So it's over... A few thoughts

[Okiewan]

Just a couple (yeah, right) thoughts about DirtWeek.

It's been said before, probably most elequently by Jeff Gilbert; DirtWeek is what the world should be like.

We come from all over the place, but all come together. We have different backgrounds, different abilities, but we are all "together". We have different accents. We have different traditions, but DW has it's own.

Some of us are fast, some slow. Some with new bikes, some with old.
Some with the latest gear, some in jeans and 20 year old boots. At DW, we're all the same.

Some woods, some mx.
Some can cook, some can't :nener:

WE ALL CAN EAT!

We ALL stop when the National Anthem starts, we ALL take off our hats and Cheer at the end.

We all smile when the kids ride. We're all proud of them.
We are all moto heros around the nightly campfire.

Some in RV's, some in tents. We ALL shut the generators off at 11..

We ALL dig the Spodewash.
We all dig Camp Tejas.

We all laugh, we all bench race.
SOME, ARE BETTER at bench racing than others :)

We all help out or fellow riders and enjoy doing it.
We all cheer a new milestone a rider makes.. maybe a big jump, maybe a good corner or maybe the best stoppie into a pond.

We all trust our kids to run wild at DW, although we nail them for pit speed :)
We all look out for the kids, rather they are our's or not.

We all wish it didn't have to end and go back to work!
We all dig DirtWeek... thanks for being there.

 

[Masterphil]

Sounds like a dirtbike utopia! I hope to attend next year, and put some faces to the very colorful personalities from this place. Damn college.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

Reading about it brings a lump tp my throat. I sure hated to miss it this year, I assure you it wasn't by choice. Hailey (Tigger) came in my office last night after looking at some of the pictures and was crying. She said she hated my work and how it kept us from being at DW this year. She said "I waited a whole year for this week and I had to miss it and it makes me mad!" My heart sank even lower. We never know what tomorrow has in store for us and there are no guarentees that we'll even be here. With that said, all of you learkers out there that have never experienced a DW, don't put it off again. Sure I was dissapointed that we missed this year but the memories from the last 3 will live on in mine and Tigger's mind forever. I promise there is no better place for a family or even just friends to spend a week together. It creates a bond that will never be duplicated or replaced, it's special!

 

[Tony Eeds]

Jeff, I was there and I was sad to see it end.

You have said it before, Tigger said it as well, Dave, Michelle and Stephanie expressed it in another thread, why does it have to end?

In a way it never ends as DRN is far better site for having DirtWeek to bring members together. I have long pondered why more of the family did not show up this year and the reasons seem to span the universe. No one thing kept people away.

There were numerous conversations that I was part of about missing family members. As you said a few years back, DirtWeek is a family reunion. For me it is a celebration of the human spirit and the inherent goodness of dirt bikers. Most will give you the shirt off their back, their last dollar and carry any load you ask. You cannot ask for a better group of folks to celebrate life with than people with the goodness of spirit I have had the pleasure to meet through the site.

I credit DRN with restoring my faith in humanity and opening a world of friendships that span the majority of the globe. To some that may sound hokey, but I believe I could find a member on any continent willing to help me if I asked.

I am proud to be a member of DirtRider.Net and proud to say that I am part of the magic that is DRN. The human spirit yearns to be part of a larger whole and for me DRN fills that void nicely. DirtWeek is the physical embodiment of the spiritual goodness of DRN.

As Okie said, young and old, fast and slow, experienced and novice, strong and weak are all welcome at DirtWeek. That is the magic. Where else in this world can you truly be yourself and forget about the mask? I know of all too few places where that freedom exists.

I salute everyone that has ever been a part of any spodefest or DirtWeek. Your spirit lives on in DirtWeek.

Planning has already begun for me to be there in 2006. This coming year will be more special than many can imagine. The Lord willing, for the first time in over 25 years my entire nuclear family will hopefully be in the same spot on earth ... DirtWeek!!!!

 

[AssistSuper]

He's right. I'm young, slow, novice, and weak, and everyone I met was still awesome to talk to.

:)

 

[D Lafleur]

I have to tell all of you, my only regret for DW 05 was not getting there on Monday. The boys had a great time, Debbie enjoyed the family atmosphere, and of course I enjoyed the time spent with all of my DW buddies.

I have talked to Randy(motohead00) and he isnt going to miss DW 06.

Looking forward to DW06

Darin

 

[ChopperDave]

My wife and me finished last in everything we raced and still had an incredible time! Where else but DW/DRN can you be a looser, yet welcomed as a winner? :cool:

 

[Vic]

It is a good thing that you have built here, Mr. wan. :nod:

:cool:

 

[Rooster]

It's good to see how new people found DW to be as inviting and fun as I did my first year.

You can change a million things about DW, dates, schedules, events, and on and on ... but that atmosphere that is DW will never change.

 

[Jaybird]

Right on!

 

[David Bird]

Thanks!

When I met my wife I remember being SUPER excited for her to meet my friends. All of them were made through riding, and all of them were of the highest quality. I have since moved away from all but one of them, but where all good things must come to an end, new (& better) beginnings will come.

I bragged & bragged to my old buddies about how incredible dirtweek was intil they came out to see it for themselves this year. Corndawg made the trip from New Jersey and aside from the cost of gas, food, & a transmission rebuild, he agreed that the week, the people, the magic was all I told him it would be. My other buddy Frodo (Jeff) had ankle surgery the week before dirtweek, but he still flew out to hang with us for a couple of days and loved it. I really believe some of the best people on earth ride dirtbikes, but even amongst that crowd the family at DRN rises to the top!

I love seeing the "old-hats", and I love welcoming new folks. It's very humbling to be a part of such an awesome group.

Sincerely, thank you ALL! DRN RIPS! :nod:

 

[Pokie]

I thought his nickname was NJSCRUB ?

 

[motometal]

Amen to that, David. Neighbor's place was rental, and now the owner is moving back in. I walked over and tried to make small talk last night, what a jerk! And I thought, the grouchiest person at dirt week would be WAY cooler than this jerkoff.

 

[jeffd]

Dang sorry I missed it. :( But since I am re-habbing a recent knee reconstruction due to a totally blown ACL, I thought it best I sit this one out. There is always next year... :)

 

[Okiewan]

Amen to that, David. Neighbor's place was rental, and now the owner is moving back in. I walked over and tried to make small talk last night, what a jerk! And I thought, the grouchiest person at dirt week would be WAY cooler than this jerkoff.

Thank you!!

 

[ChopperDave]

Thank you!!

I was wondering who Scott was talking about! LOL!

:rotfl:

 

[motometal]

actually, I didn't really have anybody in mind. everybody was great!

 

[wardy]

if anyone still rides around here, and ya know i never forgot the three dirt weeks we went to. tell you this much. If possible we will revisit this kind of event and have a place that will be cool to host it at. since the last post in here was 2005 be real interesting to see who see's it. cept okie i imagine he will lol!

 

[truespode]

And me... I just can't quit this place. It is my broke back mountain :)

 

[mx547]

I'm still checking in occasionally.

 

[MX-727]

We had so much fun. Still think about the two Dirtweeks we attended, still think about the the board, and still have some DRN stickers on my bike. Always wonder how everyone is doing.

 

[MrMXer327]

Ditto here - I re-visit Dirtweek threads all of the time. Some of the greatest memories I have of riding with not only the crew that always came with me - but the many individuals I was able to meet there.
I started attending at Casey Illinois and to this day vividly remember coming off the line and into the left turn off the start with Billy, Keith, Jeff and Moto Metal holding it to the wood. Fun track there and I absolutely loved the GP track where the Tag-Team event was held. I still have the wooden plaque for the tag-team event, which I believe Niki made.
Cooperland proved to incredible as well and again I have vivid memories from that place as well. I remember getting the hole shot I think in 02 and freaking out because Doug, Guy and a freight train was behind me leading into the rhythm section and huge tabletop (Where Guy passed me in the air - 10' below me whipped to the max). My son actually was old enough to attend by then and had a blast on his KTM and RM65. I actually rode that 65 in some crazy race holding a hamburger (That survived me going over the handlebars) and presented it to Okie at the finish. LOL!
So many faces I miss seeing - Papa K - Scooter - Moto Metal - Patman - Bswift - Thump - Gomer - Slo Mo - Nikki - Treejumper - Big Lou - and the list goes on and on...
Then you get into the campfires, the bench racing, the food and all of the other stuff that went on... what memories.
I missed DW05 due to surgery for some ruptured disc's and I believe that was the last one. Thanks to all those that put DW events together - know that all of us still remember and appreciate all that went into putting DW together. If there ever is another one - I sure hope to be there !

 

[mx547]

I started attending at Casey Illinois and to this day vividly remember coming off the line and into the left turn off the start with Billy, Keith, Jeff and Moto Metal holding it to the wood.

I was in that one too. My bragging rights was that it took three laps for Jeff to get around me.