pavedwave longboarding

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1114 Location: seattle wa usa

Had one of the best all-out distance rides yesterday, one of those rides that defines the whole feel and vibe of what LDP is all about. Joined by Patrick Alldred and Barefoot Ted, we originally had planned on a really early morning 30-mile eastside excursion on the Sammamish trail.

First, was the 6 a.m. wakeup to discover a typical pouring NW rain. So we called each other and rescheduled for "whenever this ### dries up" -- which only took a few hours. By 10 a.m. the roads and trails were looking good, so we headed out, and at the same time, decided to shift gears. The logistics of carpooling and a desire for some new terrain took us South to the Renton area.

We parked and launched near SouthCenter mall, jumping into the Green River Trail at Strander Blvd. We packed fairly minimal. Patrick and I carried water bottles, assuming we'd run into some water fountains along the way (I found ONE, though I'm sure more exist) and Ted was stocked up on Clif Shots which saved us all later.

The Green River trail's asphalt quality varies, but the coolest thing about this trail is how much it changes, hooks, loops, dips and offers little tangents off to the side to ride now and then. You can see from the map how the trail winds tight alongside the Green River. Sometimes the headwind can really kick up, but it seemed to play in our favor most of the time.

Patrick knows just about every square inch of King County, which was great because we'd finally reached that point in the trail where I'd been before, but couldn't find the connection to the Interurban. This time, we pressed farther south, instead of my previous attempts to go east into a dead end. Bikes were out in full force in their spandex, training for their centuries, STP, and other recreational rides.

The trail transitions a lot from the old, original coarse asphalt, to a few sections of new smooth industrial stuff, then seems to "end" in several places, where it turns to local road for a quarter mile or so, before rejoining to another trail section.
It got to a point where it was hard to tell if we were anywhere close to the trail anymore, being out on a regular street for a mile or so, but that's exactly where we had finally wound our way eastward, to come upon the Interurban!

The Interurban is a very, very, very straight trail, but what it lacks in curves and variety, it totally makes up for in NICE asphalt. I'm definitely going to follow the length of this trail in a future ride. After the wending, winding adventure of the Green River, this trail was a perfect "zone out" straight shot, just letting the tunes kick in and the pumping to go on auto-pilot. We stopped off at a small skatepark and zipped around the bowls for a short while (just before this park was the water fountain) then got back on track for a fast flight back to the car.

Followed up with some Vietnamese noodles at one of Ted's local hangs, which capped off a perfect ride.

Barefoot Ted · Joined: 08 May 2008 Posts: 11

Dudes!!!

Thanks Patrick and James for an awesome LDP adventure.

I have been seriously pushing the limits of over-use with my constant riding ever since James let me borrow a killer board a couple weeks ago. It has been very hard not to ride everyday, even after a pretty bad wipe-out last week. Messed my hip up pretty bad, so much so that I couldn't walk without pain..., but I just couldn't stay off the board... Wink

This board that James has me on is something out-of-this-world to me. I rode a lot of boards in in my day, but none of them could be described as magical. Well, this board can be called magical...is magical.

Long Distance Pumping IS an amazingly beautiful way to ride, a magical way to ride. One literally WILLS the board forward, the strength of the will (and core) propelling one on the adventure. Core strength driven by CHI?

Very much looking forward to deepening my finesse and technique on LDP.

I do believe that it is best to vary the terrain as much as possible. My favorite local spot has a little of everything all within a mile-or-so loop.

By the way, it is very important to have a chance to listen to the veterans when it comes to LDP. Having a chance to hear Patrick and James give my advice on my riding was very useful. Very grateful to have been so lucky to have run into these guys in order to come up to speed with the whole Northwest longboard, LDP scene. Thanks.

BFT

PS. I did the ride wearing my Vibram FiveFinger KSOs. I LOVE these shoes for the feel I get and feedback I get from the board. I have also started adding patches to the sole of the foot that does most of the foot braking which should help prevent from wearing out too quickly.

www.BarefootTed.com

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One foot at a time. One sole at a time. One hell of a good time.

Barefoot Ted's Adventures
956 10th Ave E #306
Seattle, WA 98102

www.BarefootTed.com
206-552-9144
Skype:tedmcdonald