of the most amazing places on this entire trip.

We stayed at very simple hotel the first two nights for $40 per night. Then we moved because the hotel wouldn't let us book for 3 more nights at the same rate. I found this hotel on Hong Kong Island for $50 per night with a pool. The elevator jammed on our way up to the room. It was actually scarey and we were in there for five minutes until we pried the door open and climbed out a few inches above one of the floors. The manager then upgraded our room to the Executive level. The view is unreal and the room is perfect. Today we barely left the room. We just read and drank coffee while looking up occasionaly.

True Taiwan Travel

2009-07-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Going South on the train.

Huge river channels flow out of the mountains every so often. These must be raging at times.

Taiwan is hot and therefore has huge bugs. Stacey has been bit by hundreds of mosquitoes.

This is how the average Taiwanese dresses on the hottest day of the year and doesn't even break a sweat. I have no idea how this is possible but it is of course opposite of what you would do.

We rented a scooter and drove to the Taroko Gorge National Park. The road was insane and amazing. The way people drive was even more insane and amazing they are not all dead. This is the best place we have seen in Taiwan.

This is a temple for all the people who died building the road. It has been wiped out by land slides 3 times.

Derek came down and we went cruising up the mountain to the clouds and the cold air.

Driving in the clouds.

This was a crazy little cable tram that was being used to transport cabbage from a different mountain or valley to where this picture was taken. It had a wild pulley system and a man operating the engines while smoking and chewing bettel nut.

The views in the mountains were so good and not hot.

We found a nice little swim hole and had it all to ourselves.

This is the rafting operation: boats being towed, little red boat getting ready to ram a boat to shore, no splash wars because the boats are too far apart, and no one paddling with their tiny paddles.

The people we went rafting with drove us to the next town and took us to get some fresh ice cream at a famous dairy. Taiwanese people are the most generous of all the people we have met so far.

Derek, Stacey and I enjoyed a few wheat beers for my 27th revolution around the sun.

We have been traveling along the East Coast of Taiwan for the past week. We have seen lots of beautiful scenery, rented a scooter, drove the scooter up to 2, 600 meters above sea level, seen a 3,000 year old tree, slept in 92 degree hotel rooms, passed out from the heat, laid around all day watching movies due to the rain, traveled on a train with standing room only, and made new friends while rafting on my birthday.

The rafting part was completely opposite from what you would imagine. We are on the opposite side of the world, what else would you expect but the opposite. There were about 200 people there and no guides in the boats. We were given paddles about the size of your hand. We didn't even need paddles because instead of having guides that ster you, they had 10 guys in inflatable boats with motors that would ram you out of the way of danger. They even towed us through the rough sections because they knew that no one was capable of making it through. The Taiwanese are not into rafting for the thrill, they are in it to get wet and splash the other boaters. We experience 3.5 hours of constant splash wars even through the roughest sections with 5 and 6 foot waves. I think I had my eyes shut for over half of the trip. It was completely shocking and a great experience.

Taiwan is on the Tropic of Cancer

2009-07-07T00:04:00.000-07:00

Currently we are staying with Derek for a few days in Ilan, just east of Taipei. He lives next door to his school. He is on welcome duty this week and he has to open the car doors for the kids arriving at school. He can say anything he wants because they don't have a clue what he just said. He loves it!

4th of July in Taipei, Taiwan with a bunch of Americans that teach English. Ed's world is much different than yours.

We went out to the Taiwan Beer Factory. They throw a huge party every weekend evening and it was a good time.

Stacey and I cruised the streets a few times in Taipei. The heat here is making it hard to do things day or night. I shower at least two times per day and usually three. The bikes bring some breeze and I figured out how to lock the bikes without a cable.

Very large memorial to Chang.

We went to the big night market and it was full of people and stuff. There are so many little stores along here it would take forever to see them all. The smells are very unique too.

Taiwan, Not What You Would Think Of

2009-06-29T09:44:00.000-07:00

First Day in Tawain was all about cooling off in the river. Then it started raining and we heated up in some sweet hot spring pools while the rain came down, hard. Photo: Derek, Ed and I about to launch.
The next day was all about the beach and some German food. This is the liter of beer we recieved. Ashley and Stacey are stoked.

This was our favorite photo from Cambodia.

After the beach, we drove the scooters back to Taipei through the mountains and came upon this view.

A German salad.

Ed has this cliff so dialed in that he can drink beer while enjoying gravity.

Angkor Wat is an amazing place.

I have also added slideshows that act as links to the gallerys. Click it.

2009-06-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

The night is never ending in Bangkok.

This was the biggest tiger at the Temple. His did not like me touching him so he whipped me with his tail. Stacey went before me and got a good kick from this guy.

The view from above Railay. The best place and beach in Thailand.

Welcome to Siemreap, Cambodia. Nothing in our lives prepared us for what life in Cambodia is like.

Angkor Thom is place of stone heads, all of them smiling.

Walking our way out of Cambodia.

Stacey and I are riding a scooter while taking this photo.

The first mistake we made was leaving the south of Thailand. After Phi Phi Island we stayed in Railay. This is the best place we have been in Thailand. Beautiful cliffs all around and once agian no cars, only feet here. We loved it there and we should have stayed but we decided to take the 12 hour over night bus to Bangkok. It sucked, but we made it alive. We did some more sight seeing in Bangkok and then we did a day trip to the Tiger Temple. This place has real big tigers that the monks take care of and you can pay them to pet the giant animals. It was crazy and it would never be allowed in the Western World. Then the next day we went to Cambodia. Like I said we should have stayed in the south of Thailand. We got scamed on the bus ride, then you got crap hotel and the place is a bit scarey. It all worked out fine and we were albe to see Angkor. Although we were depressed by the way things were around us, we did enjoy the temples and the experience, once it was over. After another 12 hour travel day we made it back to Thailand. Now we are spending a few days on the beach before we go to Taiwan to see Ed in his world. Traveling is not like a vacation, it is like having to go somewhere on a budget.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

2009-06-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

Stacey and I are loving the tropical Island of Ko Phi Phi, as you can see from the picture. This place is near perfect and no cars are on the island, all transport is by foot and bike. This photo is from the pool at our hotel. This hotel was wiped out by the Tsunami in 2004. So many people here were killed and we heard a sad story from the worker at out hotel.
This photo is at the beach were "The Beach" movie took place. Beautiful. Were took a long tail boat out all day and ended the trip here. It is definately a place everyone should see.

Melbourne, Australia

2009-06-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a few vineyards in the Yarra Valley. Good fun.

While in Melbourne, we rented this beast of a car and drove the Great Ocean Road. It was wonderfull.

This is a part of the Great Road. To the south is nothing but Antartica.

After Sydney, we took the train south to Merimbula. There were kangaroos at the golf course so we went to see them. Stacey hit two on accident.

Video of Seals

2009-05-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

This was at Separation Point at the north tip of the South Island. We hiked for about 2.5 hours to get out here. The wind was whipping on the other side of these rocks. It was one of the best points of the trip in New Zealand.

Australia

2009-05-19T18:27:00.001-07:00

We went to a play at the Opera house last night and this is the city behind us.
Stacey and I went to Manly beach and rode bikes next to this dude.
We found a nice place to stay in Sydney. This is the view from the window.

We have walked around most of Sydney. Our feet hurt but it is worth the pain.

Loving New Zealand

2009-05-05T22:25:00.000-07:00

From New Zealand

Currently we are in Wanaka, New Zealand. It may be the most beautiful lake in the world. The town seems nearly perfect. Lots of bars, coffee spots, and a dirt jump park in the pine trees. We have been traveling a lot the past 10 days so we decided to stay here for a couple nights to calm the nerves. Sleeping in the spaceship (campervan) is cold and not soft. The route has been great so far. We are still heading south toward Milford Sound, where we plan on staying for a few days. We are overwhelmed by the amount of things to see here. We will never see it all and the beauty doesn't stop. We will try our best. The link is to the other NZ photos. I have taken way too many but some are good.

New Zealand - North Island

2009-04-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

From New Zealand

We were picked up in Auckland by a BMX friend, Mike Ready. I met him seven years ago while I was on a trip here with Robbie. Great guy with very well mannered children. People in New Zealand are so relaxed and friendly. While in Auckland we ventured the city and hiked to the top of Rangitoto, Bloody Sky in Moari. The city is cool and clean but we aren't city people so we took a boat to the dormant volcano. The photo is in the lava caves.

Now were are getting on the ferry to the South Island. More shredding will occur.

Fiji Album

2009-04-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

Huntington Beach then Fiji

The link above is to the Fiji Album. It is incomplete due to computers being slow and taking money to access. This traveling stuff is not cheap. We enjoyed the heat and the beaches in Fiji but we are so glad to be in in Auckland, New Zealand. This city is beautiful and has plenty to keep us busy for a few days. A friend I meet back 7 years ago picked us up at the airport and treated us to a nice drive around the city. People here are genuine and cool. The great adventure continues...

Fiji

2009-04-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

The computers here are very slow so I have not downloaded any photos but Fiji is chill. Not much stress on this island. We have traveled and done a lot of laying around here. Fiji is very similar to Costa Rica but slightly more expensive. We are ready to go to New Zealand on Thursday and do some real activity. Check back in a week or so for pictures.

The Great Adventure to San Fransisco

2009-04-07T20:25:00.001-07:00

Great Rainbow at the end of the San Fran tour by Zach.

San Fransisco is beautiful.
We drove from Wyoming to Reno on day two. Day 3 began at Lake Tahoe. This is one of the best places ever. I would defineately live there. This lake is 22 miles long!

2.5 hours in the trip and we were stuck in Wyoming due to a white out blizzard. 18 hours later we were back on the road.

Stacey Shreds - Winter 2008

2009-04-02T21:13:00.000-07:00

Packing is Horrible

2009-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big move day. Almost everything is packed and and staged for the Uhaul. Moving every year is horrible. Hopefully Stacey and I can get in a place someday for longer than a year. This photo is all the clothes and baggies with medicine, q-tips, and razors I am bringing on the trip. I might have to ditch some of it a long the way. I have no idea what I am doing.

Busy and ready

2009-03-31T19:49:00.001-07:00

Ted took this shot before I was consumed with pre-adventure work and planning.

Life has been very busy lately. I spent the last 3 weeks working long days in Pueblo and getting ready for the adventure on the weekends. The time has now come to pack everything and go. We have only 4 days left in Colorado and then the trip truly begins. Stop #1 is San Fransisco. Stacey and I have never been to this lovely city. We are also planning a stop in Salt Lake City and the redwood forest. The dream is real.

Riding Agian

2009-02-17T07:36:00.001-08:00

I haven't rode my bike all winter. Work and snowboarding often take up most of my time. The cold hurts my beaten body too. Colorado has been warm so Ted and I rode a few parks the other day. I guess this is his best picture of me from that Febuary 15, 2009. It was a nice day on the new bike.

New Bike

2009-02-08T15:03:00.000-08:00

My friends at Verde hooked me up with this sweet new bike. I am stoked on it. Getting a new bike is like getting a new outfit in 6th grade, you just can't wait to get out there to show all your friends. It also has modern features which I have never had since my last bike is about 5 years old. I can't wait to shred the earth on this thing.

Photos By Steve Buddendeck

2009-01-27T17:22:00.000-08:00

At home in Michigan
180 in D.C. school yard

West Virgina

K-Zoo trails
D.C. at a college

X-games 2003

Somewhere in CA

Near my old trails at college in East Lansing

It's cold and I would love to ride my bike on a fun obstacle right now. This got me thinking about looking at some old photos from the glory days of no work and all play. All of these photos are from Steve Buddendeck. He has been a friend since I was 15 years old and is responsible for my sponsorship with DK. I need to go visit him to gather the many more images he has of me riding bikes. What and who would I be without ever having a bike and opportunity to do these things?

options=freedom

2009-01-26T15:47:00.000-08:00

This was a few years back in Costa Rica with Ed and Ed's Uncle Cliff. Ed moved to Miami and I went with him. In route, we learned that Uncle Cliff was taking us to Costa Rica. We had true freedom at that moment because we had all the options in the world. We went to surf, laugh, and enjoy a cup of coffee or two. It was a great trip that changed my life. Thanks Cliff and Ed for the option and in turn the freedom.

Another Revolution Around the Sun

2009-01-19T18:20:00.001-08:00

Yup!
Stacey Shreds the Earth!

We Shred the Earth!

My dad loves to put up Christmas lights. Taking them down is different.

Michigan + Camo and mustaches = Drunk

New Years Dinner. 2009 will be the best year of your life.

Auntie Stacey and baby Kayla

Debbie the Rooster.

Barn floor.

Barn

Videos

2009-01-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

Some sweet videos from the days of racing a bike.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0FZDW6dGjE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnrnBFMb_kM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTddLERetGs

Rocks are like Trees

2008-12-21T17:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you just need to get close to see what is happening.

Square + Circle = Square

Why would you not look through the square?

Red Rockcicle

It snowed 60 inches this week in Beaver Creek.

Ted, Kelly, and Matt

Get nearer.

Rocks are like trees because they destroy your snowboard when you hit them.

Trees with powder at Beaver Creek.

No tracks, just mine.

Thanks

2008-11-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

Lucy goosey by aslon to charlie.
Thanks for the food.

One of the best turkey dinners ever made. Fried in Peanut Oil.

Charlie and his house in Boulder. The house is awesome and has beautiful views.

Here is the view from the house to the south east.

A great house to have Thanks.

Watching a lap dog is not fun. Our house is sweet.

Living

2008-11-12T20:33:00.000-08:00

Love
What

You

While

You

Are

Living

Bicycle Rim Chairs

2008-10-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

I have always thought it would be nice to make furniture from bikes. New Belgium Brewing Company in Ft. Collins CO did it with beauty. The town of Ft. Collins is built for riding bikes and it is one of the best places to live in the US. Get there.

Shirt

2008-10-02T08:02:00.001-07:00

I am on a shirt? Buy it from Ted.

Air

2008-10-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

This jump is so fun. Hit it with speed and pull up so you feel free from everything. It truely is a moment of complete focus. Photo by Clay.
I stole this chopped photo from Ted. The day after the wedding we caught some air. See you here in Colorado soon!

Summer of Busy

2008-09-05T10:57:00.000-07:00

wedding # 100 for the summer.
Colorado raft trip with Captin Matt. It is now illegal to drive a raft while drinking, BUI.
Motorcycle trip to Dinosaur National Monument where there are not dinosaurs to be seen.
Danger in Moab!
Camp spot in Moab where the wind blows, the sun kills and river flows.

Good

2008-07-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

This picture reminds me of ET the movie.
Not the fun part of riding trails.
This is the view from our new place in Arvada.

There is a nice creek trail near the house which led Ben and I to this sunset.

A New Life Has Begun

2008-07-21T20:03:00.001-07:00

The best day.

2 days later at Arenal Volcano.

A river of hot water from Arenal. Also free.

The beach brings bliss.
South Nicoya sunset.
If only every day was like this!
This is the material the beach is made of. Once living creatures of the Pacific.

Stay tuned because I have much more to add and I will be working on gathering other peoples photos to share.

Some One Hurt The Dirt

2008-05-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

Jump #2
Rediculous landings
Jump #4

Jump #10 and the start of #11, about 30 feet long hip left

COLORADO
Jump #6
We build mountains. Jump #7 (straight) and 8 (90 degree trun right)
Buckets, BBQ, Bikes, Beer
The sign I created to keep kids from climbing on the jumps and letting people know what they are. Nobody ever believes that these are built by hand, by men, for free, for fun, to feel what others don't.
The view starting at jump #3.
Jump #8
Landings #4
Standing on landing #9 and looking to the start.

Last Sunday I recieved a call from Billy saying that someone destroyed our jumps. A pick ax and shovels can crush months of work in just a few hours or minutes even. We have no idea who did it or why. All we know is that if we ever catch them it will be war. Billy and Clay fixed most of the damage this week. I made it out toady for some digging. They can come back again and again to destroy our work , but we will return to fix it. It may be a never ending cycle. Someone will prevail?

Work (Somedays)

2008-05-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

This is what I do at work somedays. Here we are mixing a solution and injecting it in the ground to clean up some other chemicals. Most of the time we sample soils and water.
We use a hammer to slam the pipe in the ground. Then we pull it out to a certain depth to inject the solution.
Here I am after 4 years of school to do this? It is actually fun at times. Work is better than no work to be had.

2008-03-16T20:18:00.000-07:00

Charlie and I went shredding this weekend. Chipmunk face!
7 inches on new snow, 35 degrees and blue skies = good times
A sweet hut we came across in the woods.
Thanks Ted. One sweet moment that reminds me what I should do more often.

GOOGLE DIRT

2008-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

Google Earth is the coolest thing to happen since satelites have been placed over us to watch our moves. We use this tool at work all the time and it is impressive. There is even a new tool where you zoom in on a city and you can tour it in 3-D like you are driving down the streets. Imagine the clearity the government satelites have. Here is the V. I will have pictures from the Earth soon. This year we will have some sweet new stuff and maybe a 30 foot jump if the math works.

Life is Real Good

2008-02-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

We stayed in Vail Village this past weekend with Stacey's friend Cara and Scott.
Gondola love.
50+ inches of snow in the last week. 240 for the year. Shred! The good life.
The view from our hotel window in the heart of the elite world.

New Years and More

2008-02-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

Stacey and I went snow shoing to nowhere. This is the end point.
Rock-pod.
I had to blaze trail some of the way near the top.
Thinking of Costa Rica.

New Years 2008 with Tyler Sparks, co-worker.
Chinese on New Years in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Puking is always funny.
Tyler's place on the hill.
With a nice view of the hill. I went snowboarding this day but it was short. -20 degrees with wind.

So i finally figured out some housing for friends during the wedding. The sooner you tell me you are coming(for sure) the more like you will have a free place to stay. Here they are:

http://www.vrbo.com/166152
This link is to a townhouse we rented for some of you during the wedding. It is a few blocks from downtown and is so nice inside. I think this lady is putting up pictures soon. Check it.

http://www.bearcreekmnt.com/
This is the other house we rented for some. It is only four miles from Red Rocks and is sweet. There won't be much going out from here but deal with it.

Hills and Home

2007-12-26T19:01:00.000-08:00

Not bad looking.
November weather in Colorado.
A Saturday walk along the snowy slopes.
Home with my Mom and Dad.
About half the Fons Family.

Home

2007-12-20T15:19:00.000-08:00

I am coming home tonight. I hope to see lots of friends and family.

The Sun comes up in the East

2007-11-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

Our apartment has sucked some energy out of our lives. Black mold twice, two broken water pipes, and phone calls to idiots running the place. This water was on out floor for three days. It was horrible. Stacey signing the visitor book at a hut in the hills. You can hike out and sleep in this hut.
Ted has massive arms from building steep lips.

The Fons family.

This Year Flew By

2007-10-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Neal Wood and I while at Robbie's wedding. It is crazy to not see the people I used to see at BMX races. It is like 12 years of your connections just end. Done going to the middle of nowhere, sleeping in the pick up truck, and working for nothing for a career.
Dan did a 4 month road trip and stopped in. I think he is still on the trip just not on the road.
I went to 4 weddings this year. Tomas's was really fun and pretty.
Stacey and I went rafting with Matt a few times. Now it is over possibly forever because Matt is going to fight forest fires.

On one of my past work trips I saw the good guys. I was much cooler than I expected. It is huge, detailed and in a beautiful area.
My sister came to visit a year ago. Her year has even been faster and crazier than ever expected.
I helped Stacey cross the river while her Dad visited. My Parents visited but I can't find the photo.
Stacey now has a large piece of carbon on her hand. She is amazing.
The trip to Lake Powell was possible the best trip I have ever been on. Well, it was the best beer drinking, boat riding, and eating good trip.

It has almost been two years in CO. This girl and I have good times.
We went snow shoeing last winter. This was the view from the top.
Ted came here more than a year ago, he was figuring out the meaning of life and where he should live his.
I rode Pipe Dream once last year. It was too wet this day but still beautiful. Built with vision, shovels, dirt, trees and time. Beeler is on the bridge and I wish I was riding it right now.

I am sure this year will go even faster. My goal is to enjoy each day just like last year.

Love the Dirt

2007-09-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Billy blasting the bigger line.

The Third landing was looking nice in July. The V is running good. I haven't taken as many photos as I should have but here are a few. After riding the art Ted and Bret created back at 248, I am stoked to be riding the fall in CO. The radiation from the sun has let up and the dirt is holding more moisture. A few of us rode the other night for about 30 min. while the full moon was rising over the Air Force base. I was a very nice session. I am heading out there today and will take photos.

Good Labor Day

2007-09-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a mountain bike race on Labor Day weekend. I never raced Dual Salom but thought it looked fun. I raced pro and did ok. I raced the #1 qualifier in the second round.
This is the second round verus the #1 qualifier. I was winning but then I slid in the flat turn pictured above. He beat me. It was pretty fun though.
Matt came to check out the action. Then we went to his house to go rafting/beer drinking down the Colorado River.
Matt decided to check out this cliff jump. It was too big for me. I was supposed to video tape him while Stacey took a picture.
Stacey got the perfect picture but I skrewed up the video beacuse I was not ready for this. I thought he was going to die. He did 1 and 1/4 flip and hit his back pretty good. That dude is wild. What a sick picture.

August Rains Don't Spoil Beauty

2007-08-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

It was the most beautiful area I have seen in Colorado. Heading North out of Durango toward Silverton.
The iron horse will always be a nice time, rain or shine. This is a pull over looking down on the town of Ouray. This road was insane and the views far more amazing.
My rain suit really brings out the red and green. Ouray, CO.
For the moment we were not wearing our rain suits. We would put them on and get slammed with rain and then 10 minutes later we were sweating. Matt's bike just broke down here and the view was nice. We learned to check the battery terminals when you have electrical problems on a bike.
The town of Silverton is a place where I should have a house. It is 9,500 ft. above the sea and unique. It has a guided only ski resort and lots of silver to be mined. The rain was coming down and Matt's bike was barely working. I will return to go down the mountains on a board.

Our first stop of the trip was this. We rode about 250 miles on Friday night through some down pouring rain. It was the kind or rain were the a hilly road is a river. We tried to camp without paying but we got busted five minutes before we were about to leave. $28 for a camp site is ridiculous. I would pay $1000 to see this though. 800 ft. sand dunes surrounded by 12,000ft. peaks. Only one place in the world like this.
Piss break just outside of Carbondale. We just finished ripping over a pass with a smile on our face.
Our bikes took a beating on this trip. We definitely aren't the type of biker's that polish our shit. If it doesn't have some scratches and dirt then you didn't go for a 700 mile ride in the August rain.
I didn't mean to add this picture but it is nice. A quaint park in Silveton,
The second night was spent in the hills just outside Durango. Only $16 this time. We were drinking some beer and sitting by our fire when a we notice a new guy had moved a tin piece of shit trailer in a spot near by. He had his lights pointing at the trailer while he unloaded his car wearing a full red jump suit. He was carrying all sorts of weird shit and then a young kid started spinning a bow staff. It looked like a helicopter blade was attached to his hand. He was unreal good. We just watched the ninja for a while when we notice that the old red jump suit sensai was placing mirrors all around him. The old jump suit sensai was handing the ninja a new staff every few minutes too. He must of had 15 staffs. It was so weird. I am glad we made it out.

Top Five on My List

2007-07-22T13:41:00.000-07:00

Stacey and her best friend Kate.
This is how it looks all over.
Our boat crew minus me.
Camp site.
Not the average house boat.

Rainbow Arch, biggest in the world.
4,600 ft to the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon.
The water used to be so much higher at Lake Powell that you could drive a boat under this. Now it is a 1 mile hike.
200 hundred foot cliff with 300 feet of water below us.

Lake Powell is one of the top five places I have ever visited. We stayed on a 60ft. house boat with granite counter tops, cruised the lake in a 1000 horse power boat at 80 mph, and did not pay a dime for the $500 in gas each day. It was basicaly a free trip due to the wealth of a cool guy named Arron. The lake is just amazing and the vibe was perfect. Lots of good food and beer made things even better. It was about 105 everyday but that wasn't too bad because you just jump off the top of the house boat. We drove the boat about 5 hours each day and we didn't see even half of the lake. It is 190 miles long but also has hundreds of canyons filled with water along the main channel. The world's largest natural arch is there and the Grand Canyon was only 1.5 hours away. I can only hope to do it again in the same fashion.

Good Day

2007-07-02T16:36:00.001-07:00

Isabell Lake
Glacier water.
Life is good when you get to look at such beauty.

Alpine flowers just feet from the snow in July. So amazing.

This was the view of the start of the hike. Our goal the snow.

This little creek runs from above treeline to the Gulf of Mexico.
This spot was much better in person.
Check out he layers of snow behind us. This was one of the better hikes I have done. It wasn't to hard but around 10,000ft it is hard to breath and recover quickly. It was 100 degrees in Denver yesterday but about 80 here. This is what life in Colorado is all about. There was a dude walking back that had his skis with him. Shredding the snow in July.

Not Scared to Jump

2007-06-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

Stacey took me skydiving 2 years ago for my bithday. Here we are in our suits at the hanger.
This is how Stacey looked the whole time. So excited.
We didn't get to bring the camera up in the plane. This is the last picture before we jumped. There were a few people who chickend out before us. I was not scared at all though. It was out of my control, so I was just a passenger along to enjoy the ride. It was fast, intense, and memorable.
Random shot of Stacey at Beaver Creek.
This is up Lookout Mountain in Golden with my woman. This Spring was so green and wet but beautiful. I rode my road bike up this hill yesterday just so I could go back down. You start down by the houses and climb about 2,000 feet to the top. I think I hit about 40mph on the way down. Shred.

Hiking

2007-06-03T07:55:00.000-07:00

Stacey's dad was in town last weekend and we decided to go to some places we had never been. Here is Roxborough State Park, which is the same rock layers as Red Rocks but further south.
Rocky Mountain National Park has more amazing things to see than I have time for. Nice 3 mile hike to some flowing water and a helping hand for my lady.
Water is the best thing to happen to Planet Earth. Respect your supply.

My Beautiful Home

2007-05-25T18:27:00.001-07:00

Dan was tabling this hip from a hard direction. This is a good place.
Beaver Creek, CO. A fresh pow day.
Stacey and I at home.
Dan at the best hip. A day to remember and forget.

Rain means nice green hills just down the road.
Red Rocks is so sick. Uplift the Earth with tectonic forces and you get this.
Spanish Peaks down in southern Colorado. This was the view from an oil rig.
Dan took this picture at the best hip in Denver. Full speed hit that lip and you smile. Later I tore my pcl. Oh, just got my brace and will be riding soon. Crazy blue sky from Golden, CO. It is sunny 300 days a year in Colorado.

Getting Married

2007-05-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

It sounds wild saying those words. Guys just don't think about getting married like girls do. But here I am and I am stoked. It was destiny. We meet in the Virgin Islands and bam, 2.5 years later I am walking down the Newport Beach, California getting ready to ask my girl to marry me. She knows its coming sometime but not this minute. We had been riding bikes to the beach all weekend so the day was no different than the others. I said we should set up a timed photo. I was way nervous, I had been thinking about it all week. I had the ring hidden in my camera bag and thought of doing the timed photo thing so I could get to the ring box without her seeing. I dug in my bag grabbed my camera and the ringbox. The box goes in my pocket and I set the camera up on my backpack for the 10 second delay. She yelling to me that we need to get the sail boat in the picture, but I am waiting because there are some people who are getting in my shot. Time is moving slowy. Then its time. The button is pressed and I run to my girl. She is shooked and says yes. Here is the moment:

Cali

2007-05-19T09:24:00.001-07:00

I asked Stacey to marry me this past weekend. It went perfect.

Robbie's backyard is a tropical oasis. He did some serious work.

Robbie got married at the nicest wedding I have ever seen. We ruled the road together at one time.

Three legged dogs can run fast. Robbie's Dog Jasper is cool. The white bike was rode in the wedding by Robbie and Michelle.

Not healed but not done

2007-04-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

Soil Tac is now on the jumps. They will be bullet proof from kids climbing on them. Yes!

Dr. Seeman has given me good news. He has concluded that my pcl is a second degree tear which means that it is somewhat intact. Surgery will not be of much benefit to stablizing my knee. I will have to compensate for the tear by strengthening my quadricep and wearing a knee brace. I am thinking I will be back on my bike in a few weeks. I plan on riding my purple and white road bike a lot and hiking as much as possible. This new has cheered me up just like the 40 trees we planted at the V. Clay bought a bunch of cottonwood hybrids that grow 6 to 8 feet per year. I dug a few trees out of the gully and placed them in strategic points too. If you join the Arbor Day foundation you get 10 trees for $10. The world would be a better place if everyone planted 10.

Broken parts

2007-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have a third degree tear of my pcl. It is basically completely torn. Monday I find out if I need surgery. My body has had many broken parts over the years. This injury is bumming me out more than most of them. The knee is just so crucial to enjoying life. I torn my other pcl in 1999 and haven't had any issues with it. I guess the thought of surgery scares me. I am also scared of this being the injury that takes me out. I have come back from some bad shit but a knee can take you out, off your bmx forever.

Sun down

2007-04-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is the best sunset I have ever seen or captured. Ontario, Canada near Montreal is a beautiful area. I was there on a feild trip with my Petrology class and we stayed on this lake. The most important thing I learned on that trip was that I need to go back there and see more of that area.
2nd best sunsets in the world (National Geographic) happen in Erie, PA. This one was nice. I guess Japan and China produce more pollution so they get the best.
I was driving to a Montana oil rig when the sun pinked the clouds. It turned out nice and artistic. I think I was just exiting the Black Hills in South Dakota. There is not much around this North Dakota oil rig. It is so amazing how spaced out everything is except the corn. I drove 14 hours to the site, slept in the truck for two nights while working for 2 hours every 8 or 10 hours, and then drove back home to work again. So this sunset was the only good thing to happen on that trip.

Random

2007-04-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

Random pictures are nice to look at. Sometimes it is relaxing and inspiring to go through your photo books to see all those things you have forgoten for the moment. I wish I would have bought my camera many years earlier because there are so many things I did not capture. I guess I still don't capture enough even with multiple cameras. When the days of looking young, jumping bikes, hiking canyons, and trying new sports is over, you may only have a picture to make you feel that feeling once more.

Costa Rica beach sunset

Ed's Uncle Cliff going out to break his board

Perfect timing at 248 with all the homies

4th of July 2006 Black Canyon of the Gunnison 1500 feet down a sweet canyon

Colorado's biggest dammed lake 1500 feet above the canyon

Ted looking drunk, smoked and funny

Got a new job. Fuck cutting rocks.

Blew out my knee. I think the pcl is torn but an MRI will reveal the truth Monday.

Golden/Work

2007-03-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Most of my day is spent working. I hate that life is expensive and money is only gained through work. Why can't I climb moutains to reap the reward of the money tree at the top? I work in this lab where we create data for oil and gas companies. The rocks are the source of information and we have to cut them up. The slab saw will cover you in dirt and rip your ear drums from you head. The final product of the cut is the slab, a beautiful smooth cut surface of a core(rock). Slabs are pretty when there are fossils and other types of formations with in the rock. Some of the rock is from 10,00 feet underground. It is crazy to think of time when you are looking at somethin 100 million years old. Other parts of my job include extraction of the oil and water from the samples, drilling plugs, taking photographs, and analyzing the rocks with a computer program measuring pressure differentials. Its a good job and I have learned many good things, but I know there are always better things waiting around the corner.

Vactions Change Your Life

2007-03-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

After graduation I had no idea what i wanted to do. Lanscape, labor, pooper scooper business, all sounded like shit. I did know i wanted to go to Colorado with Stacey, so we did. This trip sold me on the move and taught me that Michigan sucks compared to here. We drove, camped in the snow and rain, hike 14 miles in one afternoon, and had a fun time. Anyone who comes here thinks of moving here for at least a minute. I am sure glad I thought about it longer and made it happen. Colorado vacation 2005.

Coaster Wheelie

2007-03-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

I forgot this picture for the East Lansing jumps. It is my favorite one that my girl took on that wonderful day I allowed her to see what I had built with my shovel. We had just started our journey and I wasn't sure if I should let her in that far, but I did and now we are perfect together. You came flying into this little corner back with logs and used it to lift you front wheel. Then you hoped your body position was correct because you had to maual through the s-berm. It was a one of a kind sensation. Never felt it before and never will again.

The Roller Coaster

2007-03-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

s berm rollers

steep into the right berm
3rd 90 hip

Three rollers, steep down hill to the left, tight berm to the right, 90 degree hip left, 90 degree hip right, 90 degree hip left, jump into left berm, tight left berm with roller, s berm with 4 rollers, back to the top. This was my own place in the woods of East Lansing, MI. It was never finished but it was so much sensation when it was riding. Not many people did ride it or see it or hear of it. It was my little underground build to keep me content in the cloudiest city in Michigan. I needed to smell the dirt and create my own while I studied the Earth. It held me over until I could get back to the 248. Now the place is just weeds and lumps, ant hills and rabbit dens.

Benny and Matt

2007-02-28T10:13:00.000-08:00

It is very nice to have 2 good friends in a place that is 2000 miles from home. Matt lives in the hills and Benny lives near me. We really don't hang much but when we do it is great. Last weekend we stayed with Matt and went snowboarding at beaver creek. It was one of the best days i have had in Colorado because we ripped. There really isn't anything better than flying trough trees on the board and having your two friends in sight.

Here is a picture of us in Benny's truck which he thinks is indestructable. We straped two folding chairs in the back with ratchet straps so our feet would be braced against the cab. Ben and Stacey rode up front while Matt and i were in back. Benny is a reckless driver and will make me scared on the highway, but this was on crazy mountain trails so i was really fucking scared. We drank our beer and cruised up into the aspens. It was great. On the way back Ben decides to hit this lump and makes the truck go airborne, all four whells. Beer is flying and so are we. Matt's chair breaks as the wheels of the truck grind the frame. It was so fun to make it through alive.

Snow

2007-02-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

This winter has been crazy. 62 days straght with measurable snow on the ground might set the Denver record. Some days far below zero limited me to my house causing some winter blues but nothing like MI. It is still sunny here whn it is -15. One day it snowed 32 inches and has been followed by a storm once a week. I still love it here. Yesterday I worked on the dirt until my skin turned red and the day before I went snowshoeing with Stacey at 11,000 ft. I don't think i am missing out on life while living here. The picture is of Garret at my house when we dug out and went snowboarding in that pow. The other is on a hill just a quick hike away from my door.