Go Skateboarding Day/Summer Solstice - Boise, ID 2020

 
This day started out pretty radical from the get to going with it.  Took the dog for a poop, loaded up the KTM, stopped by the building of lies and headed to Rhodes skateboard park in Boise, ID for a much needed cleaning.

Nick Harmon & Josh Davis first on the ground puttin' in work

Josh Davis (JD's Bodega & Boise Skatepark Association) seemed to be the primary bringer of tools, mostly traditional brooms, bags, dust pans, and he also brought a face mask.

Paul Whitworth basically cleaned 3/4 of the park by himself.

Simply sweeping didn't really work, there was a serious build up of grime that needed to be hand dug out.

Greg Goulet not only brought donuts, but when needed called in the coffee troops from Push & Pour to keep the peace.

Paul lays down a front side flowbler between shifts.

This is Scott.  He had the acetone...and all the Dad jokes.

Scott is awesome.  Did I mention he has Dad jokes?

Whitney, Tommy, Armani, Brendan, & Paul decide that this street course is worth cleaning together.

Bob showed up cooler than usual.

Bob's pro-model should be available through Pillowcase Plus.

Richie prepping his beauty on the board to be photographed.

After Rhodes we (Armani, Nick, Richie, Bob, & Arlo) headed out to the old Caldwell park to keep things rolling.  I wasn't planning on riding motorcycles with anyone else, and to my awesome surprise Whitney & Tommy had both choosen to ride their iron horses...and by iron horses I mean a DOHC Chopper and a Cafe' 79 Honda CM400, along with my KTM Duke 390 we made up the second half of the gang for the day :)

We had a great time at Caldwell, I guess something about hanging out with friends and the motorcycle riding along farm lands reminded me of Dinosaur Jr/Alien Workshop, so I made this very unintentional video from the footage.

Unfortunately, Nick did get hurt at the plaza.  He did this super nice back side tailslide on the flat square rail and then slung a b/s lipslide down the 6-six stair, he tried to bail from it but some how his rear foot got back on the board as he was coming down and just rolled it popping style to the outside super hard.  I'm glad he isn't injured worse than he was.  We got him up on the grass and loaded with pills that had no labels, I went to the Flying J and got him a shower time slot.  The End.

Solo rip to Vale, OR

June 2nd, I decided that I needed to unwind, disconnect rather from the human race as much as possible even if only for a short period of time.  My friend Corey and I are hoping to go for a motorcycle ride to Bend, OR from Boise, ID.  This would be the longest trip to date I've ever rode.  Looking at the route he was explaining to me, I decided I would go do a little personal scout and see for myself just what at least the first leg of the trip was like.

I head west out of Boise, ID through to Parma, ID then south to Adrian, OR only to turn north up to Vale, OR.  It was awesome!

Theme song for the trip.  I highly encourage listening while looking through photos.

Oregon History

Roswell, ID

Just outside of Parma, ID entering Oregon to Adrian.

I stopped in at a grocery store once getting into Vale and randomly asking a guy who was buying enough Budlight to start his own cheerleading squad "Execuse me, do you know where a nice area is around here to hang out by some type of body of water?"  the guy was really nice and told me to keep to the right at a fork in the road west of town to head towards Bully Springs, a geo-thermal site.

I noticed a sign for "Community City Swimming Pool" when trolling through downtown.  Following the signs to go check it out, I happened to find their skateboard park!

After gassing up, I decided to head back to Boise.  The little random trip was easily the most fun I've had in a very very long time since the covid-19 pandemic, and was really the first of any notable travel I have done.  I loved the smell of nature during the ride, passing fields of farms, seeing horses, cows, and bulls just hanging out.  It was truly peaceful and I find myself just eagerly awaiting the next trip, because this mode of travel has happily become my newest addiction :)

Thanks for reading, JMR

KTM Duke 390 Brake Master Cylinder cover

I fucking did it.  Holy shit.  I finally got my first motorcycle and my motorcycle endorsement.  This has been a crazy long awaited endeavor of mine and I'm so thrilled with finally achieving a goal of mine so close to my heart.  I can't wait to share more about those experiences, but for now I just wanted to share a simple video I made for the bike.  I got a KTM Duke 390, it's fun and awesome.  Doing a couple of cosmetic things to it right off the bat.  I ordered a KTM Brake Master Cylinder cover from KTM Twins.

Crispy Artichokes

Crispy Artichokes: A Favorite Recipe 

Not only are these a great salad topper, but these crunchy, salty treats are also a really good snack, especially if you've got a craving for potato chips or french fries.  Try serving to crew on set before lunch ends!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 cups frozen and thawed artichoke hearts, quartered (rinsed canned ones are fine, too)

1/4 cup cassava flour 

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp freshly ground

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Preheat oven to 400 F.  Brush a sheet tray with some of the olive oil lightly.

2.  If using frozen artichokes, make sure they are thoroughly thawed.  Dry artichokes in a salad spinner, or pat dry between layers of paper towels.

3.  Mix together cassava flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish or bowl.  When artichokes are completely dry, toss in the flour mixture until evenly coated.  (Lemon Pepper OR Lime, Cilantro Salt seasoning are great alternatives!!!).

4.  Spread onto prepared sheet tray and drizzle with remaining oil.

5.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

6.  Serve immediately to your Production Crew!

NOTE:  IF storing leftovers, they can be stored in the freezer for ~2 months.  ENJOY & Shoot something awesome :)  

Thanks to my Mom, Laura Casale for teaching me this wonderful dish!

-JMR