Seriously Neglecting the Hound Dog

 

It's not as if Remi is not photogenic. He's quite handsome, really. But if you look back at our other beloved dogs, most of them have had a lot more blog time than the Hound Dog.

I blame it all on him. He's a mess. So stubborn, so willful, so unpredictable, so uncooperative! Just try to get a good photo of him. I probably have 10 blurry photos for every one that is moderately in focus. 

I get lucky once in a while, but I did not get this one. Credit has to go to the beautiful Mrs. K for taking this while Eli and I were in California.  Yes, he was sleeping in my spot on my bed.

This is the best I've done lately I caught a glimpse as he was sunken into the bean bag chair in the basement. It's not even a good quality photo, but it's awesome because he was invisible until I called out his name. His head popped up from the deep chair and it was a rare, funny Remi moment that I caught on camera. 

And if I'm really quiet, and if I don't point my phone at him, I might get another one like this. He's like a kid that doesn't like to have his picture taken. I swear he knows.

Sounds far-fetched, but I'm in a Hall Of Fame

 

When I was first approached about being inducted into the Missouri Motocross Hall of Fame, I'm sure you can imagine my reaction.

"Well...I've never ridden a motorcycle. I take that back, I rode Dru Potts Ninja and racked myself on the gas tank when I snapped the throttle closed 100 yards from his driveway."

Come to find out, it's a bit of a misnomer. This hall of fame aims to honor two-wheeled riders who've made an impact on the sport in Missouri. It was started in 2020 and includes motorcycle racers, bicycle racers and freestyle riders, and industry people. 

Ok. I'm in. Thank you and I'm very flattered!

Only, that wasn't the end of it. There was to be a ceremony in Springfield, Missouri and Craig Stagner (the driving force behind the Hall of Fame) really wanted the inductees to actually attend. Really? I have to go and accept this award in person? It sounded very uncomfortable to me. I just don't like that sort of attention. But even though Eli and I had JUST gotten home the night before from California, the Beautiful Mrs. K INSISTED on us going. No discussion. We were going. And since each inductee was to have a 'presenter', she was more than happy to introduce me with a heart-wrenching little story to get me all teary-eyed before I had to get up and awkwardly give thanks.

Don't get me wrong. I was so flattered to be considered for such an honor. But I bragged and boasted plenty as a cocky 18-year-old about my racing. That was not something that I enjoyed anymore and wish that I could turn back time and shut myself up. So whenever this type of stuff comes up, I get squirmy and would rather prop up some of the other deserving athletes. And in this place...there were some amazing people already in the hall of fame. Plus the other people that were getting inducted for 2023. Here, the man himself, Craig Stagner congratulates me and I gave a few words of thanks before I sat back down.

There are so many years of two wheeled adventures in this photo, it's hard to believe. I loved listening to the stories of these great people. Two of the inductees had already passed away, and their families attended to accept the honors. 

My fabulous support crew. It's amazing to have such support, and to feel so loved. I mean, I'm just an old dude who loves to ride bikes, right? The room where the presentation was held was packed, wall to wall, with Hall of Famers and their families and friends. 

Chad Brixey was inducted in 2021. He's an amazing rider and an ardent supporter of the Hall of Fame. He is the guy that convinced me that this was a good thing and that I deserved to be in it. I'm very grateful for his support. 

I can't express my gratitude enough, both to my family for their support and to the Hall of Fame for considering me. Thank you all. 

California in February For GRA

Ask most St. Louisans if they'd like to go to California during the winter months and I doubt you'd get many of them to say no. Eli and I said yes to GRA (Giant Retail Academy) last week, located in sunny Newbury Park. The focus for this training was service (repair-type things), some specific and some general. 

The hotel we stayed at was old with a recent refresh. And although it wasn't the focus of our visit, it was nice. The pool was warmer than you'd think for February, but not warm enough to go for a swim. They had a great buffet each morning, which is never a bad thing.

As you'd imagine, I was hungry when we got to the hotel. Eli had to check in on his computer for school, so I went walking. About 100 yards from the lobby, I found this. Del Taco. A favorite from my youth. Actually, in our neighborhood (Hi-Point area), it was Naugles. Then it became Del Taco. I spent many late nights waiting in the drive through for a huge, greasy Macho-Combo burrito. Which is what I ordered and it was awesome. (On a side note: $19 per hour!)

We arrived at Giant bright-eyed the next morning and got a nice tour of the facility. So much cool stuff. It was very cool to see the latest and greatest on display. 

A highlight of the showroom for me was the ancient Ford Ranger used as a prop for the mountain bikes. I never asked if the old sled would run or not.

My heart would be so happy if the view out of the back door at South Side was similar to this. The California hills are everywhere and add so much to the experience.

After a few hours of class time, we were given some goods. The Cuore stuff is top notch. Eli chose a mtb jersey and I chose the road version. That's because were goin' ridin'!

On this first day, Eli and I both chose "analog" bikes...non-E bikes. We rode a couple top of the line Anthem full-suspension bikes. Lots of ups and downs, high-speed off-camber, and loose on top of hardpack surfaces. The trails are not groomed like the stuff in St. Louis, and you can tell they get a ton of use. Even so, the riding in these low hills is super fun. There are trails EVERYWHERE!

Naturally Eli and I pushed the uphills and stopped to wait for the others. Perfect photo-op with the Pacific Ocean in the background. 

The next day was hands-on. Even though I have rebuilt suspension forks and dropper posts, Eli has not. It was great to have all of the tools and parts on-hand, right at our fingertips, with the chief engineers giving tips and best-practices. And I have to admit it's never a bad thing to keep learning about things you think you know.

What we hadn't seen before is the CADEX wheel line. They're very sophisticated and built very precisely. We had the chief engineer and Giant's CADEX service specialist giving us the complete rundown. 

On this last day, we opted to ride e-mountain bikes. There are a lot of opinions out there about these things, and all I can say is you have got to try one before you pass judgement. Eli and I had so much fun riding with the Giant crew. We were HAMMERING on the bikes. So fast at times, and climbing some WICKED steep hills like nothing. On purpose, I used the lowest power setting so I could get a feel for it and I was wasted when I was done. The motor is the great equalizer: it allows people of all different fitness levels to ride together and get exactly the kind of ride or workout they want. Had I upped the boost one or two levels, I would have had just as much fun but with lower effort. It's just that simple.

These types of trips are great for so many reasons. We learned a lot of great info, met a lot of cool people, and got a fantastic winter break.