Desultory Thoughts

I’ve received this video (actually what you see here is only a portion of the video I received, but I can’t find it in its entirety on either YouTube or Google Videos) as an attachment in my email now a few times from different friends who know I’m interested in this kind of thing, and every time I watch it I’m amazed.

At first I thought it must be camera tricks or something (especially when he’s riding on the railroad tracks and jumping from one track to the next) but then I saw a video of him doing some tricks at some bike show demo [video.google.com]. He’s just really good!

It makes me look really stupid, what with my full-faced helmet.  I wonder how many times Ryan has crashed?
The video that I recieved in an attachment is entitled “this dude can ride.wmv” and it’s 3.7MB.  I guess I might as well host the file since Bluehost just upgraded my bandwidth for free.  Let’s see if we can’t put a dent in it.  I thought the video and camera work was very well done.  But the tricks are what really make the video.

  

Ever since I purchased my first full suspension bike I’ve wanted to use it for one of the things it was meant for which is absorbing the shock that comes from landing hard after taking air on a jump or landing a big drop. However, ever since I broke a carbon-fiber handlebar and a pair of shocks after a wreck at Snowbird, I’ve been a little weary. That’s what seperates the “dudes” from the “posers”. The dudes get back up and take more air, even after breaking several bones (something I’ve never had the pleasure of doing) and the posers (I’m self-diagnosed) just chicken out after a spill.

Something changed all of that for me because this weekend during our yearly spring trip to Moab I threw caution to the wind and rode like I never have before! It was on the Porcupine Rim trail on a rented Santa Cruz Nomad bike and a borrowed full-faced helmet that I let my bygones be bygones. The dreams that I’ve been having for the last couple of months after taking a 3-foot drop at the University of Utah campus were coming true! I really could fly on my bike!!

I took video of many of the jumps and drops just so I could prove it to myself. I kept thinking the whole time that I must be having another one of my dreams. I’m still having a hard time believing it. I just felt so comfortable out there and now I can’t wait to go again!

I’m making a short video of the trip and I should have it added to my Google Video list within a month or two. It’s not that it will take that long to make, I just have other distractions that will keep me from getting it done. I’ll post a link to it here when it’s finished. It’s just going to be a short one or two minute clip with the highlights from me and my regular biking buddies (Chan, John and Matt).

One of the highlights of the trip for me is when I approached a drop that my friends had taken before on previous trips but that I never had and without hesitation I just dropped it and landed it beautifully. There was a group of bikers watching and I thought “I used to be one of those bikers, watching dudes in full-faced helmets take gnarly drops without thinking and knowing that I would never be at that level”, but there I was, a gnarly dude in my own right.

It was confirmed when one of the bikers in the group that was watching proclaimed, “Dude, you guys rock!”
I thought long and hard about retiring and leaving the sport on a high note; I have no idea if I’ll have that kind of courage again the next time I get out there on the trail.

At the moment I must say, I’m quite addicted!

  

I have a good friend (Clint) that has the same sense of exploration and adventure as I do. We’ve gone on many an exploration and someday we’d like to finish one of the several documentations that we’ve started; if not on film or paper then at least in our minds. He’s an excellent writer and I’m an excellent videographer so we’ll make a good match.

We’ve never even come close to even THINKING about what two explorer/adventurists are doing right now. The first ever winter (that means dark in the North Pole) trek to the North Pole is currently being attempted by Børge Ousland and Mike Horn. They are about halfway there as of today!

Mike and Børge have to deal with bitter cold, ice drifts, freezing winds and even close encounters with polar bears [ousland.no]! They’ll also have to deal with each other as the National Geographic write-up [nationalgeographic.com] about the adventure explains. They’ve had to swim, sometimes several times a day, through ice cold water to span the gaps of ice. (Don’t worry; they have special water-proof suits that keep them completely dry. But still!!! Can you imagine swimming in the frigid waters of the arctic…in the dark? Watch this video [ousland.no] of Børge Ousland, the first person to do this, and then imagine doing it at night.)

These two are no strangers to adventure. Mike Horn has trekked through the Amazon jungle, circumnavigated the globe along the equator and around the Arctic Circle. And he did it all alone! Børge Ousland has had his share of solo adventures, too. It’s only their extreme sense of responsibility to their wives and children that they decided they’d better use the buddy-system on this one. Ya’ think?

You can follow the daily adventure on two different blog sites. They both have satellite phones and they’re sending back daily journals that are published on their sites. Mike Horn’s version [mikehornnorthpole.com] includes some interesting statistics such as days into the journey, days left and number of days of food supply left.

Børge Ousland’s version has some very good, descriptive first-hand accounts and are logged on a daily basis. It’s not too late to get caught up and then follow their journey the rest of the way. I’m hoping they make it safely; there is still plenty of time for plenty of things to go wrong. When they make it it will be amazing! Absolutely nuts, but amazing!

  

My boss sent me this funny video today. He knows I went on a mission to Germany, but I think this video is funny even if you don’t speak German. Here it is for your viewing pleasure.

  

My good friend John Orgill (owner of Ortec Design Wedding Videos [ortecdesign.com]) was feautured on KUTV News’ segment “Fresh Ideas” [kutv.com] today.  One of the reasons is because of his signature glass displays.  Funny thing is, he’s actually been doing the displays for at least two years now, if not longer.  So KUTV should’ve been doing this story at least a year ago!

John revamped his website and it looks great.  He’s done a great job of combining html and flash content.  I love his write-up in the new “About” section; it really does a good job of bringing out his fun personality.  It also shows off his cute family.  (Did I just say “cute”?)  He added a “Charity Package” to his pricing list which I think is a great idea.  It shows his innovation and thoughtfulness (although I’ll bet the credit goes to his wife on that one who is a real kindred spirit).  John has also done a great job of networking and gives great discounts for teaming up with photographers and florists that he likes to work with.  Good job, John!