Okay, I went to Red Sands OHV Area yesterday to check the whole racing scene, and I gotta say I have mixed feelings about my venture. The place was fairly crowded and the bikes were amazing: never before have I seen so many modern tricked-out MX and trail-riding bikes. EVERYBODY down there had a better bike than mine, and they also seemed to have more money... I felt like a "poor relation" in the cycling family, and I'm glad I didn't bring the KLR with me, it would've been the dog of the show. Some of those bikes I saw had parts & alloy components that I'd never even SEEN before... I felt very much like a friggin' country rube as I checked out the latest MX technology.
Maybe this is what it means to grow old: the realization that modern reality has passed you by, and you're already an oddity. I talked to 8 or 10 different riders & racers during the few hours I spent at Red Sands, and honestly, I felt like a relic, an old rogue dinosaur... my 2011 bike is only 12 years old, but it might as well have been built in the Stone Age, and I might as well be Fred Flintstone, aye? To hear these younger riders & racers talk about their separate reality, using hip modern technical jargon unheard of by me, well, it was really an eye opener... maybe I've been living in the boondocks too long, because I sure felt out of place at times. So much so that I didn't bother going back today for the actual race, lol.
Meh, the whole vibe had changed from the old days too, I was looking to meet riders who were like the old 'Crusty Demons of Dirt'---partying heathens pounding beers and wreathed in BBQ smoke, but instead I found large multi-generational families all sporting soft drinks, and riders who wouldn't even accept the offer of a cold beer because they were "hydrating" for the race today, pffffffft. The only guys who even came close to the heathens of old were two riders in their 40s who drove down from Colorado to escape the bad weather up there... they at least were drinking beer and smoking weed, so I hung out with 'em for a few hours and heard all about the trails up in their state.
In a way, it was kinda disappointing, but I reckon times have changed, and I'm just a relic from the past who rides a heavy, obsolete bike on remote podunk trails in Redneck Land, lol. And again, even though I was fully rigged for partying and willing to share everything I had, I felt like a "poor relation" in the company of rich folk, lol. For example, one of those riders from Colorado paid more for his Sprinter van (set up for hauling bikes) than I paid for my HOUSE, lol... at times, I secretly felt like I had made poor choices in life, 10-4? And this morning, in a rebellious mood, I wrote off my return trip to Red Sands... I'd already had enough of being made to feel like an old relic and rogue dinosaur, don'tcha know?
Now, I did learn two useful things: I can go back next year and pay a lousy $15 to run the course, as riders are allowed to pre-run the course on Saturday and even non-participants can join the fun, as long as they throw down the cash. Beats paying a race entrance fee of $50 to $70, yeah? The second thing I learned is this: if I'm gonna seriously ride in that huge offroad playground known as Red Sands, I'm gonna need a lighter and more nimble bike, lol. Boy, I saw some tricked-out MX bikes & trail bikes just A-FLYIN' yesterday, bikes designed or purposely set up for that venue... and they weren't cheap either, some of those bikes must have cost 5 or 6 times what I paid for my old KLR, lol.
I've already been thinking of swapping my KLR for a lighter and more nimble thumper, but I'm not sure anybody would be willing to make the trade, lol. I might have to sell the KLR first, then look for a lighter bike... or else I can just be happy with what I have and go have fun on the trails in the mountains like I did last summer and fall. However, that wouldn't solve the problem of riding at Red Sands, and that venue is only 20 minutes from my home, with little to no traffic between the two locations. I heard yesterday about a website called 'MX Locker' which might be a good place to run an ad, I ain't gonna pay for Craigslist or any other site, pfffft. Our local cycle shop might have a billboard for free ads too...
Meh, I'll figure it out... ya know, there were riders & racers at Red Sands yesterday who were wearing 'Fitbits' and similar devices to monitor their heart rates and other BS, I suppose that's another modern aspect of racing dirt bikes, pffffft. I'm from the old school, we never bothered with such BS, we were too busy twisting a throttle, aye? But that was just one more thing that made me feel old and out of touch with modern reality. I'm still glad I went, and I had a few good laughs with riders & racers while I was there, but still, I felt OLD when it was all said and done, lol. And a "poor relation" to boot, lol. Surrounded by expensive bikes & RVs, my beat-up 20-year-old Camry didn't make much of a show, lol... [sob]...
Oh, yeah, here's another thing that was funny in a dark kinda way... when conversation turned to where we all lived and I told folks that I had bought a 3BR/2BA home on half an acre for $40K cash, some of them clearly thought I was lying, like I was some sorta BS artist, lol. They didn't call me out on it, but I could tell they were thinking it, lol... meh, with all the cash those loaded friggin' heroes have, I'm sure they live in McMansions somewhere, lol. Oh, well, it's a separate reality, living in the boondocks, and I ain't about to go back to Big City life, that ain't gonna happen. I suppose it's a small price to pay, being considered a country rube and a BS artist to boot, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Dang, I just can't WIN, lol...
Last but not least, I took some pics yesterday but they don't really do the venue justice... I wasn't in the mood to rudely photograph folks & bikes up close, so these shots are pics taken on the fringes of the action. There were actually quite a few people present, and hundreds of tricked-out bikes, RVs, etc., so don't be misled by the photos. When I was talking to riders & racers, my camera never left my pocket, but no worries... if you wanna know what they were riding, crack the pages of the latest glossy MX & dirt bike magazines and you will see what they were riding, lol. I recall trippin' hard on the rear hub of a late-model KTM thumper, evidently hub technology has come a long way since my bike was built 12 years ago.
For what they're worth, here are the pics I took at Red Sands OHV Area... again, this area covers 20 square miles and has 100 miles of developed trails, with more undoubtedly waiting to be developed in the future. It's not a bad venue, I just need a lighter and more nimble bike to ride there on a regular basis. Hey, it just started to rain here, so karma may catch up to all of those riders & racers who made me feel like an old man yesterday, lol... OTOH, the rain might do 'em all a big ol' favor by hardening the course. Oh, well, more power to 'em, I'm still glad I went, but today I'm hangin' at the ol' hacienda and enjoying the company of my 5 cats, who have all shown me much love and gratitude this morning, lol. Cheers!!!
Back in a moment with another round of pics...
, can't wait!
