Well, after all of these years a dream comes true for this skateboarder. I finally have my own backyard mini-ramp! Max and I built the ramp over the past two weeks. So far we’ve had a few sessions on it and it is a blast! It’s 3′8″ tall, 25′ long, 12′ wide, has a 7′ transition, and 8′ of flat. Also has a 2′ deck and a 3′ deck. More about the construction after the jump.

In building the ramp my main concern was the sound. My neighbors are fairly close and mini-ramps are loud so I was a little worried. I looked into different soundproofing options: carpet pad, bales of hay, mass loaded vinyl. The thing with sound from a mini-ramp is two-fold. The first noise is the ramp surface itself and the second is the coping. After all of my research most soundproofing ideas turned out to be cost prohibitive and didn’t seem to have the right bang for the buck. So what we did was brace underneath the ramp to keep vibrations down. After that we closed in all open spaces in the back and side of the ramp with 3/4″ ply. Then we built 10′ tall sound baffles (similar to highway barriers) and used sound absorbent sheeting that you can find at Home Depot. It seemed to do the trick fairly well. Ramps are noisy and unless you build them inside they’re going to make noise. Good, solid construction will help along with a visit to let your neighbors know that they can approach you if it’s a problem. We also instituted a no-skating-after-dark rule.

For the construction of the ramp it was a pretty standard mini. We cut the templates from 3/4″ ply using a 7′ transition. All of the 2×4’s were drilled in 8″ on center. For the surface we put down 2 layers of 1/2″ ply (staggered so the seams wouldn’t be laying on one another). Then we topped it all off with 3/16″ Masonite, aka hardboard. For the coping we used 2″ outer-diameter steel pipe and just drilled it on. To do this you take a drill bit that’s about the thickness of a screw and drill straight down through the pipe and through the other side so you have two holes. Then the top holes you simply use a slightly larger drill bit so you can fit your drill bit through. Once you can do that just screw the coping on.

The key to building a good mini-ramp is planning. The main things that need to be in proportion are height, transition, and flat-bottom. You don’t want less than 8′ of flat bottom. And if you only have 8′ I wouldn’t build it higher than 3′8″ (this assumes you are using a 7′ transition). Transition is also very important. A lot of people get this wrong and make their transitions too tight. It might look mellow as a template, but everything changes when you surface it and add coping.

And our last important point on mini-ramps: coping. This is another element of a mini-ramp that people mess up. You only want the coping to stick out at the most 3/16″ (unless you like the gnar). You’d be surprised how much moving coping forward or back 1/16″ can make. When adding coping it’s best to have it out too far rather than too deep. If it’s too far take it off then take a circular saw and cut the top back a 1/16″ at a time. If it is too deep add some shims until you have it right.

If you have any questions about building mini’s please post a comment and I’ll answer you in the comment thread.

     Last week San Diego played host to East Coast representative and male parental unit of EHough and MHough, none other than the venerable Rod Hough of RodHough.com fame (make sure to go check out his site more photos). The visit was great! Eric and I got to play the multi-faceted roles of tour guide, prankster, personal valet, auxiliary photo-documentary crew team member, male model, heckler, boat captain, and personal sunglass shopping assistant. Highlights of the trip include visits to Coronado Navy Base, Cabrillo National Monument, a boat ride around San Diego Bay, a drive through the remote desert land of the Mojave National Preserve, Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, scooter rides around the city, and a classic California sunset. Did I forget to mention all of the great food? Mama’s Bakery, In and Out Burger, Lucha Libre, Phil’s Barbecue, Yo-Gart, Outback, and Santana’s to name a few. Overall it was truly an epic visit and, as I’m sure my little brother would agree, a memorable and joyful time that will bring fond memories for years to come. Enjoy the pics!

     This past weekend I was finally able to scratch off another area of the world I wanted to travel to, the remote old-growth Redwood forests of Northern California. Eric and I flew to San Francisco where we hopped in a rental car to drive north to the small town of Arcata for our cousin Pete’s wedding.
     Arcata is an interesting town that’s for sure. It’s almost like Woodstock never stopped going and only was moved from a small town in New York to an even smaller town in California. The line between homeless, hippie, drifter, and college student are blurred in the heavy sea fog that drifts in each morning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dreadlocks or sudden performances of hippie folk songs. We went down by the ocean and I scoped out some great looking waves. The Redwoods were majestic, tall, and awe inspiring. Looking at their root structures grabbing the Earth, I secretly wished we all could be so steadfast and firm in our morals and convictions. It’s too bad we don’t have role models like that anymore.
     The wedding was not what you would call traditional by most standards, but hey, who makes up these rules anyways? All in all, for an Arcata style wedding, I wouldn’t expect anything else! Enjoy the pics!

     Finally posting pics of my new 1987 Honda Elite 290cc scooter. Word around town it’s one of the fastest scooters in the county. So far I haven’t met my match yet. Other than getting about 60mpg, some other features of the scooter are:

• iPod interface
• speakers
• heated handle bar grips for those cold San Diego nights
• small dash mounted clock
• good luck object braided by an exiled Tibetan monk (yes this is true)
• extra large under seat storage

So far riding the scooter has been great. Parking? No problem. Gas prices? Don’t make me laugh. I went from spending about $70 per week on gas to about $10. Not to mention nothing helps wash away the stress of the workday more than a scooter ride home on a nice sunny day. If you see me on the road I only ask one thing: please don’t ask me if I know what scooters and fat chicks have in common. Oh, and don’t run me over.

     Here are the pictures from my recent San Francisco trip. I shot the whole trip in black and white. I walked about a million miles, covered a large portion of the city and surrounding areas, crossed the Golden Gate bridge, drank tons of great coffee, watched the Chinese New Year Parade, and toured the SF Museum of Modern Art. Additional writeup to come soon… Enjoy!

     Eric, Mike, and I headed up into the Sierra’s for a weekend snowboard/ski trip to a secret mountain spot and had one of the best weekend snow trips in recent memory. From start to finish, the gods smiled on us and delivered unto us fun, laughter, good food, great lodging, and, oh yeah, did I mention epic powder conditions!
     The 400 mile trip started out Friday around 2pm. We loaded the Exploder, er…I mean Explorer up with our gear and headed North. The drive is a long one but we entertained ourselves with good conversation, caffeine in varying forms, and beef jerky. We arrived around 10pm that night in the small village where we would be staying.
     Our cabin was great! Tons of personality, quaint, and nestled in the middle of the town (or what could be loosely defined as a town). It was 2 stories, 3 beds, with a fireplace. The outside was ringed by Christmas tree lights which made the cabin all the more appealing with the 5+ feet of snow surrounding the ground. We quickly huddled in and breathlessly passed out.
     In the morning we picked up some great rentals right up the street and fueled up on coffee and breakfast burritos. Our first day on the mountain we got great snow. All the runs were open and we were able to find some fresh powder amongst the trees. Eric even braved some of the obstacles in the park. We stayed on the mountain until closing time and could barely stand by the time we left.
     Later that night, as we were eating copious amounts of prime rib, mashed potatoes, and beef ribs it started snowing…a lot. We turned on the weather at the cabin and found out that there was a winter storm warning for our area and they were expecting 30+ inches of snow and 100mph winds on the tops of the peaks. Needless to say we were all giddy and hoping for a good dumping of fresh powder. After watching a few hours of Spike’s Most Amazing Videos, we slowly one by one retreated to another night of sleep.
     In the morning upon awakening the first thing we did was look outside to see everything covered in snow. Thundering booms were coming down the mountain, dynamite set by ski patrol to start avalanches. After getting dressed and heading towards the mountain we stopped to get some coffee and breakfast at which point we were informed that all roads leading in and out of the town were closed. Translation: no one could get to the mountain to ski other than the small handful of people staying in the village with 4-wheel drive.
     We had to wait an hour or two while the skeleton staff on the mountain dug the lifts out. Finally, we were able to hop on the lift and proceed up. On our way to the top, we gazed out upon hill after hill of beautiful, pristine powder. Long story short, we snowboarded all day and had nothing but fresh champagne powder all day. By the time the day was coming to a close we could barely balance. Mike was collapsing at every turn face down in the powder. I was barely able to get up after falling. Broken, beaten, with huge smiles we changed in the bathroom of the lodge and headed out, the roads now being open.
     The drive back was a long one beset by exhaustion, rain, one-lane desert roads that make you hallucinate, and at times snow and ice. We made it back safe and sound in the middle of the night. It’s trips like that that make it all worthwhile. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

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     Due to a large storm spinning off of the California coast, San Diego gets slammed by massive surf. Waves were coming in consistently at 10′-12′ and the set waves were maxing at 18′. Last December I intrepidly tried to go out in similar sized surf and had to paddle back in without catching a single wave (unless you consider getting almost drowned on the way in “catching” a wave). This time though I was ready. I’ve been swimming laps regularly and practicing holding my breath, plus I was equipped with my 7′ gun. After a brutal paddle out I made it to the break and started dialing in the waves. Boards were getting broken all around and I took a few set waves on the head. But after about 3 hours I managed to catch 2 waves; one wave was in contention for being the biggest wave I’ve caught to date. Worth it? Of course!

Fing rocks Overload!

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     Local San Diego rock band Fing honored Overload this weekend by agreeing to play a show in conjunction with the monthly “Ray at Night” art festival occurring in North Park. I built 2 additional stages but unfortunately underestimated the amount of sound equipment the band had. So after some brainstorming and some quick thinking we were able to construct a multi-level stage that was able to fit all of their equipment. Although it was raining outside, that didn’t stop the crowds from showing up and when Fing started to play the shop was full. They played a great set and a good time was had by all! If you get a chance to see this band live or pick up their music I highly recommend it!

     I know that’s a dumb title but I was just watching some news and was appreciating (visualize sarcasm here) how they name everything like it’s a wrestling match so I wanted to get in on the band wagon. Editorial note aside, this year’s Thanksgiving feast in San Diego went great! This could have been my most challenging year of cooking due to the volume of food and small kitchen. But, with help from 2 cats who shall remain nameless due to requests from law enforcement, everything came out tasting great. On the menu: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, corn bread casserole, green been casserole, herb bacon zucchini casserole, cranberries, biscuits, pumpkin-cheesecake pie, pasta salad (thanks Chief!), and authentic Jamaican sweet potato pie. Guitar Hero kept everyone entertained until we passed out. Last night we had “Thanksgiving Part 2: Return of the Turkey” to try to put a dent in the leftovers and to satisfy our Guitar Hero addiction. On a serious note, I truly am blessed to have such great friends and family in my life. They’re what makes life great and it’s a privilege to be able to get together with everyone for the holiday!

Thread Show

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     Looking to expand our market and reach out to new customers, the Overload crew headed to San Diego’s own “Thread” show. From their website: “Check out the new spring lines before they hit the shelves. Clothing and accessories from 80 new designers for men and women. Thousands of affluent trendsetters have already been invited from around the country to attend the show and shop, with hundreds already RSVPing.” My verdict: boooring! A bunch of fashionistas strutting around stroking each other’s egos…um, yeah. I saw enough emo-hawks, rat tails, and ridiculously stupid outfits to last for awhile. But hey, what do I know? Have you seen the way I dress?

October Home visit

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     My long awaited visit back to the East Coast to get some fall weather and see my beautiful niece Amelia. I couldn’t wait to get off the airplane and feel the cool, fall weather and see the colors of the changing leaves. Only problem: it was 87 degress, humid, and the leaves had barely changed! Can you say…global warming? I didn’t think so. Highlights of the visit: lots and lots of motorcycle riding, lots and lots of food, an Apple Festival, a Car Show, getting my antiquing on, sleeping, some more food, and spending time with the star of the show, Amelia. Did I mention eating and motorcycles?

Deno Mix Tape Show

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     For those of you in the know, our newest employee at the store, Deno, aka Denovious, is also a hip hop artist. In support of Deno’s upcoming mixtape release, Overload threw an event with Deno and some friends during the monthly “Ray at Night” art event that takes place in North Park. A good time was had by all, the show was great, people were getting their swerve on, and Chevy was manning the camera. I built the stage and was relieved it did not collapse!

San Diego Fire 2007

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     For those of you who have been living in a vacuum of time and space, we’ve had some fire problems as of late here in Southern California. Although my neighborhood of North Park was best situated to avoid the smoke and fire, we still were affected by these massive firestorms. I would have liked to have taken more pictures, and possibly traveled closer to the fires, but I did not want to interfere with the massive firefighting efforts. It was definitely an interesting experience: smoke in the air, ash on the cars, reddish sky, hot wind. I did, however, learn an interesting lesson which was this: don’t go surfing with massive firestorms nearby because it makes it really hard to breathe. Go figure.

Updated Store Pics

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     I decided to throw this album up for friends and family who have been asking about the shop. I could have written an elaborate description of the store exalting the fine layout and display of product, the glistening of the glass counters, rows of skateboards inviting you to go out and scream with joy, the aesthetically pleasing lines of slot wall running gracefully along the wall of the store. But I settled for the pictures instead.

     Too tired to write the post tonight, but was able to upload the pictures. Enjoy and check back soon for the roadtrip recap!