OK, so you wanted more.
I believe we last left off mid last week. Having attended another Farmer’s Market being the highlight of the week, other than playing and winning a tennis match against another adult - I’ve played four others since my college years, so this was a real rare thing. Speaking of rare, the tri-tip ka-bob this week, Bob, was too much on the on the red side for my liking. Now if I was from Texas…
Friday morning I had an idea of taking off early from work and surprising my wife at the doorstep; my boss being kind enough to let me work flex hours. The drive down to LA was just dandy until blending in with rush hour. Blah. But other than that well worth the squeal (a happy one, that is; what other kind is there?) in here voice when I called a few blocks from home. We couldn’t imagine how long it’s been since we enjoyed each other’s company this much.
Next day we did the usual drive-me-here-and-there-honey-pppplllleeeeaaaassssee, besides taking our middle son to the archery range. (BTW: I’m not calling him Shorty here on DRN anymore – he’s closing in on me!) The range was locked (!), but now she knows how to get there to satisfy his urges to shoot something in an old-world way besides his pesky brothers, our other two.
One thing I aw in the hunt for was some Torco GP-7, which I picked up two quarts from my old dealer; none of the six shops (3 in SLO, 3 in Santa Maria) carry the stuff – I’ll have to order a few gallons from White Brothers in the future.
Other than keeping the peace – I wasn’t always successful as Extra Shorty is going thru his teenage hormonal cycles – it was an uneventful evening at home.
I got up early the next morning to make the 8am Big 6 GP (AMA D/37) start at Taft (SW of Bakersfield), not as a participant but rather a spectator. Our own Ggoja (Jake) was scheduled, as well as Deano from Bakersfield, and a few friends from my former employer.
What a crowd! I’ve been to some fairly big district enduros of old, but here were factory teams and a few vendors. Lets see: there’s Johnny Campbell (CRF450) – hey, he’s not so towering after all, kinda lanky, but him and Paul Krause (KTM 520) sure mixed it up later that day. There were some Suzuki team (not the GNCC guys), but no faces I recognized; one of them won a race. Maxxis had their tire bobtail, and GPR their stabilizer display. Malcolm Smith Motorcycles had a fairly big layout, with graphics and clothing for sale. There were a few photo vendors, and a helmet-cam supplier from Huntington Beach. And Team Kawasaki had a spot, though as with the Zook crew, I did not recognize any (not that I would.)
Wandering around looking for those whom I know, I ran across an old coworker (Travis); he told me a friend wasn’t going to make it and I was free to use his KTM 450(!) Alas, I reluctantly passed as my gear was 1 ½ hours away, and with virtually no practice/time on it, I’d break either or both the bike and me. He then told me of another friend who stalled his 250F in the last race; when kicking it, he was hit from the rear, driving the lever most of the way into the backside of his leg. He now has 12 stitches and is out for the season. Bad news.
I looked up and down for Ggoja to no avail, but did join up with Deano. I was shown his toy hauler for the first time - quite impressive. After catching up on tour club news (TWMC) we then went to watch the 8am and then the expert/amateur/4-strk race. They have these stands for us, along with an announcer, which happened to be an old friend of Deano’s. Then there’s the start in front of us; several rows on an MX-like arrangement, leading into the MX track. At the end of the track it opens up to a wide area which circles around in a good-sized loop on this private property.
Keeping track of Travis was not possible, given the amount of other like-mounted competitors. But one thing I do know now is there’s a visible difference how the pros/experts fly compared to the rest, be it in the open or MX track. Again I looked for Gogoja, even cheered on some DRZ pilots but after some strange look backs figured it wasn’t him. Turns out he cancelled out and did not show, coming down with something earlier.
Later Deano suits up, and I watched his race, standing as close as the club/workers would allow, giving him the thumbs up and a cheer whenever he’d go by; he’d wag his head back, as if to say “this is tuff stuff”. Being that close allowed me to feel the fallout of roost fall, and the thunder/exhaust-air blast on my shirt of the fours strokes when their mufflers would point my way – cool!
I watched another race but had to call it quits, being foot-bound. Although it’s always more fun to ride than watch, I’m still skeptical about the mass starts hazard exposure, preferring the safer constraints found in the enduro format. Then there’s the expense involved (entry+AMA+district+transponder fees), and no practice; the latter elevates the potential hazard, let alone all that for a one-hour race? Now I see why many enter more than one race/class.
What a way to end a fine weekend.
Gee: such a good weekend - I forgot what happened earlier this week, other than purchasing a small dining room table; it’s snack-sized, but fine for the bachelor pad. Oh: did the laundry, including riding gear from the Clear Creek ride – have to get ready for Ballinger (and Pozo?) this weekend. Let’s see, New Moose gear fit: check! Clean air filter: check! Adventure Pass: check! Riding buddies scheduled: one-half check!
Oh, and I went to the farmer’s Market last night. The line to get my customary tri-tip-ka bob, Bob was quite long, so I decided to do the four bocks of produce, etc. first. Nothing I haven’t seen before was on display, other than a guy selling five varieties of dates. Yummy. Turns out he’s a local, selling for a friend who owns the orchard in the Imperial Valley.
As I get back to the BBQ stand (or better, spread) these guys still had the line, compared to the other four BBQ giddy ups, but worth the wait! I made sure to ask for the well-done tri tip this time ‘round. I watched the 6-8 workers as I gnawed on the meat-stick – quite the entertainment. Some of them boys are – oh, six four, with an appetite to match, while on their breaks.
OK, I had better buzz on out of here. That’s enough for now. This weekend I’m meeting up at Ballinger Canyon (Los Padres NF; we may do Pozo) with a friend coming down from Fresno.
I believe we last left off mid last week. Having attended another Farmer’s Market being the highlight of the week, other than playing and winning a tennis match against another adult - I’ve played four others since my college years, so this was a real rare thing. Speaking of rare, the tri-tip ka-bob this week, Bob, was too much on the on the red side for my liking. Now if I was from Texas…
Friday morning I had an idea of taking off early from work and surprising my wife at the doorstep; my boss being kind enough to let me work flex hours. The drive down to LA was just dandy until blending in with rush hour. Blah. But other than that well worth the squeal (a happy one, that is; what other kind is there?) in here voice when I called a few blocks from home. We couldn’t imagine how long it’s been since we enjoyed each other’s company this much.
Next day we did the usual drive-me-here-and-there-honey-pppplllleeeeaaaassssee, besides taking our middle son to the archery range. (BTW: I’m not calling him Shorty here on DRN anymore – he’s closing in on me!) The range was locked (!), but now she knows how to get there to satisfy his urges to shoot something in an old-world way besides his pesky brothers, our other two.
One thing I aw in the hunt for was some Torco GP-7, which I picked up two quarts from my old dealer; none of the six shops (3 in SLO, 3 in Santa Maria) carry the stuff – I’ll have to order a few gallons from White Brothers in the future.
Other than keeping the peace – I wasn’t always successful as Extra Shorty is going thru his teenage hormonal cycles – it was an uneventful evening at home.
I got up early the next morning to make the 8am Big 6 GP (AMA D/37) start at Taft (SW of Bakersfield), not as a participant but rather a spectator. Our own Ggoja (Jake) was scheduled, as well as Deano from Bakersfield, and a few friends from my former employer.
What a crowd! I’ve been to some fairly big district enduros of old, but here were factory teams and a few vendors. Lets see: there’s Johnny Campbell (CRF450) – hey, he’s not so towering after all, kinda lanky, but him and Paul Krause (KTM 520) sure mixed it up later that day. There were some Suzuki team (not the GNCC guys), but no faces I recognized; one of them won a race. Maxxis had their tire bobtail, and GPR their stabilizer display. Malcolm Smith Motorcycles had a fairly big layout, with graphics and clothing for sale. There were a few photo vendors, and a helmet-cam supplier from Huntington Beach. And Team Kawasaki had a spot, though as with the Zook crew, I did not recognize any (not that I would.)
Wandering around looking for those whom I know, I ran across an old coworker (Travis); he told me a friend wasn’t going to make it and I was free to use his KTM 450(!) Alas, I reluctantly passed as my gear was 1 ½ hours away, and with virtually no practice/time on it, I’d break either or both the bike and me. He then told me of another friend who stalled his 250F in the last race; when kicking it, he was hit from the rear, driving the lever most of the way into the backside of his leg. He now has 12 stitches and is out for the season. Bad news.
I looked up and down for Ggoja to no avail, but did join up with Deano. I was shown his toy hauler for the first time - quite impressive. After catching up on tour club news (TWMC) we then went to watch the 8am and then the expert/amateur/4-strk race. They have these stands for us, along with an announcer, which happened to be an old friend of Deano’s. Then there’s the start in front of us; several rows on an MX-like arrangement, leading into the MX track. At the end of the track it opens up to a wide area which circles around in a good-sized loop on this private property.
Keeping track of Travis was not possible, given the amount of other like-mounted competitors. But one thing I do know now is there’s a visible difference how the pros/experts fly compared to the rest, be it in the open or MX track. Again I looked for Gogoja, even cheered on some DRZ pilots but after some strange look backs figured it wasn’t him. Turns out he cancelled out and did not show, coming down with something earlier.
Later Deano suits up, and I watched his race, standing as close as the club/workers would allow, giving him the thumbs up and a cheer whenever he’d go by; he’d wag his head back, as if to say “this is tuff stuff”. Being that close allowed me to feel the fallout of roost fall, and the thunder/exhaust-air blast on my shirt of the fours strokes when their mufflers would point my way – cool!
I watched another race but had to call it quits, being foot-bound. Although it’s always more fun to ride than watch, I’m still skeptical about the mass starts hazard exposure, preferring the safer constraints found in the enduro format. Then there’s the expense involved (entry+AMA+district+transponder fees), and no practice; the latter elevates the potential hazard, let alone all that for a one-hour race? Now I see why many enter more than one race/class.
What a way to end a fine weekend.
Gee: such a good weekend - I forgot what happened earlier this week, other than purchasing a small dining room table; it’s snack-sized, but fine for the bachelor pad. Oh: did the laundry, including riding gear from the Clear Creek ride – have to get ready for Ballinger (and Pozo?) this weekend. Let’s see, New Moose gear fit: check! Clean air filter: check! Adventure Pass: check! Riding buddies scheduled: one-half check!
Oh, and I went to the farmer’s Market last night. The line to get my customary tri-tip-ka bob, Bob was quite long, so I decided to do the four bocks of produce, etc. first. Nothing I haven’t seen before was on display, other than a guy selling five varieties of dates. Yummy. Turns out he’s a local, selling for a friend who owns the orchard in the Imperial Valley.
As I get back to the BBQ stand (or better, spread) these guys still had the line, compared to the other four BBQ giddy ups, but worth the wait! I made sure to ask for the well-done tri tip this time ‘round. I watched the 6-8 workers as I gnawed on the meat-stick – quite the entertainment. Some of them boys are – oh, six four, with an appetite to match, while on their breaks.
OK, I had better buzz on out of here. That’s enough for now. This weekend I’m meeting up at Ballinger Canyon (Los Padres NF; we may do Pozo) with a friend coming down from Fresno.
