Page 37 of Tailwhip
After a few more hours at burnside, we are just about wrapped for the video tour. Jax goes off to do a turndown over a gap, followed by Nash with a tabletop over the gap. Finishing up with a close up shot, is Mateo with an icepick on the vert wall. Continuing with the tradition while we finish our riding, the whole team comes together and does a train throughout the whole park. Each rider pulls off our own tricks before finishing up.At the end of the day, we have completed the full and longest video tour Overbear has done in the three years since I started up the company. In total, the team rode eight parks, and we filmed over one-hundred-and-fifty hours of footage and gave away several pieces of Overbear apparel at each park for the demos. All in all, I would say this was a huge success.
I head to the store to get some beers and food for the bonfire. Jax and Nash come with me, while the team heads to Astoria to get the fire started up. Once we are in my rental car, Nash turns to me. “Everything is set up for you to take Ashlynn out. My grandpa Dave will be the ‘Captain.’ Seriously, he will make you call him that! Also, my mom wants to do a cookout since you’ll be in town, and she hasn’t seen you in over a year. I swear that woman loves you like a second son!”
I smile at how quickly Nash was able to get everything setup for me and that his grandpa is willing to do this surprise for me, just so I can see Ashlynn’s face once she realizes what we are doing!
“Tell your mom, of course, I will come over for a cookout and see the family. Don’t I always whenever I am in Seattle for something?” Nash’s family opened their home to me the minute I met them. I consider them all family, along with my team. It’s funny, really–the families we are born into push us away and we end up making and finding our own. I think Ashlynn did the same with Neha and Heath.
“Well, she will be glad to see you and meet Ashlynn! I may have told her about your girl and how smitten you are with her!” Nash tells me.
“Smitten? Nah, our boy is in love with her! Jax chimes in.
“In Love, Love?” Nash looks shocked at what Jax just said.
“Yes, in love; is there any other kind I am not aware of? I ask, looking over at Nash.
“No other kind, just surprised since you have only been back with each other for a few months, that’s all.”
Walking up to the cash register to pay for everything, I turn to Jax and Nash. “I’ve known Ashlynn since high school and know she is my one–my everything. I have no doubts about us.”
I tell them both no more talking about girls, since we are supposed to be celebrating a good park video tour.
After an almost two-hour drive, we make it to the beach in Astoria. It takes no time to find the rest of the team. They have a raging bonfire, and it is probably a bit bigger than what it’s supposed to be.
Once we're down on the beach, we set the cooler and food down. Then, we all sit around the fire, just bullshitting with one another. We talk about the tricks some of us pulled off for the video and our drunken night in Louisville. “That shit was rough, trying to ride while drunk. Never thought I would have trouble pedaling my bike!” Grady says.
Looking over to Mateo and Noah, I ask them, “So, what did you guys think about the tour? Ready to do another one?”
Mateo speaks first. “Heck yeah, man. I would be happy to do another one. Do you have another one in mind already?”
“I was thinking Europe would be an awesome one for the next tour. What do you all think?”
Everyone is quiet, not sure if I am messing with them or being serious. Noah speaks before anyone. “I won’t have the money to go to Europe.”
Chuckling a little at him, I say, “It’s a good thing the sponsor is footing the bill, then!”
“Are you fucking shitting me, right now?” Jax says, his eyes wide.
“No, I am not shitting you guys. Chase and I have talked about it, and we can swing it. Maybe around the same time next year.”
Nash stands up, bottle in the air, and shouts, “Cheers to being a part of the Overbear team and to the upcoming Europe tour!” We all stand and cheer with him. I couldn’t be happier to be able to do these things for the team. Chase and I created a good one.
After stuffing our faces with hot dogs and brats, and drinking a ton of beer, we all fall quiet, just sitting and enjoying the fire. Eventually, the silence is broken by Noah. “So, what now?”
All of us look over at him, a little confused. “What do you mean, ‘what now?’ I ask him.
“What do we do now that the tour is over? Just go back home, until the next?”
Shaking my head, I say, “No, man. Now, we enter big competitions and kick ass.” With that, Clay and Grady high five each other.
The next day, we all head up to Seattle from Astoria. Nash talked all the team into going and crashing at his parents’ house and staying for the cookout in a few days. I am just anxiously waiting for Ashlynn to get here. She texted me that her plane had left Denver about an hour ago. It’s 4:45 here, so she will be here in less than three hours. I am smitten–fuck me. I go to the store to buy her flowers that she can’t even keep or take home with her. It’s finally time for me to head to the airport to get my girl. I tell everyone bye and head out.
Of course, I am stuck in Seattle traffic. I let Ashlynn know I will probably be a few more minutes out. All she writes is she is waiting on her luggage, so no rush. Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace. Good lord, I want to smack my head on the steering wheel, but I finally make it to the arrival area. It is also busy, but I spot Ashlynn right away. She’s looking cute as hell, with her hair in a messy bun, my giant overbear hoodie–that she took with her from our night in Colorado Springs–jeans, and a pair of checker slip-on Vans. It’s as if Ashlynn stepped right out of high school with what she is wearing, and I love it! Throwing the car in park, I jump out as quickly as I can and run up and pull her into the tightest hug. Once she pulls away, I slam my mouth to hers.
24
Ashlynn
Those Eyes – New West