Weekly Roundup: Pull From Flat Edition

This was a big riding weekend for me and my son --- we started off Saturday afternoon by visiting the Mega Cavern trails on in Louisville, KY. It was John's first time doing actual "dirt jumping" and I think he acquitted himself pretty well. After dinner and an overnight stay with Uncle Bark, we returned home today via Ollie's Skatepark, just south of Cincinnati. John had a pretty bad crash before I even got my helmet on; his front tire slid out and he tumbled off a box jump to the concrete floor. But he picked himself up and returned to riding.

As for his dad... well, I did okay enough at the Mega Cavern. At Ollie's, I tried airing-out the six-foot halfpipe and hung up my back wheel on re-entry, which was ugly and painful. It's alright. Click the jump to see a quick video from the Mega Cavern, which is a four million square foot limestone mine turned into a multi-purpose facility. If you are claustrophobic, you won't like the idea of being a half-mile away from the nearest exit. John would occasionally ride back to the entrance "so I have it memorized in case the lights go out." Smart boy.

At TTAC, I wrote about the mob of "teens" who robbed the BART, considered the idea of taking Bimmers, if not coal, to Newcastle, then discussed the ethics of Uber's "grey area".

For R&T, I took a reader suggestion about minivan-based pickups then offered my thoughts on the stealh wealth all-wheel-drive wagon that's taken over America's wealthiest county.

On a personal level, last week was a little wacky due to a last-minute Colorado trip. This week promises to be sobering; as I was writing this I got a text that a very close friend of mine died over the weekend. As always, however, if you keep reading I will keep writing. Take care --- jb