ACE'S BIKES N BASS

WOW WHAT IS GOING ON HERE

2010-09-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

So guess who's pregnant now. What a surprise last night. Yea, I am going to be a Grandpa again. Ell's kids are very excited to have some cousins. And he/she is going to be born in April, a very good month. I just pray to God that the kid is a better bass fisherman than G Man. But I am a little disappointed in Griffin. I told him he could marry her but I didn't think he was going to have sex with her. He didn't ask me that or I would have said no.

THE LEADVILLE LEGEND IS PREGNANT

2010-09-02T06:56:00.001-07:00

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT THE LEADVILLE LEGEND IS PREGNANT. The legend will live on. Hoping it's a little legend. Lisle part Deux, the Sequel. Congrats to Lisle and to Christian on the successful impregnation.

JERRY IRWIN AT LAKE POWELL

2010-06-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

CRICKY, look what I found swimming a couple hundred yards off shore today in Wahweap Bay. I had just landed at 2.5 lb bucketmouth and was heading off to a new spot when I spotted this guy. He was not going in the right direction either. I tried to get him to turn around but snakes don't herd well. Anyway I thought, WWSID,What would Steve Irwin do. But I wasn't about to grab it by the tail so I did the next best thing. I took it into about 2 feet of water, said, Nice meeting you, and cast him to the bank. He was a little cold but he should have warmed back up fairly quickly, it was 103 here today and I can't wait for my headache to go away.

THE NEW OPERATOR?

2010-05-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

I needed to hire a new operator for my trackhoe so I put an ad in the newspaper under help wanted. The first person to call was a guy named Donald, so I told him to come out and we would give him a try. He met me at the jobsite and I told him to dig a hole and I would come back and check on him. Well, when I got back he was completely asleep at the controls. Either that or he was praying that I would hire him. He had a great personality and said he was a great dancer and would be happy to entertain the guys during lunch hours but he just didn't cut it and spent way too much time texting instead of working. I sent him down the road kickin horse turds. Sorry Donald.

WHAT CAN I SAY

2010-04-21T06:58:00.001-07:00

I really don't think there is any comment required for this photo other than I don't know what I think is funnier, Cassidy or the look of pride and satisfaction on Ellery's face. What I do know is that Nicole is going to be watching her cosmetics a little closer to see if anything is missing.

NEED HELP IDENTIFYING THIS PERSON

2010-04-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

The kids were going through our box of old photos and found this one. We have no idea who it is. We would appreciate any help you can give in putting a name to this face. Thanks.

SHANNON'S BIRTHDAY BASS

2010-04-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

Griffin and I caught these fatties in honor of Shannon's birthday. I can't recall the last time that we caught a small bass. They are all about the same size and getting bigger. I am sure as the smallmouth get active we will start catching some smaller fish, but not yet. The water is still pretty cold. We need to gain 10 degrees in most areas before it will really get good. But what a ball. G Man set his record for personal best with that 3.8 pounder.

I'VE GOT A FAT BASS

2010-03-11T13:34:00.001-08:00

Fished last Friday, Sat, and Sun. at Powell. Friday was pretty good fishing at my top secret spot.Can't wait to get back.

KVD WINS THE CLASSIC

2010-02-22T04:38:00.001-08:00

Kevin Van Dam is the GOAT in my book and he just won the Bassmaster Classic again for the third time with an incredible showing. WOW, I love it and I am sure he doesn't mind being 500 thousand dollars richer either.

NICE BASS

2010-02-18T07:29:00.001-08:00

Got back to Powell last weekend and had some pretty fun days out on the lake with G Man. Fishing has picked up a little but the quality of the fish has picked up a lot, as you can see from the photos. Water temp is getting close to 50 as was the air temps. Looking forward to 60 degree water for sure. DON'T FORGET TO SET YOUR TIVOS FOR THE BASSMASTER CLASSIC THIS WEEKEND. STARTS SAT AT 8 AM ON ESPN 2. BIGGEST TOURNEY OF THE YEAR. WINNER GETS 500 THOUSAND DOLLARS. You will notice that I am wearing my lucky KVD hat in these photos. Hope he wins this thing.

CONDOR AT LAKE POWELL

2009-12-21T06:27:00.001-08:00

In addition to a great day of fishing I saw one of these at Powell. A giant condor flew over us in Padre Bay while we stopped to fish one last time. HUGE bird. Very cool to see. I have never seen one of those before.

DECEMBER BASS AT LAKE POWELL

2009-12-19T16:48:00.000-08:00

What a day of fishing. Got to go out with Keith and Bryan, winners of the biggest tourney of the year at Powell last October. A little chilly starting out at 7 am in 25 degrees but it got colder from there. 50 plus mile per hour boat ride up the lake with wind chill but it was worth it. Caught approx. 10 large mouth bass including this 2lb 14oz toad and 3 stripers all of which were probably 3 lbs a piece. All together we caught about 30 fish between us. Catch and release of course. On the downside I developed a bad case of bass elbow. I will have to talk to the Leadville Legend about it. I am quite sure she has plenty of experience with tennis elbow.

THE GENTS AT THE MANCAVE

2009-12-13T07:50:00.000-08:00

World Headquarters rocked yesterday. It was my pleasure to host The Gents. To all you little kiddies who weren't around in the 60's, they were a band from Utah County that entered and won a national battle of the bands contest. The band members were Craig Rollins, Lance Robert, Mike Ostler, Barry Jensen and Kevin Rollins. It was a huge deal. They were featured in the Sept. edition of life magazine. I tried to put the link for the page of the magazine in here but of course that would require an elementary school level knowledge of the internet and I couldn't do it. But anyway 80% of the band showed up and jammed through a few tunes. Blows me away when four guys who haven't played together for at least a decade can sit down and start blasting out Crossroads at a really decent level. Four GREAT musicians. Loved hearing them play and just as much enjoyed seeing some old friends. I pretty much grew up with these guys and later became the roadie for one of their later iterations named Copperfield which launched my meteoric rise to roadie for the Osmonds. Really great hearing Craig playing my favorite Clapton Rainbow strat replica. The man can play a guitar. I figured it out that he has been playing guitar for about 44 years. I can't wait to see how good I am when I am a hundred and one.

DANCING WITH THE STARS

2009-12-01T16:19:00.001-08:00

So today I get a call out of the blue from Donny who says he wants to see me immediately. Of course being in construction I think we have a water leak or some other disaster going on. Anyway, I hurry over to his house. What happened next just totally blew me away. He wants to give me the FREAKING MIRROR BALL TROPHY. The one and only Dancing with the Stars trophy. He said he simply could not have won it without my helping him with all the technical moves that were so hard for him to learn. He is seriously a little left footed but he TRIES hard. He really does. Well or course I didn't take it in spite of him pretty much begging me. I said, Donny, you know and I know that I was responsible for you winning this but your wife and kids will never understand. You need to keep the trophy here. Keep it here. He finally relinquished but ask me if I would at least let him have his picture taken with me and the trophy. What the hell, OK.
CONGRATULATIONS DONNY YOU DESERVED THIS SO MUCH. GREAT JOB!!!

LAKE POWELL THANKSGIVING BASS

2009-11-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

Had a banner trip to Powell over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Fishing was excellent. Everyone caught fish every day with the last day ending as one of the best we have had. G Man even caught a crappie and a walleye, whose fins gave a little bit back to him drawing blood. Cassidy caught the big fish of the trip with this 3.1 pounder. Fantastic weekend with great weather albeit a little on the chilly side. Great to have almost the whole family there. Hayley and JT were absent due to flu like symptoms and photo engagements. Since G Man actually caught a fish, we are not going to make him fish with Shannon's pink reel anymore. He gets to use a big boy reel from now on.

SHEEP JONES

2009-11-21T05:45:00.000-08:00

I am bidding a remodel of Steve Young's old Park City home for some great people from Kansas City and while in the home I saw this art work that I absolutely love. The artist is a lady by the name of Sheep Jones, ( probably the coolest artist name I have ever heard). Go to her website and check it out. It's of course:
http://www.sheepjones.com/

HENRY DAVID THOREAU ON FISHING

2009-11-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

"MANY MEN GO FISHING ALL THEIR LIVES WITHOUT KNOWING THAT IT NOT FISH THEY ARE AFTER."
Henry David Thoreau. Love the quote but I am not after fish, I am after BASS. I want to do a tee shirt that says BASS Everything else is just a fish.

TROY LEE DESIGNS HAT

2009-11-12T16:29:00.001-08:00

Check out the new Troy Lee Designs Legacy hat. This one has 3 Cassidy's on it. Maybe a rare one, who knows. It is product code # 2210-0205. Get em while they're hot. Pretty cool.

AMANGIRI RESORT LAKE POWELL

2009-11-09T05:38:00.001-08:00

Leaving Powell yesterday Shannon suggested we go out and take a peak at the new resort. There was an security gate that just happened to be open due to a car that had just entered so of course we followed and drove right to the entrance. It is about five miles down a dirt road off of highway 89. Pretty weird to follow a dirt road and end up at a place like this. A little bit outer worldly. We decided to take a look. The minute our feet hit the steps a girl appeared out of nowhere and I expected her to say, " Mr. Bond has been waiting for you. " Instead I asked her if there were any openings in housekeeping. Actually I asked if they were open and if they have a brochure. She was great. Said she actually dated a Jerry Anderson in high school down in Texas. Holy cow this place is amazing. It is like nothing I have ever seen. There are 34 suites. 6 with pools. And I mean pools. 46x20 foot private pools. Private sky terraces with day beds for star gazing at night or tanning during the day. Every spa treatment known to woman and some unknown. Budget suites start at 600 per night up to 3000 for the largest pool suite. We were given a cute little " See Ya'll " as we left and proceeded to dust the crap out of a couple arriving in a brand new spotless BMW M6 convert with the top down. They really need to pave the road.

LAKE POWELL BALLOONS AND BASS

2009-11-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

It was our first trip to see the Lake Powell Balloon Festival. Probably thirty five balloons in the air. The best part was the balloon glow on Lake Powell Blvd. on Sat. night. All the balloons lined up down the blvd. and lit up. Cool event. The balloons in the morning are kind of a let down though because they don't launch in the same place. They launch all over town. Stupid idea. Anyway the fishing was ok. Caught quite a few on Friday, not so many on Sat. Found a boat for Kevin to buy, but it was knot for sail. And yes kids the castle still stands.

HALLOWEEN

2009-11-01T07:02:00.001-08:00

The little Grandkid trick or treaters came by last night and did they look GREAT. Loved the little Jesse's and our Hippie was sooo cute. They got joined by Monet the Samba Girl and her Grandma Becky and let's not forget Lady Gaga or GaGa or GAAGA or whatever the hell a Lady GAGA is.

BULTACO RIDES AGAIN

2009-11-01T06:26:00.001-08:00

Took the Born again Bultaco out to the top secret Little Moab test facility yesterday for some hot laps. Unbelievable, runs better than ever. What a BALL. Now I just need to learn to ride. I pretty much suck but had a blast, and it will come. Just takes some practice. I still can't believe that I even have it. Thanks again, Al and Annie.

VALENTINO ROSSI WORLD CHAMPION

2009-10-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

Valentino won his 9th World Championship yesterday! He is certainly the Greatest of All Time in motorcycle road racing and what makes it even better is his personality. He always keeps it fun and lighthearted. After winning he was carrying around a rooster wearing a helmet with a big number 9 on a giant egg on his shirt. Don't know what the egg/rooster significance was but I am sure it meant something to him. What a Champion. And congratulations to Ben Spies for winning the World Superbike championship in his first attempt.

BULTACO REDUEX DUEX

2009-10-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well many months have gone by since we had a seizure. Therapy complete, and it started on the FIRST kick. Well, really the second kick, but the first one was wimpy. Ran great, shifted great. Nice to have it back running again. Thanks to Roy for helping with all the technical stuff. Could not have done it without him. And once again thanks to Big Al and Annie Pulham for old 661. I love it.

LOVETT AND HIATT

2009-10-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

Shannon and I went to Kingsbury last night to see Lyle Lovett and John Hiatt on stage together. What a show. Funny! Lovett killed me. He said he was called a folksinger for a long time. He said a folksinger was really anybody that couldn't afford a band. Then he said we weren't going to hear any " If I had a Hammer or Lips Sweeter than Wine tonight". His songs were great, Fat Babies, One Eyed Fiona, and his infidelity song, Keep It In Your Pantry. First time I have seen him live, what a talent and voice plus he rides motocross and has an MV Agusta. He could hang out here. And John Hiatt needs no introduction here. He recently made my Hall of Fame. He played so many of my favorites it was unbelievable and wailed on the acoustic guitar. It is bittersweet hearing someone play like that. Damn I wish I could play like him. Practice, practice, practice. Great night!!!

KEVIN VAN DAM THE BASSMASTER

2009-10-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Watched my DVRed recording of the Angler of the Year finals and guess who won again. KEVIN VAN DAM my own personal Bass Hero. He is now a 5 time Angler of the Year. And he does it with style and class. Seems like alot of the other top anglers have started resorting to phony post-catch screaming tantrums in order to cop a camera shot. It really seems contrived and is getting really old. KVD lets his rod and reel do the talking and is always the man to beat. If I ever find a magic bottle with a genie in it I am going to wish for a day on the lake with KVD. GREAT JOB KEVIN. I HOPE YOU WIN 5 MORE.

ACE'S ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

2009-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Everyone has there own special taste in music and musicians and I am no different. Shannon thinks that for the most part I only like artists with screwed up voices. They aren't screwed up to me and they seem to me to be the best song writers. What if they tried to get their starts on American Idol and Simon told someone like Neil Young that he had no voice and he should be driving a fork lift. Most of the prolific songwriters say that they don't know where the songs come from, they just come to them. WOW, I am still waiting. Anyway, I have just created my own Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These people are my favorites. They are the ones that I listen to most of the time. More will be added, and when I figure out how to put music on this blog I will post a sample of some of my favorite hits from these artists. These folks are songwriters and in my estimation the best of the best. Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, Mark Knopfler, John Hiatt, Bruce Springsteen and Sheryl Crow

CASSIDY ANDERSON BIDNESS MAN

2009-09-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

Found these old photos of Cassidy that were taken at an exhibition race in Italy at the Motorshow. This is probably a pretty good reason why he decided to become a bidness man.

BONNEVILLE GP

2009-09-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I spent the weekend at Miller Motorsports Park enjoying the Bonneville GP vintage races which is put on by Tom Kullen a friend from Park City, and the National Supermoto event. Had a wonderful time seeing all of the great old bikes on display and the racing is always cool. I found a couple of photos of my BSA on a racing website, so I will share them with you.

CARIBBEAN CREW AT POWELL

2009-09-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few photos from our end of August trip to Powell with a good share of the old 1995 Caribbean sailing crew. We were joined by the Barnes'sss, the MacCabes'ssss both of whom haven't been to Powell for 25 year, and the Nelsons. The fishing sucked, the water sports were a ball, with the exception of our giant's lumbar region, and the lake tour was outstanding. Got to visit a few serene spots that we haven't ventured into lately. We got to celebrate Darkman's 65th birthday and Shannon beat the livin crap out of him on the tube. What GREAT FRIENDS we have. We need to not wait so long to do it again.

PEE WEE SHRINE

2009-08-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

Somewhere deep in the bowels of Utah County lies a shrine to Pee Wee Herman. First person to identify the site will win a shiny new quarter. GOOD LUCK

TEAM PINK TO SLAP THE LEADVILLE 100

2009-08-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. I spotted Larreen in the drive wed. night loading up the truck for his/her latest assault on the Colorado mountain bike race. He/she had all of his/her scrubbies, loofas, and lotions packed, body shaved, waxed and ready to scurry off to the mountains. Larreen will be joined again by Mike ( 6.9 ) Young and Riley ( Little Rickey) Tucker. In case you aren't informed, Mike has the LARGEST lung capacity of any human being ever recorded since the dawn of time. 6.9 liters of pure power. GOOD LUCK, AND MAY PERSONAL BESTS BE SET.

JOHN HUNTSMAN IS GOING TO BE MISSED

2009-08-11T13:21:00.000-07:00

Well I think we are losing the best governor that this state has ever had. I am embarrassed to say that I didn't vote for him when he ran and he proved me WRONG. What a guy. I was totally impressed with his courage to do what he thought was right for the state regardless of political fallout. He is a very special guy and we are going to miss him. I hope there are some motocross tracks in China and the Nation's fastest governor will become the Nation's fastest ambassador. I know he will do an outstanding job and I hope he comes back and runs for president. He's got my vote.

ALL I NEED IS A FAST MACHINE

2009-08-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Steve McQueen's son Chad was in the Troy Lee pits at the X Games. What a treat. Cool guy. After we got home our young daughters told us that they don't know who Steve McQueen is. Unbelievable. Time to rent some DVD's I guess.

X GAMES ON ABC

2009-07-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to set your DVR's for Saturday on ABC from 1 to 4 pm to catch the X Games. Cassidy will be competing in the supermoto event against the best supermoto riders in the America and a couple from Europe. I downloaded (or tried to) this photo from Google images and of course you can't ( I can't) make it go bigger on this freakin blog. Where is Darkman when I need him. Anyway it is a photo of Cassidy and his team mates Jeff Ward and David Pingree and some kids at a charity deal in California. You can see the adult version of the photo if you google Cassidy Anderson on Google Images. What a pain in the BUTT.

MY TREE LITTLE GIRLS

2009-07-15T06:50:00.000-07:00

Rode the Ducati up the loop last night and got a photo of my little Grand Daughter tree. They still haven't found it. Hint: It is between the Aspen Grove campground and the summit, on the left side of the road going up. There is also a small stream that runs in the spring off to the right. I have a shiny new quarter for the first person to find it. If you haven't already this year, check out the loop. LUSH

SUMMERZCOOL AT LAKE POWELL

2009-07-02T15:57:00.000-07:00

Had a most wonderful trip to Powell last weekend. I gave the rookies another lesson in bass technique. Greg caught a couple and Griffin's streak of never catching a fish continues. Weather was there and it was beautiful.
You will notice that Greg got a bad mosquito bite and Griffin stole one of my fish.

3 DAYS AND COUNTING

2009-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Someone vandalized Hayley's car last night.

CHUCK E CHEESE IRONMOUSE

2009-05-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

Chuck did her first Triathlon in Salem today. She did amazing especially after seeing her Wii Bowling skills. She swam great and made her way through the field picking up a bunch of spots. Just needs to work on her pit stop skills in getting the Ipod on quicker. GREAT JOB NICOLE.

CASSIDY IS IN THE ITALIAN WIKIPEDIA

2009-05-23T07:24:00.000-07:00

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassidy_Anderson&ei=EbwUSrSKB5qQswO_5420CQ&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=4&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcassidy%2Banderson%2Bwikipedia%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3Dfgd

GRAND GIRLS

2009-05-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

Got to tend the Grand Girls last night while the mom was at Hayley's shower. We fed the ducks, then made it over to Cedar Wood to do a little swinging, horse feeding and cat clutching.

EXPECTING TO FLY

2009-05-19T04:47:00.000-07:00

I think today might be the day that our little robins try to defy gravity. A dubious task indeed.

SUMMERZCOOL JIMMY BUFFETT

2009-05-12T17:13:00.000-07:00

Ok my hero has done it again. Just bought the new Jimmy Buffett single Summerzcool and I love it. Whoa, he is singin my song. This is a great summer anthem and it is surely the year we need to chill out and learn how to enjoy ourselves again. Listen to the video clip(it was the only way I could figure out how to put the music on this stupid blog). And do yourselves a favor. GO SEE A BUFFETT CONCERT THIS SUMMER. He is in Las Vegas this weekend and again in October. Don't miss it. Here are some photos from the two times I got to meet him. The first was in like 1987 at Red Rocks. We got to hang out backstage with Ed Bradley from 60 minutes ( he had just got his ear pierced) and the second was a couple of years ago in San Jose when Steve and Barb got us back stage passes. Tried to teach Steve Fins Up. Not bad for a rookie.

I CAUGHT A BRAZILIAN BASS TODAY

2009-05-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

You are probably wondering how many a brazilian is. Just know it's a bunch. All smallmouths. Great day at Lake Powell. Shannon caught quite a few herself. 90 degrees and nothing but sun.

UTAH LAKE BASS

2009-05-02T16:38:00.001-07:00

Snotty and I hit Utah Lake yesterday late afternoon to see if the bass were biting. It was a little slow but we managed to bag three bucketmouths. Should only get better as the weather warms the water up a little more.

FINDING NEMO

2009-04-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Everett Ruess has been found. The original "Into the Wild" man's remains have been found and identified 75 years after his disappearance. http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=6327358
The twenty year old poet and artist who disappeared from Davis Gulch in 1934 without a trace was found out by Comb Wash. We have traveled this area many times since the 70's. There is a great book about him by W.L. Rusho called Everett Ruess, Vagabond of Beauty. I think that is the name, I loaned it to someone years ago and never got it back. It's pretty cool though. This kid experienced all of southern Utah's majesty traveling around with a donkey. He rubbed shoulders with the likes of Maynard Dixon and Ansel Adams. His inscription NEMO can still be found carved into sandstone. RIP Everett Ruess!

FAMILY TRIP AROUND THE WORLD

2009-04-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

As I drove up Byuniversity Avenue today I passed some people on bicycles and noticed a sign on the back about a family trip around the world. I couldn't resist the opportunity and I pulled over and waited for them. They are from France and left on a round the world trip with their 3 children over a year ago. They have been all through Europe and South America so far and are currently on their way to Canada. They said it has taken them 2 1/2 weeks to get here from Las Vegas. What an adventure. Think of the memories and stories they will tell. Unbelievable, and they were so fun to talk with. I only wish I could have spent more time with them. We will have to check out their website that is shown on the back of the sign. I hope they are safe and complete this incredible journey.

SCOTT'S BIG FAT BASS

2009-04-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, Scott "WallyBoy" Robertson finally got a big fat bass. He caught it in Warm Creek and destroyed my chances for the triple hat trick. But doesn't he look great in his new outfit from Walmart. He always makes me take him shopping when we go fishing.

THE DAY PART DEUX

2009-04-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

At Lake Powell it is simply known as THE DAY. THE DAY for all of you neophites, was April 18, 2008. What happened on that day made bass angling history. I caught a record setting 18 bass. This feat has not been equaled until strange as it seems, today. The anniversary of THE DAY. It was THE DAY PART DUEX. I might have come up one of two bass short, but there was no comparing the weight. Today's fish were TOADS. What a day, what a day.
Scott and I have a daily competition, first fish, biggest fish, and most fish. Needless to say I killed him. Not even close. I think he caught 6. So after two days of fishing, I have made double triples. If I stay on my game tomorrow I will take the TRIFECTA.
As an interesting footnote, last time Shannon and I were here we got to hear what sounded like several coyotes howling back and forth to each other up in Fence canyon. Well we heard it again today with an extra bonus. As we were fishing the coyote came right down to the water by us. It wasn't scared at all by us. As a matter of fact, it actuallt laid down on the rocks right next to us and watched us fish. As a foot foot note, that is not a bass with a butt claw, that is a bass with a crawdad claw coming out of it's bottom. I performed a clawectomy on it after the photo was taken much to the fishes delight.

LAKE POWELL TRIP

2009-04-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Snotty and I are at Powell. Weather was a little chilly today, supposed to be nicer tomorrow. I caught 6 or 7, Scott caught 2.

How about that fat little toad.

I don't know if I want a ho makin my pie.

IT'S MY BIRTHDAY IT'S MY BIRTHDAY

2009-04-15T10:25:00.001-07:00

Guess what day it is? The day the Titanic sunk? Yes but no. The day Lincoln died? Yes but no. The day Leonardo da Vinci was born. Yes, but no. It's my birthday. Born the only son of a poor white family on April 15 in the year of our Lord MCMLII. There is a shiny new quarter for the first person to tell me what year that is. Anyway, feel free to bring expensive gifts to the house or via FEDEX. Sorry but I could only find one photo of myself for your enjoyment and here it is. I can't believe how young I still look and feel.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

2009-04-12T08:57:00.001-07:00

The problem was the connecting rod bearing gave up the old ghost.

BULTACO BLOWUP

2009-04-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

Well after all the work we will be back at it. Went out to Little Moab with Roy and had a blast until the bike seized up. Oh well it was running great just before it happened. Not a problem. What a great bike and the suspension is better than it ever was. On the way back we went over to the the old Top Secret Goshen Supercross Test Facility and checked it out. Full of cows now. None of these photos are in order because this blog site was developed by computer people who don't have a freaking clue how to make anything intuitive. Can't they hire any real humans? How in the Hell do you edit this thing.

LOVE THIS POEM BY MADDY

2009-04-04T14:17:00.000-07:00

JOHN BUCHAN

2009-03-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

Love this quote by the Scottish writer John Buchan, " The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope."

A DAY ON THE LAKE

2009-03-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

G Man and I spent the day on the lake. One of the most beautiful days ever. Caught a few smallies and saw the coolest thing. A golden eagle dropped out of the sky on a coot, killing it instantly. We got within about 20 feet of it, until it took the coot in it's talon and walked away from us. Kind of like a coot shoe.

UTAH LAKE BASS

2009-03-22T09:41:00.001-07:00

Cal with his Fish Face on. It was a little cold but he was still wearing shorts.
The channel.

Best bass of the day.

Went out to Utah Lake Saturday morning with Cal Robertson. Met him at his house at 6am and drove out to Lincoln Beach to launch. We fished the little Hobblecreek channel on the East side of the lake. It's really cool over there. Little channels that run through the cat tails and tall grass. Wildlife everywhere. Caught one bass, lost one. Cal caught 4 lost 2. Leaned some new technique for fishing Utah Lake. Great time.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO INDI

2009-03-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

Our number one Granddaughter turned 8 yesterday. She threw a great party complete with miniature golf. Of course I won. Once again beating all of the so called "athletes" in the family. To quote Joe Magnum, " Why have I been given this gift so late in life." HAPPY BIRTHDAY INDI.

THE ROBINS ARE BACK SPRING IS HERE

2009-03-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

Monday morning the robins started singing at my office. They start at about 5:42 for some strange bird reason. I love it.

MR. ROMANTIC

2009-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

I am doing a little remodeling for Donny and Debbie Osmond on their home and last week was Debbie's birthday. Guess what Mr. Romantic gave her. A COLONOSCOPY. Well he didn't actually give her one, he is having his NEIGHBOR do it. She is pretty excited. Now I know what I can give Shannon for her birthday on the 26th.

SOMEONE IS HAVING A BIRTHDAY NEXT WEEK. GUESS WHO

2009-03-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

LONELY BASS

2009-03-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

Shannon and I went to Powell last weekend and I only caught one lonely bass. Who cares, it was a blast other than Shannon got a little bit chilly. Water temp was 49 degrees. Should start rising big time this month, then watch out.

CARPE FREAKIN DIEM

2009-02-27T07:46:00.000-08:00

Heard two days ago that my long time friend who wants to remain nameless, but it’s Roy, had a heart attack while driving his truck home to visit. Nameless Roy is 52 years old or young depending on who is reading this and is not overweight or out of shape, anyway not from looking at him. Roy is going to survive, albeit with a new piece of plumbing in his heart. And let us not forget a certain bicycle racing friend, we'll call him Larry, who had a heart attack at age 47 and has since had both knees replaced. Their misfortune and cases similar have gotten me thinking , again. Our days are truly numbered and who knows when our lottery ball will be drawn. It is all too easy to take this life for granted and ignore our wake up calls. Just last week, Larry H. Miller, multimillionaire owner of the Utah Jazz, passed away due to complications with diabetes. Here is a guy with the world by the tail. He owns a major sporting franchise, his own hundred million dollar racetrack, and a collection of race cars that are second to none and he dies at sixty-four. I am sorry, but sixty-four ain’t old anymore. This isn’t the middle ages. It might seem old to all of the so called young, but this should be a wake up call to them as well. Yea, I know when you are in your twenties, you are pretty much immortal. Your thirties, semi-immortal. The forties are the years of feelin pretty good but gettin in touch with some unusual body sensations. You are not so suddenly aware of that fact that certain foods make your stomach growl, reading the paper or monitor makes you squint, and your muscles take longer to recover after anything remotely strenuous. Twenty and thirty year old people take note: YOU WILL BE FORTY BEFORE YOU CAN BLINK. Forty seems to scare the hell out of people but always remember that it is better than being dead. And it is better than being fifty, sixty or seventy if you are so blessed to get that far.
I am fast approaching my fifty-seventh trip around the sun and seeing sixty at the end of the straightaway. And that’s ok. I thank God I’m fifty-six and can get out of bed every morning and go to work. It really doesn’t matter how stressful I know the day might be, I’m alive. And I know plenty of people that aren’t. And I don’t mean just dead people, but people that might as well be. I fall into it. I catch myself watching too much tv not paying attention to the real people and things around me. But it never goes unnoticed by me and I make a plan to be better. Doesn’t always happen but I try.
Anyway, I am trying to keep my plate full. I am still trying to teach myself how to play the guitar, with very little success I must add. Just completed rebuilding my 73 Bultaco race bike with the intention of doing some vintage racing. Still completely obsessed with bass fishing and Lake Powell. Goin there today and we are only a month or so away from the pre-spawn. Holy cow, I can’t wait. And then I have my Alpine Loop Raceway which will open as soon as the snow melts. This will be my first time on my private race track on the Hypermotard. I am quite sure I will post a new personal best and maybe a new world record for the ascent.
The point of all of the above bullshit is that we are all living our lives in the bonus round. We really don’t know what tomorrow will bring and we had better not take a single day for granted.
We owe it to not only to ourselves but to all of the people who would give anything to have the healthy bodies that we have but don’t. Get out and do something. Have more fun.

661 HITS THE DIRT

2009-02-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

Why yes, I am smiling underneath this helmet.
Could not wait for the snow to melt. This was the first time this bike had been in the dirt in over thirty years. Took it out by Five Mile Pass west of Cedar Fort and rode it in as many dry spots as I could find. Not many there actually. What a treat to ride this bike again after all of these years. THANKS again to Al and Annie Pulham. You made my year. Now I just need to adjust a few more things and start training for the season.

LAST SNORKLE TWO

2009-02-16T21:39:00.000-08:00

LAST SNORKLE TOO COOL

2009-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

LAST NIGHT

2009-02-15T22:44:00.001-08:00

HULA SHOW AT WHALER VILLAGE

LUNCH AT CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE

DAY AT THE BEACH LISTEN TO THE WHALES

2009-02-15T19:58:00.000-08:00

BLACKROCK

ME ON THE PADDLE BOARD,FELL OFF WHEN I TRIED TO PHOTO A TURTLE
THESE ARE NOT EASY

BLACK ROCK

2009-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

VALENTINES SNORKLE AT HONALUA BAY

2009-02-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

SNORKLING

2009-02-13T20:09:00.000-08:00

This fish was my buddy fish. It kept hanging around me doing a weird fin thing at me.

I was down about a hundred feet and this guy comes by with scuba gear on. Wimp.
Me
School
School

MAMA'S FISH HOUSE

2009-02-13T08:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we were treated to a gourmet dinner at Mama'sFish House with Steve and Barb, their great kids and nieces, Taryn and Ellery. What a fun time with great friends. Food is out of this world and the place is just totally cool in a great location. In keeping with our No Photos On Thursday tradition, I forgot to put the memory chip back in the camera. Oh well, Taryn took one and will email to me later. Magic night. Thanks to the Youngs.

MONSTER MOTO DAY

2009-02-12T19:54:00.000-08:00

Spent today on a Ducati Monster. Rode about 150miles. Rode all the way around the North and East end of the island. The road was so narrow that it hardly was wide enough for one car for about 10 miles. Very beautiful and smelled like you were riding through a perfume factory. Stopped at Julia's Banana Bread stop which was a cool little green roadside shack. We only bought the coconut candy. We had no room for the bread. Miles from anywhere and the sign said that they shipped worldwide, orders place via the world wide web. Amazing, how things have evolved. No photos, we didn't even take the camera out of the bag. Spent the rest of the day on the beach while Shannon shopped. She is in the shower right now, going to dinner at Mama's Fish House. Yum, I am hungry.

SHIPWRECK

2009-02-11T22:52:00.000-08:00

Shannon Shannon about went upstairs upstairs for a hairdo hairdo.
Diet schmiet.
She could smell this a mile away. How could I say no.
She loves these birds.

AMAZING DAY

2009-02-11T18:38:00.002-08:00

Absolutely AMAZING day. Oceanriders tour was SO cool. Just got back, left at 7 am. All the way around Lanai. Saw wrecked ships, had hundreds of dolphins cruising right next to the boat. Three snorkling stops. Great people on board and to top it off a mother whale, her baby and male guard hung out within 30 feet of the boat forever doing pectoral slaps on the water. I mean forever. It was unbelievable what we saw. Only bummer was the batteries went dead in the video camera and the underwater camera battery was dead all day. Kevin never told me that it only takes 10 photos and then goes dead. What a DAY. Capt. Patty at Oceanriders is the BOMB. She knows everything about everything. She even dived down and brought back an octopus for us to touch. I could go on forever but I have got to take a shower. How's the snow?

THE REST OF TUESDAY

2009-02-10T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hi kids, remember this wall.
Someone call Suzy. Darkman's boat washed ashore. I told him not to try it without his spondon.

FIRST SNORKLE

2009-02-10T17:13:00.001-08:00

Shannon pressed the wrong button for the foot wash.
Kayak adventure, but no whales.

Shannon laying out.
Fish
Bigger fish.

SHANNONS COOL SHOTS

2009-02-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

7:01

2009-02-10T09:01:00.001-08:00

6:30 AM MAUI MORNING

2009-02-10T08:42:00.001-08:00

Eight billion birds are in the trees outside our room. All of them are singing some sort of bird song. Loud mothers they are.Really cool.

Going to be 80 today.

ALOHA

2009-02-10T07:44:00.001-08:00

HELLO FROM MAUI
I guess I am going to have to figure out this stupid blog format. Why do the photos show up in the reverse order of how I put them in.
Anyway we are here, great place, when Shannon wakes up I think that we will go snorkling
and try to get some underwater shots.

Excuse us but would you take our picture. We are from Utah.
Shannon walking out after buying the skimpiest bikini I have EVER seen. Or should I say NOT seen.
Excuse us but would you take our picture. We are from Utah.

FIRST RIDE IN THE PARKING LOT

2009-02-08T09:39:00.000-08:00

OH HEAVENLY DAY

IF A BULTACO STARTS IN THE FOREST AND THERE IS NO ONE AROUND TO HEAR IT DOES IT MAKE A NOISE?

2009-02-01T11:19:00.000-08:00

The answer is YES! Somewhere deep in the bowels of the DO IT TWICE GARAGE at exactly 8:54 am on Superbowl Sunday old 661 fired up for the first time in 35 years. What a SOUND for sore ears. Now it just needs some fine tuning and vintage mx here we come. The accompanying photo was taken moments after the momentous occasion.

G-BUNNY HAS ALL OF HIS EGGS IN ONE BASKET

2009-01-29T14:02:00.000-08:00

WHY WE NEVER ALLOW ELLERY TO EAT COTTON CANDY

2009-01-29T11:35:00.000-08:00

JANUARY AT LAKE POWELL

2009-01-26T05:42:00.000-08:00

Shannon and I FINALLY got out of the inversion that we have been enjoying and got down to Powell. Didn't leave until Friday pm, not much time but who cares. She wimped out on going fishing on Sat. because it was raining. Oh well, she missed out on the beauty. I was the only boat on the lake and it was shall we say serene to say the least. Didn't catch a fish until 4pm ( while on the phone with Cal Robertson asking me if I was fishing) and I caught 2 in a row. Smallmouth. Who cares if you catch a fish when you are having a day like I did.

JIMMY BUFFETT'S GREEN TOMATO

2008-12-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

If you know me at all, and I assume you do or why would you be looking at this blog, then you know that Jimmy Buffett has been my hero since the early 70's. And he still is, look at his new ride. He calls it the Green Tomato and I want it. It could be the Bassmobile and I could be Bassman.

THANKSGIVING BASS TRIP

2008-12-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

Shannon shined me on the post-Thanksgiving bass trip so Thankfully Capt. Scotty joined me for a highly memorable weekend. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of a fish here but here are some scenic ones along with a photo of a crawdad that was spit up by one of my fish. On Saturday we hit the motha load of smallmouths at a spot that shall remain a secret and caught fish on every cast for almost an hour. Oh the Joy.

SUPERMOTO FINALS AT INFINEON RACEWAY

2008-12-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

Cassidy finished the season in style winning the final supermoto race of the year. Here are some photos taken by the outstanding Wes Rowe.

MY BULTACO

2008-10-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

About three weeks ago my longtime friend Al Pulham, who I haven't seen in fifteen years , called to tell me that he was moving to Dutch John, Utah and that he needed to clean out his storage unit. He said that he had something in there that I would be interested in. A 1973 Bultaco 175 Pursang race bike. Not ANY Bultaco, MY Bultaco. The one I raced in the early 70's. My favorite racebike of all time. He bought it from me in late 74 and had it ever since. Indoors, and covered for 34 years. You have to know Al. Annie said he is a hoarder and collector extrodinaire. I know this because when we were building a cabin together in 74 up by Alta he wouldn't let me use his insect repellent because he bought it in Alaska and it was sentimental to him. Anyway he had kept the Bultaco stored away until this move. He told me he would not accept any money for it, that he wanted to GIVE it to me. UNBELIEVABLE!!!! He told me that he would be coming down on Oct. 18 and I felt like a kid waiting for Christmas. The only thing cooler than seeing the Bultaco was seeing Al and Annie again after so many years. Two finer people do not exist. This was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me and they will never truly know how much it meant to me.

1973 BULTACO

2008-10-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

MY FIRST GLIMPSE

BIG AL UNVEILS
AL AND ANNIE
ANNIE'S A SWEETHEART

2008-10-16T07:16:00.001-07:00

Cassidy is racing in Mettet Belgium this Sunday. This photo is from last year and posted on my blog long before Ellery posted it on hers.

2008-10-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

This is Cassidy in 3rd place running ahead of 350.

2008-10-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

Looking through photos on my computer I found this one of Carly going on a date with Griffin's MiniMe.

BSA CLUBMAN SPITFIRE

2008-10-05T11:37:00.001-07:00

My 57 BSA photo by Hayley Anderson

BSA CLUBMAN SPITFIRE

2008-10-05T11:33:00.001-07:00

testing 345

2008-10-05T09:17:00.000-07:00

BIG STRIPER

TESTING 1 2 3

2008-10-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Big Striper