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Ben Calhoun's Blog – August 2008 Archive (33)

I'll be quirky'

It's been a long couple days, didn't get on yesterday due to driving 640 miles (most of the year/trip possibly 2nd most I've ever done in a day) and playing 3 rounds along the way. Woke up at 5 am and lost an hour in the time zone change too.

Big thanks to Sheila Kirkham for putting me up for a couple nights.

Las Cruces, NM- NMSU:This one is new and wasn't in the guide, but I found it the night before and was glad because it saved me from another 2 hours of driving… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 30, 2008 at 8:44pm — 1 Comment

Santa Cruz River, Tucson, AZ

Just in time..it's storming like hell out there now. I played with a local, Jim, who had a hand in installation and maintenance. Thanks to Jim, many recently otherwise unplayable holes are now playable.

Tucson, AZ- Santa Cruz RiverNot too well marked, but some #'s and maps available online. Soon to be a map at the course Jim said he's making them for the courses around town. Dual cement tees per hole, 18 baskets. Some tees are Octagonal. Mach-1's are very old. Plays… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 28, 2008 at 10:09pm — 1 Comment

Joke's on me

Today was just plain rough in terms of disc golf road tripping. 2 courses didn't even have directions, just an intersection. How does that help someone find it from out of town without a detailed street level map? Not to mention the first one had an intersection that existed in 2 places, leading me to the wrong one 6 miles away on the first try! I have fixed this on pdga.com for everyone else's sake in the future. Every course I played today would otherwise be impossible to navigate… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 28, 2008 at 5:54pm — No Comments

Phoenix

Back in Pheonix for the 4th time disc golf related.

Lost a disc on my 3rd hole of the day! After driving across a desert for 6 hours with no A/C, I wasn't much up to even getting out of the car, let alone throwing.

Phoenix (Tempe), AZ- Moeur:Scrappy desert land, with short bushes, cacti, and all rock fairways, no grass. It will shred your plastic, and there's a wash that was fast moving and I lost a drive that landed under a basket in it. Somewhat blind and hard to… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 27, 2008 at 8:52pm — 1 Comment

One more

\I don't know what to do tomorrow..

Either head to Brian Head, UT or to Flagstaff, AZ

To go to Brian Head I first need to find out more about whether the course is open and whether it's worth climbing a mountain for potentially hours just to tee off. I really want to play it, but if I cant find anything out, I'll have to skip on the risk of going 300-400 miles out of the way for one course which may or may not even be playable tomorrow!

Las Vegas, NV-… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 26, 2008 at 10:17pm — 2 Comments

Hoover Dam (not OHIO)

I made the 108 mile drive to Kingman, Arizona from Las Vegas today, passing over the Hoover Dam for the first time. It was pretty cool, just like in Transformers. On the way back, at least 100 mountain goats were by the road and I got a ton of pictures of that and the Dam.

Kingman, AZ- Cactus Flats:The name does justice, except it should be called Cactus Flats w/ Ants. Flat, full of Cacti of all sorta, sharp prickly bushes, tumbleweed, rabbits, lizards and just an absurd… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 26, 2008 at 5:18pm — 2 Comments

Sunset Strip

The clouds vanished in an instant, so I went and tried to play Freedom Park in Las Vegas, NV it's so poorly marked I wasn't able to figure it out, and the people hanging around were kind of sketchy. I do not recommend going here, nothing is marked.

Las Vegas, NV- Sunset:Medium to long holes in completely flat, green grassy park with spaced out trees. Not too tight, sometimes enough trees to make a fairway but usually plenty of room to do what you want. 3+ mandos take… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 25, 2008 at 10:42pm — 1 Comment

What happens in Vegas...gets posted on DGRUS

I drove from L.A. to Vegas today, playing one course 1/3 of the way here. I called ahead to Midas to get new brakes, and had them check out my broken A/C too.

New brake pads 4 wheels+ inspection: 250$

My condenser is leaking and needs to be replaced, I saw the green UV dye with my own eyes (felt like CSI with those goggles on and in Las Vegas), it explains why it doesn't work and won't stay cold when I fill it up. Problem is, they quote about 250$ and Subaru quotes… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 25, 2008 at 5:53pm — No Comments

L.A. is closed for disc golf on saturdays, apparently

This place is a joke, overpaying on everything for the privilege of getting a sunburn and going 5mph on a 6-lane interstate for hours. I might have been imagining it, but I swear the air at Elysian tasted bad. Tasted. They charge sales tax on warm food but not cold..how weird is that? Don't get your sub toasted at Subway you can save 0.39$. There are something like 20 courses in the L.A. vicinity, only about 5 are worth playing but thankfully a few are pretty good (Whittier, La Mirada, Mountain… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 23, 2008 at 7:30pm — 6 Comments

View from the top

Today it took 2 1/2 hours to get to and then 2 1/2 hours to return from the course at Wrightwood. I hate LA.

Wrightwood, CA- Sunrise DGC @ Mountain High:At 7,800 ft. elevation, and easily over a mile above the ground below the top of the mountain, you can see a heck of a long way from the top, cities look like a blur, distance mountain ranges look like bumps in the ground. It's on a ski resort. Rubber and dirt tees, has great signs very informative, no map when store closed… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 22, 2008 at 7:49pm — 3 Comments

Calabasas

Staying at the Aunt's place in Calabasas, CA (north of Hollywood in the mountains).

Hard to navigate is the theme of the day.

San Luis Obispo, CA- Sinsheimer:Short, blind holes using mostly small trees and bushes as obstacles, easy to throw over usually though. No signs, just a map. Cement tees are short. A small dry creek bed adds difficulty on putting due to float by's and roll aways. Plays around perimeter of park behind baseball diamonds, with a dry packed earth… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 21, 2008 at 10:36pm — No Comments

Legal activities will be prosecuted! (see picture in clubhouse); Deja Vu; Crazy drivers

I went to not one but TWO courses I have already played today. Both hadn't been checked off since I wasn't keeping that good of a record last time. This posting is brief because I wrote a long one and it disappeared when the site went down, and I don't feel like re-typing it.

*Fresno, CA- Woodward Legacy:Played it in 2006.

Visalia, CA- Troy Korsgaden:Well marked (but for the missing #8 tee pad or sign, I searched forever couldn't find a clue about it), cement… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 20, 2008 at 11:32pm — 1 Comment

Late updates, forgotten course, Becky T

First of all, thanks Becky for showing me the course and San Francisco, putting me up for the night, food, disc, sticker and entertainment (first time playing the Wii).

I didn't get around to the internet yesterday because the Wii was beckoning, so I have 8 course to write up. Basically went from the Lake Tahoe area to San Francisco yesterday, then from there to Monterey and now to sleep in Fresno before playing Woodward Legacy in the morning. I got to see some giant dead… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 19, 2008 at 9:15pm — 4 Comments

Bijou again

740 courses.

I played Bijou again, last and only other time was in 2006. Still my favorite course in this state..and it's only a few miles from the state line. Lake Tahoe is the best California disc golf destination, now with about 5 solid courses within a 90-mile radius around the lake. Truckee, Tahoe Vista, Zephyr Cove, South Lake Tahoe and Kirkwood. If you go out west, that's the place to stop. Gas up and sleep somewhere else or prepare to empty your wallet though, and summer… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 17, 2008 at 9:21pm — 1 Comment

Congratulations Mom and Dad!! 2 new World title trophies for the wall.

And to Feldberg for taking it this time..I knew it was going to happen and soon.

Geoff Bennett..nice finish!

I finally played Toney's Mountain Golf (in 2006 I missed it but was in town).

Last time I got up there to camp and play it in the morning. The drive in is insane..9 miles down a road that's more suited to an ATV..straddling deep ruts with big rocks and deep dust on a winding skinny road along cliffs in the middle of nowhere on top of a mountain! I do not… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 16, 2008 at 8:54pm — 3 Comments

Comin' up..Toney's Mountain

I am writing this now at a BK, because I doubt I will have internet up in the mountains camping tonight at Toney's Mountain, which I will play in the morning then head toward Lake Tahoe probably.

I just cannot throw anything that even looks remotely good in this heat, my putter so hot it can be uncomfortable to pick up..and just flops over out of my hand, can't figure out how to release it smooth when it's so soft and hot. It's very annoying.

Vacaville, CA- Lagoon… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 15, 2008 at 7:38pm — No Comments

They come in waves..another ace

I aced #18 at Low Gap with a Champ Rhyno, skipped in off the road in front. That's 3 this week..ridiculous how they always come in waves. Hopefully this wave lasts long. A guy named Dallas just happened to be out throwing bombs and see it, so I got him to sign the disc, good timing Dallas.

Nor-Cal has been hugely disappointing so far, countless holes with no real fairway or options..just toss aimlessly at walls of low trees and hope for the best. There is a severe lack of wooded… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 14, 2008 at 9:00pm — 1 Comment

Still waiting to find good courses in Nor-Cal besides Lake Tahoe..

This last one was just bad all around..hard to enjoy golf like this.

Due to the rashes developing fiercely on feet, knee, behind the knee, back, chest, chin, right wrist and neck from poison oak (likely from just one course..Lake Selmac in Ashland, OR)..I won't be playing any holes or courses that have it bad..so I had to skip a few drives today.

Ukiah, CA- Mendocino College:I don't know what to write about this course without undoubtedly offending some people. It's just… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 13, 2008 at 11:11pm — 5 Comments

Livin' it up at the Hotel California

Too freakin' hot in Cali..always amazes me people prefer to put up with this over ice rain!

Taking the mid-afternoon off to let it cool down before a 3rd round somewhere in Ukiah.

I aced again today, 2 days after my last. #17 at Anderson Valley Brewing Company..Red KC Pro T-Bird, threw it straight at the pallets and low..skipped it in almost silently. That same disc got me an ace at home back in 2004!

One of the coolest nature things I have seen on this trip… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 13, 2008 at 7:02pm — 2 Comments

Heat Wave

It got up to 108 (literally more than double the temp. in the mountains this morning) today, another reason I don't understand why anyone wants to live here..I say let 'em, it'll be less crowded back East that way.

Weaverville, CA- Lee Fong:Begins flat through small, low oaks in a grassy field (real, live grass!) with the first two holes having a creek on the left lined by nasty thorns, I lost a disc and found 2 there. It opens up for a few holes, then there are back-to-back… Continue

Added by Ben Calhoun on August 12, 2008 at 9:40pm — 5 Comments