#33 Been MIA……Garage-Mahal

It’s been a while since I have had or taken the time to sit down and put pen to paper, so to speak.  I almost have a good excuse.  But whether it is valid or not is not really important.  The fact that I have an AWESOME NEW garage validates it for me!

Yup!  A new garage to work in and more storage space than I ever imagined I would have is the justification for being lazy on the keyboard.

This new work space is approximately 1150 square ft. in floor space. Two roll up doors for lighting and ventilation plus a man door for easy access. Oh, did I mention that it has heating, air conditioning and my own bathroom along with an extra deep sink in the work space for cleaning air filters with soap and water!  I may have to have a sign made up and hang it somewhere that says “Heaven!”  Because I am fairly certain this is what Heaven will be like should I ever get there.  A second choice might be a sign saying ‘Never Never Land’ because like Peter Pan I have no plans to grow up!

It took about 6 months to get through the construction process, all done by River Homes Construction owned by a man named Tom Stokley.   We did this project on a hand shake, no real contract with deadlines or exact dollar amount. I know you are thinking I am a knucklehead for not getting everything in writing. But from my first meeting with Tom and his up front estimate, timelines and explanation of his schedule it was apparent he did things correctly in his business.  Tom is an Honorable Man and it shows in his business.

Now that it is finished I have the coolest work space with TWO work stations, with work stands and toolboxes at each place. The built in stereo system is better than the one in my house!  But the satellite TV can be a bit troubling when I am trying to work, because I have to turn around when the moto comes on.  Such a distraction! Lol.

I thought this place is HUGE when I first got to walk through the finished project.  Then I started collecting my stored equipment and loading it into the Garage-Mahal.  All of a sudden I was running out of room and having to organize and arrange things so I could have some sort of symmetry to my chaos. Just when I think I am getting things under control my buddy Recon shows up and sees all my possessions or “Stuff” as he calls it.  He immediately labels me as a Hoarder!  I was crushed and I think he saw that he had hurt one of my two feelings.  So he revised it and called me an “organized hoarder”.  I felt sooooo much better!

I am slowly getting things put away and under control.  It helps that Recon and our buddy Mark Kaestner came over and showed me how to build a second story in the back part of the Garage-Mahal to increase my storage capabilities.  I ended up needing more space for my “Stuff”!  Who woulda thunk!!!  Apparently Recon.

So in order to live up to my organized hoarder label I have boxed, labeled and started a folder for things stored upstairs.  Thanks Recon for bringing out my insecurities.

I would like to point out though that Recon has not missed the opportunity to show up for the open buffet and moto/Supercross party each week even though he had to sit in the middle of all that ‘Stuff”.  We continue to invite Recon because he has a sweetheart of a wife that brings wine for the party.  We have had a great time using the large area for Supercross and snacks with our friends Montana John as well as Jason and Yani being invited to our race day get together.

So now that it is almost setup and organized I can concentrate on the summer road trip to escape the heat.  But mostly to visit and ride with friends in cooler places.  I always look forward to that.

Now that the garage is done I may have to think about upgrading my off road KTM.  After all, would you expect to see an old high mileage, scratched up KTM siting in the middle of such an elaborate shop?  Me neither!!!

I believe I will start shopping, see ya!

#33

‘We are advertised by our loving friends’

Trail Riding

Just a casual sight seeing ride in Moab with #33

#33 Catching Up on the Races

#33 Relaxing in his new garage watching the return of Super Cross

Social Distancing?

I have been watching the news like everyone else and learned the new catch phrase “social distancing”.  So I stopped and thought for a minute on what I may have to change to conform to this new norm.

It seems I won’t have to change much since I like to spend most of my time on the motorcycle of the day, dirt bike, street bike, race bike, off road bike or dual sport.  Great!!!  It seems I should ride more according to the news media and the general public.

I looked back at a few of the things that have been taking up my time while I am not at home on the couch watching the news telling me to stay inside or remain at safe ‘social distancing’ spaces.  It seems I am already an expert at this ‘social distancing’ thing by spending most of my time alone working on my bikes or riding them. Well there was a couple of things that could have been considered risky behavior. I went riding with a couple of buddies, but we each had our own bike and were never closer that six feet! Lol.  I also helped with a patio concrete pour, but that was really safe because I mostly stayed out of everyone’s way.  I don’t know what the hell I am doing in the construction world so the ‘social distancing’ thing worked out perfectly!

I guess I really need to become a bit more social when this is all over!

Go for a Ride! But keep your distance…………

#33

‘Live like someone left the gate open!’

2020 OTMX Kicks Off IN AZ

2020 OTMX is Underway!

The Oldtimer MX series kicked off at Canyon Raceway in Arizona and had a decent turn out with a lot of old faces (pun intended) and a few new ones. The weather was great, not too hot, not too cold, kinda like we were racing at Goldilocks place.

It was fun seeing people I had missed for quite some time and riding the track with others I had ridden with recently on trail rides. Great fun.

The track was a good layout but the drawback is the fact that when they have to water to control dust it becomes an ice skating rink. Nevertheless, the racing was good and I watched a few good battles.

Sierra OTMX rider Tay Gragg was the smartest and most consistent in his class (50 Exp) and took home the win. It may have had something to do with his new $1500 dollar front brake. Well, maybe it was the $400 motor mounts. But then again it could have been the $850 foot pegs. Naw, probably just his 50 cent earplugs he wears while he rides. Keeps him focused razor sharp! Lol!  He rode smart and let the others crash, break their bikes, get poor starts and took advantage of their mistakes.

Meanwhile Keven Stewart #359 of SOTMX fame did his best to inflict pain on the 60 Exp class. He was doing a pretty decent job most of the weekend. The operative word being “most”. Seems #359 sometimes is a bit inattentive when they tell everyone on the gate they are now in the ‘2^nd’ gate for safety purposes. The decision was made to split the gate because the 60 Masters and the 60 Experts were a bit too much to wedge through the first turn all at one time after trying it once. It seems none of those guys want to give an inch! So #359 is on the line getting ready for his moto and forgets to wait for the second gate drop! Away he goes with the 60 Masters. Gets a decent start and rides his butt off thinking the whole time, ‘man these guys are rolling, I can’t get by anyone’. After the moto he realizes his mistake and finds out he did in fact go on the wrong gate. I can only imagine the despair he must have felt that he may have thrown away the whole weekend.  His club rep rallied for him and got the Arizona Chapter to do an average score somewhat like when they bump a rider up in class. It worked out that he didn’t ruin the whole weekend and ended up with 2^nd overall. Kudos to the Arizona Chapter for not ruining someone’s weekend for a simple non malicious bonehead move. I think it just may have taught #359 a valuable lesson, attention to detail.

The second lesson is how you go about earning the Not So Coveted Fish Award! The Fish trophy, or Grand Geezer award as it has been labeled/named is an award that was started many years ago by a SOTMX member to be earned by the person that pulls the biggest bonehead move of the race weekend. Going off on the wrong gate certainly qualifies you for the Fish. In the event of more than one person doing less than stellar things in his or her racing endeavor then the Fish Council is convened and a vote decides who will be the recipient. It has on occasion gone to the Fish Council and been decided by popular opinion/votes. It then remains with the recipient until the next person commits an act at the races that qualifies as the new owner of the Fish! Congratulations Keven #359 Stewart you are the proud new bearer to start the 2020 season. I would be watching everyone else very closely at all the OTMX races if I were you in order to hand that sucker off as soon as possible! You know how bad Fish start to smell the longer you keep it. Just sayin’………………………….

The other race I was able to actually watch up close and personal was the 60 Master class. I (#33) was able to watch #64 wax that class from my front row seat, chasing him both days. Mark Kaestner #64 was head and shoulders the king of that class. Mark rode fast, smooth and never slowed down.

If you missed the opener you have about 5 weeks to get ready for the next one at Glen Helen. So quit messing around, you are getting older by the minute!!!

#33

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”