Boarder Patrol



Christmas Eve Longboard Session
video by Caleb Merriam
this video is worth a glance
nearly guaranteed for a laugh
a laugh at me on a skateboard for the first time in 24 years
a laugh at Dean and Grant doing a Cain and Able imitation

Christmas Eve Day we gathered for what could be an awesome Christmas Eve Tradition...
long boarding in Rock Creek Park




here in Washington DC there is an amazing natural resource... Rock Creek Park

Rock Creek Park not only has an amazing network of wooded hiking and horse trails
Rock Creek Park's paved roads are closed to traffic on Weekends and Holidays
among these hills there are few hills with a nice gradual grade and some sweet twists and turns that are perfect for long boarding
(the main road is popular for a short in town bike ride or the gateway for the local cycling road culture to get out of town for the longer road ride epics)

some of these hills are steeper than others
we met at what works well as a "beginner hill"

on the other side of the park is a hill that is more steep and more challenging

that steeper hill is not for our posse

we are beginners... absolute beginners
my boys are new to skateboarding
they spend more time sitting on the boards than standing on the boards
I try to be patient with this
while also stressing that I like to see them standing

an email to a friend before we loaded up the Element with two parents... four kids and an assortment of boards brought two young boarders with a little more experience

it was a good gathering

the weather was unseasonably warm
much like early fall than early winter

the day went along with no serious crashes and ZERO CASUALTIES

just as I push my kids to try harder I also stress the potential danger of the sport and push for them to be careful

in addition to packing an assortment of skateboards I also packed some drinks and some cold pizza
both the Capri Suns and the Vace Pizza were popular... so popular that I was not able to wet my whistle or fill the void in my belly

IT WAS AWESOME!
IT WAS AMAZING!
IT WAS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED!

there was all sorts of riding down and hiking up
the boys even did some exploring in a small tunnel where a stretch of creek sneaks under the road
that was fine with me... because it allowed for me to get a few more turns on the Gravity board or the Sector Nine without having to swap out for the new school short board

after a solid session in the park we packed it in and headed for home

it was time to go
my boys had to get home to clean up and get dressed for Christmas Eve mass at Sacred Heart Church with mom, grandma, and their cousins
while I had to go home and start preparing the Christmas Eve traditional Paella

good times for sure
so good that I am now looking for another long board
one of those higher end high speed long boards
another board that is part for me and part for the boys

mention of Rock Creek Park on the Gwadzilla Page