Wet Leaves and Dog Poop

Skadi: Norse Goddess of Winter,
who enjoys skiing,
spear hunting, and ruining
 my life in Provo Utah as well. 

Slushy, snowy, icy cold weather. That's what I've had recently. This poor weather has really hurt my training for my trip. I've been swimming to exercise instead of running and longboarding, which I enjoy, but its not as nice as riding my longboard. However...yesterday...it appeared that someone had appeased the Provo Gods of Winter for a day and we were blessed with a sunny warm day. I thought to myself, "I think I should go for a ride."

Donning my shorts and t-shirt, headphones and helmet, board and Big Stick I set off down the street towards my usual Provo River trail. Cruising down the road I reach the river trail and then I start pushing fast. Covering the trail are piles of leaves everywhere. Due to the snow and rain the leaves are sodden and rotting, letting off a decomposing smell. Every time I ride over the leaves my board slows down, also the wheels catch the mud and water and throw it everywhere. Whenever I try to push with my foot or the Stick I have to beware the leaves or else I slip and almost fall off. It was a great workout, lots of fun, but frequently frustrating. 

Wheel Shields by Chase Kaczmarek

I reach home and flip my board over to see it has been caked in mud, mud which has been thrown all over by my spinning wheels. My board is muddy and wet, not a good thing for the maple wood deck. Mud is all over my lower legs. I have a flashback to a similar experience when I was going along the trail and someone hadn't cleaned up after their dog. My quickly spinning wheels run over the stinky "doggy deposit" and I instantly regret not being more attentive. 

Since that day I've been looking into something to prevent this. I was on Rob Thompson's webpage and he mentioned wheel shields. I've looked into that and I found someone who has made that idea a reality. Check them out here. I'm not sure I will ever get them, but I'll think about it. Especially if the weather keeps playing tricks on me like this.

Curse you Provo Weather Gods of Winter and Rain, curse you....

Kahuna Big Stick

As a college student, it goes without saying that I am poor. That is just the life we all lead, and its not that big a problem, I eat, I have a place to live, I'm doing really well. I am also paying for this trip from my own pocket. However longboard equipment gets expensive. I have been petitioning help and I would like to introduce one of my sponsors.

Paddle Handle

The rubber blade

I've been wondering how to get more endurance and mileage out of each day, and I thought a stick to push with would be good. At first I contemplated using a crutch, or a broomstick with a rubber tip. Thankfully, a company that saw where they could help stepped in and gave me some assistance  Kahuna Creations is a company that makes longboards and also a really cool little invention they call the Big Stick. Its like a paddle, but at the end there is a rubber blade of sorts that you can use to push off the road. A genius idea. They helped me out in acquiring two sticks, one for me and one for Kenton.

I have been nothing but impressed with them and their product.

I got the adjustable stick which will be helpful to carry on my backpack on the trip. It is much more sturdy than I anticipated and the rubber end is quite durable. I've been able to go on rides for four or five miles and my feet never touch the ground. It adds a whole new element to longboarding! It is also a really good core and arm workout. I went out for an hour when I got it and I was beyond sore the next day. For distance longboarding this thing is a must-have.

I really love having it. I get some funny looks sometimes, but I like to think everyone is just jealous of how awesome I am.

Over the weekend a friend and I went up Provo Canyon to ride around and look at the fall leaves. It was so beautiful we decided to take some pictures while we were up there, we rode a casual three or four miles. It was a perfect day, and using the Kahuna Stick was a lot of fun.

My lovely friend and photographer, Jamie Wheeler. She's a little upset
 because I made her wear a helmet.

The fall leaves were amazing. 

I feel a little vain with this montage of me. 

I hope you are all of jealous of the beautiful day I got to spend. 

Few things make you as happy as spending time in nature, riding your board, and
spending time with good friends. Good day.

Thanks Kahuna for the help. I really appreciate it. 

Journey to Utah Lake with a Side Quest or Two

One of my goals in training is to become better at longboarding longer distances. The furthest I had gone before I got this idea was about eight miles. Two days ago I put in my headphones and got on my board headed down the Provo River Trail. There are few things that are more relaxing than cruising on your longboard listening to some tasty jams. The soothing and constant rhythm of kicking your feet and carving down the trails, a steady grumble of your wheels spinning on the pavement below your feet, the warm summer sun beaming down on you as you have this time alone to just move and think. I absolutely love it.

Before I knew it I had been going for about a half hour and needed to turn around, a friend was coming to visit. I turned around and rolled on for a few feet when I saw a sign. It was a map of the trail and on it I saw that I had gone about five miles from my home and I was a mere half mile from Utah Lake. I turned back around and went all the way to the lake. It actually felt really cool to go there, but sadly they wouldn't let me into the lake property because I didn't have two dollars to pay the entrance fee. I just got to see the sign and turn back.

Headed home I was cruising along again and I looked over the the river on my right, I saw some kids on a rope swing swimming in the river. I jumped off my board and ran over to join them. This rope swing...was awesome. The water was deep and slow making it perfect to swim in, although it did smell a little like fish and was completely opaque. It was a fun little adventure and I have since gone back again with my friends to swim there. You can't see these things when driving by in a car. That is what is great about traveling by longboard, you are inserted into the local environment, you experience everything as you pass through, instead of just passing through.

Another thing I saw was a movie being filmed along the river. There were camera crews and a bunch of people dressed up in clothes from the 1800's singing and two men dressed in white in the river re-enacting a baptism from early Mormon times. I hope I didn't bother them when I was crunching through leaves and sticks trying to take a picture of the event. I'm a little disappointed with how my picture turned out but I didn't want them to film and view the footage later only to find a guy with a longboard and bright blue skating helmet peeking out of the bushes across the river.

I got home after 10-11 miles of riding and hung out with my good friends. One thing I want to mention is that my back started killing me in the evening, something that hasn't happened yet on a longer ride. I wonder what wearing a hiking backpack will do on 30-50 mile days will do. Hmmmmm.........