3 Amigos Ride!

 Just a couple of weeks ago I finally got to do some woods riding. It was with Buckmeister, (Buck at SBB suspension) and Gino Belino, (Gene is from Folsom Prison). Well, let me clarify that Gino WORKS at Folsom Prison. So it was not on a weekend pass, parole or anything. He actually had the day off! Then there was Doo Rag, (Darrin) also fresh outta prison, with a Kitchen Pass and Matt. Matt had paroled a few years earlier when he got a creampuff job working at a Fire Camp in Nor Cal.

We were all pretty excited to hit the trails since it had just rained a couple days before. Apparently not enough since it was much dustier than we anticipated in the open and exposed areas. The tree covered areas were still pretty good as the shade of the trees held the moisture much better. So in some sections we could all ride close but had to space out when the dust reared its ugly head. I had a great time, since they let me ride in front all day!  I guess age does have its privileges, lol.

We rode most of the ride with big grins on our faces with an occasional stop to regroup and catch our breath. In just a few short hours Matt reminded us he had to head back as he did have to work a swing shift that day. We said good bye and were now down to four riders. Doo Rag was beginning to feel the pace as he doesn’t get a kitchen pass very often and subsequently has had very little seat time. Doo Rag spends his free time hanging onto a fishing pole, not a set of handlebars. So Doo Rag says he will meet us down by the river crossing and away he goes.

Buckmeister, Gino and I explore a little on our way down the canyon into the river, where we finally catch up to Doo Rag. I forgot that Doo Rag carries a collapsible fishing pole in his pack when he rides. So guess what he was doing when we rolled up. We took a rest break while Doo Rag fished and proudly displayed his trophy when he caught one of those whoppers!

While we were there it was kinda hard to miss the newer Toyota SUV 4x4 that was lodged in between a couple of trees just above the river. It had not been there long as there were no bullet holes in it yet!  Also, there was a bit of debris scattered indicating it was a new arrival. This compared to the old Toyota car that had been down there since the 80’s that I can remember. That one had a few bullet holes.

Our rest period turned into an hour and a half long break with snacks and a lot of stories being told. Some I will remember and some I will try to forget! None that I will ever repeat……………..Time to go. Doo Rag informs us that he is Fished out. I think that is code for he is too tired to continue on our ride. So he says he knows his way out to a road and will meet us back at the trucks. So now we are down to 3. Buckmeister, Gino and #33.

The 3 of us head up out of the canyon and are having a big time blasting through the trees. I know I am as I now spend most of my time in the desert and only have to dodge bushes and cactus, not trees. This is Great!  We continue on trail after trail until we come to a very rocky, somewhat steep slate/granite trail that is probably now considered to be in the ‘Advanced’ or ‘Extremely Difficult’ rating on the trail maps usually printed for the riding area. I go ahead to the top and stop at the next intersection to make sure we all head the same direction. I wait……and wait………hoping someone got a flat. It had been about 10 min and I figured maybe they didn’t have the tools to fix whatever it was. So I head back down eventually finding Gino holding Buck’s bike.

Doh! Buckmeister is standing there holding his clutch side wrist/hand. I observe that he is standing and walking ok so if we can get his bike to the top of this rocky ascent we should get back to the trucks without calling for outside assistance. Buck says he will walk to the top if I will ride his bike up. I park my bike and get on Buck’s bike and remember, crap, he is riding a YZ 125!  The last time I rode a 125 was years ago on a motocross track and I wasn’t very good at it. It has been MANY years since I owned or rode a small bore. I am a 500cc kind of guy. I weigh about 250 lbs. dressed to trail ride. But away we go, uphill, rocky, ledges and crevasses to traverse to reach the top. 8 to 10 thousand RPMs and a little abusing of the clutch and I make it. Sure glad that ain’t my clutch!

Buckmeister stands there and now has to figure out how to get rolling with a dicked up clutch hand. He does it and we are headed toward the trucks on normal trails and find a road that leads us out. We eventually make it back to the trucks and find Doo Rags truck still there. He should have been back long ago, loaded up and gone. We load up Buck’s bike, our bikes and get ready to go. Gino says, “shouldn’t we go look for Doo Rag?”.  I think it over for a minute and tell him, ‘Naw, he has a fishing pole.” I figured if he got stuck somewhere he would just catch his dinner.  A few minutes later Doo Rag rolls up. We asked him how we could have beat him back to the trucks considering our misfortunes and slow return pace. After all he was riding the road back.

“Uh, I turned the wrong way and went to hi way 193.”   I tried not to laugh, but I never promised not to tell he was directionally challenged. Dude caught a fish though. I have pictures, lol.

So we started with 5. Went down to 4. Finished off with 3 and 1 straggler. Rolled in with 2 intact and 1 damaged.  This may have been The Best Ride Ever!!!

#33

‘Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did do. Explore. Dream. Discover.’

Baja Bound

How do you log 10,000+ off road miles every year? If you're #33 you head to Baja for some fast trail riding. Here's Eric doing some last minute adjustments as he waits for his riding buddies at the border.

WORKS CONNCETION ELITE CLUTCH

WC ELITE CLUTCH                                                                                                                               

Here we go, motocross racing as opposed to field squid riding. I just completed my first MX race in OTMX after a five-year layoff from injury to the left hand. It was almost like starting over.  I got a bit of help from my WORKS CONNECTION ELITE clutch lever perch combo. This setup made my return to racing much easier and gave me the help I needed as I now have limited use of the left hand as opposed to before the injury.

I had never had to change my riding style or bike set up before due to physical limitations. Ok wise guys, I said ‘physical’ not “mental limitations”. I can feel you all laughing! That’s ok because I chuckle myself every time I get on the bike, just because I can! Life is Good!

So at my first race back at The International Old Timers MX series I was on a new bike, YZ 450f, and I had my new WC Perch on to help with my diminished clutch capabilities from the left hand. It was an absolute necessary upgrade! Besides being beautifully sculpted, more durable that anything on the market, it probably intimidated a lot of those other guys on the line. You know the guys on Brand X with the hydraulic clutches. Lol.

The smoothness of the lever and the clean pull made any handicap I felt almost disappear. I was even able to fine tune it after the first moto to let me chose the point of engagement for the injured and shorter fingers using the reach adjustment. Perfect! I rode 5 motos, never stalled the bike and got the “Holeshot” award in the second moto!  I have the “T-shirt” to prove it.

Even though I got the Holeshot in 3 out of 5 motos I ended up 2^nd overall. One guy, Mark Kaestner, is just a bit too fast. I now have my work cut out for me. Maybe I should check with WORKS CONNECTION to see what other little trinkets they have that can make me FASTER!

#33

‘No person’s eyesight was ever injured by looking on the bright side of things’

Best Week Ever!

Best Week Ever!

I am just finishing up a week of riding and shooting with a couple of buddies, Recon and Jason, aka “J-Can”.  Jason is a Canadian visitor and ended up with the J-Can handle so as to not be mixed in with regular ole’ American Jasons we know. 

Recon and I did the Monday Taco ride the day after a rain and had the time of our lives!  We were riding every trail we could find on the way to tacos and laughing like loons all day! Wheel to wheel without a hint of dust. There was even a dusting of snow on the mountains in the desert. We hardly stopped and when we did we were both laughing trying to catch breaths in between. We rode singletrack, blasted damp and sometimes muddy sand washes at speeds that just about got us into trouble a couple of times. Recon said he wasn’t ready for the ditch I lofted the front wheel over, so I didn’t tell him, neither was I. It kinda came out of the blue, I don’t remember a ditch there before. Oh yeah, it rained hard and there were a few new washouts. We survived and when we pulled into our next stop to climb a few big sand hills, Recon said, “Hey your nose is bleeding”. I looked and sure enough there was a pretty good gouge on the end of my nose from some of the bushy and barbed trees we blew by at about 50mph. So I borrowed a line from Jesse Ventura in the movie Predator and said, “I ain’t got time to bleed!”  “Let’s Ride!!!”

We finished our ride and planned our assault on the next day’s activities. It was going to be a shooting day at the range with a bunch of geezers we know and our buddy J-Can. Now remember J-Can is the Canadian where it seems firearms are bordering taboo. So I ask if he was very well versed in firearms safety. He admitted he was a complete novice around firearms so we planned to go it alone away from the rest of the group until we got him up to speed on firearms safety with a few drills and some practice. So we used a range stall next to our regular shooting group for our orientation.

Having been a former firearms instructor for a large government agency, I found it very satisfying instructing someone that was willing to listen and eager to learn, as opposed to students that were required to be there due to work requirements.

J-Can was the ideal student and is a very intelligent guy so he learned things easily and quickly. He picked up the operation and especially the safety part of firearms very quickly and easily. Sharp, attentive student. In short order I was comfortable enough to let him operate on his own with me side by side on the firing line. Recon had already gotten bored and was over shooting with the regular crew, with an occasional jaunt back over to shoot with us for a minute.

We had set up a metal gong system about 10 yds. out to run some drills without having to stop every few minutes to repair targets. While Recon was there I took some practice shots at the gong system. Lo and behold I felt something hit me in the cheek just below my safety glasses. A ricochet had come directly back from my target. I ceased fire and let the fellas know something had hit me. I holstered my Glock and turned toward J-Can, he said, “There is something stuck in your cheek and its bleeding”.  J-Can came over to look and said it was a piece of metal and asked if he should pull it out. I had him pull it out, it was deep enough to pull my skin out about a quarter inch before it came loose, according to Recon. Recon tossed me a rag to slow the slow trickle of blood and went back to shooting. You gotta love guys out doing guy things, sit down and be quiet until we get done. Awesome! Two days in a row and I end up being the one bleeding. I don’t think that has ever happened, so this is obviously the Best Week Ever!

J-Can now has first-hand knowledge of why we covered range safety and safety equipment before we ever began shooting.

By the the end of the day J-Can was almost a seasoned shooter, since his range day had been taken up with basic safety, safety equipment, shooting drills, malfunction clearing drills and a little first aid. I think he is looking forward to shooting next week. I am too but maybe I should take my full coverage helmet.

Ride safe, Shoot safe!

#33

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal”

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the Life in your years!”

Happy New Year!

As Pancho, the Cisco Kid’s sidekick used to say, Holy Schmokers!!!  Here we are starting a brand new year in 2019. I am looking forward to it because I have decided it is time to get back to the moto tracks and do some OTMX racing.

I can’t believe I have not raced a motocross in 5 years! That was when I seriously injured my left hand at the Baja 1000. It also was the same day Kurt Caselli died as a result of a crash in that same race. Godspeed Kurt. It definitely puts things in perspective.

My left hand was injured very badly to the point it required a couple of surgeries and most of a year to get it working satisfactory enough to start riding again. The doctor was skeptical when he first spoke to me about the reparation, but I told him not to patch anything. Fix it correctly because I was going to ride and race again!  He was a very good Orthopedic surgeon, Dr Schaub, and told me he was not a motorcycle fan because of all the injuries he has fixed over the years. He said that he understood and would do his best. That was all I could ask for.

So here we are 5 years later on New Year’s Day and I am spending the day wrenching on my motorcycle and mountain bike so I can bust out some track time when it warms up!  Today was too cold for a cold weather sissy to get out and ride. 37* is just not cuttin’ it for this cold blooded geezer. It was 58* degrees in my garage with the little heater on. But I was able to re-lace a rear wheel on my KX 450. Turned a 19” rear into an 18” wheel for off road.

Then I moved on to my Cannondale mountain bike in an attempt to fix something I screwed up last week. While trying to locate a creaking noise I overtightened a crank bolt and broke the head off. Damn recycled aluminum beer can bicycle! I guess I need to get a torque wrench for working on aluminum bicycles. I did get the Cannondale patched and can now ride it until I order the clean new parts to fix it properly.

So I hope your New Year starts out as well as mine. I am looking forward to riding and racing this year. If you need a riding partner for either one, give me a holler!

#33

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the Life in your years!”