It's been one heck of a crazy week! Last week I was at the largest outdoor trade show in the world...which was pretty mind boggling to say the least. After a red-eye flight home (which I'll never do again) I've been playing catchup, with little success.
One highlight is that I walked away with a sweet Arbor longboard. I never thought that I'd enjoy long boarding but I love it. In fact, it has replaced my bike as my commuting vehicle (haven't driven my car once this week). Check out this video if you don't know what longboarding is.
What to do, what to do...here are my thoughts for this weekend!
On Saturday go hike Dragon's Tooth. While you're in the area stop by Celebrate Catawba...you'll be pleasantly surprised. And if you're hungry...grab a bite to eat at the Home Place. The trailhead, Catawba, and Home Place are all within a few miles of each other.
On Tuesday grab your bike and come out to the grand opening of Roanoke's very own pump track. Bring your kids too; this is good clean fun for everyone! Be careful though...it's addictive.
For the past week the Roanoke Outside team was checking out the newest summer outdoor gear, set to hit the market next spring, at the Outdoor Retailer trade show.
Needless to say we're still trying to remove the drool stains from our shirts.
Our friend the Gear Junkie, Stephen Regenold, put together a "Best in Show" award list that pretty much sums up everything we saw. We especially like the "Open-Wide Backpack" by Mile High Mountaineering and the magnet carabiners by Black Diamond.
Over the course of the summer numerous volunteers, led by mountain bike advocate Skip Huffman and Roanoke Parks & Recreation staff, have been building Roanoke's first "pump track". And after hundreds of back-breaking hours, it is finally finished.
Join these volunteers and others for the grand opening!
Still don't know what the heck a pump track is? This video (although not our pump track) will make sense of it all.
The building of this track goes to show you that people who are passionate about something can come together and make it a reality. Let's not stop with the pump track...keep the momentum rolling. There is another crew of volunteers adding miles of trails to Carvins Cove. Contact Pathfinders for Greenways if you want to get involved.
