After Search and Rescue training today I
went for a ride in MacDunn in the rain. I started the ride at 1:30pm and didn’t get out until 5:15. I really pushed myself and was able to map a whole bunch of new trails with my GPS. Slowly but surely I’m making a map of the hidden trails in the forest… But right now I’m absolutely beat from the ride. It’s a Saturday night and I’m so wiped I don’t even want to go out… I must be getting old… haha.
Kick ass movie. We barely got in tonight for opening night. Thank you Fandango… one of the few times in life when I feel like a VIP walking past a line 3 blocks long! Lots of blood, lots of good fighting and really cool filming… if you liked Sin City this is a must see 
Website
Well, since going to the movie this past wednesday I’ve been dying to go biking. There was wonderful weather all weekend. After my search and rescue class yesterday morning I decided to pack up my gps and head out to MacDonald Dunn to
log some more unmarked trails on the map I’m working on. I knew it would be really muddy but it was 65 degrees and the trails were calling. Tiffany stopped by to borrow my Topeka Alien all-in-one bike tool to work on her bike so I was hoping I wouldn’t need it. As I had guessed the trails were really muddy but I had a great time exploring them. I went further than I had gone before in the research forest and
ended up on some really fun downhill unmarked trails. I even came across some cool looking newts near a stream gap jump. I then came across a huge section of the trail that had been wiped out by a massive mud slide. On the way back I tried to take a trail off into the woods I had noticed before that dumped out into a stream 
bed where I had started off the day. The trail turned out to be a stream and I took a huge endo off my bike (one of several during the day) which flipped me through the air and tore the deraileur cable right out of the handlebar. Without a tool I had to tie the cable in a knot around my frame. Luckily I was in a perfect gear and headed down from the mountains anyway.
When I got back to my truck around 4:45 I was cached in mud! I didn’t want to get the inside of my truck muddy so I stripped down to just my boxers to drive home… now here’s where it gets embarassing. When I get home I needed to quickly grab my bike, hose it off and bring it to a bike shop downtown to get fixed so I could ride today (sunday). As I’m pulling it out hte back of my truck in my boxers (picture me just my boxers without a shirt or socks on and the back side of my boxers looking like I drank I drank a bottle of ex-lax. Then I hear in a soft voice, "hey, can I ask you a question". I turn around with the bike in the air (deciding whether to show my dirty, ass, my front with the possiblity of the clydesdale outside the barn or just my side profiel) to see my very attractive next door neighbor who I hadn’t met yet. Apparently somebody left a lab on her front lawn and never came back and she was asking me if I knew anything (she’s a vet student so somebody must have known). So there I am in my filthy boxers meeting this girl for the first time… pretty damn embarassing. What a first impression!?
I managed to take my bike downtown to get a new cable put in and then stayed in for a relaxing night getting excited to head to Black Rock with Anna and Tiffany this morning to explore the trails!
We left around 8:45 this morning in Tiffany’s car to Falls City and the trails at Black Rock. Immediately upon climbing up the hill I began to see jumps, and wooden bridges throughout the woods. Anna wouldn’t allow me to wear my headphones (next time I will regardless) so I wasn’t all amped up to do anything stupid, which may have been a good idea actually. When we got to the top we took an easy (green circle)
route down which still had some pretty decent jumps on it. I really enjoyed flying off them but I know if I were to do anything bigger
I’d want body protection and a full face helmet. I also had some energy gel and powdered energy drink with me to keep up with the girls (I’m out of shape a little). As it turned out I kept up easily and had a blast. We 
only took one run because Anna had to get back to help some friends move. We went over a see-saw and got absolutely covered
in mud on the way down. Somehow I even managed to cut my leg open. Maybe I’ll make it a tradition to always leave Black Rock bleeding from someplace. I came away from the freeride terrain amazed and I can’t wait to go back there, especially when it dries out a bit more later this spring!
Tonight I went to my first Search and Rescue (SAR) meeting at the Sheriffs Department. We worked on map and compass skills for the night and were introduced to the new Sheriff as well. This class is required by Oregon Law to be a member of a search and rescue unit such as CMRU. It is every thursday for 3 hours and every saturday for 4-8 hours. At the end I have to pass a test as well as spend a night alone in the woods at a random location in a snow cave to get the experience of being on a real mission. We were all given a binder about 4 inches thick to study and complete problems form. I think I will learn a lot from the course. Also… I finally got the official invitation application from CMRU as well. I have been going since September and have obviously proven that I am committed. This means they will do a criminal background check on me (It’ll be funny if they see I was arrested once for skateboarding!) and then I get the official interview before being accepted into the group as an official trainee. As an added bonus… 6 months from now I’ll also be able to get Pro Deal on almost any equipment I can imagine! Glorious!
