Tell Us About Your Favorite Skating Trail

[Pepper Montana]

Pat is the homeless guy in the picture from my contribution to this thread. The only thing that I know is that he was found dead. He was 52 and he had a life. He was a cop. He said that he had children. I don't know why he was homeless. I knew Pat because he would always be at the park when I skated. He was friendly and polite and he never bothered people. He accepted things graciously and was good humored about his circumstances. My son Max liked him and would ask about him when we drove past the park. I feel guilty because I could have done more for him. I would buy cigarettes for him and give him money. We would talk about things and watch Max play on the playground. He scraped by. In September he was jumped by two kids for fun. Jesus, he must have been miserable sleeping under the trees, bruised and sore. He hated the homeless shelters because he said you couldn't trust anyone. I am going to miss him. Poor bastard. He would spend his days across the street from the best neighborhood in Springfield. He could see lights on in empty rooms of big houses and speculate about how comfortable it would be. Poor bastard.


http://www.sj-r.com/Sections/News/Stories/99667.asp

[gbo]

dave morgan,
sorry.


gbo

[Pepper Montana]

Thanks, GBO. That means a lot to me. He was a part of my life and I am glad that I can share how I feel. It feels better when it is out!

[speedysktr]

dmorg, I spoke at a friends funeral once. He suffered an aneurism while we were skating. I thought of him this morning, actually, and only now stumbled on your submission. He lingered in a coma for a week or so and I visited him several times. His wife was there each time when I visited and she commented that the only time his seemlingly sleeping body seemed animated in any way was when I was there, speaking to him, touching his bald head urging him to leave this plane and move on. I asked him to scout the world that waited and find the places to skate and get it ready for the rest of us, that we'd be there soon enough. Later, when his wife asked me to speak, I wanted to say something to the people that didn't know Hank as a skater, something that would relay the part of his personality that they might have missed. I basically made it up as I went along, relaying what I knew of Hank as a skater because I was speaking as a skater. As I spoke these words and connected with these strangers I saw that I was speaking in terms they all understood because they all knew him and his truth as a skater was his truth as a person. You are what you are. This man was what he was and whether we can see it or not, it doesnt matter, good or bad. Your heart tells you the truth about him and you can rest assured that what you see, others saw and was true no matter what. My sister shared something she heard and I spoke it at Hank's funeral and have found comfort in the notion any time I consider death of this body. I paraphrase:
We wave goodbye with sorrow in our hearts as this friend sets sail, may we find comfort in the fact that others wait on the other side, welcoming him with a place already made just for him.

[online inline]

dmoore, i am also very sorry to hear of the passing of your parkside friend. It sounds like a very sad story, but i'm not sure. Perhaps i'm just projecting how i'd feel to be in his shoes.

Be that as it may, it may comfort him to know that the park he so dearly cared about is being so fervently used, appreciated, and loved by you and others.

Take care.

[hungryrollerblader]

I like any trail/sidewalk/road that leads to a skate park.

I also like any smooth, well-paved one that runs downhill.



WEEEEEEE!!!

[KeLLy]

Originally Posted by KathieFry

Janneman, I thought that link would be useful, but I would love to learn about similar resources for other parts of the world. Someplace I have a link for a similar Web Site in Belgium. Off to hunt for it...

- K

Did you ever find the site for Belgium?

Best trail i found so far is the "Steenkaai" in Bruges. With limited traffic (sadly also not very well lighted)
On one side is a canal and the other is mainly aggriculture.

(not to bad for a city with 844 residents per square km / 1 km= 0.6213 miles)

Oh and after about 3km, there's a company with a very nice big smooth parking lot - and it goes downhill

[online inline]

Originally Posted by cdsdave

and chances are always there that the rains will eventually set in, soaking the gear:


Online, where do you buy your wheels and what kind of 110's are you using. I want to try another 110 to replace the Supersonic 110's I have been using for the last year and a half. I am looking for a fast but durable wheel since I mostly city skate and need to do t stops often.

cdsdave, you may be pleased to know that Pete put the PC-Vanes on sale for a few days, for the very reasonable price of $11 and change per wheel. His website is PC-Vane USA or something like that. May i recoomend the white Truespeeds, or the reds if you want a little harder wheel. I think you'd like the 22mm width wheels based on your previous posts.

[Pepper Montana]

Originally Posted by online inline

I don't know. I guess it's alright... if you don't have cable.

Sorry, Online, didn't work. I know that you are trying to crush my spirit in this thread with pictures of your big skates and your inspirational skating vistas. It's not working! I have a rich interior life that helps me ignore the cruddy reality of where I live. In fact, I'm humming Chumbawumba right now. "I get knocked down...." If anything, I am looking forward to posting some pictures of the grain bins and corn fields I can see from one of my local trails.

[fablemaker2]

Erie Canal towpath- Farmington to University of Rochester. 28 miles of flatness, 14 of which are quite often spent in total isolation from any people because it's just a canal. I sometimes like it that way.

[online inline]

Originally Posted by Dave Morgan

Sorry, Online, didn't work. I know that you are trying to crush my spirit in this thread with pictures of your big skates and your inspirational skating vistas. It's not working! I have a rich interior life that helps me ignore the cruddy reality of where I live. In fact, I'm humming Chumbawumba right now. "I get knocked down...." If anything, I am looking forward to posting some pictures of the grain bins and corn fields I can see from one of my local trails.

did i mention that we have a public rails to trails sytem that extneds for miles, and is one of the most extensive in the country?

No, i;m sorry. I know that it isn't where you're from, but how you will rise to the challenge to not let it limit you, to rise above your own shortcomings and those of your background, to ultimately and finally prove that they have only made you stronger, and to prevail as the ultimate champion you are and will be.

Yeah, well that sounds right pretty for the champs that get plucked out of some backwater somewhere, but for all the rest of us that will probably get nothing more out of this than a nice skate now and again, we'll take those temperate NW winters and scenic vistas every time. So, life's unfair. What can i say? You might think that i got used to this place and just take it for granted, thus leveling the playing field of enjoyment. Well forget about it. I love every day and couldn't think of living anywhere else, at least not in this country. Hell, i;ve done everything i can possibly do to suck the life out of what should be a pleasurable roll through the natural elements: i speed it up to the point where i see nothing, proceed at a pace that can only be described as 'full-face-slobber' levels, and wouldn;t stop to smell the roses unless someone drew a finish line in the pavement under my feet. And even with this inner demon driving me to 'suck all the life out of it', i still love it. Go figure. Some guys just have all the luck. Sorry - not really.

[Pepper Montana]

I'm just going to have to be humbled, dammit! I will make it out that way some day to sample the good life and to savor the sweet scenery. Till then, "I get knocked down..." *Shakes fist at Online*

[online inline]

truth be told, my favorite trail of any of them is the one that follows the noisy boring highway, becuase it is the best for speed training. But this time of year (off season) when i;'m just trying to build strength and maintain the training level ive achieved in the summer and fall, i like to treat myself to more leisurely trails, even if they are not the fastest. And more than anything, i mostly have no choice becuase most days only one trail will be dry enough and free of wet leaves enough to skate.

i've often thought that it is very important, for speed skating, what kind of course you train on. Not scenery stuff, but how many interuptions, and how capable are you at going fast on that course. If your trail doesn't allow you to ramp it up, you won't learn how to. I really think a lot of would be speed skaters train on courses that will limit their development. I know there are several trails around here that would limit mine. I don't think enough attention is paid to this fact by many that are starting out in this speed stuff. I'm talking about obstructions that cause you to slow down or stop, bad sight lines, too many people to skate fast safely and consistently, too short, dangerous turns at the bottom of hills, bind corners, etc.

That kind of stuff can hold you back if it's what you skate most of the time.

[mvirtue]

Cool pics O-I. They really capture what yesterday looked and felt like.

[lisanevin]

Montreal! They have a huge network of bike paths/skate paths all around the city right along side their streets. Go there during jazz fest and enjoy jazz music at night after skating all day. There is a barrier to prevent the cars from driving on the path! Kudos to Canada!

[sk8scott]

Originally Posted by lisanevin

Montreal! They have a huge network of bike paths/skate paths all around the city right along side their streets. Go there during jazz fest and enjoy jazz music at night after skating all day. There is a barrier to prevent the cars from driving on the path! Kudos to Canada!

Sounds like I need to make use of my shiny new passport and go play there!

There are several nice bike paths "south of the border" here in the Burlington area, but the road skating can be limited in between them. I did find some nice, open side roads near Stowe today. Some rough pavement in spots, but nice hills and hardly any traffic.

----Scott

[SJEric]

I love the Coyote Creek Trail in the summer. It's very varied with the added bonus of checking out the airfield for model airplanes along the way. Unfortunately, around August a section of it gets flooded and has to be skipped.
For shorter runs, the Almaden Lake Park/Los Alamitos trail is really nice.

I've been lucky enough to see deer and even a bobcat on the Coyote Creek Trail, and on the Almaden Lake Park Trail I regularly see bunnies and, one day, a gigantic tarantula slowly walking along the trail.

Both trails are easy enough for a beginner like me. I haven't felt confident enough to skate the Los Gatos Creek Trail yet, that's my goal for 2008.

[muffin]

Originally Posted by mvirtue

I'd be honored to have someone from the forum skate in Albuquerque! Let me know when you will be here...Phil

Oh, I'm so glad to see the Bosque trail mentioned here - it really is a treasure. The weather is usually so temperate in Albuquerque that you can skate it most of the year with proper preparations. The long bosque trail skates are the foundation of Duke City Derby's summer distance endurance work. The trail is so smooth, flat and long that you can get really great speed and rhythm on it. Also, it's extremely lovely to boot!

[SJEric]

Originally Posted by SJEric

I haven't felt confident enough to skate the Los Gatos Creek Trail yet, that's my goal for 2008.

I reached my goal, yai! The weather out here has been wonderful and this past Saturday I managed to do the whole Los Gatos Creek Trail, back and forth! That's about 16 miles. Wondering if I'm ready for 90mm wheels... These Crossfire 8.0 look mighty appealing.

[SJEric]

Well, the 90mm wheels skates came and went, and this year I moved on to Speedmachine 100s. They're awesome! Switching from 90 to 100 was very easy compared to the switch from 80 to 90. The 100s definitely make a huge difference when skating on uneven terrain or wood slat bridges.