Exit 46 Low Down Hoe Down - December 11, 2004

[Wesley Tucker]

By popular demand, we have decided to race December 11, 2004. To make this simple, I will just cut and paste what I first proposed in the summer of 2003:

Tentative schedule:

11:00 Arrive on hill
11:00-12:00 Set up course and Timer

12:00 til sundown: skate like hell

After dark: go your own way.

Again, this will be a combination practice session for Giant Slalom and also a timed single lane race (see other Exit 46 topic for details of hill and proposed course.) 66 has said he will bring a timer, I will bring cones and at least one cooler full of something cold.

Seeing as how this will be a single lane GS course, there will be no need for bracketing. All we really need is a piece of paper to record elapsed times. My idea is to set the course, everyone who shows up get a little practice time, run the course three times and FASTEST AVERAGE TIME will be the winner. Example: 20 secs, 18 secs, 22 secs, average time: 20 secs.

If we get that over with soon enough (I doubt there will be a crowd of thousands wanting to race?) we can reset the hill to dual lane, another GS course, a 100-cone course or whatever.

Don't forget TWO THINGS: This spot is ISOLATED. If anyone gets hurt, it's several miles to the closest ER. Skate furiously, but keep in mind just how far we will be from help. Also, THIS IS OUTLAW. I've been skating this spot since 1980 and have never got shut down. Then again, I've never skated with others. Maybe we'll be left alone, maybe two cars in the same place will attract Deputy Doright and we'll get shut down. No guarantees. You know the drill.

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DIRECTIONS

Find a map, find Interstate 77 between Columbia, South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina. Go to Exit 46 (exits in SC are by mile marker, so you can pretty well figure the distance. It's about halfway between each city.) Once you get to the exit, you can't miss the hill. It's the frontage road to the Interstate. Although it's pretty much a road to nowhere, there is a hunt club at the top of the hill. Occasionally, I've seen a car or two go up to the gate. I know turkey season ends in November, but I'm not sure about white-tailed deer season in South Carolina. I "think" it runs between Labor Day and November. So if we'll lucky, nothing is in season in December and the Hunt Club will be vacant this weekend.

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Also, the weather. The average temp this time of year in the South Carolina midlands is 50 degrees and the chance of rain is 50/50: maybe it will, maybe it won't. Keep your eye on the forecast and plan accordingly.

Yes, I know a DC Outlaw race is scheduled that same Saturday. I also know its getting bone chillingly cold in Maryland and 500 miles south it's a bit warmer. We also learned that rain on Friday does not mean dry asphalt on Saturday. So the DC crowd can consider this event a back up in case things are too wet or too cold at the P&R on 12/11.

Finally, a little something for those of you considering making the trip:

Some driving distances:

Leesburg, VA - 505 Miles
Vista, NY - 918 Miles
Hampton Beach, NH - Too damned far
Boston, MA - 886 Miles
Fayetteville, WV - 275 Miles
Virginia Beach, VA - 350 Miles
Gainesville, FL - 397 Miles
Athens, GA - 202 Miles
Statesville, NC - 96 Miles
My house - 134 Miles

Do not consider this static and that I'm dictating terms. Post any thoughts, suggestions and ideas here over the next three weeks and we'll certainly talk about it. Also, please post here if you intend to make the trip. This will act as a "contest sign up sheet" so everyone can get a handle on what to expect.

See y'all later.

[Marion Karr]

I'm there! I don't have a GS board but I will make do with what I have.

Thanks again for the invite!

[Eric Moore]

Boulder, CO - 1600 Miles

Dammit!

[Tom Thompson]

sounds fun. will see what i can do. would big red x enjoy this hill?

[Wesley Tucker]

Tom.

This hill was MADE for drop through deck and big wheelbases. If not for slalom, put on your leathers and pads and drop a half mile . . . literally!

[Tom Thompson]

BAM!! twist my arm like the cocks twisted spurrier's

[Rick Stanziale]

slow down for the ho' down - the south carolina state championships are ON!!!!!!

[Marion Karr]

Dudes,
Looking forward to meeting you guys and learning! I am looking forward to being able to say that I "competed" in the South Carolina State Championships. I don't have to tell them I finished dead last! Ha ha!

Hey 66, I have started a small collection of Slalom Tee Shirts (Kill City Racing, Texas Outlaws, Black Leather Racing) ....got any from your crew in GA? I will pay you for it at the SC Championships!

Thanks again for including this Old A** Newbie!

[Tom Thompson]

count me out....was just "informed" that i'll be working everyday till xmas eve....i need the dough....y'all have a fun race!

[Wesley Tucker]

A little long-range optimism for everyone to shoot for this weekend:

Saturday (24 hours): A few clouds. Highs in the upper 50s and lows in the mid 30s.

The forecast has gotten progressively BETTER since Saturday. The only anticipated downer is the forecasted temp has dropped from a high of 63 to 58.

It's still early, but it looks like any possible adverse weather will move through this week and be long gone by Saturday. Should be a great day to go fast through some cones.

[Rick Stanziale]

Athens, GA - 202 Miles

through Greenville or Augusta????

weather looks great to me, it's been raining here for what seems like weeks.....seasonal affective disorder has me in it's ugly grip, point me down a hill and push

nclongboarder - what size?

6

[Wesley Tucker]

Through Augusta. Take I-20 West to I-77 North. I believe the intersection is I-77 Mile Marker 17, so it 29 miles up I-77 from there.

Or somewhere there's abouts.

[Rick Stanziale]

I guess Wes and I will be battling it out for the state championship!

Bring the Icks!!!

[Marion Karr]

Wesley and 66,
Dudes, I stopped by the office this morning to check my e-mail before going back to the hospital. I am sorry I have to bail on you guys this weekend. I had my secretary call Joe and asked him to give you the heads up and he did. THANKS JOE! (You are the man!) Sorry you are going to have to take the shuttle to the hotel and not get to ride in the Element!

Last night things got a little hairy with Dad and they are going to do a cardiac cath today to see what's going on. He is going to be alright but something is happening in his aorta.

I apologize for not being able to make it but I need to stay close to home until we know he is doing ok. I was completed stoked about the session and appreciate what you guys are doing. I had planned on meeting

Any possibiliity since Saturday will be in 2004 and therefore the SC State Championships will be for that year that we can hook up again in January or February (which as you know will be 2005 and therefore could be another SC Championship?)

Don't think for second that you will not have the chance of being overwhelmed by my blinding slowness.

You guys have fun Saturday. Man, I wish I could be there. Please le tme know if you guys can get back together later.

66, I still want a shirt. Size XL. Just let me know how much and I will send you the dough.

Marion

[Marion Karr]

Dudes,
The update on my Father is he is having quintuple bypass tomorrow. Please keep Tom Karr in your thoughts and prayers.

I look forward to catching up with all of you soon.

Marion Karr

[Rick Stanziale]

MK - Hoping for the best for your dad!

WT - Should we postpone until Sunday due to wind?

[Wesley Tucker]

Marion,

I hope all went well today. Having spent a LOT of time in hospitals in the past few years with both my parents and myself, I can attest to what a strain it is to hang out in a waiting room waiting for some word. Be patient and trust the doctors. They do know what they are doing.

Rick,

Whatever is good with you. I have no plans for Sunday, so switching is not a problem. I saw that "Windy" forecast this morning and gave pause, but didn't want to rock the boat. Also, it looks like Sunday will be warmer than Saturday anyway.

Post here or E-mail which works. I'm easy . . . and relatively inexpensive.

[Rick Stanziale]

edited for content

[John Dillon]

NCLB:Prayers and good thoughts for your Dad have been sent!
66: Wind? You plan on busting loose??
Just kidding! Have fun tomorrow....I'm spending my birthday, today, trying to see through thick fog...& still recuperating the knee...hope to see you folks in '05!!
-JD

[Rick Stanziale]

Parralel Drive (Exit 46, Interstate 77 North, just north of Columbia, South Carolina) has the potential to host a 50 cone single lane giant slalom with top speeds in the mid to upper 20's. No need to footbrake here, either.

Columbia to Summerville, SC 110 miles
Dublin, GA 180 miles
Athens, GA 200 miles
Gainesville, FL 380 miles
Virginia Beach 380 miles
Daytona Beach 400 miles
Washington DC 460 miles

If there will ever be a race at Exit 46 (I happen to think there should be), it really needs to happen this year - the surface is more than adequate for the task at hand (just don't fall on it) - but the scorching South Carolina summers and too many logging trucks, are beginning to impart their toll

Wes thanks again for lunch, get those new Icks hooked up and I'll run some tight stuff with you.

[Wesley Tucker]

A decent session yesterday at Exit 46. Of course, nothing goes as planned and I was in for a bit of a surprise when I got on the hill about 10:15 Saturday morning. As I've mentioned before, the only "resident" on the street is a hunt club at the top of the hill. Well, between the time I stopped off on my way to West Virginia in October and yesterday, the hunt club had obviously sold off some of its lumber and there had been some cuttin' going on.



What this did to the road was cover it with pine bark and wood chips. Fortunately, enough rain fell in the previous weeks to push most of it out of the way on such a long hill, but there were still a few "washes" where sand and mulch gunked up the road. I've been skating this hill now off and on for 24 years and this is the FIRST TIME I've ever seen any debris in the road. The last thing I thought about bringing was a broom, and of course this is also the first time ever I've skated the hill with another racer. So when 66 showed up, I was a bit bummed because my favorite grade was not up to par. Oh, well.



We set a couple of courses that took advantage of the "clear space" between different patches of scum. The first thing, though, 66 wanted to do was bomb the hill from the top. He has a new Kebek board with drop-through Randalls and he trudged ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP. This, to say the least, is a hike and a half!



After doing that twice, we played for a couple of hours riding what was in essence a hybrid course. We didn't bother to mark the cones or set the timer. We just went up and down the hill adjusting cones and fiddling with the course. It became a really good two hour practice session.




After doing this for a while, Rick decided he wanted a "GS course from the top!" So we walked up the hill and he started laying down cones: 19 cones stretched halfway down the hill. We both took ONE RUN and were done. This is a hill that you really need to have some legs to make a day of it. Walking back up once or twice is enough to really leave you sweating.



The weather was good although just a bit of a headwind coming up the hill. Rick and I both drove through a slight sprinkling of rain coming up the interstate, but that was far to the south and we had sun and clouds all afternoon



We even had a few visitors with people coming and going from the hunt club. No problems and they were cool. One passerby even stopped to ask what we were doing. The kids in their camos carrying Remington bolt action rifles seemed to be mildly interested.

After putting in a good three hours, we decided to cruise. We stopped a really decent BBQ hut outside of Columbia and had more to eat than we should have. They not only pulled their pork, but chopped it up and put it back in the over under a broiler for a minute or two. This gave the pork a roasted-all-over taste and texture that was really decent.

One last thing. After talking about this hill for two years, I was really interested in Rick's opinion. I especially wanted to know if he thought I oversold or in anyway misrepresented it with my descriptions. He said that I was pretty much spot on, although he did say that it wasn't as steep as he'd expected. Grade is something that is very hard to determine from photographs. The surface and isolation of the spot was pretty much as he'd anticipated from what I'd said.

[Marion Karr]

I'm Back! Dad's doing better (still a long way to go). I thought about you guys all weekend!

Please please please schedule another session! I will forbid any family members from having heart attacks, gas attacks, gall bladder attacks, appendicitis, or any other emergency or non-emergency.

I will bring my leaf blower and we will groom tha surface!

It looks like you guys had a great time!

Thanks for all of the prayers and thought for Dad.


Marion Karr

[Wesley Tucker]

Marion,

This is VERY TENTATIVE, but I told 66 I might go back DECEMBER 26th. I mean, what is there really to do on the day after Christmas? Since it's a Sunday, it wouldn't even be a decent day to return to Wal Mart all the crap that came under the tree!

Again, it's tentative and it won't be a "race." I just need some time on a big hill to get my skate legs back. Nothing improves performance like performing. It will depend though on the following:

a) The weather. I ain't freezing my 'nads off just to ride a skateboard.
b) Family plans. No telling where I'll get invited that Sunday
c) Green Bay's positioning in the playoff picture and whether or not my local FOX station carries the game instead of the stinkin' Panthers. (Yesterday I got real lucky as the Panthers wiped out St. Louis early and FOX switched to Lambeau for the end of the Lions' game. Lots of fun.)

So, anyway, keep an eye on the weather for Columbia SC and let me know wassup wid' you. Oh, and I definetely plan on hitting this hill at least once a month this winter, weather permitting. So don't feel like you've missed something that'll never come again. Hey, it's a hill with asphalt on it. It's not like it's going anywhere.

[Marion Karr]

Dude,
The 26th works great for me. The slopes will be too crowded that day to go snowboarding/skiing. That day will work for me. I will watch the weather and see what plans the family has but I think that day will work. My wife knows how much I was looking for to Saturday so she will be supportive. Also, by then my new GS board will be here. I sent the rest of the money for it today. It's a Pocket Pistol 36" tricked out that is owned by Tim Shawl.
Never been ridden. He has been holding it for me.

Let's plan tentatively for a training session that day. I will throw the leaf blower, a big push broom, and a flat nosed shovel in the truck.

Later man. Sorry I missed you guys Saturday. Dad is moving to transitional care tomorrow hopefully.

Marion Karr

[Marion Karr]

BTW,
What was the average spacing on those cones? I want to set up a course here similar to that here to practice....got any suggestions?

Marion

[Tom Thompson]

Wesley - I'm pretty sure I can make it up on the 26th. Finally getting some much needed "real" time off, not just the piddly one day off every now and then.....anyway, keep us posted.

While I haven't counted out your Panthers just yet, I do feel a need to express my condolences in advance for the severe thrashing they must suffer at the hand of the mighty Falcons tonight.

[Wesley Tucker]

Gentlemen . . . and 66,

Just keeping an eye on things from a week out and it looks like the South Carolina midlands are going to be socked in starting Thursday or Friday. I'm not going to have a running commentary all week about the forecast, but right now this next weekend ain't looking good.

Just keep an eye on the weather websites and you'll see what's coming. Like I said, rain, sleet, snow, high winds and bitter cold are the only things that keep me from skating . . . and tendinitis, gout, pneumonia, better offers from decent looking women . . . .

But DON'T DESPAIR! Hey, there's always January 2nd. And every weekend afterwards for time immemorial. Also, my experience is that for the most part, long range forecasts usually reveal exactly THE OPPOSITE of what to expect a week down the road. So who knows?

Oh, Exit 46 is between Rock Hill and Columbia. You can search either Zip Codes 29210 or 29714 to get pretty close to the hill.

[Marion Karr]

Wesley,
January 2nd could work for me. I am having my wisdom teeth taken out on the 30th but I don't need my mouth to skate.

Also in January we are going to try to put together a session here in Statesville so that the boys form WV, Dave G and Lenny can come down. Do you have contact info for the guy in Lynchburg? We will pick a weekend at the first of the week. Yesterday we took pictures of the spot we have been riding and I will post them for you to take a look at and see what you think.
Planning on just chilling, riding some slalom and also do some carving and stuff. Road with the local crew yesterday and though they are not into slalom they are stoked at getting some guys together to ride.

Count me in on the 26th or the 2nd for Exit 46. I want to make sure I ride with you each month during the winter.

Marion Karr

[Marion Karr]

Wesley,
Here is the forcast for this Sunday, the 26th according to the Weather Channel:

Sunday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s and lows in the mid 20s.

Dude, I am in if you are!

[Wesley Tucker]

Marion,

I'm still WAITING to see what happens this weekend. The weather on Sunday has improved, but things on Saturday are looking awful.

Here's the deal: if it rains REALLY HARD on Saturday, the road at Exit 46 WILL NOT BE DRY. We learned in November that wet roads, even if it's sunny, take pretty much ALL DAY to dry if it's stone cold. The Outlaw Race in DC was postponed til almost 1:00 in the afternoon waiting for the parking lot to dry. I don't expect things at Exit 46 to behave any differently.

Also, now they are saying we can expect "some snow" on Saturday. Now, here on the coast, that means maybe we can see a flake if we look real hard. 100 miles inland, though, things could get nasty. Again, the problem is the wet road. If it snows big time on Saturday in the Midlands, then the road will probably be wet all day Sunday with run off from the melt.

So just saying, "yeah, Sunday looks fine," means MAYBE driving all the way up there to find a wet mess and no way to skate.

Then again, I also know this is the South in the wintertime. We could see clear skies non stop for the rest of the week. Either way, though, I think Wednesday is just too early to make the call. I hope Ga. Tom is reading this also and knows where I'm coming from. Trust me, travelling a long way to find wet roads is not the height of fun.

By the way, Marion, I know you're new to slalom and maybe things are different when cruising on a longboard, but WE DO NOT SLALOM ON WET ASPHALT. There's a few maniacs who find it thrilling, but I think it's a major cluster-f^&*k just waiting to happen. I cracked a rib in 2002 taking a leisurely run through some cones on some wet road and that was it for me. If it ain't bone dry, I find something to read and a comfortable chair til it dries. Or I go home.

It just depends.

[Wesley Tucker]

Marion,

I'm still WAITING to see what happens this weekend. The weather on Sunday has improved, but things on Saturday are looking awful.

Here's the deal: if it rains REALLY HARD on Saturday, the road at Exit 46 WILL NOT BE DRY. We learned in November that wet roads, even if it's sunny, take pretty much ALL DAY to dry if it's stone cold. The Outlaw Race in DC was postponed til almost 1:00 in the afternoon waiting for the parking lot to dry. I don't expect things at Exit 46 to behave any differently.

Also, now they are saying we can expect "some snow" on Saturday. Now, here on the coast, that means maybe we can see a flake if we look real hard. 100 miles inland, though, things could get nasty. Again, the problem is the wet road. If it snows big time on Saturday in the Midlands, then the road will probably be wet all day Sunday with run off from the melt.

So just saying, "yeah, Sunday looks fine," means MAYBE driving all the way up there to find a wet mess and no way to skate.

Then again, I also know this is the South in the wintertime. We could see clear skies non stop for the rest of the week. Either way, though, I think Wednesday is just too early to make the call. I hope Ga. Tom is reading this also and knows where I'm coming from. Trust me, travelling a long way to find wet roads is not the height of fun.

By the way, Marion, I know you're new to slalom and maybe things are different when cruising on a longboard, but WE DO NOT SLALOM ON WET ASPHALT. There's a few maniacs who find it thrilling, but I think it's a major cluster-f^&*k just waiting to happen. I cracked a rib in 2002 taking a leisurely run through some cones on some wet road and that was it for me. If it ain't bone dry, I find something to read and a comfortable chair til it dries. Or I go home.

It just depends.

[Marion Karr]

Wesley,
No problem in waiting until Saturday to make the call. I will watch the weather and hook up with you as soon as we can make a decision.

As far as riding in the rain, dude, I raced too many years on a roac bike and a mountain bike in the rain. I am not on pavement when it's wet. Just no way jose!

Thanks for the update. Talk to you later in the week. Waiting on confirmation on the 15th.

Merry Christmas