Describe your 1st encounter w Mr Mud

[MtnStephen]

 
 On the production floor at Acuson in1987. I was doing QA, Mr Mud was fixing bad boards. At a TGIF one of my first weeks at work we got talking bikes and decided to ride over to the ocean and back the next day. I had just gotten my first bike since high school, and Moody/Page Mill kicked my butt. Don't think we made it to the ocean that day, but many fine rides and climbing trips and other adventures followed.

[mynameismud]

I remember that ride.  I do not think we made it to the Pacific but we rode along Skyline.  You got a wicked sunburn.  Blisters on blisters.  Kept thinking dam that looks nasty and no bitchin at all.  Yep many good rides and climbs.  The scumbag learned to dirtbag from a natural.

Clint was a good mentor.  Ever patient and knew all the tricks.  He lacked a proper student.

Jim, thank you for letting me jump/get on those lines.  had a good time.  Will try do better.  Although now there are a couple of other guys around that can actually climb.

[F4?]

Nothing will ever compare to taking Mr Mud diving for his 1st time....

He was so wide eyed. Especially when I took him through kelp.

For some reason he thought the kelp was going to grap ahold of him...he kept shaking his head, not wanting to float through the kelp.

I bet you he still has dreams of the kelp grabbing him...

[mynameismud]

Such is true.  For what ever reason kelp freaked me out.  When ever I got near it I would get panic attacks.  Some weird phobia raising it's ugly head.

One day it just went away.  I think it was diving in palm kelp.  It does not bother me anymore and i really like diving in it, the thicker the better.  On occasion I think back on it.  It is an easy way to get a laugh out of myself.  I think finally realizing that if you just keep your reg in your mouth and breath for the most part everything will be ok helped me relax a lot while diving.

I am glad I learned to dive with the folks that I did.  I think it made me a lousy diving partner though.  Having gone with other groups it seems they get a bit stressed out when you just swim off to check stuff out.  On more than one occasion I got a lecture for not staying with my dive buddy. 

Factor remember that time you brought that guy and we had to be all together and give a thumbs up signal before dropping down.  Man that was so confusing.

[F4?]

Yeah, there were some real winners.

You were always a good buddy. We had some fun adventures and maybe more to come.

You were good at fining wierd stuff like that huge octopuss and the Wolf Eel.

Sure there were times when we mis-placed each other, but it always worked out.

[mynameismud]

And that 1 hour night dive.  Those were good fun for a while.