Kegger in Cali :)

Team Oregon was back on I-5 for the long trip down to Coalinga for the second round of the Western Hare Scrambles series at Picacho Creek. Rain, snow, wind, hail and a long windy road with a million blind corners and a few water crossing was all it took to get to the Salinas Ramblers property thursday night. Then the worst news, the gate was shut and the river was rising fast. We then had to turn around the trailer and head back into town and decided to drive back friday morning about noon, the gate was open and we were the first racers, other than the SRMC members, there. We paid our gate fee's and found a safe place to park the trailer.

Saturday morning rolls around and there are all kinds of bikes being started and people getting stuck trying to pull throught the mud. However, it was sunny! I pulled on my kmart special boots(50% off the original price!), KTM jacket and headed up to watch the 50cc riders dice it out at 8:15am. Lots of kids showed up to represent their shizz and lots of racing went down. They ran the kids all morning, took a lunch break and ran the D-36 Womens/Vintage/Supermini/85cc classes until 3. By then, it was POURING with some snow flakes mixed in. Lane Turner and I had walked all over the endurocross section and the long uphill behind the camping area and decided that it would be a mudfest. Lane had been dying all day for Kenny Worley to show up, so when he did, Lane disappeared until he was dying for lasagna. So we popped them in the oven, on the grill and hung out until they were done. The Johnson and Jensen men had showed up registered and headed back into Coalinga for a night at the travellodge while the rest of us dined on homemade lasagna, garlic bread and salad. Yum, the perfect ending to a great, rainy, day. So I know you all wanted to hear about the 'Kegger in Cali', so ill throw that part in now.

We had to find fuel for the truck quick and while looking for a petrol station, we saw a grocery store and had to run in to buy some fruit since we couldnt bring it over the border. We also had to find granola bars and more H2O bottles. While wandering up and down the hard liquor isle, I spotted a Keg and went to check it out and noticed it said 'Rootbeer'. I knew I had to have it! I asked the guy how much it was, he said $17 something and I bought it. The biggest reason is that noone else who is 19 that I know can say they bought a Keg without theit ID being checked. It was actually really good rootbeer too! We all had some with the lasagna and everyone said that it was great! I saved the keg itself and put it on my shelf. It has more memories than any trophy could have given me!

Sunday morning, I start to wake up and realize I the warning signs of a migraine.....Great. Just what I need the morning of a race, I pop some excedrin and go back to sleep and wake up at 7, just in time to go say hi to Fred Sumrall(Chaplain of D-36, nicest guy in the world and my hero) then go for a morning jog. It was sunny again, but it was supposed to stay that way all day. I was hoping so, I was sick and tired of the rain and snow, it wreaked havoc on my hair with the added moisture in the air! I didnt race until 1:15, so I went up and cheered on my new friend Brianna in her race! Then it was time for the Expert guys, Devan(AA), Aaron(30 Ex) Gage J and Matt J(Open Ex) were lined up and ready to go. Devan was focusing on preparing when Brian Garrahan showed up and pulled in right next to him, they shook hands and wished each other luck. It was cool to see them lined up. I got some good pictures of them starting; i'll upload them later.

I ran to get geared up and rode back to the start line to watch the guys go through the EX course. We were told if you rode the EX course cleanly you could save 50 seconds over going the alternate route. Some of the guys did amazing going through the EX course and other guys wasted more than 5 minutes going through it. It was funny to watch them get grumpy when the guys who went the alternate route rejoined the course and they were still stuck on the 'shortcut'. I had decided that I wouldnt waste the time or energy on the EX course and opted to go the alternate route, which was a good move on my part since it was SO much easier and I just had to pin it to go fast. I lined up and was ready to go when Kacy Martinez and Brooke Hodges pulled on either side of me, I was a little intimidated knowing that both are so good. I got a decent start about 3rd or 4th and hung with the AA girls until the top of the first long hill when a downed rider picked his bike up right infront of me, I tried to go around and got a little wonkly and they left me in the mud. But I wasnt about to give up that easy, I raced my heart out and by the end of the first lap I was in 4th when I went through the shikane before the pits, I was a ways behind the girls, but I felt great and headed out for lap #2. I dont remember much of it, I was to focused on racing and I know I ended up 4th, not bad for a girl from oregon

Overall it was a great race, good time with friends and a nice break from the snow

Kenny ended up 2nd
Dave ended up 9th
Devan ended up 12th
Aaron ended up 8th
Gage ended up 12th
Matt ended up 9th
Lane ended up 2nd
Luke ended up 13th and
Unfortunately, Madelines bike melted all the packing and plugged the exhaust so she wasnt able to finish


Great race to everyone and I cannot wait until Shasta!

Its easiest to walk by putting one foot in front of the other

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking...

So I am not a Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana fan, But I really like her song 'The Climb'. It's so true and 100% applicable to my life. I have had to overcome quite a few things in my life, and this year, as a newly 19-year-old, I plan on putting every major obstacle that I will come across right directly in front of me and tackling it right away. I am so tired of putting things off until the last minute and then having to try to talk and explain my reasoning for not doing it and/or doing it so late. I am going to try my hardest to do my best at everything, and even though it might not be enough for some people, I will know it was the best I could have done so I cant be disappointed in myself. I am pledging to work out 3 times a week, update my blog once a week, keep in touch with old friends and pray everyday. I also want to pay off all my debts this year. My goal is to get rid of all my credit cards in the next 3 months, and to have my dirt bike paid off by the end of 2011. It will take a lot of willpower to put my extra money towards the bike instead of new clothes, but next year will be so much better when I only have a car and cell phone payment.

School, this is a confusing topic for me. I really want to be a lawyer and a personal trainer, but I am having a hard time wanting to apply myself at this point. I have been told a couple times that I should look into journalism, by some teachers and a friend, so I might look at studying the subject for awhile and seeing how I like it, and maybe using that as a job while I work on my law degree, because I know that will be expensive.However, I enjoy working full time and having the freedom of not going to school, but I know if I want to go anywhere in my life, I need to buckle down and get it happening. I am thinking of moving to Oregon City to live with my grandparents and going to school over there so that I can focus more on school and work than on helping my dad with the family. I am not sure what to do at this point, I am just working right now and focusing on racing.

I would love to be the fastest woman racer in the United States, and I hope that one day I can get to that point and prove that I am who I said I wanted to be. I have been doing my best to work out and stay on a healthy eating plan to get to my best racing abilities and my maximum potential. I was able to get all the weekends I need to go to all the race off from work, so that was a blessing that my boss was so understanding and willing to let me do that. It was such a relief to know that I can work and race without having to worry about anything.

I am truly blessed and lucky to have my job. Everyone is so great and fun to be around. They are some of the realest people I know and I feel like I've known them for a long time. I think that everyone should have a job like mine, it offers so many skills and trials, but nothing that one can't handle. It is a do-it-all job, so I get all kinds of experience at all different types of skills. I answer the phone, ring up customers, load the kilns, offer advice, help plan parties and get to meet some of the coolest people. I have been working here for almost 8 months and there isn't anything I cant handle here. I am a lucky girl!

Oh yes, I must mention that I am now 19. It was such a great birthday, one of the best ones I have ever had! I must say it feels great to be loved by so many people!

Also, I am leaving for Coalinga, California on Wednesday for a Western Hare Scrambles race. I just picked up all my new gear and a lowering bushing for my dirt bike. So hopefully between the shorter seat, the lowering bushing and maybe a little growth over the summer, I will be able to touch the ground and have a better ride than last year. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

This week has been a great one, and I hope all of you had a great week as well!

Until next time!

-Em