Sin City Dirt

The Browns Have Moved To Carpinteria, CA

2010-02-13T22:47:00.000-08:00

Sunset 2/16/10

Solvange, CA (about 40 mins away)

Sienna at the beach

Olivia

Santa Barbara Mission

This is how they do winter in Carpinteria

Allot has gone on for the Brown fam in the past month. We packed up our house in Vegas and moved out to the coast (Carpinteria, CA). It is such a great and beautiful place and feel so fortunate to live here. Its a town of only 13k so it reminds me of Iowa but with the ocean, mountains, and 60 degree year round weather.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-25T12:49:00.001-08:00

The ladies

Sleeping through it all

Waiting to see what Santa Brought

Santa had just stopped by (Sienna's letter to Santa up on the fireplace)

Reading the "Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve

Its been a great Christmas!!!! We spent Christmas Eve having dinner at our neighbors house with friends. As always I over did it and was so full desert was out of the question. Back at the house we read the "Night Before Christmas" and put the ladies down. I woke up about an hour and a half before Sienna and was dying for her to wake up, I was even a bit loud. Finally around 9 Sienna decided she would join in the Yule Tide Cheer. It was a great time to watch her light up as she saw the loot under the tree. We have had a great breakfast, headed out for a walk, then over to our Friends house to spend the afternoon. Merry Christmas, hope everyone has a good one!

All Is Calm Along The Vegas Front

2009-12-20T15:24:00.000-08:00

So all is good with my house full of ladies! We are dragging a bit but that is what happens when when your three day old decides to get down in the weeee hours of the night. I also attached some pics of Sienna in the her Christmas dress.

More Olivia Pics

2009-12-18T21:34:00.001-08:00

Olivia Ann Brown

2009-12-17T12:41:00.001-08:00

Check Out All My Hair!

Got Ten Those Toes

Sienna Meeting Her Sister For The First Time

Well done Mom

Just minutes old holding my finger

Olivia Ann Brown joined our family at 6:40 pM last night (6.7lbs 19.5"). She came out with allot to say about disrupting her cushy womb life. After some good food and snuggle with mom she was all about getting some sleep. Sienna came to the hospital last night and was so amazed at how small she was. She just kept saying how excited she is to be a "big" sister. Everyone is doing great. We are truly blessed to have her in our lives......

Mom as we check into the hospital

Polar Express And The Great Santa Run

2009-12-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

JF Working It With The Ladies

Sienna The Red Nosed Raindeer

Moma and Baby Olivia Out For The 5K

This past weekend was Christmas overload! We started out by going out to the Polar Express in Williams AZ http://www.thetrain.com/polar-express-5679.html. It was such a great time and so neat to see it from the perspective of a little kid. She was so jazzed to go to the north pole, and when Santa came on the train she about lost it. My parents came into town and did the great Santa run with us this year. We didn't quite break the record this year but you cant beat 8,000 + Santa's. http://www.lasvegassantarun.org/

General Chows Chicken's Jam Session

2009-11-23T21:23:00.001-08:00

So my buddy Ethan and I have this jam band (actually we have only played together about 3 times due to geographic restraints.) But let me tell you we had a great session about two weeks ago that made me realize how much I miss jamming. I will say we tore up the garage for a solid 4 hours and punished some serious bbq afterwords (ahh the good life).

Dr. Phil and Halloween

2009-11-23T21:14:00.000-08:00

All the candy is gone and the hair finally grew back

Mines And The Middle Of Nowhere

2009-10-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

View Toward Austin, NV

Open Pit

Nerding out

Historic flooded Underground Shaft

Block Matt Job I Sold Up In Elko, NV

I recently spent a sold week up in northern Nevada. Lets just say once you get past Reno you find your self in outdarkness pretty quick. Although the 80 does not resemble the PCH it is a fairly interesting drive. Most of these pics are of a mine outside of Winnemucca, NV. The last pic is a big erosion control job I sold. This product takes the place of concrete and will be soil filled and vegetated so you will not be able to see the block when its all done. Sorry for the nerd post.......

Weekend Trip to Brianhead

2009-09-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

Avenge Me Boys!!!!!!!!

2009-09-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooy0GFMYafY#watch-main-area

I feel it my duty to "avenge" Patrick Swayze. After his passing I was driving down the road and the radio announcer said the man who stared in the great chick-flicks of all time had died. So maybe Dirty Dancing and Ghost are packed full of estrogen infused plots (we all do things we are not proud of), but neither of these movies hold a candle to his greatest work Red Dawn. If you have not seen it, please for the love of all things holy stop reading this blog and go rent it. This movie is every 14 year old boys dream come true; so much so that when my wife asked me about why I was getting another gun my only answer was, "what happens if the Cubans and Russians invade eastern Colorado." Not only does this movie pull at my adolescent hart strings, but while I played in Cinnamon Brown and the Eskimos we kept a copy of the movie in the band equipment at all times and as a band watched it evey night before we went into the studio to record. So Patrick thanks for your contribution to humanity! Wolverines!!!!!!!!!

P-Funk And The Comming of Age

2009-09-15T21:18:00.000-07:00

This a ruff post for me because I hate to mock what I love, but here I go. So there I was super excited about getting down to some supergroovealisticprostafunkstakation hot buttered funk produced by George Clinton and the P-Funk, and ended up with the realization that these boys are doing it now for crack money. I am fairly certain that the Mothership has left these guys here, due to their current lack of intergalactic funksmanship. OK so it was not all bad, but very reminiscent of the blue jelly bean that you think is going to be blue berry goodness and ends up being the kiss of death black liquorish one (a candy made during the great depression in order to make everyone realize they were suffering together.) So after about 40 mins we decided to pack it in. While walking out I had to ask myself the question,"would the 18 year old version of me be super disappointed I was leaving, or impressed that the 33 year old version of myself was at a P-Funk show?"

The 4th, Duck Creek, and Downhill

2009-07-19T17:04:00.000-07:00

The drop I did not do
Sienna getting down to the Monkey band

Pup and I going up the lift

Sienna saying her goodbyes

Big Hike

Duck Creek

The Ladies

The family spent the weekend of the 4th up in Duck Creek, UT. Big thanks to Pup and Nicole for letting us come up and spend the weekend at the Cabin. We did some great hikes and saw some wildlife. It was great to get out of the heat and spend some time in the mountains. Pup and I took the lifts at Brian Head and did some serious down hill. The pucker factor was really high but I only went down once. I did tell Pup I had my camera and would be willing to take any pictures of him launching off any of the ramps or riding the planks but he declined (weak).

Wilco

2009-06-30T21:13:00.001-07:00

The new Wilco album came out today and it is worth every red cent it may cost to buy!!!!!! They are one of the few bands out there that I pretty much make a paper chain and tear off one link a day until their new records come out. This one self titled "Wilco" does not disappoint. They are so good at keeping their music fresh and interesting. Happened to see them in concert about a week ago and it was nothing short of amazing. If you have not had the chance to enjoy Wilco, I highly recommend it. Here is a link to their site http://www.wilcoweb.com/index.php they usally have live concerts posted under the roadcase section.

Iowa and the big 15 year

2009-06-30T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Motherland Welcomes Back its Prodigal Son
Dig The Green

GHS Class on 94

Always Good to Blame Your Work On Someone Else

Sometime around 3 AM

Altogether Way to Much Fun

This past weekend I did a marathon trip to the Motherland of Iowa for my 15 year reunion and had an amazing and Juvenal good time. When you graduate with around 50 kids and being that there was only about a 10 person personel change from K-12 you have some serious roots with all those folks. It was great to see everyone and see how good everyone is doing. That is with exection to our buddy who decided to go boating. We thought we would say we missed him in our own special way. As the sun came up on Jason's porch on Sunday morning it was time to say goodby. Great times, and sorry to all of you I was not able to see (my next trip will be longer then a day and a half). So much has changed and so much has stayed the same....... I think I still fit somwhere in the mix.

Married, have a child, and now I've seen the Allman Brothers Band (it's offically ok for me to die)

2009-06-30T20:44:00.001-07:00

For the big 33 bday the lady friend got us tickets to go see hands down the best touring rock and roll band out there the Allman Brothers Band. I have loved them for the first time I heard "Whipping Post" at Jim's house when we were in 8th grade. This was their last big tour and it was a check on my things to do before I die list. Great show, and by the way Greg Allman is way to cool to have ever hooked up with Cher.

33 and and the Reno Ride

2009-05-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

This past week I had to go up to Reno and it just so happened to be on my day of birth. Although being out of town was a bummer. Dave and Darci had me over for a steak feast and Dave and I did a great ride on the West side of Reno. It was all topped off by Megan sending breakfast room service to me in the morning. 33 seems to be shaping up to be a great year!

Putting The Band Back Together!~

2009-04-22T20:53:00.001-07:00

Mail box out side the bands old house in Logan, UT (still has CBE on it)

After an invite from a former venue, Cinnamon Brown and the Eskimos are proud to announce after a 4 year break a possible reunion show tentative for April 2010. We are still finalizing the line up, but I will keep everyone updated on the dates and location of the two night engagement. I am soooooo Stoked!

Logan and the latest "True Aggie"

2009-04-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

During our trip we took Sienna up to Utah State and I made sure she became a "True Aggie" so no evil college kid can try and bestow that right (as wells as to give her some true blue Aggie pride so she does not end up being one of those Prove kids). She had a great time on Grandma Jo's pink boat and made sure to tell my mom to be careful.

Jamming with Chris in Logan

2009-04-22T20:36:00.001-07:00

This past weekend the family went up to Utah for Megan to run the SLC Half Marathon. While I did not partake in the run I did get together with former CBE band mate Chris and play. It was so much fun to play with Chris again!

The Kido and The HooSeee

2009-03-29T21:32:00.001-07:00

Done with Horse Time

The the HooSeee

Since Christmas the frog has been been all about horses. She got the horse movie Spirit for her birthday and has watched it about 5,000 time. About once a week we take her to a park by our house where they break wild horses and she loves it. The top picture is her running after the big brown mule in the picture sneezed on her. She was not all that cool with horse nasal discharge.

Pool Table Redemption

2009-03-29T21:18:00.001-07:00

Those of you who know me well know that I enjoy moving people about as much as I would enjoy having my eye burned out with a soldering iron (that does not mean I wont help when people need it, I just really do not enjoy it). Last Friday I got a call that a lady down the road had to be out of her place and had no help, so dragging my feet went to help. Once I got there I was feeling pretty good about the move because she really did need help. So I asked her if she needed help breaking down the pool table, and she said, "do you want it." Well shame on me for for having a bad attitude. We had new felt put on this weekend and are good to go. Moral of the story.....Karma is a good thing......

Death Valley and Mining Camps

2009-03-14T17:04:00.001-07:00

Mill works for the Eureka Mine

At top of ore shoot at the Bonnie Claire Mill

Truck outside of mill

Crusher and Smelter

This place freaked me out someone had been squatting in there not to long ago, suprised there was not a dead body in there

Smelter

1880's Structure at mill

Living quarters at mill

Bonnie Claire Mill

2nd Trip to Scotty's Castle

Eureka Gold Mine (Death Valley, CA)

My Dad next to the ore cart tracks

My Dad and the Kido at Sea Level

After a stressful couple weeks I decided to take the day off, and with my dad in town I had a prefect reason to go explore a couple old mining camps around death valley. We had a great time and found some really cool places. The frog was a champ and during the tour of Scotty's Castle told me that's where a princess would live. The mines where really in really good condition, if you want to read up on them here are the links. http://home.earthlink.net/~ghosttowns/dv/dvwest/dvwest.htm (its the first post)

http://www.robertwynn.com/Bonnie.htm

The Snow Ball That Tried To Kill Me

2009-03-08T21:06:00.000-07:00

I think I may be on my way out! Between Cars driving into restaurants and all the other crazy stuff that's happened lately this one is just par for the course. So there I was minding my own business listening to Don Ho's greatest hits and driving from Reno to Sacramento, when a two foot by two foot chunk of snow fell off the overpass and smashed the passenger side of my windshield. I about crapped my pants!!!!! It was so loud my ears were ringing all the rest of that day. If any of you have any suggestions on how I can get my luck back I would greatly appreciate it.

Number One Reason To Own An AIR HORN!!!!!!!!

2009-03-07T22:56:00.000-08:00

Last night was one of the greatest moments of my life! After being gone in Reno and Sacramento for the week I arrived home around 9:30pm to hang out with the family. When I got home Megan mentioned that our friends kido was asleep in the other room and that our friends were out on the town. So we hung out, watched 24 and had an otherwise uneventful night (but oh how things change). Our Friends came to pick up there kido around midnight and when we answered the door our friends wife mentioned that her husband was asleep in the car. Something that I have kept suppressed for years rose up in me, and from nowhere I remembered the air horn (Barf you know what I am talking about buddy). The video tells the rest of the story, it was so sweet. One of the greatest moments of my life!!!!

Brianhead+Snow and Friends=Good Times

2009-02-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

So after way to much time without leaving Vegas we headed up to Pup's cabin with some good friends for snow and a visit to old man winter. The trip was great and it was so nice to get on the snowboard. Sienna seemed to think that her snow suite was a device left over from the Spanish Inquisition, so needless to say she did not get much snow time in. Although I bag on winter there is a solitude found in it that can not be matched.

2008 The Year I Almost Died At Quiznos

2009-01-14T19:59:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking allot about the past year and everything that has gone down. I must say 2008 treated me well, except for one day at Quiznos. So most of you who know me are well aware that I am a magnet for random crazy things (that includes people on airplanes having combat flashbacks, not kidding) I assure you this story is no different. In February of last year after a full morning of sales calls a supplier and I decided to stop at Quiznos and get some food. So I sit down to my toasted sub and soup and begin to eat. As I am sitting there my buddy gets up to use the bathroom and I continue putting down by broccoli cheddar. Out of the corner of my eye I see a car pulling into the parking spot, and I think to my self, "if I were her this is point where I would slow down and stop." The moment that thought ended I saw my table fly across the restaurant and dry wall go everywhere. As I stared at the front end of the car 3 feet away from me (spoon still full of soup in this moment) the only thing that crossed my mind was, "Holy S%$#." As everyone else ran out of the restaurant I sat there thinking I almost died at Quiznos. Now a honey bacon turkey is good, but not worth checking out for. Moral of the story-glad I did not die, but you never know when its coming so you better make the best of it. Oh, and never sit next to the wall if it buts up to parking spots!

Death Valley and Scott's Castle

2008-12-26T20:26:00.000-08:00

Coming into Death Valley

The Frog making a break for it

Sienna at Sea Level

Wind

Running Down a Dream

Scott's Castle

Inside the Castle

Not so Dead "Death Valley"

Door to Scott's Castle

So this morning we were laying in bed trying to decide what to do to keep the yule tide cheer going. After deciding going to Target was not going to do it we opted to go to the Grand Canyon, but after checking into we found out the road was closed with Snow!!!!!!!! Wanting to try out the new GPS Megan had got me we decided to change up our plans and head to Death Valley. We booked it down the road stopping at Ryolite to see the ghost town. As we rolled down into Death Valley the wind was cooking and it was colder then death. We rolled up to Scott's Castle and had a great time. If any of you are in the area it is a super cool castle built by a really rich dude who got conned by a guy who told him he had a gold mine and just ran with the money. I guess he liked the guy so much he let him live there after he ripped him off! Sienna had a great time and was a super champ, I love the desert and all the cool crazy stuff that's been left there.

Al, Please Send Global Warming Our Way!!!!!!

2008-12-19T12:17:00.001-08:00

Mr. Gore, If you have any love left in your hart please let global warming come to Las Vegas. We have received 6" of snow in our back yard this week and it is killing all my life giving plants!

Great Santa Run 08'

2008-12-07T16:40:00.001-08:00

Megan and Sienna with Mr and Mrs Chris Cringel
Mucha Santa

The Fam

Our Mayer Oscar Goodman (played himself in the movie Casino)

This is how we roll

Megan with her morning news crush Jason from Fox 5 in the morning

Every Good Santa needs a few helpers around

The kido and me

Loading up the Sleigh

This years Santa run was sweet, and it just so happened to fall on Sienna's second Birthday. I doubt we broke the world record this year, so England may still hold it. But then again, when the Declaration of Independence was signed we did not even have a continental army. It was classic Vegas, show girls, and Sigfried and Roy did the 1 mile walk. The Frog as the Reindeer this year was a serious hit! Next year we will have to see if she can pull us.

The Frog Coming of Age

2008-11-29T21:46:00.001-08:00

Dad I need the American Standard Strat, the Mexi will not do!

Today was an emotional day for yours truly. After rapping up a trip to see the Bellagio flower gardens, I thought an appropriate family follow up activity would be to go the guitar store and see if Sienna might find anything she could not live without. It was on from the time we walked into the store! She passed all the butt rock band guitars and headed strait to the Fender and Gibson section. I had to question myself at this moment, was this nature or nurture diving her to Leo Fenders fine creations? I love the fact I know have a little buddy to take to the guitar store with me!

The Redemption of Poultry, My New Ladder, and Escaping Death

2008-11-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

When All Else Fails, Bust Out the Hockey Stick
My Father In law and "the frog" Helping Me Put Up Lights

I Wish I Had A Basement

Grubbin

The 14 Pounder In All Her Brine Glory

A Proud Father

So, I am sure that must of you know from my last post that me and my feathered friends have not been digestively cohabiting. I am glad to say that after a hiatus of sorts I am back on the Poultry band wagon. Thanksgiving was great! My in laws Ken and Susie came in to town for the feast and eat we did. Super Dave (Scooter Death Mob Founder) sent me a recipe on how to brine a turkey. Now anytime you let anything soak in 4 cups of salt and insane amounts of garlic, you are bound to have good tidings on your pallet. If you would like the recipe, send me an email and I will hook a brother up. So after the pies, 6 James Bond movies, and a bit of sleep it was off to black Friday. Now this is the first time I have attempted to bust the doors and fight with the laddies for the last tickle me Elmo. It was not to bad, and I ended up with a new ladder by 6:30 am. Not to completely dork out, but my new ladder is the greatest thing ever. It is like kama sutra of personal elevation. The thing can go into 20 different positions of impending cascading death. So we busted it out on its first trial run to get the Christmas stuff out of the attic. The decorations came flowing out in abundance like the horn of the harvest. I was then put to work with putting the lights up. Now this is something I don't mind all that much, but there are always a few moments every year as I am on top of the ladder thinking to my self, "will I be that guy who died by falling off his ladder this year." Maybe someday, but that day was not today~!~~

The Ying and Yang of the greatest day ever, and why I will never eat fried chicken again

2008-09-18T14:42:00.001-07:00

When one rides 30 miles on a scooter you qualify for a pic under the "Cool Zone" Sign

Feeling rather hard core after going 20mph up the pass to Virginia City

Scooter Death Mob founder....Dave

Ready to hit the open road

Rolling

Burning into Virginia City

Ying and Yang, plus and negative, old Stevie Wonder vs. new Stevie Wonder these are things with complete opposites (especially Stevie Wonder, honestly how does a guy put our a record like "Songs In The Key Of Life," then write a travesty like, "I just called to say I love you.") I digress, here is the story. I have been in the Reno/Tahoe area for the past few days for work. I started out yesterday making the rounds to Carson City, Melville, and Tahoe. Not a bad day, had some good calls and saw some great country. I called my buddy Dave to see what he was up to after work. He, much like the Magi spreading words of joy and glad tiding mentioned that he and his wife had just picked up some scooters on Craig's list and we should mob them over the hill to Virginia City.

I was in from the get go, so Dave (now the official founder of the Scooter Death Mob) adorned in his ski helmet and me in Dave's down hill bike helmet and gold Elvis sunglasses headed out. Now Kerouac may have written "On The Road", but he did not do it on a scooter! So after a long climb up the mountain maxing out at 20mph we finally picked up some speed on the decent. Rolling in Virginia City was great. If any of you are in the Reno area I highly recommend that you make it over that way. It is one of the most intact mining towns I have ever seen. Being that a scooter ride is hard work we had both worked up a decent appetite and were ready for some grub.

We hit up the locals on where to eat and learned that Del Rio was having there special Gospel Chicken (this is the start of the yang part of story). So Dave and I sat down to a large plate of fried chicken on mashed potatoes with plenty of gravy. As it went down, it was truly Divine. I experience junkie like craving for fried chicken about every 2 years and this was my fix. We noted that nightfall was upon us and it was time to burn the road home.

Coming out of Virginia City was colder then death, but the way back to Reno was not so bad. As I was going down the road singing the theme song from "Smokey and the Bandit" I noticed that my insides were have some rejection issues with the Chicken. So we made it back, and what was once Divine poultry was now on its way to becoming apocalyptic on a biblical scale. I made it back to my hotel and into bed hoping the destroying angle that once was the Gospel Chicken would pass me by. No Dice......

By midnight the Gospel Chicken had taken full position of my soul and I was purging the demons all night long and into the morning. The exorcism did not take hold until Friday morning. Maybe the open road and smell of two stoke oil was so way to much of a good thing and had to be balanced by a night of being curled up around the porcelain?

With all Drama aside, Dave and I are talking about planning a scooter trip across Nevada on Highway 50 (the worlds loneliest highway). I can assure you that if this trips goes down, no fried chicken will be going down the hatch! Ahhh, the ying and the yang of life.

Brian Head 08'

2008-08-10T20:03:00.001-07:00

Frog Hiked For Hours, She Could Not Get Enough of Duck Creek
The Frog With Her Fly New Camel Back

Up at Brian Head Listening to a Band (I of course told the Frog she was never allowed to date a guy in a band)

Great Driver

Dad, Sienna, and I at Cedar Breaks

My Dad and I at Pups Cabin in Duck Creek

Just Finished Dark Hallow (glad to have knocked the dust of the KHS)

Megan at the Start of Dark Hollow

Back home after an amazing weekend up at Duck Creek/Brian Head, UT. First off huge thanks to Pup and Nicole for letting us use the cabin. We got up to Duck Creek on Friday night and it was good to be up in the Mountains. The frog was on cloud nine, she could not get enough of the out doors. After a solid stake dinner and a serious game of harts we called it a night. Saturday Megan and I went down to Brian Head to ride Dark Hollow. It was a great ride and I did not break anything on my KHS this year (last year I broke my chain and ripped of my derailer) and Megan and I came out alive with only getting lost once. On the way back we stopped by a bike shop and picked up a tiny Camel Back for the Frog. She not only loves it, but now she is drinking so much water that her diapers weigh about 10 pounds! We had pizza and watched a band play down at Brian Head. We spent the rest of the day back at the cabin hiking around and exploring. Sienna saw a deer which she called a, "cow" and started Mooing! I kid you not , she loved hiking around so much we had to take turns watching her till the sun went down. She is one serious hiker! All and all it was an amazing time.

Who is the man who would give his life for a brother?

2008-08-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

The answer to that question would be.....Shaft! Today we lost a pioneer in the world 100% deep fried soul funk. Isaac Hayes a.ka. the Black Moses passed leaving a void in the gritty world of soul. The dude not only was the pimp chef on South Park (I salute his song about Kathy Lee Gifford) but a academy award winning artist (that would be for Shaft). Sin City bids farewell to Mr. Hayes a true soldier of the funk.

The Frogs 2nd Camp out

2008-08-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we loaded up the family and with some great friends of ours headed up to Macks Canyon (about a 5 mile drive on a logging road from Lee Canyon). It was the Frogs second camp out and she was a champ. It got down into the 60's and we about froze to death (I now how Beck Weathers felt when he was left on Everest), but the frog did great. She was a serious champ. Good times where had, massive amounts of food were consumed, and 1,600 b.b.'s were shot (is there anything better then a BB gun?).

I wish I was still in Costa Rica

2008-07-31T17:04:00.000-07:00

The Pool
I could handle living in this beach shack

Lunch After Surfing

The Wife and I

Zip Line

Jurasic Park

Taking the boat to Tambor

Surfing at Mal Pies

I miss vacation!!!!!!!! Althoug being home is great I miss the ocean and the jungle. Till next year...........

Jackson Hole

2008-07-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have not ended my coverage of Costa Rica, I am just changing it up today. Between the 3rd and the 4th of July we were in Costa Rica, Florida, Vegas, Denver, and Jackson Hole, WY. We headed up to cowboy country to celebrate my Dad's seventieth birthday with my family and pick up the Frog. As we were descending into Jackson we got stuck in the air for 20 minutes because the Vice President was landing. It was really cool to get out of the airplane and see Air force two on the runway. On the ground at the airport we were reunited with the Frog, and man it was good to see her. We really missed that little kid, and talked about her the whole trip. Jackson does the 4th of July right, fully equipped with Rodeo and all. This is a video I shot while watching the bull riders. Although this guy gets worked, he is able to walk away. These guys have some serious cahones to ride a bull, if I tried that I am fairly certain in would take me a week to get out of bed.

Surfing and Getting the Beat Down Costa Rica Style

2008-07-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

As Greg Allman would say went, "South Bound" to Malpies for a bit of surfing. Well to be honest it was more like some sort of gitmo water board torture (good times none the less). Ryker and I gave it our best and managed to get up on a few waves, and managed to get worked by even more. After about an hour I felt like I had been ritualistically beaten, so I turned to board over to my wife (who is still has remnants of salt water coming out of her nose to this day) who gave it her best, but the waves were a bit to big for all of us. After our near drowning we hiking up and down the beach and ate pizza at great little beach side restaurant. Costa Rica is so untouched! If this beach was in the U.S. there would be hotels on every square inch of it. Maybe we will give it all up and build a shack on the beach?

Tambor and Space Truck'n throught the Rain Forest

2008-07-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

I had big plans on updating my blog daily with pics and video from our trip to Costa Rica, but due to the hotels 25 dollar a day charge for Internet usage it did not happen. These videos are from a zip line we did through the rain forest. There were 9 lines we did and stopped half way through to swim and jump off a couple waterfalls. It was an amazing trip and I will put more pics and videos up in the next couple days.

Pura Vida and I'm Pumped

2008-06-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

Monkey Pic from our trip in 05'

We are off to Coast Rica to live the Pura Vida or Pure life for 8 days. That pure life will first entail some serious sleep and when I mean sleep it is time to catch up. The Frog is kicking up with Grandpa and Grandma and getting to see what summer is like when it is not 150 degrees out side. I will be updating the blog daily so enjoy!

Primal Quest

2008-06-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Pup and Mark are off and currently in 21st place in the super bowl of adventure racing http://www.ecoprimalquest.com/wp-primal/. Support Vegas dirt's best by checking out their blog at http://team44.ecoprimalquest.com/. Big props to Randy for sponsoring the race and Christa and Teressa for doing support. I am super proud of Mark and Pup for all their training and drive to do this, not to mention the amount of spandex they have aquired (David Lee Roth may have a few more pairs). Mark said after Moab two years ago that he was going to do Primal Quest (I of course thought he was high) and here he is on the trail. It's inspiring to see people go after their dreams and really make it happen.

............Battle Born...........

2008-05-31T14:25:00.000-07:00

Goldfield, NV
The Jewel of Tonapah (you cant tell me that this picture is not enough to keep you up at night)

I spent most of this week in Reno for work enjoying a bit of the northern Nevada dirt (not really I was working) but that is not to say I did not enjoy trip. I flew up there but had to drive home (long story and not the least bit interesting). I will say even though it was an 8 hour drive, I love the drive. There are some many cool things out in the desert to see. I made it to Hawthorn (huge Naval munitions site) around 7 and had a serious craving for a McDonald's snack wrap. Well after diving for 3 hours I decided to go in. While I was waiting for A HALF HOUR for two snack wraps I meet one of the coolest guys I have ever meet in my life. I sat down and talked to this old guy (had to be late 80's and blind) wearing about the coolest cowboy shirt I have ever seen and listing to and old school tape deck (the kind with the speaker built in). He was rocking out to square dance music so we got talking. He told me he did his first square dance in northern Wisconsin in 1937, called his first dance in 1941, and all he wanted to do was call one more dance before he dies. So he just walks around town asking people if they are interested. Needless to say it was worth my snack wraps being a half hour late. It is so cool how everyone has a story.

Back behind the wheel I made my way through the remains of what had once been booming mining towns and now are just reduced a few standing buildings. I pulled over outside of Beaty around midnight and checked out the desert sky. The Stars where killer and temperature could not have been nicer. I dig the Battle Born State (only state granted statehood during the Civil War or War for States Rights)

Global Cooling??? and Claico Basin

2008-05-31T14:12:00.001-07:00

The Frog Red Pointing a Toddler 5.11 Climb

Cruising

Where are my gold fish??

The Frog and I

Normally this time of year we a cooking in the 100's but it seems that a new ice age is coming down on us. We opted to stay in town for Memorial Day weekend because the weather was going to be bad everywhere. Saturday we headed up to Calico about 20 mins from the house for a quality, yet cold family hike. The kido was a champ and and was climbing like Boon Speed or Dan Osmond on Crack. She loved the rock and wanted to explore everything (ever a a few Cacti). We bailed and missed a serious rainstorm by about 10 min!!!!!!!!!

Hardcore Landscaping

2008-05-31T13:53:00.001-07:00

I know I have not put up anything for a few months, but I have got a great excuse. It seems that I have spent last two months finishing my backyard so my home owners association will not kick us out of our house. I am now 98.6% done and feeling pretty good about it. I know it's not a killer post of a sweet ride or adventure, but for me it is equally as gratifying! Swinging a pic axe in Vegas dirt is just a brutal as a monster climb on my bike. Big thanks to Brian who helped me put in my drip system and BH for all the help with the holes. Note the trampoline in the corner- one of Megan's clients gave it to us. If any of you want to see how strong your marriage is, try putting together a trampoline with no directions at 9 pm on a Friday night. FYI...Thats Fake Grass.....

+Ski Patrol+

2008-03-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

The Board
Taking a Break

Killer Day of Spring Corn

Looking down in to the 75 degree valley

Yours truly spent his Saturday at Ski Patrol orientation up at Las Vegas Ski and Snow Board Resort http://www.skilasvegas.com/winter/index.html. I am hoping to join the patrol this coming season. It was an amazing day on the mountain, while it was 75 degrees in the valley it was a nice 65 and blue bird on the mountain. Big thanks to Derek and all of the Ski Patrol crew for an excellent day of training. Ryan, your tour of the mountain was the kind of things you right folk songs about.

German invasion of Reno, Feb. 10, 2008

2008-02-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

German pancakes, that is...

INGREDIENTS:

3 large eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon melted butter (salted)

Garnish:

powdered sugar

Serve With:

lemon wedges
butter
maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer. Mix in milk, cream, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Sift in flour and mix until smooth. Let batter rest for about 10 minutes.

3. Coat the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch oven-safe skillet (cast-iron is best) with melted butter. Pour batter into the pan, and bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until golden brown on top and dark brown around the edges. Pancake will rise substantially while cooking. Remove the pancake from the oven and let it sit for about a minute. Loosen the pancake around the edge with a spatula, then slide it out of the pan onto a plate. Dust with powdered sugar, and serve with lemon wedges, butter and syrup on the side.

Makes 1 large pancake.

Tidbits:

You can substitute 2/3 cup half-and-half for the 1/3 cup heavy cream and 1/3 cup whole milk, but I found that using the cream and milk separately makes for a fluffier texture and better clone.

Quinn; sorry I posted to your blog but I thought you might like the recipe-- not very biking related but oh so delicious....

Dave&Darci

Epic Day, Epic Day, Did I Mention It Was An Epic Day

2008-02-06T20:51:00.000-08:00

(Dan's head is the only thing sticking out of the snow in this shot)
(Me cutting through the trees)

Zach getting some hang time as well as the benifit of a soft landing

Dan enjoying the POW POW

(Breaking through the trees, Zach is in the background and is standing)

Snow everywhere!!!!!!

Loving it!

I moved to the Desert 5 years ago to get out of the snow and cold, but every now and then I need to get my fix. After a trip to Boise for my Brother-in-Law's wedding a day of boarding was in order. So we decided to hit up the best resort in all of UT, Powder Mountain (http://www.powdermountain.com/). Now let me go back and mention that is snowed our entire trip. My brother Zach, Dan "the Danimal" Holden, and myself showed up to the resort and had 36" of fresh unadulterated powder waiting for us. It was the most epic day of boarding I have had in my life (I have no shortage of days under my belt). It was so deep that if you stopped it took digging your self out to get going again. This was the first time I have ever been completely covered in snow while boarding. A snorkel would have truly been appropriate. All and all you can never go wrong by combining epic snow, great friends, and chili cheese frys.

Assault On Lone Mountain

2008-02-06T20:37:00.000-08:00

Sunrise on Lone Mountain
Waiting for the Sun

A few weeks back a few friends and I decided to hike up Lone Mountain (Mountain in the NW corner of Vegas) and watch the sun come up. Now I normally try not to spend any time awake during the 5 AM hour but this was an exception. We busted up (without the use of oxygen canisters , take that Sherpas of the world) and enjoyed watching the sun come up over the Vegas Valley. This is a great place; you just have to be willing to explore it.

Boulder City Dirt

2008-01-10T21:38:00.000-08:00

Bootleg Canyon is serious sick riding. If you are everer passing through Vegas and want to ride check this place out. Not only are there killer rides, but there is also a bike park. Here is a link to a site with trail maps http://www.bootlegcanyon.org/

Back On It

2008-01-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

After a solid year hiatus from my snowboard I am back on it! It has been so much fun to ride again. I no longer mess around with anything to crazy due to the fact if I did not stick my landing I may not get out of bed for a week. While I am getting the snow in on the weekend I am watching a few clips on line. Here is a great clip from one of my favorite Mack Dawg movies Decade http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5zWnSbsBcQ&feature=related

Epic Day

2008-01-02T19:16:00.000-08:00

Calico Basin
The Family Out For A Hike

Making Turns At Charleston

Epic day was had on New Years Eve! I started out by Snowboarding with Ryan up at Charleston. It was so great to get on the snow again, I did not have a chance to make it up last year. I made it about half day then the legs started going, so I headed back home. Once at home we decided to go for a hike up at Calico Basin (great area about 20 mins from our house). We had a great hike and the Frog loved every second of it. This is why I love Sin City Dirt Country, you can snowboard and then go for a hike in the desert the same day!

Collective Films

2008-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

Due to the fact the couch time was must during the holidays I had a chance to enjoy some really great mountain biking movies from Collective-http://www.thecollectivefilm.com/. Collective is to biking to what Teton Gravity and Mac Dog are to Skiing and Snow Board films. I recommend picking up one of the films. Here is a clip I found---http://www.livevideo.com/video/5CEC0403443D49B394C88D5E34D41A2F/collective-bike-video.aspx

The Holidays

2008-01-02T17:33:00.000-08:00

My Cat Black Mamba kicking it on the Couch Christmas Day

How sweet is holiday gluttony! As a serious fan of adventure sports it is only logical that the same spirit be carried into holiday feasting. We had a massive dinner on Christmas Eve and I am just finishing off the last of it. You can see by the picture above that even the cat got his grub on. The one thing I learned from all of this is how much I truly enjoy Summer Sausage and Cheese Logs, every bite I had was like consuming a piece of heaven. Praise to the main who takes pork and beef by-products and turns them into one most delicious things on earth.

Hiking In The Snow

2007-12-26T18:34:00.001-08:00

Moon Coming out
Ben on the Bristle Cone Trail

Quinn Enjoying A Hike on the Bristle Cone Trail

In an attempt to not get any fatter then I all ready am Ben and I decided to head up to the mountain and do a bit of snow shoeing. It was not as deep as we thought it would be so the snow shoes were not necessary. It was a bit of shock coming from 60 degrees in the Valley to about 28 in the snow. Good times were had, but now I have my bike up and running again it's time to hit the dirt.

Small World and Termas de Chillan

2007-12-12T15:39:00.000-08:00

8.5 years latter back in the USA

EPIC POWDER DAY IN TERMAS DE CHILLAN

So there I was, back in 98' a long hair traveling through Chile and enjoying some sweet southern equator July snow. After an epic adventure me and my traveling companions had found our selves in a hostel about 10 miles from the resort http://termasdechillan.ski.com/. It rained and snowed the entire night which could only mean one thing, snow on the mountain (that night I also ate my first pig with an apple in it's mouth, but that is an entirely different story). I woke up bright and early to a massive amount of fresh powder and a huge desire to get up the mountain. Only problem is I had no way of getting up there but my thumb. So I walk to the road and started hitching. The fine gentlemen in the picture above, picked me up and we had a killer time boarding with fresh lines all day. I have kept in touch with Rafa (the one in the Hawaiian shirt) for the past few years. So here is where the story gets cool. My buddy Rafa and his girlfriend are traveling the U.S.A and just happened to be in town the same weekend as my daughters 1st birthday party. It was so wild to be hanging out in my house during my daughters birthday party with my buddy who picked up hitchhiking in Chile. I love the fact that life is so packed with cool experiences.

Snow On The Mountain

2007-12-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

The Beauty of living in Sin City Dirt Country is that you can get a great mountain bike ride in then hit the slopes all in the same day. The Frog and I loaded up in the truck this morning and made the thirty minuet drive up the mountain. It was great to "visit" the snow. FYI to all Sin City Dirt Locals; the ski resort is open (http://www.skilasvegas.com/winter/index.html). If you are lucky and bump into "ski patrol" Ryan ask if he will let you shoot the howitzer (all in the name of avalanche control).

Gennius Book of World Records And The Great Santa Run

2007-12-01T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Family Ready To Tear It UP
The Frog and I

Me and Mrs. Claus

7,800 Santa's

What could be better then 7,800 hundred Santa's in one location spreading Christmas Cheer???? Breaking the Gennius Book of World Records amount for the most Santa's at one location. I have been able to do some cool things in my life but not one of those things has ever landed me in that book until know. You may ask who held the title before? The answer to that question would be Liverpool, England. Being that our forefathers took the American Colonies away from England, I only feel that it was my patriotic duty to take this record from them as well. Honestly did they stand a chance? Roy from "Siegfried and Roy" was the out in front of event. The dude has been mauled by a Tiger, but that did not stop him from wanting to crush England (his desire to crush England may have something to do with the Armistice of 1919). The 5K was great, even though it got a bit hot running in a beard. I did get passed this time by a bunch of kids, but being that it is so close to Christmas I thought I would give them this one shot. The family had a great time and as long as we are in Vegas we will keep doing our duty to make sure England never recaptures the title.

Good By To Evel Knievel

2007-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

Original Sin City Dirt....Evel Jumping the Fountains at Caesars

Who is the originator of Man as we know it????? Easy answer Evel Knievel (o.k. Chuck Norris may be mixed in there as well). In a society were it is no longer cool to be a man (in the sense of Burt Reynolds in "Stuntman" or Clint Eastwood in "High Planes Drifter") we lost a true icon. Evel encompassed manhood in a pure and true sense. He did not care if it was a "good idea" or if it was "logical" he just did it. If he failed he just healed and went on to the next jump. I can remember being a kid a watching prime time televised Evel events and thinking how cool he was. So Evel, Sin City Dirt salutes you and all that you stood for. Fare thee well.........

20 Miles on Turkey Day

2007-11-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving....... Pup, Jay, Mark, Ryan, and I all went out bright on early on Turkey day for a serious ride. First off let me start off by saying that I was diffidently the Santa at the end of this Thanksgiving day parade (I have no shame in saying I was the slowest). As we rounded out the first 5 miles, my stomach decided that it needed to make some extra room for the big meal to come. After revisiting breakfast I was doing much better. The day was great and good times were had by all. I will say the Members of the Future 08' "Extreme Couture" Primal Quest team turned in a stellar performance. Big thanks to Pup for letting me borrow his Santa Cruz.

Dashing the Hope of 10 year olds at the Southern Highlands 5K

2007-11-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

By the sound of title you may think this is a bit cruel, but don't judge me until you read the entire post. So there I was, a glorious Saturday morning in the south west side of Vegas. After meeting up with Ben, Laura, Anthony, Krista and Ryan we got our numbers and headed toward the starting line. There they were, our competition dressed in pumpkin orange soccer uniforms. A very intimidating force of 15 10-11 year old soccer players. Now most of you may not see this as a thing to fear. Let me explain my rational, it is very easy to be beaten down by your piers but not by a group of kids who have never seen an episode of ALF. Not to mention, I been doing old school Rockey Training (remember Rockey in Russia) by running with Sienna in the running stroller. So the gun went off and Ryan and I vowed to each other that no matter what the cost we would beat the kids. The first pack of kids were picked off in the first mile (much like wounded wilder beasts near a lions watering hole.) The last few proved a bit more evasive. At about Mile two we spotted the last two of them. Ryan and I decided we would push the pace and see if we could break their spirit. If our speed did not work we decided that we may be able to crush their will to run by letting the cat out of the bag about Santa. Lucky for them our speed carried us through and after a bit of trash talking we ran past them, thus overtaking the all 15 players. The feeling was sweet as we past the finish line. The field and the Glory was ours that day. Oh the sweet taste of victory!

Megan's Birthdaypalooza 07'

2007-10-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Megan Tearing The Trail Up!

At The Top After A Long Climb

The Brown family had a serious week of celebration for Megan's 27th birthday. We kicked it off with a surprise party last Wednesday and carried it through the weekend. My parents were in town over the weekend so we had free babysitting so it was time to hit the trials. Now that it is not 150 degrees out side you can ride in the middle of the day. We woke up late (7:30 that's how lame we are) and hung out on Saturday till we felt awake enough to ride. By about 10 we decided to head out to Cotton Wood and hit it. So knowing that my wife is not happy with a ride unless she climbs for over an hour I knew just the trail. So up the mountain we went until we reached the top. It was so much fun to get out and ride together again. We finished off the ride with a killer downhill and a few bumps and scratches. So with a good ride under our belts we loaded up chips and Diet Coke and headed for home. Happy B-day Megan!

Frampton, Snow, Blue Diamond=Blown Rear Shock

2007-10-07T20:41:00.000-07:00

Peter Frampton Singing "Do you feel like I do?"

Blue Diamond, NV

Blown Romic Rear Shock

So, by the title you may wonder how all these things come together. Here it is------after a week of looking forward to going back up to Brian Head to ride with Ben and Anthony I found out that it was going to snow. Snow and bikes do not go hand and hand and besides there is nothing cool about being cold (mock me, I can take it). So bummed out beyond belief I decided to stay at home and just kick it. I decided around 3 on Saturday I would head out to Blue Diamond and do a ride (Blue Diamond sites about 20 min. from Vegas and has a trial system of about 200+ miles). As I drove out there I decided to enjoy Peter Framton's rock masterpiece "Framton Comes Alive". As I rolled up to the parking lot at Blue Diamond I was fully rocking out to "Do you feel like I do" (12 min and 53 seconds of 70's rock pleasure). With lifted spirits I got on the KHS and began to ride. As I climbed I could tell something was wrong with the bike. As a reached the second hill I looked down and noticed I had oil from the shock all over my legs and shoes. At that moment I realized the ride was over and the rear shock was blown. I must say at first I was really mad, then it came to me. No matter how bad things ever get at least Peter Frampton "Feels Like I do".

Desert Solitaire (kind of)

2007-09-30T16:38:00.000-07:00

Dave and Jed

Keep on Keeping on-----Not quite what Edward Abby may of had in mind, but this Saturday we had a killer time ridding on the south side of SR160. Dave was in town from Reno this weekend, Vegas local Jed (super ranger), and my self meet up in the parking lot around 7am. Now to most you this may sound week because it was only around 50 outside, but it felt like Old Man Winter had come. It was really cold, but we made up for balmey temp by doing a ton of climbing. With my new bike coming in at around 40 pounds (she may be heavy, but there is allot of cushion for the pushing) I warmed right up. The cool thing about Vegas is you can be kicking it on the strip and within a short drive you can be in the middle of desert enjoying a bit of solitaire.

Adventure Xstream 3 Day Race In Moab

2007-09-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

Fellow Sin City Dirt amigos Mark Jackson and Mark "Pup" Roberts are killing it at the 3 day Moab Adventure Extreme Race. This race is a mix of Running, Biking, Kayaking, Orienteering, Ropes, and serious sleep deprivation. They are doing this in order to get ready for Primal Quest 08' (a ten day race). They will be sponsored by fellow adventure racer Randy "The Natural" Couture and will race under the name Team Xtream Couture. They are currently racing under and sponsorship of Red Rock Running Company (team 440). You can track their progress in the Moab race at http://www.checkpointtracker.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=app.showLeaderboard&eventID=126

We Almost Had To Eat Dan On The Bunchgrass Trail

2007-09-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

All smiles as Dan, Megan, and I started out on the White Pine/Bunchgrass Trial in Logan, UT. Not saying that the smiles faded, but it turned into a bit of an adventure. First off I was using my brothers Klien and I did not notice it had slicks on it until we were starting the ride. With that being said I ate S@#$ more then a few times. We were trucking down the trail, then the trail seemed to go away. There were actually a bunch of downed tress and due to the fact they free range cattle up there there were small trials going in every direction. So we followed the one with bike tracks on it. Well, whoever laid those tracks down went the wrong way. In fact as the trail basically stopped we found a bike out there that someone had just left! As we bushwhacked through the sage carrying our bikes, Dan offered himself as a survival feast if needs be (team player that Dan, good guy to have with you if you are flying over the Andie's or stuck on Donner Pass). We realized we were lost and it was then that Dan turned to his TV learned survival skills (Survivor Man) to get us out. He said lets go down the valley and follow the stream. I will say as we bushwhacked through the sage we finally heard cars and realized we would not have to eat Dan after all. As we got closer to the road we realized we had to forge the Logan River. By this time we were just delirious and we all sat on the bank of the river and laughed. Good times were had by all, sometimes getting lost can be the best part of the ride.

Thunder Mountain

2007-09-10T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here are a few shots from Thunder Mountain, one of the most scenic rides in the west. This
rides sits right out side of Panguitch Utah next to Bryce Canyon. The first time I did this ride we rode in about two inches of snow and crashed at the Cameron Inn (it may be condemned now, but we stayed there for 5 bucks a night). The shots from this trip were with my buddy Pup and a great group of guys from Vegas. If you are ever in the area do it!!!!!

Back In Vegas

2007-09-07T21:18:00.000-07:00

Keith Coming Down

Mark on His Killer New Bike!

2007-08-31T23:17:00.000-07:00

2007-08-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Dave, Dan & Quinn getting mentally prepared before Blowhard

The view from the beginning of Blowhard

Quinn & Dan coming down Blowhard

Start making motorcycle noises.........now

Dan cruisin' through the aspens on Dark Hollow

Ryan riding Dark Hollow

Dave pointing to his fans on Dark Hollow

Panorama from Bunker Creek Trail

Panguitch Lake Panoramic

Panorama from top of Brianhead Peak

The rock drop

Brian Head, UT Man Weekend

2007-08-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

Loaded with Bikes and Ready to Get Out of Vegas

Dave with 3' of Bobbi (100% Turkey, Stuffing, and Cranberry Goodness)

36 Miles of Riding = 2 Pound Porter Houses

View From Bunker Creek Trial

View From Blow Hard Trail

Bratwurst Break

Dan the Man

Dave, Quinn, and Ryan

Quinn, Dan, and Ryan

Blow Hard Trail Head

MAN WEEKEND AT BRIAN HEAD,UT