This is a selfie while standing on a huge boulder, with the newly concreted pump track, and a sliver of Woodward West, visible in the background. This place is freakin' amazing.
A week into another new phase of life back in Southern California, Rich Bartlett, owner here at Block Bikes asked, "Wanna go to Woodward West?" Uh... yeah. I've been wanting to go since I knew there was a Woodward West, many years ago. But for this first trip, I was a week out of long term homelessness back East (long story, don't ask), I weigh over 300 pounds, I haven't been riding for years due to my crazy situation, and I knew I would NOT be riding. Honestly, I almost didn't want to go on those terms, at first.
I grew up in a world where BMX didn't exist, as far as I knew, until I was in junior high. I got into it in high school, in 1982, when racing was a weird thing, and BMX freestyle, as a sport, was just being born. I spent 20 years of my life riding every day on whatever I could, DREAMING, literally dreaming, of a place like Woodward West. Then life put me in an arm bar, banished me to a BMX hating part of the South, and apparently punished me for something I did in a previous life or something like that. I've spent a decade struggling to escape North Carolina and get back to Southern California, get back intp some kind of shape, and get riding again at some level.
One of the MTB guys airing the step/hip/table in the huge flow course.
Rich had been going to ride at Woodward every month, a third Wednesday, long, open session for bikes, skates, and scooters. Yeah, scooters. And since Woodward is scooter friendly, you can't give them the pro elbow or a hard carving shoulder shove like we did in the Orange County skateparks in the late 90's. Anyhow, the riding crowd was smaller than the month before, Rich said, and there was plenty of room for all. That's what was so crazy, there was stuff to ride, GOOD stuff, everywhere I looked. I was jonesin' to not only ride a bike, but to skate, as soon as I saw the first bowl and banks.
I had to settle for snapping these few pics on the phone I forgot to charge (DOH!), and shooting some video with Rich's camera. I haven't shot video in years (except for a North Carolina redneck wedding), so I was struggling to figure out a camera system that was totally new, and missed catching a couple of guys tearing up the vert ramp.
This double target gap, with a very inviting shed roof nearby, is just outside a small street area that only a couple of little scooter kids were really riding. It had some cool wedge features that would make for some fun 80's bank tricks. That's a huge Hot Wheel car in the gap, they're sponsoring Woodward, and a contest series for kids. You can see a close-up of the car in the "part 2" blog post, just behind this post.
One thing that I couldn't figure out at first is that there was this three level high, over vert, quarterpipe, with almost no run up to it, right by the sign-in table. About two hours later it dawned on my that it's for practicing American Ninja Warrior type stuff.
I connected with old Orange County friend Jason German on Facebook the day before, and he made it up that day. So he's the first O.C. rider from BITD I got to talk to and catch up with since I've been back here in California. That was really cool. I spent ten years in a place where there were literally NO old school riders or skaters. I'm up in Lancaster without my own transpo now, but I'll get to H.B. Tuesdays and elsewhere as time goes on, and meet up with people as I can.
As we walked into the main gate, there's a huge concrete flow bowl to the right. It's got a tall corner, hips, tables, a step-down into it, two side pools, and even huge banks, along with a couple of spines. This is the bowl pictured above and at the very bottom of this post. Then there's the little, slab style street course near those target wedges above. There's a big freestanding skate curb near that. Just beyond all that is the big outside street course. Above that is the pump track which had just been layered in concrete, and looked like a good, fun, warm-up spot for a session. That's where Rich and most of the BMXers started out. You can see it in my selfie in the Part 2 blog post.
Mountain biker with a big flip on the resi, next to the foam pit. Except the foam pit is now a big bag, which is easier and quicker to get out of when you land. Good idea.
I've always loved riding concrete, banks, bulges, and vert, though I could never air out. So this pump track below is another place I'd love to ride. Above all of that was a wooden mini ramp that was closed for repair, but next to it were two, facing, wide, wooden quartepipe/wallride things, going unused. There were dirt trails in progress above that along a trail that passed a leaf covered parkour/free running course, with a covered climbing wall, and then the big BMX dirt trails farther down the way. Those were closed for the evening. But I didn't hear anyone complaining, there was so much else to ride and skate.
I spent 20 years riding every day, and we would have been in heaven to go to any one of the sections I've listed above. And I'm sure I forgot some stuff. It's absolutely mind-blowing how far BMX riding, skateboarding, and (go ahead, hurl the insults-I had a 1971 scooter with lawn mower wheels, and competed on 80's scooters, I have no shame) even scootering, has progressed and grown in my lifetime.
The world needs Woodward-type places in in every city with more than... hmmmm... let's say.... 43 people. We NEED these places EVERYWHERE. You know all the dead shopping malls closing down? Yeah, imagine the Woodward people with a big check and an empty shopping mall. There's something to dream about tonight.
Hey, it could happen. None of us Old School guys thought we'd be riding past age 23 when we got started. And look at the world now.
MTBer carving the tall corner in the flow course. This bowl has more big hips than the women at your 30 year class reunion.
So, I was jonesin' to ride like crazy the whole night. But I held off, and got these sketchy pics and a little video, which should be up on the blog when we get ourselves organized here. This whole blog thing here at Block Bikes is new, and there's a lot more online/social media stuff coming in future months.
-Steve Emig/The White Bear
All in all, it was a blast going to check out Woodward West, even as a non-rider for the night. It's great motivation for me to get back in shape (12 pounds lost in 2 weeks in Cali so far, mostly from being sick, but I'll take it). I've got an old MTB to tool around on here, and I'm walking every day, so it'll happen eventually. If you ride out here, get to Woodward West whenever you can. If you're a kid, save your money all year and take your dad to Woodward West. I'll see a lot of you there at some point, I know.
Woodward West is located at 28400 Stallion Springs Drive, Tehachapi, CA 93561.
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