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Anticipating an "Endo" and a Shattered Skull!! Funniest Thing I Ever Saw

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Classic Property Management

   Not long ago, I went on a mountain bike journey through the mountains to the north of my native Rosamond.   I was joined on this particular day by a good friend of mine named Brian.  Brian is a cool guy.  He is the kind of guy who would shove a quarter up his nose on a dare.  The kind of guy who is always the life of the party.  The kind of guy who generally ends up in PAIN...

   This particular day was no exception.  It started out well enough, we made it through the hardest uphill parts of the trail in about an hour or so, and were taking a breather before beginning the descent. 

   One other characteristic of Brian is that he is competitive. Due to that fact, I was not surprised when he told me that we should race down the first downhill leg.  One thing that you need to understand about the mountains of Rosamond, is that they are extremely dangerous.  As you can see by looking closely at the photo to the right, the entire surface of the mountains is covered with a layer of gravel.  There are also several upthrusts of rock that jut through the surface to keep things interesting, not to mention the numerous open mine shafts that dot the hills as a result of the city's gold mining past.

   None of this would stop us from barreling down the mountain at breakneck speed however.  I accepted his challenge and we were off!  We flew down that mountain like bobsleds on the Matterhorn, leaving a swirl of gravel and dust in our wake.  As we veered around a boulder the size of a large truck, I got a fleeting glimpse of a ridge of stone that stuck up out of the trail about a foot or so.  I was fortunate enough to dodge the obstacle and save myself a lot of pain.

    Brian however, was not so fortunate.  Blinded by the dust that I was kicking up, he did not see the ominous  stone until it was too late.  I looked back just in time to see him strike the stone dead on and pull one of the most glorious "endos" that the world had ever seen.  For those of you who aren't familiar with that term, an "endo" occurs when a rider is thrown from his bike in a headfirst flip over the handlebars.  Brian's bike came to a dead stop.  I can not say the same about Brian however.  Right before my eyes, Brian left the saddle and took flight.  He sailed up and over the bars, turned slowly in a somersault, began to lose altitude, and came crashing back to earth about fifteen feet from where his bike stopped.  That however, was not the end!  Due to the previously mentioned gravel and the steep angle of descent, Brian continued down the slope for about another twenty feet or so before coming to a stop on another ridge of stone. 

At first, all I could do was stare...but then as he began to groan, I did what anyone in my place would have done.  I started laughing harder than I have ever laughed in my life!  I could barely see through my tears as I ran back up the slope to him.  By the time I got there, he was just starting to sit up and tell me that he thought I had cheated somehow.  Fortunately for him, he was wearing his Camel-Pak, the backpack you see in the photo that carries drinking water.  It saved him from having to pick gravel out of his hide for a month! 

   After about thirty minutes he was able to fully appreciate the humor in what had just occurred and to this day he harbors no ill will toward me.  We continue to be great friends.

    In the rental market, the trail is full of stone ridges just waiting to send you sailing down a gravel slope to your dusty demise.  The key to succeeding is to be able to anticipate and endo before one actually occurs.  So how do you do that?  Keep your eyes open for obstacles!  If you think that an owner is pricing his house too high, tell him.  If you think a tenant may not be able to afford a particular house, tell them.  If there is a problem with a house that the owner does not know about, tell him.  

The first time that you decide to keep something hidden will be the time that you race around a corner and hit it. 

The whole point is to make sure that any potential obstacles are in full view before you start the race.  Our company was founded on a policy of being open and honest in all of our dealings.  As a result we have a stunning eviction rate and a slew of satisfied client and tenants.  Don't do the easy thing to make a quick buck.  Do it right the first time and avoid an endo.  Your skull and your clients will thank you.

  

   For more mountain biking tips and solutions for today's rental market, please check out our website by clicking on the logo to the right!  It is never to late to avoid an "endo" and save your skull!!

Comments (1)

John Evarts
Classic Property Management of Santa Clarita - Santa Clarita, CA
Jon, somehow, that actually makes me wanna go biking with you! I like the analogy angle. I think it works for your writing style. I'd like to see some more of them.
Jun 14, 2007 05:07 PM