Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Beat the clock


My job allows me to ride lots of different skateparks while I'm out on the road. I'm very fortunate and I credit still riding as much as I do at this age to being a road rep. Unfortunately, the confines of time often make these sessions shorter than I would like or very difficult to make happen. Today was a prime example. I had to go to Columbus, Ohio. "Great, I can go the The Flow". I did my pre-trip research and discovered that The Flow is closed on Mondays. Shit. I was running late at my shops but got done what I needed to. It was 8 pm. My options were limited. I have to be in Dayton, southwest of where I was, in the morning. Find a Super 8 and drink beer by myself (nothing new there). I texted Catfish on the outside chance that we could ride the System warehouse again, knowing it was a longshop that he would be in town (he was in Texas). OR, I could drive to Florence, Kentucky, two hours from where I was (and an hour south of Dayton) and make it to Ollies. I punched the address into the GPS and gunned it south. As I was leaving Columbus, it gave me an ETA of 10:07 pm (I had researched this as well and learned that they were open until 11). I kept the hammer down and effectively beat the clock as I made my way down the road. By the time I crossed the Ohio/Kentucky border the time machine told me 10:02. I was on my bike by 10:10 and it was great. Ollies is super fun. Biker Ben and Bud Dickman from Toledo were there. I didn't recognize Ben because he is like a foot taller than the last time I saw him. Time flies. I love the hips and the flow of that place.
Ashley, Ohio, dirty smiley face. Creepy? Don't worry, I'm in a Super 8 drinking beer by myself now.

1 comment:

jason said...

Being dedicated to riding isn't always easy. But, in my experience, it's always worth the effort. I'm glad you're able to make the most of your opportunities to ride when you're travelling for work. It's good motivation for me as well.

jburton