Unicycling to Calvert Cliffs - Thrills and Spills

Thanks to Gregg (MAW) and Stephen (PAX) not only for the great company, but also for the terrific video and footage! We had a blast!

MUni at Calvert Cliffs

Yesterday Jam and Sly joined PAX and MAW from unicyclist.com for a MUni ride on the service road at Calvert Cliffs. PAX and MAW have been doing some MUni for a while now, but Jam and Sly were newbies. Boy, was it a lot of fun! And what an amazing workout! I rediscovered muscles I forgot I had! But I tell you what, give me a couple days (to get past some aches and to let the rain pass), and Sly and I will be hitting the trails again. THIS is gonna be what can get momma back into decent shape! And what an amazingly fun way to do it! Gorgeous day, good friends, great fun on one! Anyone want to babysit my little ones while the big one and I go hit the trails??

St Paddy's Day Parade 2011

Sly has a group of Celtic musician friends that he plays fiddle with who invited him to walk with them in the St Paddy's Day parade. When they found out he rode a unicycle and had recently ridden it in a Mardi Gras parade, they invited him to ride with them instead. And so, of course, he did! He and everyone had a blast.

We had a great time also chatting with another parade participant who rode a giraffe unicycle with a Shriner's group. He could ride and juggle, jump rope, do lasso tricks--he was quite a talented character!

Following the parade, Sly and the family were asked to also join the Irish group at a local pub downtown for some after-parade partying. Sly was even invited up on stage for his stage debut playing his fiddle! What an awesome kid and a terrific day!

Mardi Gras 2011

sk8 park 1-20-11

Jman and I went to the local sk8 park last night, just the two of us. He rode his scooter and his sk8 board, and I rode my uni. It was nice to be able to hang with Jman. We both needed that.

While we were there, a fella on a bike asked about riding the unicycle, and if it was hard. I said yes, and offered to let him try. He'd never ridden a unicycle before, but spent of lot of time riding dirt bikes. Imagine our surprise (both his and mine) when he was able to ride a fair ways! I've never seen anyone do so well on a first try! He even managed to free mount and ride at least once, as I recall. Really it was quite amazing! I did get one short video of him, just because, a little later in the evening. He didn't manage to free mount in the video, and it wasn't his best ride of the evening, but you would still never believe the guy had not ridden before that night!

Sly can ride, and so can the CMC!

It's been a while since I've updated. We've been busying packing and moving and such stuff. But folks have still been riding!

Sly/Uniana Jones can now ride and ride and ride and ride, including turning street corners, and just keep on going. He does still have to learn how to free mount, though.

Habeeb is closer to free mounting, and can ride a fair ways, but not nearly so far as Sly. But then again, he spends a lot of time trying to ride from a free mount, instead of starting by holding on. Different approaches. Both work, but the one has Habeeb looking slower at progressing.

Habeeb kept his 20" Nimbus II with him on the ship. He's going to ride it when they make some port calls. He said as he was walking down the pier to carry it on board he heard someone say, "Now that's got to be the strangest thing I've ever seen anyone bring onto the ship!" He also got some comments from the watch standers on the quarterdeck.

Within a few hours the CMC saw him in the p-way and commented that he heard he'd brought a unicycle on board. Habeeb replied that indeed he had, and offered to show it to him, since they were very near his stateroom anyway. When they walked in, the CMC said, "Oh, you have a 20" wheel." Habeeb looked at him, and CMC explained that he used to ride too--unicycle basketball and unicycle polo! How cool is that?!? He's gonna maybe ride with Habeeb at their next port call. I said they need to start a unicycle club on the ship! lol!

As for me, I just put out feelers with the local homeschool groups to try to start a uni club. :)

The boys

The boys (Habeeb and Sly/Uniana Jones) took the unicycles to the laundromat the other day, and got some practice in riding in the parking lot. From all reports, they did quite well. I'm excited to see Sly excited about riding--I wasn't sure he was going to continue to pursue it.

Last night they were at it again out in the driveway and cul-de-sac. Both are doing very well. Habeeb is working diligently on free-mounting and pulls it off sometimes. Sly is working on distance from an assisted mount. He also pulled off a couple sideways hops while holding on last night too. He was very excited. However, the best thing he did last night was ride a good 500'. That was awesome!

Sly and Habeeb really need a longer seat post for the Nimbus II. We got a 200mm seat post hoping Jman would try riding too, but he doesn't seem very interested, or at least not nearly as interested as Habeeb and Sly, and they really need a 300mm seat post. However, when we get back home and fix up my old 24" unis, I think Sly may prefer that anyway. Then we can keep the Nimbus II set up for Jman to be able to try it when he wants.

Anyway, the boys are doing great!!

sk8 parkin'

Today Jman and I went to the sk8 park, just the two of us. He enjoyed riding the new scooter he got for xmas and trying out the new longboard he got as well. I took along the MUni and rode it while we were there. We just about had the place to ourselves, which was nice!

Since it was just us, I don't have any pictures of me riding, but I did take a picture of one of the ramps. I tried riding up it a few times without success, but I could easily ride down it if I mounted at the top.

And here are a few sk8board pix of Jman. He got a custom made longboard through Faith Skate Supply with the A.Skate Foundation logo on the board. It's very fresh!

Unicycle Camp New Year's Day 2011

Xmas eve update

On Xmas Eve, Habeeb free mounted and rode a good 50 yards out of the cul-de-sac and around the corner. Then he free mounted again and rode back! Go, Habeeb!

On Xmas Day we were super busy (of course) and nobody rode unis. Later that night, it started snowing. And it snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed. When all was said and done, we went to sleep on the 26th with 9+ inches in the front yard, and it was still snowing! We got about another inch that night, and didn't spend much time riding--until New Year's Day!