Bangor, Michigan Skate Park

   You can choose to grow up and have a boring life, or you can commit to having fun 'til death. On Fathers day I packed up the kids and went to Lake Michigan.  Any day on the lake is better than a day at home. On the way out to the lake,  I got everyone to agree to stop at the small skate park in Bangor, Michigan. For the size of Bangor, they really have a nice little park.  I would prefer concrete, but we don't always get what we prefer.  The underlying wood structure though is getting spongy and the park is rotting out at the edges. It was 20 minutes of fun, worth the stop.

This really could be a separate post entirely but I thought that i would include the contents of my " light and fast" beach gear for one adult and two children. Snacks, water, 3 towels, the vintage crazy creek, and the sport umbrella. Some will say that this thing is out of place in a light and fast gear list. While this may be so, it increases the fun factor significantly. This thing pitches in the wind, and is pretty tough. This is only season two and it is showing some wear from use, but over all I am very happy with the product.  Super Simple Shelter.

does this carve make me look fat?

The Bert Slide is certainly Fun Til Death.  Being a skateboard trick that is low to the ground - falls or crashes from attempting this extremely stylish move are relatively mild. These pics are a compilation, that looks like a series. I pulled out of a couple of these....but i also lost control and fell out of many of these.

This is all a little later than usual dawn patrol church of skaten at Upjohn park.  The park had some wet spots, but you know....wet spots are always the result of fun.  West Michigan had a ton of fun storms, which over the week proceeding and during the Memorial Day weekend of 2011 i had opportunity to camp in. Upjohn park as well as a lot of other spots in West Michigan were flooded.

The 'thane lines on the bank remind me of ski tracks.

On the Old Man Army forum, some one mentioned looking into your arm pit as a method for getting the frontside crave down. They were right, and it has started to open lots of lines for me.

I am wondering if it is too early to start thinking about Ski Boots.  I am financially committed to the binding system i am running- just thinking about an upgrade on boots.

Often fun til death must be planned out months in advance.

Ok- so I am really happy about getting this high frontside on our local bowl. This is real progress. However,  when i am really invested in balance and some one takes a picture- looks like my gut is huge... I think that this may be a result of the Chi Gong- sinking my chi into my tan tien......or maybe the beer that i sink into my gut.

dawn patrol on judgement day

Date Line: May 21 2011
                 6:15 am
                 Upjohn Skate Park, Kalamazoo....Michigan

 Fun Til Death often includes being on Dawn Patrol.  If you can get up, get out, do your thing and get back before the children awaken fun can be had.  In the winter this includes it being really cold before day break and skiing between shadows. In the late spring, it means a welcoming sun.  Considerably more fun can be had in a shorter period of time if you don't have to wait for runs, and of course in the winter it means the feathery powder of the morning.
If you would like to see a great video of folks staking kalamazoo see: this video

All in all my skating was not particularly good. felt like i was flailing quite a bit. Even my burt slides were kinda weak.

Below are pics from dawn patrol this morning.

sunrise over the alter of the Church of Skaten

If you really eat shit, you could limp over to Bronson Hospitial

buttery smooth concrete..the metal transitions are great when the work, and a little scary when they start to  peal up .

flow systems

Tools for finding Flow.

Bicycles.  Especially with the whole family.

Skateboards. Especially if they are long and like to carve

Froggy boots may assist with finding flow.

Getting low and into the flow.

Scoping out ski spots while on a Skateboard is especially flow.
I am looking forward to this slope already. I remember hitting it about 3 years ago in a wild snow storm.  It is maybe 60 feet long ending in a parking lot.  It is a two or maybe three turn hill with urban assault written all over it.

This parking lot is just one big smooth gently sloping open space.  Evening Cruises, practicing my slides and some dancing.  One block away- very close and modest fun.

A couple of pictures of Burnside in Portland.

church of skatin - fridays ablutions on masonite.

http://www.skatezoo.com/

using esoteric knowledge of the adolescent mind the Kalamazoo Church of Skatin  payed a reasonable entry fee  and had full reign of the temple pictured above. Due to the absolutely excellent weather...there was not a single person under 30 skating - and there was only two of us to pay homage to this institution of skate boarding. There was not a ramp, not a line, that was not in full control of  older adepts.  Lots of pumping...as your writer still has doubts when it comes to dropping in.   This dude though was dropping in.  Go back and watch that link.  watch what he will drop into...look at all those trees.

hay look at that...frontside...woot.

Thankfully i wore my rector portable prayer rug. Also happy that i wore a helmet.

The poor quality of these pics are the result of a camera on a phone.

one of many attempts at getting a backside grind.

no

This picture was taken on a different day. Today we had the place to our selves.

30 foot balance beam in my neighborhoood.

urban decay unveils minor fun opportunity

  I walk by this all the time taking my daughter to the bus stop. I often jump up and walk across it- just as often i hold some one else's hand to walk across it. If walking every potential balance beam is not Fun til Death....I am unsure of what is.

Not long ago i got txted the photo below.  A little window from another person having fun at that moment.

nice looking bicycle some where in portland, or.

-april 18th in west michigan

wtf?