There Are Trees in Michigan... Apparently

I've been trying to keep up with writing at least once a week, but obviously I'm a little behind. Usually Tuesday - my slowest day of the week - is my day to "blog it out" but last Tuesday I was in a coma (read: sleeping like a narcoleptic baby) for the majority of the day, still trying to recover from my Michigan trip last weekend. We went to Traverse City, Michigan for the 2011 Husaberg intro, which was held at the Jack Pine Enduro, one of the AMA National rounds, where we got to ride and race the new 'Bergs.

Photo right: A lovely self portrait while taking a break along the trail during Saturday's test session.

I'm sure most of you saw all my FaceBook posts about the travel debacle leaving LAX and going through Detroit to Traverse City, Michigan. As always, it was one ridiculous incident after another: bags lost, gates switched, delays, severe weather, etc, etc. I don't even feel like I should waste time writing about it. These silly travel adventures are sheer entertainment at this point, and fortunately I've A) come to expect it, and B) no longer sweat it. The only thing that ever gets me worried is when I have a deadline and I can't get home to work on my story.

The only thing worth mentioning, however, was the short flight from Detroit to Traverse City. We were on a small plane and a thunderstorm was still clearing up, but we were cleared for takeoff. It was quite unnerving and I was worried I would see my dinner in reverse because they expected a really bumpy flight. But our pilot seemed to find a nice little altitude pocket - there were storms above us and clouds below us, but we had calm air. From the storms above us, we could see lightning bolts striking all over, and in between the cloud layers the sun was setting. It was a pretty amazing sight - somewhat apocalyptic! I took a picture with my phone (above right), but it doesn't do the view any justice. The layers and colors of the sunset were really amazing. I'm glad I had a window seat for that flight!

Since my flight and another guy in our group were late getting in, we had the KTM sales manager from Tennessee picking us up at the airport instead of my friend Christy (who works for Husaberg). So I get a message on my cell phone from a guy named Jeremy, speaking in the thickest Southern accent you could imagine. He and his brother were to pick up me and Nathan Woods (one of the Husaberg racers) and take us to the hotel about an hour and a half away.

I was supposed to get into Michigan in time to join the Husaberg crew for dinner, but my flight didn't reach Traverse City until 10 P.M. Our bags weren't there yet and they said they'd be on the next flight about an hour later. So we went out to dinner and then came back to the airport about 11:30 P.M. We were on the road by midnight and to the hotel at 1:30 A.M. It was a very long and exhausting day, but that guy Jeremy is one of the funniest guys I've ever met and it was a fun adventure. Driving to the hotel we were on nothing but back country roads, one after another with thick woods on each side of the two-lane highway. We had to drive cautiously because there were deer everywhere and plus it was kinda foggy. It was an interesting drive.

Photo right: There are lots and lots of trees in Michigan. This was only Saturday's test loop. Sunday's race course was easily twice as dense!

I crawled into bed at about 2:00 A.M. and of course, we were due in the lobby six hours later for breakfast! That's the thing with these intros - they keep you busy, busy, busy! I think they don't want you to get bored or something, so they very rarely give you any down time.

The next day we drove out to the race site and had our little 2011 Husaberg model presentation. There were only three editors at this one - myself, Tom Webb and Jimmy Lewis (He's the editor of Dirt Rider that I used to fight with night and day when I worked there. But the funny thing is that Jimmy and I are pretty cool with each other these days. We actually hung out all weekend and had a great time!)

It was a brief presentation, and with such a small group, it was a pretty fun casual day of riding and shooting. They set up a two mile loop for us to ride, which I thought was going to be too short, but it was a very slow and technical two miles so it did the trick for us.

I spent most of the day on setup; I was having a hard time getting comfortable out there because it's wet sandy ground and really technical trail between trees, over logs, rocks, stumps, between trees so close together you had to slow down and physically push the bars between the trunks to get by. I've said before, when I'm on, I'm really on, and when I'm off, I'm really off. Well, I was off and having a frustrating day because I couldn't find where to make adjustments. Fine tuning is a hard thing to do when you're on a strange bike in a strange place in conditions you don't usually ride. If I had the bike at home and went on my regular loop in Mojave, I could figure it out pretty easily, but Michigan is a little trickier.

I really wore myself out riding the loop over and over again, trying to make improvements. But it was important to get it right since I'd be racing this bike tomorrow. I got a satisfactory setup going finally, but not before a few tip-overs, and a few trees jumping out in front of me (those suckers will get ya!).

This was to be my first National Enduro, and since I had done well at a local enduro I did last year, I thought maybe this could go pretty good. Well I was wrong! It was friggin' crazy!!! Okay, these special tests weren't dangerous or anything - no drop-offs, hill climbs, boulders, etc, but just tight, tight, tight trees snaking our way in between for miles on end. Imagine trying to ride a motorcycle through a crowded restaurant. Seriously. That's what it's like, only for nine miles!

The part that really stole my thunder was that I was on row 32 (in an enduro you start in rows of six riders separated by one minute) and all the Pro and A riders are in the 30s. So yes, that meant that there were super fast and aggressive guys who are racing for a championship behind me, and on these tight trails there is no where to get out of the way! I felt like ALL I WAS DOING was getting out of the way of other riders. Every 30 seconds I was trying to pull over, and at some points, all I could do was lay the bike down and let them ride over it because there was no where to go! It kinda sucked the fun out of it, and after the third test, I decided to call it a day. My wrist was in a lot of pain - even more every time I had to pick up the bike - the bike was billowing smoke because it was overheated, I thought I was going to throw up and I was waaaaay behind, meaning there was no way I could stay on my minute. After the third test, I reluctantly bowed out of the rest of the race and headed back to camp on the paved roads.

It was really a bummer especially because everyone was going on and on about how the fourth test was the best one of the day, fast and fun, "perfect berm after perfect berm" and only six miles. Had I just completed that I would have recorded a finish. Oh well. Like I said, I'm paid to write stories, not win races. I had spent ample time on the bike to get an impression, we had our photos, and I can't afford to hurt my wrist any more than I already had because we have a lot of testing to do this summer. Anyway, that's what I reasoned to myself. But honestly, a DNF still always feels like a big fat failure. :(

That put a damper on my afternoon, but the evening was by no means a wash. We all went out for a big dinner and then headed back to the hotel to grab a cooler of beer and head to the jacuzzi for some much needed chill time. I was even more sleep deprived by that point, but it's hard to toddle off to bed when there's fun to be had! I usually don't get much sleep on trips simply because there are too many better things to be doing. I can sleep when I get home!

The trip home was filled with more delays and screaming kids, turbulence, over-booked flights, etc, etc. On the way there I didn't care so much, but when I'm trying to rush back to the office on a Monday and have stories to complete, things all of a sudden become far more irritating! But like always, I made it home, cranked out the stories and we got the issue out the door. From there, I promptly went home, crawled into bed and stayed there for 20 hours. Yes, I slept most of my Tuesday away which is why I didn't get my blog done until now, but boy did it feel great!