Big Girl Bed

Last night when I arrived home from work my little girl was super excited to show me her new bedroom set up. While I was at work Ashley had taken down her bed/crib that she has used since she was born. Ashley said it kinda got to her packing up all her baby things and realizing our little girl is growing up. It seems like everyday she is changing whether it be behavior, speech, moves, or anything along those lines. This made me wonder what the next big step for her may be and when will we have another on the way. I am ready at any time because we do have a good family and would like to add another boy to the mix. If not girls are ok too but they are going to be tuff ballerinas.

It was neat to see how excited Kylee was too just because she had a new bed with ballerinas on it that as she said "would fly in the clouds like ballerinas!" As anyone probably thinks their own children are the most adorable things in the world and better than anyone Else's kid but I believe with Kylee she is meant to do something great one day. I don't know what or when it will happen but she is going to do something to make a difference in our lives and others.

Love you Ky and Ass,

Daddy

Smooth Sailing

Once on the plane we couldn't believe what we had already gone through at that point. I figured as long as the plane stayed in the air all way going well. We didn't hold up the plane too much because we still landed in Las Vegas on schedule. Once we landed in Vegas we spoke to my mom and found out that she had found us a room in L.A. just 6 blocks from the Staples Center. With an hour layover ahead of us we thought we would get a bite to eat. I didn't want to be a second late to board our final flight to L.A. so we waited 30 minutes before we were scheduled to depart. I soon noticed that we were not boarding on time and immediately spoke with the lady at the front desk asking why. We were scheduled to arrive in L.A. @ 3:45 p.m. and could have 2 hours of traffic getting to Dodger Stadium to receive our tickets. The lady at the desk then informed me there was a problem with the #2 engine and didn't know if the plane would be "ok" to go....

King of Pop Part 1

My wife and I were lucky enough to be apart of the Michael Jackson Memorial on July 7th in Los Angeles California. After he had passed away Ashley (my wife) found out they were having a "lottery" drawing that would give 8700 lucky fans or people the chance to attend the memorial. It didn't include airfare, hotel, food, or all expenses paid. It was just two seats guaranteed to say you were there. Getting there was a bit of a fiasco as we couldn't find plane tickets and of course didn't have the money to throw down either. After making several phone calls, we were lucky enough to have a good enough friend who helped us with the tickets (Arnie we love you). Once we got the tickets it was 9:45 a.m. and the plane departed DIA at 11:45 a.m. So right away we were on the road, but not without Ashley doing an interview for 9 news. Once on the way I managed to get pulled over in between Ft. Lupton and Brighton by the Chief of Police himself. I told him our story which I doubt he had ever heard that excuse because it is something that is and will only happen once in this life time. Luckily enough he must have been a Michael Jackson fan because after I was checked for outstanding warrants he let us go. We arrived at DIA at 11:15 a.m. after dropping our daughter Kylee of with grandma Lauren. Once again before we went through security Ashley and I had to do yet another interview this time with Fox 31. Through security and through the terminal we ran as our flight was about to take off. I beat Ashley to the gate only to have the B*@ch at the counter tell me we couldn't board the plane because we were 1 minute too late! Even though she had just let another passenger on right in front of us, I tried to explain our situation but she said we shouldn't have been late. Immediately I asked to speak with supervisor or manager while Ashley sat down and started crying... To Be Continued!

Being The "Man" of The House

Short and simple... Being the man in the house requires you to be the one to put a roof over the family's head and food in their stomachs. To me it means doing whatever is necessary for those to happen, whether it be working multiple jobs or robbing a bank.

I would do whatever it takes to get the job done, legal or illegal it would be done. So to everyone who is experiencing tough times... Pipe down, put your head up and do what you have to do. Be a why not guy instead of a why guy.

Funny thing about being the man of the house though is that you still have wifeys rules to live by! Damn that shouldn't work that way, but it does and I have learned no matter what just DOOB IT!

Man this post sucks sorry

<3 U Ky & Ass

What a treat!

Took me a little while to re coop after the Lakewood nationals last Saturday night! Not so much from drinking or partying but from the kick ass time I had. This was the first year I have got to go with Scotty which made it fun, and the wife had an awesome time! I tried not to run off without her too much this year but it still happened a couple times! Sorry babe, just a lot going on and people I know.

Ashley and I did have an awakening Saturday on how big of a douche Chad Reed could be. It is kinda sad that his "body guard" got more respect from us than he did. If it wasn't for fans like my wife and I he wouldn't be making the money he is. I would consider myself a Reed fan all the way from the Yammer Hammer years, his ups and downs and have supported him the whole time. Last years supercross for example I was rooting for Reed all the way till the very end, and so was Ashley. Having a 2 almost 3 year old little girl that I would love to get started racing sometime in her future, it makes it hard for me to have even her look up to him.

To me someone to look up to would be someone that holds their head up high when things are bad, never gives up, and has a passion for what they do. This brings me to my next evaluation from Saturday night. Mike Alessi is ONE BAD ASS MOTHER F*@KER! Not only did he suit up and race only 2 weeks after breaking his knee cap, but he took the time for his fans that day... Something Reed has always failed to do. He did end up hitting the deck pretty hard in moto 1 but leave it up to IRON Mike to not only get up but start his bike and ride for another 3 laps!

Alessi you are the man and I must admit you have been on my "list" before but after this season especially after Lakewood you have all my respect not only as a rider/racer, but as a person! So thanks for putting on a show even though you are not even close to 100%, and taking time for the fans.

1 DAY

Tomorrow shit is hitting the fan @ Thunder Valley! Gonna be out there all day and can't wait to see the track. Hoping the racing is good and the weather will be even better. Rain or shine its gonna be awesome. Thats it for now no more blog battles

NATIONALS!!!!

Yea its only 3 days away and I am so excited I could pee my pants thinking about it. The racing should be good with some guys out on injuries. Hopefully Shorty can come away with the win but I think that Reed is probably the favorite going into the race. All those guys had a week off so maybe everyone is fresh enough to make both motos a good race. Another interesting thing would be to see if Mike Alessi shows up, if he does I don't think he will still have the strength to win but he could salvage some valuable points!

Don't forget it is under the lights again for the second year in a row! I will be out there by 10 gettin my tan on and the pits open up at 12.

See ya out there

Love you Kylee and Mommy Renee

PS I think the wife is almost as excited as I am... but she just wants to see Chad Reed

Photo Odd

I will soon be starting a separate blog from this that involves pictures I find and take. Feel free to submit anything you may find on the web or driving down the street that seems a little odd or out of place! Looking for anything and everything from sporting events, to standing in line at the grocery store.

Weekend

Last weekend I didn't ride AT ALL. Wow how amazing is that Ashley? Instead I spent most of the weekend with the family. On Sunday we traveled up to Estes Park to visit with Ash's family and play putt putt. Which by the way Ashley kicked all of our asses. Sunday we went grocery shopping and pull up shopping because the kid can't stop pissing her pants! I did manage to get out to the track and build a new section that I am eager to try.

I like having the time not riding and spending it with the girls, although I couldn't help but get out and make some jumps! Now that I think about it she puts up with a lot of crap that I HAVE TO do. So thanks babe and just to let you know I love you too... I just don't want you to ever leave the house because of how beautiful you are and you might get stolen from me.

Out

With the start of the 09 motocross season I had no doubt that Villopoto would be a force to be reckoned with! Coming out and winning the 1st round proved my point, but a crash in practice the following week put him out for the season. That left Mike Alessi to clean up with Villopoto out, and now same thing Alessi is out probably for a majority of the season.

With Alessi and Villopoto out that leaves Josh Grant, Chad Reed, Andrew Short, and all the other fast guys a legitimate chance at winning the whole thing. I am sure every ones money is on Reed and I am a Reed fan but I would like to see Andrew Short get some wins and possibly win the championship.

We will see what happens this weekend but I am sure Shorty is going to be Scootin at Lakewood.

Broooom Brooom Brrraaa

It is going on a couple weeks now that I am bike less AND DAMNIT I CAN'T EVEN SLEEP! I still have my bike, but she has been down on the operating table now for a while. Something has been going on in the transmission to where it will pop out of gear or down shift while I am riding.

I am not too picky on how "perfect" the bike is before or while I ride. It doesn't make any difference to me as long as I will not screw anything up worse or it is dangerous to ride. Riding is dangerous but there are also things that will make it even more if it is not working properly.

For example you are heading towards a decent sized table or double whatever suits you, but right when you get ready to take off the lip your bike pops into neutral or downshifts. This my friends is usually 95% effective on taking your ass out, throwing you into the air nose down and panic revved to hell. This is not like your typical wash out in a corner, this is bad new right from the start with little to nothing you can do to pull it out.

Luckily I had 2 close calls with the bike popping into neutral where I managed to stay as calm as I could and pop it back into gear allowing some "gyro" to try and pull the front up as much as I could. Some may not know but a panic rev is something that almost comes natural for any rider or any ability. It is almost like a self preservation mode... Whenever something isn't going the way it should you almost always hear a panic rev.

If you fly nose high tapping the rear brake will help bring your front back down and if your nose is low getting the rear wheel to spin more helps bring it up! (Just thought I'd throw in a little tip for ya)

Anyway I am excited to get out to the Berthoud Harescramble Awards tomorrow and get some riding in. And if you want some great race footage check out smith-offroad.com for a regular RMEC enduro race report and video! Hey dude watch out for them trees!

Road Rage

I drive around 15-20 miles every day to commute to work. It may be less than what most people drive but the drive still sucks. It is a 2 lane highway all the way with the people in the fast lane doing the same as the people in the slow lane.

Some nights I will latch on to someones rear bumper and almost "draft" them the whole way home. This is an excellent technique because one you are saving valuable gas mileage and two you are so close that you don't allow another idiot to cut in front of you and take away your momentum.

When doing this procedure you have to make sure you got the right kind of person in front of you. You almost want to test the waters and see if the car ahead will act like a teammate or a rival. A teammate to me is someone who wants the same thing as me... Get home the fastest way and safest way possible. Together the two of you act as a freight train moving slower traffic out of the way, and gaining anyone that is willing to join the convoy!

A rival would be the asshole that is doing 65 mph in a 65 mph zone in the fast lane, not wanting to move over for anyone. Right away I would get as close to his rear bumper as I could making them realize they need to get out of the way. But to make things even worse this guy will slam his breaks not realizing how close you are and try to scare you to back off... But you gotta stay strong and get right back on his rear bumper (possibly shouting at him/or her and making obscene hand gestures). If you play it right you should be able to move anyone out of your way with as little time wasted as possible.

Remember if everyone drove like me there wouldn't be a need for ROAD RAGE!

COUNT DOWN

It almost here, under a month to go and can't wait much longer. Tis the time for the Lakewood Nationals. Held only once a year and we get the special treatment of having the only night national race. Which is a good thing because during the day it seems the temp can reach over 100.

With Bubba sitting out and Villopoto out for the season the racing is going to be intense and should be a good show... Especially at night! Lakewood nationals are something my wife and I have been attending for 3 years now. And I have to hand it to her because our first year there she was 6 months pregnant! Talk about tough! She didn't even complain all day like others would!

Well can't wait to see you out at the races!

Blog

This blogging thing is getting a little difficult. Not only am I not wanting to "blog" anymore but I am running out of ideas of what to blog about. Which is possibly the reason why I am not wanting to. I can only write or talk about things so many times. So what I am getting at is I may not blog something every day, and I know the 2 million people that read this will care.

This is an update that instead of blogging every day, it may be every other day or once a week. I don't know I am just going to go by if I have anything to write about. Not only any ideas but the time. I write these at work on my lunch break, and now is the season where I may not get enough time to blog. SO STAY OFF MY BACK AND JUST KEEP CHECKING BACK.

Thanks for reading!

Riding

Some people don't understand why I like or love actually to ride and race dirt bikes. All the time from friends to family and even strangers ask why I do what I do. Well yes it is dangerous and it is an expensive hobby, but you compare it to auto racing and it is way cheaper and just as dangerous. I try to have all the proper safety equipment from helmet, boots, neck brace, gloves, goggles, etc but that is all I have. I don't have any seat belts or roll cage around me for protection.

Sometimes in a crash it is best to get away from the bike and sometimes you have to hold on as long as you can. Each crash has different situations and different outcomes. I am 25 years old and have only had 3 broken bones... Which only 1 was from being on a bike, another was playing football at school, and another was BMX riding. The time I broke a bone on my dirt bike was not even close to the worst crash I have ever had. I simply just washed the front end out coming into a corner and went over the bars breaking my wrist in the process.

Because of my history I only have my prospective to look at... Yes other guys I know have had countless broken bones due to riding. But the way I look at it is I would rather get hurt doing something I want to do and knowing the risk, rather than getting in a car accident on the way to work. So to everyone that wonders why, there is your reason.

Nothing beats heading to the track with your riding buddies, teaching and pushing each other. I also love trying to show off in front of my honey and baby!

tree?

Today is the day that marks Ashley and my three year anniversary! It is really crazy thinking it has already been 3 years! Which is a good thing because it could be worse and could feel like it has been 7. I really have no complaints because she takes care of me and is the best mom to Kylee! She babies me when I am sick or hurt, and calls me out if I am being a pain in the ass, or "retarded" as she would call it.

So I dedicate this post to you honey. Just wanted to let you know I appreciate everything you do to keep the family going and me. And I <3>

YOUR RETARDED HUSBAND

Brrrraaaap

This blog crap sucks... Not only am I running out of stuff to "blog" about but it is just getting bloody boring. Last weekend was the kick start to the 09 Motocross Championship with Ryan Villopoto taking the 1-1 and overall. It was actually a good race and gives some hope that the rest of the season should be pretty good.

With Lakewood around a month away I hope it stays tight for the under the lights race. Some of the guys were complaining about lighting last year but if you payed any attention to Glenn Helen last week all the uphills and elevation changes caused horrible lighting and shadows on the track. I don't know what it was like riding either place first hand or anything but both looked like some spots were good and some were bad. Either way they need to find a way to deal with it and twist the throttle!

Other than watching the race last weekend I went swimming with Kylee who is part Mermaid and Ashley who is part Baywatch guard. I moved around the pool like an old dude that needed water rings in the 5 foot end. Although the weather got crappy it was fun and gives us something to look forward to this summer.

I also got to spend some "quality time" with Ashley which is always fun and event full but doesn't happen too often. I also tried to go riding Monday because I heard Erie had some good changes. Both Bobby and I were excited to try it out and it turned out to be a good day of riding other than the shoulder.

Dancing?

Well I never thought I would see the day where I sit down and watch a dancing tv contest. But the time has come and gone because the love of my life is a dancer. Yes she puts up with my weekly dose of dirt bike riding and racing, and I am starting to come around to dancing it just may take a little while.

I love watching her and Kylee dance and I could watch them everyday all day, but watching it on tv is starting to win me over. As far as me dancing.... Yea no way in hell you will ever catch me ballroom or tap dancing. But sorry to say honey I may consider some break dancing or gangsta dancing if they do that!

Well thats it for today love you babe and thanks for being my only reader!!

Support

Today's post is going to be short and simple! I just want to thank everyone that has supported me with everything throughout my life. From my parents and grandparents when I was younger, to my wife and daughter now. And everyone in between there from other family members to close friends. EVERYONE has been huge influences and help to my life.

So thank you everyone (not gonna mention names cause you know who you are) for sticking by me and putting up with some bad decisions and good decisions made through my journey!

I think it was 2 Pac that said, "MUCH LOVE"

CRASH

Last weekend was weekend was Ashley and Kylees dance performances! I went and they both did amazing. I will see what I can do on putting a pic of Kylee up here to check out. Other than that I ate it pretty hard yesterday and it hurts today! Well thats it sorry so short check back later for more... Typing hurts :(

Mi Familia

Sorry it has been a little bit since my last post. Have had a lot but not a lot going on lately... Yea its been kinda shitty. Today's post is going to be about family. Most everyone has some sort of family whether it is blood or just close friends.

I just wanted to let all of my family, including my closest friends that they mean a lot to me. Without all of them my life would simply be boring. I would be a hermit that stays in my house and migrates from room to room. And only gets out of the house to run to the grocery store.

Most of my family lives away from where I live which can make it hard to stay in touch. Although phone calls are most common it is still nice to try and see family members once a year. It kind of sucks that usually we see each other on bad terms, like death in the family or sickness.

We do have family that lives near us and that is also nice, but also has its downfalls. Yes it is nice to be able to drive across town and have dinner with loved ones, but it is kind of like a sibling thing if you had one growing up. Yes everything is ok for a little while but give it time and someone will be on someone elses nerves and the fight begins.

So no matter what your situation is just remember you only have so long as well as everyone else so value each moment spent with friends and family. I LOVE YOU HONEY and SWEETEST ANGEL OF MINE!!!

Dr. Guerrero

Growing up out of my friends I was the last one who's parents were still together and not divorced. It seemed like every one of my friends and the majority of the rest of schools parents were divorced. To me it seemed like only a matter of time until mine were divorced just like everyone else. Eventually the day did come when my parents decided to go their separate ways when I was around 9-10 years old. I lived with my mom and my sister lived with my dad, it wasn't a nasty divorce like the stories you hear.

From that point on I realized that my percentage of having a long successful marriage was not that great, but I had tried to make it a point to myself that I would only marry once and do my best not to screw it up. Yes I understand people can change through out relationships and life for that matter but the day that 2 people decide to become 1 is and should be a special day that only happens once!

And yes some people do have their reasons to end it and they are good ones like; abuse both physically and mentally or any harm brought upon the safety of the family. Just to name a couple of examples. But in today's marriage it seems like there doesn't have to be a good reason to get divorced. To me it seems like if someone "changes their mind" in the relationship that's enough to get out of it. While I on the other hand think that if you said "I do" then that means I do forever. No matter how crazy your ass gets "I do" swear to stick by you and try to work it out or get through it!

But that's just me, I have been married to Ashley coming up on 3 years and yes we have had some hard times just like everyone else. But we never just gave up on what we originally started to be the rest of our lives. By no means are we the "perfect couple" but we both have the same mind set as we entered our life together. Having children also changes the situation both good and bad, but in our case we have Kylee and no matter how bad things get we want her to have the best and normal life she can.

Being divorced can be normal but it can also be very hard for children to understand or comprehend. Anyway I can ramble on about this for a while but just remember in tough times and you are married that is your partner that you pretty much picked out! Oh and by the way I do some counseling on the side if you have any other questions!

Blogging?

Today I am going to write about blogging. I am not sure what exactly blogging is, I don't know if myspace/facebook/tweeter are considered blogging. It makes sense to me because this is actually called "blogger" unlike those others but you do do the same thing as the others. All I pretty much do on here is write about what I am thinking or what I have done lately which is what all the others do too.

I do not understand the need to blog but my reason is money! Who cares about fame when you could have fortune! Which brings me to my next point... How can someone become famous or rich through blogging? Blogging requires hits to your site about whatever it is about! The more hits the more people will want to advertise on it. The more people want to advertise on it the higher the price to advertise, which in the end means money in your pocket.

So we got the rich part down, now comes the fame. Again someone could consider them self famous because they have 2.5 million friends on myspace, but to me that is just too much wasted time sitting there sending out 2.5 million friends request. Getting famous from blogging is more annoying than getting the reward at the end.

Now coming up with a catchy video of a song, dance, or stunt that either goes to plan or wrong now that is a good way to get famous from the web. To me this is more deserved than you "myspace celebrities" because one this is or could be a talent that someone has that is undiscovered until this amazing video. Or it was such a gnarly crash that it is awesome even knowing that someone tried to do it and lived through the crash. Think about it...

Terrible TOOOOSSS

How can a sweet little girl all the sudden turn into the devil when she is two? After my wife and I had our daughter everything went pretty normal with her as far as growth both physically and mentally. We actually thought she was quite smart getting potty trained at an early age and talking. And by potty trained I mean most times during the day she says or knows she has to go and goes on her own or with us but on the toilet. Although we do put a pull up on her at night when she sleeps, she has had this down since before she turned 2.

Lately it has seemed more that she is trying to push the limits with us and is getting her very own attitude. She has started saying NO to things you ask her to do and when she doesn't say NO she says "I don't like it". Which in her mind is the right thing to say to get out of whatever it is we are trying to get her to do.

I wouldn't say that everything she has learned or been taught is going downhill, but she has been finding new ways to push what she can and can't do. It was only a couple weeks ago that we were outside working on the yard and she decided right there in the back yard it was time to go pee. To top that Ashley called me today to tell me that she caught Kylee up on the sink of her Play Kitchen taking a pee in the sink! Man makes me wonder what she is going to do next!

No matter how bad things are or get with raising a child, it is always worth it and remember to never, ever shake a baby!

Time Well Spent

Last weekend marked the end of the 08-09 Supercross Season! With Bubba taking the championship it leads one to wonder what will the outdoors have to offer? Anyway watched the Vegas finaly Saturday night with the wife, Dan, and his girlfriend Claire. Dan and I were pretty in to it with them just along for the ride!

Woke up Sunday to a happy little girl that wanted to "go to the store" and when I asked what store she answered with "Mickey Mouse Store". After deciding I couldn't resist her charm I mowed the yard and got ready to head out. We then drove to the closest "Mickey Mouse Store" we knew about. Once she was there you could tell in her eyes she was just about as excited as she gets to open presents. Which made me realize we are going to have to take Kylee to Disney World before she is too old and while she still likes all of the characters.

After we spent a fair amount of time at the store we were headed back down to Windsor to watch Scotty's Stanley Cup Hockey Match! Scotty is the exact opposite of what you would think a hockey player is. He is nice, polite, and small all opposite of what you would expect but.... Damn he can skate and play the game really well. I soon started calling him the Tazmanian Devil watching him race around the rink, taking the puck anywhere he wanted. His team ended up winning the championship which is a good thing because I told him if I went they would win.

Second day off of work started out with working for Mikey. Did the typical "clean-up", cut some braches, and installed some mulch. After working with Mikey I was off to the house to get ready to ride for the rest of the day. Man ain't it nice to be able to ride from your house? And man isn't it nice to have a loving and supporting wife who lets me! HAHA SUCKERS

Matt

It has been just around half a year since my cousin Matt passed away in a car accident on his way to work. His death was the first one I have had to deal with having someone that close go away. Yes I have had grandparents, and friends from high school pass away but his death is and has been totally different. He was basically like my brother as we were growing up, we were within a year of age and liked to do the same things. Whether it was racing our motorcycles, playing sports, or picking on my sister we were always doing it together.

We both went skiing for the first time together and both of us hated it. We didn't know what to do and had to help each other get down the mountain. No matter what it was we were there together. As we got older my parents divorced and I moved away which led to not seeing each other as much.

We both started families and he had just started riding and racing again which meant we were seeing eachother more than we had years before. He had made some mistakes when we were teenagers but it was nice to see him happy and heading the right way. And of course he always found a way to make me laugh while we were out riding. I think about him every day since he has passed away and still even now feel like it is not real. It sucks he went away right when things where looking good for him, but I know he is in a better place waiting for the rest of us to get to the race.

I know he is going to be watching over us while he waits and he is definatley going to be watching the last supercross race tonight! Love ya and miss ya ridin homie!

Octo-Loco

Why in the hell is a lady with 14 kids becoming a celebrity? I don't understand all the publicity this lady is getting from screwing the system. Obviously she can't work and take care of 14 kids all by herself so she has hired 8 nannies to help take care of her kids. How does she pay for these nannies? Your guess is as good as mine, but I can guarantee it is not from hard work or a specialty she may have.

Anyone who has trouble supporting a family after 1, 2, or even 3 kids should probably take a look at their finances before racking up another 11 kids. If no one was to pay any attention to the stupidity of this lady she would more than likely have stopped after 6, or 7? But who am I to say, she seems like the type that would have another 15 kids, if she wasn't getting her "spotlight".

Which brings me to my next point... 8 nannies to take care of 14 kids and she doesn't even have a ligitimate job? Sounds like she is getting what she wants out of the deal. How bright are these kids futures if their mother doesn't have a job and can't take care of her own actions. By time the last kid turns 16 how many cars is she going to buy? Will they even all have cars or will she do the smart thing and hand it down the line? What about college? These kids are going to have to excel in something because I doubt they have any college tuition coming their way.

So here is what the plan should be leave the lady alone. Do not give her any attention that is not deserved. AND SOMEBODY ASK HER TO GO GET FIXED!!!!

Getting Started

Sorry to make another post involving motocross, but right now there is not much more I can think about. So today my post is going to be on dirt bike riding gear and accessories.

First I want to start off with the basic proper safety equipment.

Helmets are key and could save you from serious crashes, they range anywhere from $89-$600.
With this you get what you pay for and I would recommend a higher end helmet like a Shoei, Arai, or Bell. I mean come on it is your head and you can choose on how valuable it is to you.

Next would probably be boots, which can help ankle injuries, and or leg/calf injuries. Again they range from $120-$550 and yes you do get what you pay for. Higher end boots like the Alpinestar Tech 8 or 10s both have an inner bootie for extra support. My recommendation would either be Alpinestar Tech 8 or 10 or the Gaerne SG 10 or 12's.

Those are the basics to get you started but you should probably think about the right gear to wear, and by gear I mean riding pants, jersey, and gloves. All of these are designed for extreme conditions in a crash and are made to be fire resistant. A good set of gear for everything I listed usually runs between $150-$200.

You are going to need something to keep the dirt out of your eyes and for this they make goggles. Goggles also vary on price from $20-$100 with the more expensive ones having more options. I would recommend the Scott XI No Sweat goggles for all types of riding. They have excellent ventilation and comfy foam around the liner.

The last thing I am going to mention is not a necessity, but I highly would recommend getting one. Within the last couple years major improvements have been made on limiting the neck movement that causes paralysis and or death. Leatt has come out with a neck brace similar to what they use in NASCAR, Indy Car, and most other major motorsports. They range anywhere from $225-$1000 each with more adjustments and carbon fiber!

I will get back with more specific gear and accessories to keep you safe and your bike running the way it should!

3rd!

Just checked VDR's website and they posted the overall year end standings. Got to give my riding buddies some credit here with Mike "Mikey Mouse" Umphres #837 who races the Sportsman class won the year end Championship, Bobby "Flower Power" Dazey #227 who races the Novice class also won the year end Championship for his class.

I on the other hand did not win the Championship but I did meet my goal of a top 3 overall for the year. It feels good to reach my goal, but I know next year is going to be even tougher. But good job to everyone who raced any of the races and see you next year!

Only 3 days left until the LAS VEGAS SUPERCROSS! Can't wait to see how it turns out, racing is just like modern day TV Series.... You watch every episode waiting for the Season Finale and how everything will all play out. Not to take anything away from Bubba, but I hope Chad Reed comes through, with possibly a little help from Mike Alessi. Bubba is a great rider but we need to have someone beat him to keep him motivated and wanting to race. Without any competition it will only be a year or two until he is retired from racing!

Anyway I will update with the race times (hopefully the right ones) for the Vegas Supercross!

If you would like to check out some good enduro racing footage and write ups check out www.smith-offroad.com he has awesome helmet cam video!

RACE REPORT

Last Sunday was the final race of the VDR Harescramble Series. Going into the season my goal was to improve my final standings from the year before. Last year I finished 5th in the Pro class so this year my goal was top 3. Heading into Sunday's race I sat 4th in points hoping to move up into 3rd.

The track, and weather were great on Sunday the only thing that sucked was the rider turnout. With 2 other races going on I knew it wouldn't be great but I didn't think it would be that bad either.

I got a descent start running 2nd the whole first lap. Around lap 2 my arms started pumping up and I had to pee pretty bad, and held off both until I was able to pit around an hour into the race. After my gas fill up and my urination let out the race was on. I thought I was running 3rd overall but didn't know the guy in 1st had problems causing him to drop out of the race. I set my sights on catching what I thought was 2nd, but was actually 1st. Came from around a minute down to only finishing 13 seconds behind him at the checkered!

Other that coming up just short I felt good and strong at the end of the race which is usually hard to do. Still waiting on the final year end standings and will update as soon as I know! Already can't wait for next year!

Wabulance

If you havn't noticed already, I am into dirt bike riding and racing. Yes this can be a very dangerous sport with or without proper safety equipment, but it is highly addictive too!

If you do not have insurance it can be even more risky everytime you throw a leg over the bike, and racing you can pretty much double the odds of it not being the greatest idea. Now I don't race a whole lot and I do not have insurance, which on top of the nerves of racing makes it an even "better" experience.

The first thing I don't understand is how they expect a single working parent to be able to afford health insurance on top of all the other bills and neccesities? I will admit some people are better at budgiting their money than others, but the cost of insurance can be a little ridiculous. Next if the US is the greatest country in the world, then why can't they figure out a way to include health insurance for its citizens?

This may be truth and it may not, but I have heard that in Canada if you sign up for their national racing organization you automatically have health insurance that is included. Now what the hell?

I guess my only option is to "tough" it out through injuries until I can either afford insurance for my family, or our country finally does something for US! Yes in some cases "toughing" it out cannot be done because some injuries (especially dirt bike related) can only be fixed through doctors, surgeries, etc.

For example I already had a $30,000 accident without insurance! YEA tell me about it.... I WAS SCREEEEWWWED!

So here is my brake down

Cost to ride: $15.00
Accident Including Surgery: $30,000.00
Memories of accident: PRICELESS

Pre Race Jitters!

It has almost been a month I have been waiting now to race the last VDR Harescramble! With 2 canceled dates it has been killing me to race and get the last one over with. At first I was excited and couldn't wait, but now only 2 days away (if they don't reschedule again) I am starting to get what my daughter would call BUUUTflies.

You would think after hundreds of races they wouldn't be there anymore, but it happens everytime sometimes worse than others. I am sure there are tons different sports and activities that have the same affect on its participants, and I am sure they feel the same way. But what is also weird about this PHENOMENON is every time the race starts they are gone instantly.

Some people say that if you have them it is not a good thing and that you need to be confident and relaxed before the race. I can agree with this but it is easier said than done. If I was lined up next to Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, and Chad Reed I am 100% positive they would not be worried about me beating them. Yea they may think can this guy even ride, but as far as racing me they wouldn't have a doubt in the world that they couldn't beat me.

Which leads to my next point.... Because they are so CONFIDENT I doubt any of the 3 would have butterflies. I on the other hand would probably be puking on whoevers boot would be lucky enough to line up next to me!

So here is my advise to anyone who experiences butterflies or pre race jitters. Go into whatever you are doing knowing you are the best and nothing can stop you. Be confident and let everything take its place... I am not saying if you think you are #1 your going to be champion, but if the sport you are doing requires extreme physical activity this may help your stamina and endurance in the end!

Bad Neighbors Part 1

For all of you out there that got stuck with the lousy neighbors, I feel your pain! We moved in to the house we are currently at about a year ago. Everything was fine at first, nice neighborhood, nice house, etc. Everything was good until we met the neighbor living next to us.

Don't get me wrong he was a nice guy and everything, but 1st he had a 180 pound pit bull which I didn't really like having a 1 1/2 year old girl. Next the guy doesn't have anything to maintian his own yard. He was asking to borrow mowers, trimmers, rakes, shovels. Finally I had to tell him I would rather mow his yard for him and have him get me beer or something rather than have him borrowing my mower once to twice a week.

We figured we could put up with everything until he could move elsewhere. Plan didn't work... It turns out douche neighbor has a douche daughter with a douche boyfriend, that he is having move in while he moves out! So it just goes to show you no matter how bad you may think a situation or something is.... IT CAN ALWAYS GET OR BE WORSE!

Do you understand the words coming out of my fingers

Some and most people in this world are dumb! They are that way because it is drama that they need in their lives to be happy! I would like to consider myself a drama free individual, but even if you try to live your life drama free it can never happen.

It can never happen because 2/3's of America got to have something "exciting" happen everyday. Whether it is a fight with a family member over something small, a relationship issue, or even on TV "reality" shows. Drama, drama, drama!

I am an avid fan of Dirt bike racing and it seems that no one is interested in watching unless there was a big crash, a block pass that went a little too far, or a confrontation on the track. Same thing goes for professional football, NASCAR, etc.

Drama now that I think about it can be a good or bad thing just depends on the event and actions of what is taking place. For example if Jason Lawrence gets pissed off at Mike Allessi and launches his bike at him and starts pumbiling him while he is on the ground... Yea that doesn't seem like it, and yes he may have taken it a little too far.

But because of his actions it is going to be the talk of the week in the motorsports community... It is like they say Bad Press is Good Press... or visa versa whatever you get the point! To be continued...

Race Report

First things first... Need to apologize to all the millions of you that I mislead with the Supercross TV air times. It seems my inside source lead me wrong and just wanted to apologize. Was a good last weekend I enjoyed. I spent time with the family giving Kylee rides on my dirt bike at least twice a day.

We also tried to take her to the Wildlife Sanctuary, but because my lack of GPS skills we ended up finding the damn place 20 minutes after it had closed. Although Kylee did get to see a Camel, I felt pretty bad getting her all excited with only disappointment to follow.

I also watched both the Supercross Lites, and Supercross Seattle races... And man was I disappointed. First the track was actually pretty technical, with the lines and faces changing every lap it made for good racing. Stewart and Reed were not 2 to 3 seconds a lap faster than the rest of the field this week!

Gate drops in the main and Reed is down in the first corner! Damn it! Bubba got through the first corner OK, but still had a bad start and also had to work his way through the field. Both Supercross stars had their work cut out for them trying to work through traffic on this track.

As the checkered flew it was the Flyin Freckle (Ryan Villopoto) taking his first career win, with Bubba in second, and Miiilllllsssaaaappps in third. Reed crossed the line in 7th losing valuable points to Bubba in the Championship chase.

With all the chaos in the race and crappy weather throughout the week I was dying to get on the bike and cut some fresh lines. Which is exactly what I did, and it was perfect!

Check back for more info on next weeks races... I'm out!

End O The Week

Coming down to the last couple hours of the work week! Business has been slow as I suspect people are not wanting to ride in slop! But we do have some hardcore customers so ya never know!

No big plans for the weekend other than spend time with the fam, watch the races, and throw my leg over the bike if I get a chance!

Got some news today that the lead ban that has been affecting mini dirt bike sales got is in hold mode for the next year, so we can see what happens then! You would think that a safety issue involving dirt bikes would be a concern with crashing instead of chewing on a fender?

Seattle Supercross is on tomorrow @ 10 a.m. on CBS and the Supercross Lights is on @ 4 p.m. on SPEED Channel! Hopefully the track is in good shape, but a mud race could be interesting also!

I am going to see how late I can keep the wife up tonight.... He he playing Wii! That damn game is addicting, mainly I think because she kicks my ass and I don't like to lose. Yes I know honey, a gentleman would let the woman lose, but I don't like losing at ANYTHING to ANYBODY! Usually if I am not good enough at something to win, I will quit and find something I can. Easy way out!

Primo?

Still raining/snowing today, with business about the same. Sitting here wondering what the track conditions may be like this weekend? Got a race in a week and need to get all the practice in I can!

If the rain/snow stops here in the next day or so it should make for primo track conditions at next weeks VDR Harescramble race. If it doesn't they will probably cancel again for the 4th time this year which would really suck because I could have done the enduro in Nebraska!

Saw a video of Andrew Short's track at his house in Texas and was thinking it would be nice to get another local track going in the area... Looking for something with good natural terrain, trees, water near by?

If your into golf go to youtube and check out the 830 metre par 3 in South Africa... Something if you got the time and dough to try out!

The day

Today sucked as the weather took a turn for the worse... So did the business! It was a pretty slow day at the shop, although I did get this fancy blog going. Right now I am looking forward to getting home to the wifey and baby girl...



I am getting excited for the upcoming Supercross race this weekend in Seattle. Can't wait to see what the weather brings for the weekend riding!



Check out Plum TV's episodes of Mr. Internet www.plumtv.com has some good insight on the latest and greatest that the web has to offer! Dave Schiff the host puts together a show similar to E's Talk Soup. In one episode he goes into a website called hot chicks with douche bags... Funny stuff and is a must see!

1st Posting

Hey everybody this is the first post of many of my awesome blog spot! Make sure you check back where you can find me posting of anything from events, news, or just life in general.