12-30-05    Christmas has come and gone and we are sitting on the verge of a new year. I haven't been on the bike since the Christmas GP/ Toy Drive. The Holidays have kept me so busy that I kind of lost track of time. Rounds 1 & 2 of the 2006 FPMX Series are way too close for my out of shape body. I'll be there ready to do battle but I regret eating all that crap at the fire station over the last few weeks. I'm betting that I'm not the only one in that boat..............The toys we collected a few weeks ago at the GP were delivered to 131 military kids, each getting five gifts from us on Christmas morning. We had eighty toys left over and they were delivered to another charity group who was short on toys, those toys went to kids who were getting nothing for Christmas. You did a good thing...............Tomorrow night is the last day of 2005, it was a great year for the FPMX. We have come a long way since November 14th, 1989 and 2006 will be the best FPMX year to date. Happy New Year. Next week is the Supercross opener at Anaheim, CA. I'm looking forward to it. We (Team FirePoliceMX.com) decided to throw a team together at the last minute. Something came along that was just too good to pass up. Come look for us in the pits during the West Coast SX Lites Series.....Guess who's back on an FPMX HONDA?........................e

12-22-05    Well I finished my Christmas shopping today, it's so crazy out there in shopping land. I do not understand how people can have "shopping" as a hobby. What a pain! I told you about Sue's Christmas list, well I did a pretty good job following it this year. Since Sue rarely reads the FPMX Journal and I follow the list to a tee I feel pretty safe talking about this before Christmas....As I was pushing the shopping cart around this evening with a Hoover Windtunnel Vacuum in it I noticed that the women were really paying attention to me. I couldn't figure it out at first but heads were turning in my direction. This usually only happens to me in nursing homes. The elderly women either like the younger firemen or they are afraid that we came to get them. But tonight the women looking at me were of all ages. I began to wonder what was going on, was my zipper down? No. Was I wearing a YZ Ernie jersey and they were making fun of me? No. So I paid more attention to what was going on. And low and behold they were all checking out the Hoover! Then I realized it, a vacuum is to a typical woman like a new model motocross bike is to us FPMXers. Then I started to think of Christmas lists past...Vacuums were on many of them. What gives, I know that we have two of them right now, one upstairs and one down stairs. Where is the new one going? On the roof? Is Sue entering them in different classes? Is there a Vintage Vacuum class? Seriously, what gives? It's not like we have different conditions to vacuum. I don't believe that she has ever taken her stable of vacuums to VAC TECH to get them modified. You know one for shag and one for indoor/outdoor carpet. I just don't understand it. It's not like you can vacuum with two of them at the same time.......Oh well, whatever....Hey tomorrow I am going to put my race bike back together. It sure is nice having two bikes.....................e

12-19-05    I guess it's time to start the Christmas shopping. The only things I dislike about Christmas are the crowds, shopping and hanging lights on the house. Besides that it's my favorite holiday. I enjoy giving the right gift. Over the years I've learned that the right gifts for Sue are the ones that come directly off her Christmas list. The right gift for everyone else seems to be the gift card. Gift cards are great because the recipient can buy whatever they want. Besides that it's a really easy gift to buy. Home Depot here I come............A couple of days ago we donated all the toys from the Christmas GP/Toy Drive to the Military, they will be delivered to Military families on Camp Pendleton on Christmas Eve. Thank you for your kind donations. Many children will have a Merrier Christmas because of you................Now for the important stuff.....I'm building a rocket ship. I have my motor over at Varner's, my suspension at RACE TECH, I just got a new HINSON clutch and am getting a new Factory Fatty pipe from FMF. I can't wait to ride it. Now if I could get the Shape-O-Meter to start dropping..............e

12-10-05    After countess hours on the phone with the guys at Network Solutions it looks like the website is finally back up. I had this thing so screwed up that it was doing something that the Network Solutions guys have never heard of. It was in some type of a live mode. I didn't have to publish the website to the server, the whole world could see the changes as I made them. They were baffled. They were asking me how I did it. Huh? I don't know....I'm a fireman. From what I understand it was something similar to this......I'm in my garage changing the air filter on my bike and as I do that everyone else's air filters get changed on their bikes in their garages, something like that.........The Christmas GP/Toy Drive was a lot of fun. There is so much track time at this event, maybe too much.......Yes too much. I was so beat after the Ironman. The next day I woke up at 9am and finally got out of bed at 1pm. I just laid there and watched a couple of movies. Yesterday wasn't much better but today I am feeling pretty much back to normal. During the 45 minute GP I had a fun battle with Charlie Beck, we swapped positions several times during the moto with most of them during the last 15 minutes. It brought back some memories from the early 90's racing vintage bikes. That "too much track time" thing, well that happened during the Ironman. Two hours on a bike is a long time, two hours racing is worse but two hours racing at Glen Helen is absolutely crazy. I can't wait until next year............You guys out did yourselves again. I think we took in more toys than last year. We still have a few more coming too. The toys will be distributed to children of military parents, many whom have one parent overseas during the holidays. I will let you know more details as I get them. I am proud of all of you, it's great to be an FPMXer..........We are getting close to finalizing the dates for the Summer Series. I haven't heard back from Santa Maria so it looks like we will be doing all the racing right here in Southern California. That makes it easier on most of us but it is nice to race in 75* temperatures during August........On another note, Dennis Moon already sent me the GP results but I am having a hard time converting the format that they were sent in to something that I can use. I'm sure it's an easy thing to do but remember I'm no web guru, I'm just a fireman............e

12-09-05    Is this thing working? It's been a crazy week, if you are reading this than I finally figured out how to publish again after being switched to a new server........If you understand what I just said you are way ahead of me in the cyber world. If you can read this I will write tomorrow, if you can't see this post than I will be back on the phone for several more hours trying to work through the problems. Anyway it's been a long day and I am not fully recovered from the Ironman race yet so I need to catch some sleep.................e

11-29-05    A few years ago I acquired a nice stationary bike but like the "Thigh Master", "Abdominizer" and "Bow Flex" they don't do anything for you unless you actually use them. Several years before acquiring the stationary bike I bought a "Total Gym 2000", you know the one Chuck Norris and Christy Brinkley push on those late night infomercials. The TG2K is a pretty good piece of machinery but it too does nothing for you unless you use it.  Earlier this year I bought running shoes. Same old song and dance......Hello McFly.......You have to use them to get any benefit out of them. It seems like everyone wants to be in better shape, we get motivated, we buy the latest new contraption to assist us with our new found desire then...........Garage Sale item! You see them out there, old schwinn exercise bikes, weight benches with those plastic covered weights, the wheel thing with a pipe running through it and grips on each side of the wheel sitting out on front lawns across the country every Saturday morning.  Motivation happens but then it seems to fade away. After several injuries and surgeries I decided to hang up my motocross boots in 1998. I was going to turn from racer/promoter to just promoter. Yes I was unhappy after a year or so but my mind was set on MX retirement. I was off the bike for 3 years.......One day at work as I was getting ready to walk though an open door I overheard a guy asking a FPMX/friend why I didn't race anymore. The answer blew me away "His wife won't let him". It kind of hurt but motivated the heck out of me. I went out and bought a bike, started training. I stayed motivated for several years, I was having fun again. I even won a couple of Night Series Championships and a National Championship after coming out of retirement..........Last January I was feeling good, I was more motivated than ever, I wanted to win another Championship after a couple of years without one. Then on a practice crash the day before the season was to start I injured my shoulder, a few months later I injured the other shoulder and had a terrible season. I was ok with it, I was promoting races and the Fire & Police Nationals were growing, things were going fine. I kind of settled on the fact that I was going to be an "also ran" for the remainder of my racing career. It was really hard to get up for the races. There was so much going on in my head as far as promoting the races that I basically gave up on being competitive anymore. Sure I could drop down a class and do OK but that isn't me. I was set to be a back of the pack Intermediate forever......... I got a call from a buddy a couple of weeks ago. "Hey Ed, do you know a guy named_______?" "Yeah". "He says that he can beat you" "He probably can right now" "What?, no way I know you, he can't beat you". "Hey man I lost the edge". "Ed he can't beat you, get off your butt and train"..........I sat there and thought about it for a few days, was my racing career over? Should I let _______ beat me?.........No! eDub reengaged! It's been 3 weeks and I am getting more motivated by the day. Yesterday I started to get a little bit of my speed back at Starwest. This morning I actually broke out the TG2K and stationary bike and spent an hour watching old MX tapes of RJ, Wardy, the Dogger and the Golden Boy while riding the bike and doing the Christy Brinkley thing.........Maverick

11-26-05    I have a plan. I don't know if it's a good idea but phase one is working well. It's kind of like the camel thing, you know how they pack away a lot of water and then can go for a long time without drinking. Well my plan is to pack away a lot of food so I can race the Ironman without stopping to eat. I love the Holliday Season but the abundance of food is killing me! Thanksgiving was my one day off this week and that was a great time with the family. We had 30+ people at my parents house. I ate way too much but it was great. I've been at work now for a few and the station is loaded with Thanksgiving leftovers and stuff (stuff = pies, cookies, ice cream etc.). I have come to find that my will power is low when it comes to "Stuff". Anyway I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I am looking forward to seeing those who make it to the Christmas GP/ Toy Drive. Like I've said before, the Christmas GP is my favorite race of the year. I'm looking forward to the Team Race and the simultaneous Ironman race. It's going to be a two hour beating, a tortes and hare event where I expect YZ Ernie Kopasz to wear himself out trying to runaway and hide.......It's late.......e out

11-23-05    I would like to wish everyone who spends a few minutes out of their day reading the FPMX Journal a Happy Thanksgiving! Have a great day with the family. For all of you who have to work, I am sorry but that is part of what we do, make the best of it and be sure to make it home safely when your shift is over......................e

11-18-05    I started to write in the journal a few times over the last couple of weeks but I really never had anything to say. One of the topics was about the proper method of dispensing the toilet paper, you know, over the top or off the back. I don't even remember what the other topic was but it too was stupid. What's really going on in my head is that I just came off the worst year of racing ever. I'm talking about my actual racing and not the Fire & Police Nationals as a promoter. I came into the season with hopes of a forth Championship but that all came to a screeching halt the day before the series launched. I had a pretty nasty get off at ACP that ruined my shoulder for a few months. I was never able to get back into the racing mode after that. A hard crash practicing for the I-5 race messed me up a little further and injured my other shoulder. Needless to say I was racing scared in the back of the pack for the rest of the season. I'm working on getting my head straight right now, riding at least twice a week and exercising more often. I also switched to Dreyers Light w/ 50% less fat. Now I can eat twice as much! Woo hooo! As far as the Fire & Police events went, I think it was our most successful season and 2006 will be much better. I know that bringing the Summer Series back has got a lot of people excited. I for one am a fan of the evening 3 moto format. That schedule should be out in a few weeks. Right now I am waiting on news from Santa Maria to see if we are going back up there to race in the cool August weather. The other tracks should be Starwest and Milestone. Other than that I've spent a lot of time at the fire station paying guys back, working trades for the '06 Supercross season and mixing in a few overtimes. I better get back to my Dreyers before it melts, oh and by the way the only acceptable method of dispensing the TP is over the top.................e out!

11-03-05    A co worker of mine is going to a concert tomorrow night with his wife, it's a band I saw open up for Ted Nugent in the early eighties. They were a bunch of kids from England I had no idea who they were when they first came on stage but the voice on the PA said "Please welcome from England.......Dauhhh Lanaahh" or something like that. I looked at my buddy and asked him what the announcer said. We agreed that the band was called "Dark Lantern". I thought it was a pretty cool name, kind of in line with Led Zeppelin or Iron Butterfly. They were pretty good but like any opening act, it's hard to get into it because you don't know the music. But Dark Lantern put on a good show. The best opening act that I ever saw was Cheap Trick opening for KISS at the Los Angeles Forum in 1978. I never heard their music before that night but I thought they were as good as KISS and I was a KISS fan. I see Cheap Trick as often as I can. I saw those guys for the first time 27 years ago...Wow am I getting old?........We got a new "Boot Firefighter" in our station, I've been fighting fires now for 24 years and have seen a lot of young kids start their careers in the fire service. This new kid is a retired cop, he's 51 years old. I am no longer the oldest guy on my shift. I saw a guy the other day at work who used to race quads with us in the beginning of the FPMX, 1989 & 1990. He moved on and never raced since. His name is Rick Fullerton if any of you remember him from back in the day. Rick is 45 years old now and will be getting a Blue 450 next week (2 wheeler). Rick is going to try his hand at the 40-49 Beginner class..........The people I grew up with are all getting old, I must be getting old too but I don't feel like I am. Oh the body aches more that's for sure. I'm doing Basketball two-a-days at work and it's killing me. Mostly the knees but I can still play with the kids on the Department, it's the next morning when I realize something is wrong as I crawl out of bed and somehow make it to the shower. I guess there is no way to reverse the aging process but racing motorcycles sure keeps the mind young. And if it's not too late for an old retired cop to begin a new career as a firefighter or if Rick Fullerton can race a 2 wheeler for the first time at 45 then it's not too late to start anything. Hey there are no age limits in life so if you want to learn to surf  or skydive or whatever do it. You only get one go-a-round on this planet. (FLASH BACK to the early eighties).....I'm cruising around in my 1979 TOYOTA 4X4 listening to a little bit of heaven 94.7 KMET on the FM........"Hey I know this song, I saw these guys open for Ted Nugent last year, This is Dark Lantern"...."No it's not this is Def Leppard"......."Oh"......................e

10-25-05    Yesterday Sue and I celebrated our 24th anniversary. When we were dating Sue had no idea that I was into dirt bikes. I didn't own a bike during that time and never really talked about it. I wasn't into racing but loved to ride in the desert. My desert rides always ended up with me making a track around bushes and over jumps. Motocross was in my blood, I just didn't know it. After we were married and broke my dad bought an extra bike, he didn't need another one and it was a few years later when I realized that he bought it for me. I got my dad into riding in 1972 and he kept me in it when I couldn't afford it. So when I finally got a job that I made more money than I spent I went out and bought a 1986 HONDA CR 250 and started racing. Racing took Sue by surprise, she didn't like the idea of me racing and still doesn't. But she has learned to deal with it and supports me as I promote and race the FPMX events. Next year is our Silver anniversary so I'm thinking of giving her one of my silver medals as a gift..............Yeah that will go over big....NOT! Sue has stood by me in a word that she never made and I thank her for that. Happy Anniversary Sue.............Tomorrow Donny Rivas and I are heading out to Ocotillo Wells for some desert riding. I love play riding in the desert but tomorrow is day one of my Christmas GP/Toy Drive Ironman training. To race for two hours is going to be tough but to do it at Glen Helen is insane. But if you are going to go crazy you don't want to lose to KX Ernie while doing it............e

10-05-05    I decided to take Wednesday off work to get some laps in at Starwest, I would ride in the morning then head up to John Burr Cycles to pick up the raffle bike (HONDA CRF 250). After that I was planning on picking up the Number 1 plates for all the class winners then head home to start getting all the odds and ends together for the races...........It was a good plan right up to the point where I called the number plate guy to tell him I was coming by. He got busy with other projects and didn't get to the FPMX awards. You know, the ones Jamie Little is handing out in Mesquite? So I had to switch into miracle mode. There is no way we can have an awards banquet without awards........I had to abort all plans, there will be no practice before Mesquite. It took two full days of driving, begging, buying and laboring but as of 10pm tonight we have Number 1 plates! Miracle Mode is something that I developed over the 13 years that I ran a t-shirt shop out of my garage. You want it when?....Reeeeeeeally? Sounds expensive...............Yes I pulled of a few late night/all night miracles back in the day. If it wasn't for the experiences of those late nights Jamie would be handing out paper plates with black felt pen 1's on them Tuesday evening. I'm still a little high from the ink fumes but will recover soon...............There are two things that I really hate in life (1) Shopping for clothes & (2) being hungry. I'm rarely hungry as you can tell but I never shop for clothes. I  H A T E  it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sue called me today while I was working the miracle and asked if I wanted her to buy me some clothes for the banquet. My wardrobe consists of short, levis, motocross t-shirts and a suit. Oh yeah there are all those other clothes that Sue bought for me over the years that I will never wear. They hang in the closet on the end. So while I was waiting for the black ink on the number plates to dry Sue and I went shopping. I hate shopping but it was ok, I lived to hate it another day. I'm an In-N-Out guy, I don't mind the buying part, it's the browsing, trying on clothes, Sue holding the pants up to my face to see if they are right for my skin tone stuff. What is that all about? I understand that clothes shopping isn't like going in and picking up a spark plug. Maybe that's why I hate it so much. "I'll take one BR8ES please".....EASY!.........."I want pants"......HARD!.........What size, color, style, blah, blah, blah? Ok we found pants now let's start all over because we need a shirt.......A shirt without motocross logos......Hellooooo! I didn't know they made them but they do. There's a whole section full of them. I'm Serious, if you don't believe me shop somewhere besides a motorcycle shop and you will see! I guess there's a whole world out there of clothes without motocross logos.........Weird.............................e

10-04-05    It seems like two and a half years ago but Mark Davenport says it's only been thirty months, either way it's been a long time.......I remember the day well. I was waiting in line at Perris raceway. Everything was held up a little because somebody was being loaded into an ambulance. I had a feeling that it wasn't good because I knew most of the guys standing around as the EMT's loaded the patient. The ambulance drove by as I looked for a FPMX friendly place to pit. I heard it was Mark Davenport, word was that he broke his ankles. He was conscious and doing ok. Knowing Mark I figured he would be out of commission 3-6 months. The injury was worse, it was two crushed heels....I am happy for Mark to hear that he is back on a bike, really happy that it's a two stroke. Temporary maybe but a two stoke non the less. Mark I hope all goes well for you as you make your comeback to FPMX racing whether it be at Mesquite, The Christmas GP or ACP in January. One of the things I admire about Mark is that he never left the FPMX, even being hurt for one year and eighteen months, unable to ride, he continued to make it to the race and volunteer his time in many capacities. Thank you & good luck Mark!......e

10-02-05    Fourteen year old Garrett Bartelmie, son of FPMX regular Jon Bartelmie was the first to solve "The Great Railroad Puzzle", Congratulations ".............g". It's been a crazy week here in So Cal with all the wildland fires. I was recalled (force hired) a few times and ended up working several of my off days. It threw me behind a bit on Mesquite planning, after eighteen years of promoting these FPMX events I can pretty much do it in my sleep but this first time Race/Banquet is a chore. With all the race entries and Banquet tickets being purchased online and me being interrupted several times by Rosemeadians calling 911 while I was processing them, it became a bit confusing at times but I think I got it right. Please check on the Pre-Entry list and the Banquet list (on the message board) to see if everything is correct. If we can't figure it out we'll get Garrett to solve it..............I had planned last week as a tune up week on the RM 250 but never got the chance to even sit on it....I mean stand up on it's pegs (sorry Davenport, I'm working on it) So I'm going to Mesquite with no seat time/peg time. Who knows it might help the way I've been riding this season............Maybe people with quit mistaking me for Eric McKenna finally. Uh huh yeah right! Speaking of McKenna, twenty years ago when I was getting into racing I kept hearing the name "Eric McKenna". The cops talked of him like he was a Moto God or something. Back then he was too old to be fast, no way could he beat the younger fast Firemen, no way! Twenty years later he's still at it. Eric will be fifty in a couple of years and still has no equal. The gap is narrowing but King Eric is still the King!..........And Pixie ......the Queen..................eDub

9-25-05    Twenty five years ago myself and 159 others were given a riddle to solve. We were all separated so there could be no cheating. The first person to solve the problem would win a prize. There were no clues given, just a piece of paper with the riddle on it. I had no idea what the other contestants were doing. I didn't know if they were all finished and I was the only one left, seriously I had no clue. I just had this puzzle in front of me. I was at it for a few hours, it made no sense, I was totally lost but I didn't want to quit. I don't know exactly how long I worked on it but it was several hours. Then all of the sudden it came to me. It was simple, I solved it and told the proctor that I knew the answer. He had heard this many times that day and asked me how I figured it out. As I explained it to him I saw the expression on his face change from disappointment to a content smirk. I was surprised to find out that I was the first to solve the problem. Many quit and there were many wrong answers, there were also many right answers but those who guessed right couldn't explain how they got their answers. The prize was a book but for me the prize was pride. This morning I found that old riddle and tried to solve it again after all these years, I took me over an hour to figure it out this time but once I did it just seemed so simple.....Back in 2001 I took motocross lessens from Jim Gibson an Ex YAMAHA factory rider. Jim was able to get into my head and fix a few problems. We worked on one corner all day long. I felt like I executed the corner perfectly twice that day. The following week we raced at Perris Raceway and my corner speed was good, it was way better than before the lessons. But in that one corner I was way faster than my competition. I couldn't believe how fast I was catching riders there. It seemed like they were brake checking me and on one occasion I rammed the leader hard on accident and fell. I was able to catch up and win the moto. Once I figured out how to corner properly it seemed so simple just like the riddle. It's been a few years now and I have forgot what I learned during those motocross lessons. I'm slow again but am working on a comeback. All that information is in there but it's buried deep, again just like that twenty five year old puzzle. Well I decided to give this same opportunity to you. So here is the riddle and I have an FPMX care package for the first person to email me the answer with the correct explanation of how they got there....................e        email: firepolicemx@aol.com

The Great Railroad Puzzle
Every fact is important and must be considered. You are to identify who the engineer is.
1. On a train Smith, Robinson and Jones are the fireman, brakeman and engineer but not respectively.
2. Also aboard the train are three businessmen that have the same names, a Mr. Smith, a Mr. Robinson and a Mr. Jones.
3. Mr. Robinson lives in Detroit.
4. The brakeman lives exactly halfway between Chicago and Detroit.
5. Mr. Jones earns exactly $70,000 per year.
6. The brakeman’s nearest neighbor, one of the passengers, earns exactly three times as much as the brakeman.
7. Smith beats the fireman at billiards.
8. The passenger whose name is the same as the brakeman’s lives in Chicago.
 

9-22-05    Reality shows......What has happened to TV? I have no idea how many of those shows are on the tube these days. All the networks have them, MTV has several and My wife watches them all. I never quite got it. But I decided to watch Survivor with Sue about two years ago. I was going to tough it out and sit there and watch this meaningless show just to spend some time with my wife. We have 4 televisions in the Carlsbad Estate and rarely did we watch anything together. I figured Survivor would be the one to watch because my entire family bets on that show. Everyone puts $10 in a pot and is assigned a name of one of this reality shows contestants. As the weeks would go on Sue would let me know if I was still in the pool. I actually won once. So a couple of years ago the new season started and I planted my 13.7 Best Shape Of  My Life butt down and began what I thought would be a bore me to death stupid reality show.....Oh no....I got hooked. I don't know what happened to me but I can't wait until Thursday nights. It's a sad story. But now that I know I have the weakness I avoid those stupid shows the best I can.........Sue and I just took our YAMAHA WaveRunners to Lake Havasu for a few days. We got to Havasu City late in the evening and decided to pull into Wal*Mart and catch some sleep then find a camp ground in the morning. In the morning I was doing some FPMX computer stuff  when someone knocked on the door. I figured it was Wal*Mart Security but it was one of the original FPMXers, Todd Correll. Todd has been away from racing for several years now but stopped by to say hello. While we were talking just outside the FPMX Mobile Headquarters an LA City Fireman drove up. He said that he noticed the FPMX logo on the side of the motor home and just wanted to say hello. So we get our camp site overlooking the lake and one of the guys on my fire department comes walking up to say hello, he's 3 spaces over. He's there with some Orange County Firemen. It's mid week and off season and Lake Havasu is full of Firemen. I didn't notice any police officers there but maybe they had to work or something weird like that..........I know this fireman/cop stuff just stirs yzernie up. I love bugging that guy. Don't get me wrong, he's one of my favorite FPMXers. We decided to both do the Ironman at the Christmas GP just for bragging rights. I can't wait.............I was thinking of watching the Biggest Loser to get some tips on dropping my S-O-M under 10................e

9-10-05    I listened to a message on my cell last Friday from Rich Eggett (owner of bikesellerz.com) "Hey Ed this is Rich, I have an extra ticket for the Motobowl for this Thursday if you want it, just give me a call and let me know" I hadn't listened to my messages for a couple of days while I was at the fire Station so I figured that I missed the motobowl. I had no idea what the motobowl was but I called Rich back to to apologize for missing the call and the event......"No you didn't miss it, it's this Thursday" said Eggett.......Anyway the Motobowl is an event put on by the Women's Motocross Foundation. It's a charity bowling tournament for the motocross industry. Almost everyone you would want to be there was there. I was teamed up with Jeff Ward and Ryan Sipes along with 3 other ebay winners. There were more than 35 teams. Our neighboring teams included David Vuillemin, Andrew Short, Joe Benson, Jeff Emig, Kevin Windham Bevo, Robby Reynard, Jamie Little among others. It was a blast, this was the best time I have had in years. On the way there Sue noticed that I had my elbows up (keeping the pits dry) and asked if I was nervous. I was pretty nervous! I don't bowl, the last time I bowled was in 1977 at Wonder Bowl in Downey, CA. I didn't want to be the loser on the team. I got there early and practiced. Wardy was up first for our team and rolled a strike. Jeff is not a bowler but a competitor and with non bowling form ended up with 6 strikes in the first game. I also threw a strike on the first frame and ended up with 4 total. We had a couple of decent bowlers on our team who were consistently getting spares. We all did pretty good. We really had no weak players for this type of tournament and ended up winning the event. It was so different from being at the races, there were no attitudes and everyone was very approachable. It was a great evening. I really want to thank Rich Eggett for thinking of me and getting me the ticket.........Today at work we did another "Fill the Boot" but this time it was for Katrina Hurricane Relief. I couldn't believe how generous the public was. Being a veteran of "Fill the Boot" I was blown away by how much money was donated. Usually we get a vehicle here and there donating but today it was vehicle after vehicle after vehicle, sometimes up to 10 in a row. And they were dropping $100's and $20's often. I was even handed two full piggy banks from kids. I was very proud of the public. Things are going to be OK..............Tomorrow is the GH National. We'll talk about that later..................e

9-06-05    "Hey Ed, that must be a really good restaurant I always see cops there" said Sue as we drove on PCH today. I looked over and saw a CHP motor sitting out front. I told my wife that the food might be OK but that's got nothing to do with the cops eating there.............As PoPo and Firemen we sometimes get some love while ordering food in uniform. I bet some of you cops keep a spare uniform at home for this reason (that was a joke, please don't get offended). In Rosemead we (firefighters) sometimes get a 50% off at the In N Out Burger, the Sheriffs always get the deal. It's nice when we get it but I really don't expect it. A few years ago while I was working at a Fire Station around the corner from this In N Out Burger we were always getting half off. A Captain on one of the other shifts told one of the girls taking the orders not to give us the discount anymore (thanks Cap).......Remember that game we played as kids where you whisper something to the person next to you and they pass it along and so on until it gets to the last person? Well this is what happened at the In N Out. The girl behind the counter told the other employees that the Captain said not to give the firemen a discount. The next guy said "We're not supposed to give the Captain the discount anymore.............So for several months the whole crew would get 50% off and the Captain would have to pay full boat. Eventually our leader realized what was going on and would wear a sweatshirt to cover up his bugles so he would get the love...........I rode STARWEST today, being the lone FPMXer I was feeling vulnerable. You don't want to get hurt alone, I mean I just feel way better when team Five-O is there or some of the other FPMX regulars. You know, just in case. I have been in a rut lately and I was in it again today. I was feeling uncomfortable and was ready to pack it in for the day after an hour or so.........But you know I'm getting tired out losing, not just losing but riding in the back of the pack. So I stayed, I learned every jump and ended up having a great time.....I pushed myself and found out that I am way out of shape. Anyway I bought running shoes and will start jogging in the AM. Heck Mesquite is just a month away. I'm not really too worried about my results in Mesquite but I want to begin to prepare for the '06 season opener in Arizona and now is the time...............e

8-31-05     I'm at work, been here a lot lately. In Fact I'm just finishing up a 96. For you cops that's 4 days in a row. Yes 24 hour days. I go home tomorrow for one then back for a 72........I'm tired........... Things are coming along real good for Mesquite and the FPMX Banquet, it should be a lot of fun................I made a decision to stick with the SUZUKI RM 250, get some motor work done and prepare for '06. Basically it came down to saving a lot of money and not finding a bike that I liked better than the one I had. I received several emails from FPMXers telling what I should do but the last one made the most sense to me. Here is part of the email:

8-25-05    I've been doing some thinking, I know (insert a stupid comment here), anyway I really hated riding the CRF 450 earlier this week. Now I want Alex to know that it has nothing to do with his bike, in fact his suspension felt good to me. It was the motor, I really didn't like it. I want to thank Alex for letting me ride his bike because if I didn't ride it I would have bought one. Now I'm not saying that I hate four strokes because I loved the motor in Jon Varley's RMZ 450 but I was uncomfortable with his cut down handlebars and his suspension was bottoming too easy for me. Anyway I never got a chance to ride the Suzook at speed. John Burr Cycles is helping me out this year and they don't carry the Suzuki brand. So I am left with a few decisions.    1) Do I buy the Honda and learn to ride it?     2) Do I wait for the Kawasaki or Yamaha?     3) Do I put money into my '05 two stroke and ride what I'm comfortable with even though it's a Suzuki?  or   4) Do I buy the RMZ 450?  JBC would be cool with it but I would feel bad. It's just too much to deal with right now. So I'll ride the RM 250 for awhile until I get a chance to ride a few more bikes. Now I wonder if it was the 4 speed transmission that I liked? I'm not one of those guys who reads up on all the new bikes too much but I think I heard that Kawasaki was going to have a 4 speed also. JBC carries Kawi's......I've never raced a green bike......Decisions.

I got an email today from Owlin Auchumoto (first cousin to Sogi) here it is:

8-22-05    Now I don't know what to do, it was so clear in my mind yesterday but now I just don't know.........I showed up at Starwest this morning at 10:36am, Team FIVE-O and Team Torrance Fire were there. I was nervous, I haven't been on the bike since I-5MX. After some chit chat I took the Suzook RM 2 Fiddy out and rolled the track. Starwest was a bit tamed since my last visit. After a few laps I was feeling almost normal, it was good to be back on the track. A-Mar (Alex Martinez) was there with his FEN (Fast Eddie Niemela) set up CRF 450. FEN has been telling me to ride that bike and see how I liked it. Alex was gracious enough to let me take a few laps.......ugh oh! Alex has a nice bike but I felt so uncomfortable on it. I kept shifting even though I know better but that's how I ride now after being on a two stroke for two years. My mind was all made up but now I just don't know. Logic says go with the Four Stroke but my gut feeling says to put some money into the 2 Fiddy motor and you'll be fine. I'M SO CONFUSED!..........Yeah I know...."Get the Four Stroke". I can see the emails already.......I remember Frank Sottile's message board statement "If you can't beat them, join them" and his speed has improved on the CRF 450 but still the gut feeling says 2-Stroke and I have a pretty good gut too (made with Cookies N Cream). It feels so good to beat my CRF buddies on a 2-Smoke but I haven't had that feeling much this year but it sure is nice when it happens. I'll make this decision later...........I saw the movie SUPERCROSS...Humm.........How does it rate on the "Is it better than IRON EAGLE 3 scale?" I just don't know and that's pretty sad. I think I liked Motocrossed better................e

8-20-05     I can't imagine a worse pain in the world than kidney stones. Yeah I had another bout with the tiniest little pebble you could imagine. It takes you to the floor and never goes away. A ten on a ten scale! I was home alone, I decided to fight it, just lay there and wait for it to pass. A year and a half ago it took five days to pass. I knew I could take the pain. I mean what would be worse, calling 911 and having the Fire Dept come to my house or just take the pain? I was into the attack about 10 minutes, I called Sue who was out of town and told her that I was going to fight it.......Ten minutes later I was on the phone to my buddy/neighbor. I couldn't take it. "Da ohh, dooo, uhhhh, Dude, I nee uhh need yyou to take me ta ta ta to the Emergency Room!".......The E.R. was packed, I hobbled to the triage nurse. "Hi, I'm a fuh fuh fireman, I have kidney stones, I don't want to sit over their with all those people, p p p please get me a bed and meds. If I have to wait I would rather flop on the f f fl f floor at home ooh ugh" "No problem, we take good care of our firemen and police officers". Man what a gift, I passed by 40-50 sick individuals in the waiting room and was in a bed in less than 5 minutes. In my adventures I have visited many Emergency Rooms. I have to say that Tri City Hospital in Oceanside is the best by far. Cool Doctors and even better Nurses. Once they found out that I was a Fireman I was treated like Royalty.....I like that! I didn't want to go home to the empty abode.......On a different note: Thanks for helping Aubriana Dunn live her dreams. The poor girl booked the wrong dates for her flight, hotel and rent a car for the WMA National at Steel City, PA. She lost $800 and was unable to recoup any of it. Anyway here's her email to me:

8-16-05    I received more emails on the Corn on the Cob post in the journal (7-24-05) than any other post ever. Here are just a couple of the many.   

8-13-05    Sometimes I just sit and shake my head.........I wonder, am I just wasting my time doing all this FPMX crap.................... Just yesterday I worked an overtime shift away from my normal fire station. A new guy on our department saw the FPMX sticker on the window of my truck and asked if I raced in that series. I said "YES". Then he asked me if I knew any of the Las Vegas Firemen who raced in it. Again I said "YES". Then he said "Do you know Brad Hannig?"..............."Oh yeah, I know Hannig" It's times like this that I realize just how important the FPMX is. Brad is a really good friend of mine. In fact most of my buddies now are guys that I ride with and everyone of them is a Firemen or Police Officer. If you guys haven't figured it out yet then let me tell you. "We have something special here". I just read Mark Davenport's Diary entry from 8-11-05...........Mark sees the big picture! I too am amazed how cheap some of you guys are. If it's too expensive then stay home. I take 100% of the risk here. I have lost money at races on a few occasions. If I lose money on the banquet in October then I will figure out a way not to lose money next year. But you can count on me to hold races and provide the best FPMX that I can. WORD! And what a pity it would be if I didn't have the friends I have now. Think about it........What if Chad never met Chad? What if there wasn't a Team Five-0 racing? What if you only had the Police and Fire Games to look forward to? What if you had to spend an extra $150 to hang out with you friends, eat a good meal with the wife, see a bunch of your FPMX buddies make a fool of themselves on stage, Laugh your butt off, Win some nice prizes from our sponsors and have memories that will last forever..........What if?...........Ed

8-10-05    The results are finally finished for round 6. Sorry it took so long. There are a few changes that I am waiting on in a couple of classes but for the most part they will remain as is. Tomorrow I will start on the points. I know that I haven't brought this up for a while but the number thing still goes on everyday. It' weird but it's a part of my life and I can't control it.......EXAMPLE: Last week at work we responded on an assault at a fleabag hotel. The room number was 111. It was sometime around 0430 hours, I was doing the sleep walking thing up the long driveway to the ground level room. I had just got finished doing the sleep driving thing moments earlier. Eyes barely open I see the numbers on the door (111).......The names Bob Cline & Jon Varley flash past my sleepy brain cells. Wanting to stay asleep so after the run I can return to my slumber after I sleep drive back to the station, I try to blank out the numbers. You see this is a skill that I and many other wheelmen have developed over the years. Many years ago I perfected the skills of sleep driving, sleep walking and sleep patient assessments as a young paramedic. But this assault was one of those calls that just drag on. With the patient doing fine and the Medics doing all the work I had the opportunity to do nothing! At 4:30am nothing is good, it gave me the opportunity to use my afore mentioned skills. Trying to keep every thought out of my head became very difficult. Standing in a dark parking lot outside the hotel room, eyes closed (sleep standing), I had a thought pop in my head........."Josh Blackburn". You see Josh is FPMX # 112. I was wondering if room 112 was next door. I mean I figured it was but didn't want to open my eyes and look. My mind couldn't blank it out so I looked.......It was room 112 next door. Trying to blank my mind out again proved more difficult...I wondered what room numbers were behind me, logic told me that they were somewhere between 115 and 120.........I remembered a SUZUKI 450 with # 115 on it doing well in the Novice classes at I-5 but didn't know who was riding it and # 120 is Aubriana Dunn's number........Dang, I'm starting to wake up! I couldn't keep these thoughts out of my mind, I had to know what the room numbers were behind me......Finally I looked! It was rooms 116-119. These numbers might not mean too much to you but to me it was the numbers that Scott Nelson (116), Brent Bush (117), Myself (118) and Brad Hannig (119) rode with in Ohio on our CRF450's in 2003. Man that was a fun trip......By this time my mind is in 3rd gear pinned going around the right hand sweeper at Broken Spokes Raceway in Ohio........I had lost all control, I was no longer able to sleep stand, walk or drive....I was wide awake. Oh  I tried to go back to bed when we got back to the station but just laid there thinking about motocross................e

8-02-05    I promise you that I am trying to get the scoring from I-5 up on the website, it's just that I have been extremely busy since the race. You see Sue really likes this motor home and she keeps me at the wheel. Yesterday we drove up to Provo, Utah to see our son and hang out for a few days. It was a 13 hour drive and one of the hardest I have made in a while. You see I didn't get home until early in the morning before leaving. I was out with an old High School friend doing what we used to do thirty years ago.......We saw Ted Nugent at the Hard Rock Cafe in Anaheim. Wow The Motor City Madman can still rock even at the young age of 57! If Mr. Nugent can do that at age 57, I can moto for several more years! I remember when 40 was old. Not anymore. A few days ago I was talking to Dan "VIKING" Hadfield on the cell. We were discussing the fact that if we didn't have Motocross races to look forward to that we would have no reason or desire to workout. Yeah this moto stuff keeps us young. It keeps us motovated! I have noticed that there is a ton of guys out there that ride the track but don't race. Maybe it's because there are no more places around like Escape Country or Saddleback. Those places had tracks but they also had thousands of acres of trail riding. Everyone went there to ride. It was for everyone, trail riders, hill climbers, racers and first time beginners. Those places were the places to go. I loved the TT track in the back of Saddleback. With those type of places full of housing tracts now and the LEFT side closing up all the free riding lands it seems that the only places to ride are the tracks. I love track riding but track riding without a race to train for just doesn't seem like it has as much purpose. I know you guys get it. When we have a race scheduled at STARWEST you will see the who's who of FPMX there daily and if the upcoming event is at Glen Helen then you know where everyone will be on Thursday. Yes Moto keeps you young and I dig that about Motocross.............EW

7-24-05    Over the years I have noticed three different ways to eat corn on the cob. Two of the methods are not FPMX approved and thus considered wrong. One of the wrong ways is by far the most popular. That is the "typewriter" method. Most people use this method, my wife uses it. Sue has often commented on how clean my cob is after I eat the corn while hers has several lone Indians yet she refuses to switch to my method. The other wrong method is the one where the eater cuts the corn off the cob with a knife then eats it. This method is seldom used but very efficient. Which leaves us with the only FPMX approved method called the "Roller" method. The roller is executed by holding the cob with two hands, one on each end just like the typewriter method. The eater starts on the left and takes a bite then rolls the top of the cob away and  takes the next bite. After the first complete rotation you continue to roll the cob and consume the corn to the right. Much like a hose roller on a reel line (booster line) on a fire engine. Soon the entire cob is void of all kernels........There are several ways to get around a motocross track. My method is considered wrong, it is known as the "I'm too tired and I am going to sit down" method. I have used this style of riding for many years. It has brought me three FPMX #1 plates in the 40+ Intermediate class back in the early 2000's. Now with the "Kids" coming into the class and many of them coached by Jon Varley and other MX coaches I find myself reading the back of too many jerseys these days. Some of those names I don't really like to read........... Moon, Marquez, Romero, Reynertson and others. I have this constant picture in my head of Mark Davenport standing on the side of the track, arms stretched forward, palms up and motioning me to stand up. I find myself not wanting to disappoint Mark so I try to stand up while in his corner but as soon as I am out of his sight I find my seat. I figure that if I could clone Davenport and place about fourteen Marks around the track I might give the fore mentioned 40+ Intermediates a chance to read "WILSON" more often. I know my sitting method is wrong, I really don't realize that I am doing it but photos don't lie and I have way too many showing the "I'm too tired and I am going to sit down" approach to motocross. I'm going to work on standing up more. I would like a few more #1 plates hanging in my garage. But if hat never happens at least I know that I eat corn on the cob right...........e

7-17-05    My month long moto vacation is over, Sue & I put 7400 miles on our new motor home. Now it's back to work, back to the normal life. Can you guys keep a secret? Ok here goes......I think I might be selling the RM250 and getting a F***S****. Mumms the word Ok! I called and the '06 CRF 450's are coming out next month (Yes a Four Stroke and yes a HONDA). I don't know what's come over me but maybe it's time. I felt like I was back! I felt really good after some good rides in Ohio and Canada, only my endurance would stop me from running up front at Rounds 5 & 6 at Gorman..........Wrong! I don't know maybe it's time to reevaluate and figure out how to get around the track a little faster. I just felt like I was shifting so much and going nowhere slow. I have never done very well on the type of corners at I5mx but come on!......I am very interested in the '06 YZF 450 and the '06 CRF 450 and my choice was made when I heard that the HONDA's would be out next month while the Blue bikes weren't coming out until November. Since our next race is in October the answer was RED!...............So I will become part of the Red Sea (again). Should feel like home................Next stop on the FPMX tour is Mesquite, Nevada. I was asked several times at I-5 where Mesquite was.......Mesquite is on the 15 an hour and a half North of Las Vegas. It's on the Northern state line and is a gambling town with some nice hotels and casinos. After the races on Tuesday we will have the first annual FPMX Banquette at the Casablanca Hotel and Casino. We will have a dinner, entertainment and raffle. Please plan on attending, it will be worth your time and money. I will get all the information out in the next week. Check the message board for hotel discounts...........e

7-9-05    Over the years I have often thought of getting personalized plates on my truck. There are so many options, you can go with Catchy things like "CUL8R" or "MOTO RCR". I've thought of "FPMX ED" or maybe "FPMX CEO", I kind of like that one. But time goes on and I don't do it. Today on the freeway on the way to Gorman I was checking out personalized license plates. I saw one that said "LAEKERS" I tried to figure it out. At first I thought it had something to do with the LA Lakers but then I started figuring it out. I know the "EK" stood for Ernie Kopasz and the "S" at the end has something to do with him getting beat by a SUZUKI but I couldn't figure the rest out. There were several plates out there like VROOOOM on a Corvette.............Yesterday I got my plates in the mail for the new motor home......"5NRD880" I tried to figure it out......I didn't like what I saw....what is it? "5 Nerd ate eighty" Ate eighty what? I'm not real happy with the NERD thing.....I think I'm being forced into personalized plates finally.............HAZ this doesn't mean that we are naming the motor home the NERD Mobile either!.............I met Jim Volantis out at I-5 today, there was a little track change but most of it stayed the same. I survived "Black Saturday" and will not ride until practice on Monday AM. For all of you practicing tomorrow please be careful. See you tomorrow night at I-5...............eDub 311

7-7-05    It's nice to be home. We were on the road for 21/2 weeks. This is somewhat new to Sue and I, I like road trips but this is our first together that lasted over a day or so. So it's amazing that we got along so well. In fact the only times that we didn't was when I asked her (a woman) to do the impossible......READ A MAP. Yes were were lost a few times, I hate being lost while driving a motor home and pulling a trailer. It's not like you can just whip a U turn or pull into a driveway and turn around......Anyway we are still married.......Yesterday I went to the FPMX private rental at I-5 put on by Bruce Hale. I showed up very confident after some good rides in Ohio and Quebec. After a few laps on I-5 I lost all confidence. I rode like someone who can't read maps (sorry Pix & Laura). I just road timid and cautious. Maybe because I took a pretty good fall at I-5 my last time there a few months ago, I don't know. Well I have a few days to figure it out.......I'm kind of bent about losing in Canada and standing on the podium with a guy waving his countries flag and having a gold medal hanging around his neck. He seemed like a good guy but I felt ashamed that it wasn't an American flag waving. So I started to plan to attend the World Games in Australia in "07. I have no idea where to get a bike but I'm starting to work on it...........I think I will do the World Games from now on. It's way different for me, I have no responsibility there other than to race and I like that........I know for a fact that a healthy Mark Davenport would have been in Canada and maybe we can put a hurt on the world in '07..........Start planning MD............e

7-1-05    Where to begin? First off, I bought this wireless Nation wide internet card from Verizon. It works pretty good only problem, I never get tot use it. Oh Sue enjoys it while I drive. She has great fun chatting with her friends, checking websites………….Me? I drive! Then when we find a place to bed down, like last night and today at Nauvoo State Park in Illinois there’s no reception…….And this is life for me on the road. I drive, I sleep, drive….We’ll be home in a few days and everything will be back to normal. The World Games are an experience. Police & Fire athletes from around the world meet every two years to compete for World Championships. I set a goal 19 years ago to become a World Champion. Several years later I figured that I would never reach that goal. But after a second place finish in moto 1 of the Master 250 class on Monday I realized that I had a chance to do it. With all the second motos on Tuesday I had plenty of time to get focused. There was a Supercross section of the track that I was rolling on Monday. It wasn’t to difficult but I never did it in practice and a rider crashed on the first lap on Monday so there was a yellow flag out the entire race so I never did it. I knew if I was to challenge Jurislov Vanek a multi time World Champion from the Czech Republic that I needed to do everything on the track. So in practice on Tuesday I figured out the SX section and felt ready for the moto. I gated right behind Vanek and stayed with him for a few of laps but then he began to pull a little, inching away until he was a couple of corners ahead. I faded after 5 to 6 laps in the deep sand but had a comfortable lead over 3rd place. It’s funny, I went to Quebec with the goal to take a top 5 in the World but now am very disappointed in myself for not being in better shape to have reached my goal set while in my 20‘s. Brent Bush became a World Champion this year. He rode like a champ finishing 1-1 just ahead of 2001 World Champion Brad Hannig. The games go to Australia in 2007, Vancouver, Canada in 2009 and return to the USA in 2011 in New York City. Hey I’ll be 50 y/o in Vancouver racing against old guys……So your sayin' there’s a chance?………..eDub
 

6-25-05    Welcome from Erie, Pennsylvania. Brent Bush and family, Rob Marshall and family and Sue and I all met up at Spring Valley Raceway in Ohio for the 7th annual Fire & Police Benefit Motocross. It was a good day of racing. The track was fun but continued to change from dusty to muddy as the water truck dictated. The dust was thick and the mud was slick but it was a good time had by all. The race promoter, Ray Martin was the only casualty and took a ride to the hospital but should be ok. It the book "Race Promoting for Dummies" Chapter 3 says that race promoters shouldn't get hurt on race day. Maybe that's why it's called "for Dummies" because I've been there too often myself. I hope Ray has a speedy recovery. After the races on Friday all three families headed North for Highway 90 along Lake Erie and about midnight met up with Brad Hannig and family. Brad finally got the transmission repaired and drove 2100 miles in two and a half days. We all all at WAL*MART right now, the KOA was full, Brad is sleeping. We'll hit the road for Quebec City, Canada at 10am, at least that was the plan. But knowing Brad, and I do (this is our third trip back East together) we'll be on the road by 9:30 and he'll be upset if I'm late (note: Late is 9:31am when we were scheduled to depart WAL*MART at 10am. So I am going to sign off and get ready to go.....................e

6-22-05    Welcome from Louisville, Kentucky. It's been a busy week getting the motor home packed for the first time then getting out of town. We got a late start, had to wait for the house sitters to arrive to give them the keys but we finally started the journey. We have been putting in about 600 miles per day. Right now we sit just outside of Ohio. Sue wants to shop in the Amish stores today, I knew that if I didn't get her here today that it would affect my practice tomorrow so I pushed hard. We (I) drove 13 hours yesterday. I heard some bad news, Brad Hannig's transmission took a dump at the beginning of his trip near Boulder Dam. Brad should be on the road today but will miss the Ohio race and drive straight through to Quebec. So it looks like Brent Bush, Rob Marshall and myself will represent the West Coast......I am a new fan of WAL*MART. We have been pulling into their parking lots late at night and camping there. They are open 24 hours back here and we can buy all the crap that we forgot to pack. What a great idea WAL*MART has to allow overnight camping for free. We stayed in 3 of them so far and each time it's like a mini KOA. We give them our money (buy everything we forgot to buy) then get on the road. Well It's that time again to pull up the jacks and mosey on down the road......What can we possibly buy at an Amish store? Who knows but I'll be sure to tell you next time I get internet service..............e out

6-14-05    Sue and I are getting ready for a moto road trip. We are still waiting on the motor home. We pick it up Thursday PM. My nephew and his wife are house sitting for us. I have been planning this trip for 4 years, it's almost here and there is so much to do. Today Sue and I went to get certified copies of our Birth Certificates. They will be mailed to Ohio because they won't be ready in time for us before we leave. We need them to get into Canada. Back in 1997 Sue and I drove to Calgary, Canada for the World Games. At the border check between Montana and Canada on I-15 we were asked several questions...."Do you have any weapons?".."No, well we do have a bb gun" "That's OK, do you have any drugs?" "No".....This went on for a while then they asked if we had any pepper spray. I said "no" but Sue remembered that she had some in her purse and spoke out.."Oh, yes I do have some pepper spray"......."OK, pull your vehicle over there and park it please". We sat there for about 10 minutes until the biggest human being I ever saw that wasn't in the NBA came over and asked me to follow him. Sue and my son Danny were alone in the Mini Van. I stood in a room alone for about 45 minutes. The room had mirrored walls. I knew I was being watched so I tried to act like nothing was wrong........Only thing.....I was smuggling T-Shirts into Canada. About 20 minutes south of the border check Sue read in the Olympic Guide and told me that we were only allowed to bring 20 t-shirts into Canada to trade or sale......I had over 200....Was I going to be put in a Turkish prison? I saw that movie "Midnight Express" recently and had it on my mind. Was my wife and son OK?  Were they going through the van?.........How do you look like nothing is bothering you when your mind is going crazy with all these thoughts? I yawned, I read newspaper clippings on the walls, I tried to look bored.......I'm no detective but I bet they knew I was nervous. Then the BIG guy came and got me...."Mr Wilson today is your lucky day, we pick one vehicle a day to tear apart and today it is yours".......As we walked towards my wife and son sitting in the smuggling van I saw 8 Canadian Border Patrol agents with all kinds of tools. They were chomping at the bit to get started. I walked to the back of the Mini Van to open the rear hatch. The BIG guy noticed my Fireman's sticker in the window. I opened the hatch exposing three cardboard boxes reading HANES BEEFY T on the side. I knew I was busted. Not only was my son going to be fatherless I was going to lose all my World Motocross t-shirts and be placed in some Canadian prison......The crew had walked up to the van ready to tear it apart but the BIG guy asked if I was a fireman. "Why YES I am" "Where do you work?" "Los Angeles" "Are you busy there?" "Oh yeah, we are so busy" "What kind of stuff do you go on?".......At this point I knew he wanted to talk Fire Department....I rarely talk Fire Department off duty (or on duty) but I figured it was a good time to start. I told him about every good call I have ever been on, I made it sound like it happened all the time. I was Johnny Gage to this guy. He was a fire buff. We talked for about 30 minutes......."Well Mr Wilson I am going to let you go today, we'll get the next guy".........There were 8 sad faces left standing there but I for one had the biggest smile ever........."Thank you sir". Gotta love those little Fireman's stickers..........I'm looking forward to the adventures ahead.........e

6-11-05    A week ago when I asked Ernie Kopasz to write an article on FirePoliceMX.com he had a few concerns. "What do you want me to write about?", "How often do I have to write?", "What if I can't think of anything?"......... 1) Write about whatever you want. 2) As often as you want. 3) Don't worry about that, it will come to you. Just sit down and start plucking away at the keys.......It's kind of like the eDub approach to life.......Don't worry about it, just do it! I find that some of my best articles come when I have nothing to say. So why did I pick Ernie to spread his verbiage on you? Well for many reasons.........Not his speed of course! But Ernie is a cop much like Mark (Davenport's Diary) only different. I've known Mark a long time now and I know he bleeds Moto, too bad it's all BLUE but.........Come to think of it Ernie bleeds BLUE too. Ok they are both cops and both ride YAMAHAS, I don't know maybe they are too much alike and will write the same things. Hey when I have nothing to say I babble, you are getting babble right now. Come to think of it I think I have decided to buy a YAMAHA (YZ250) next year too.........The popular decision would be to buy the 2006 HONDA CRF 450 right? But I don't want to be like Dan Hadfield, Tim Connett, Dave Mason, Steve Marquez, Dennis Romero, Jim Volantis, Jim Eberle, Kevin Korne, Dennis Moon, Jeff Rogers....Blah Blah Blah, who all ride the same bike. I know, if you can't beat them, join them right........Only problem is I think I can beat them. Maybe not right now, I'm still a little messed up from a few crashes earlier this year but I'm getting better. It might take until Mesquite but I'll be back. Don't get too comfortable either Steve Dye or Steve Williams you Two Stroke brothers of mine. I want you guys as bad as any of them.........Best thing about this Fire Police Motocross stuff is that I like all the guy I just said that I want to beat. If they beat me, good for them. Doesn't mean I like it but good for them. I'll be shooting for you next time. And if I beat you, good for me. It's sure nice to look down the line and know the guys that I am about to risk my health with on the track. My worst injuries have all happened at the track with a bunch of badge carrying brothers and they always stop to take care of me. I love racing with you guys........... So I'm just kind of writing this to fill the void and not leave you hanging for too many days without a JOURNAL entry.....Like it says at the top of the journal "The Journal will be a place to see what's going on in the FPMX world on a daily basis. Does it matter? Not really but for those who are interested it will be here for you".........It really doesn't matter but I for one look forward to reading Davenport's Diary and Ernie's HIGH SIDE when they come out. I don't mind getting slammed now and again by them. It's all good and I like to dish out mine too but this "Inside the FPMX" by my wife scares the crap out of me...............eDub

6-8-05    The day I feared the most has finally arrived. Sue has her own article on FirePoliceMX.com. Is nothing sacred anymore? Will I have any secrets left?................Last month Sue and I borrowed a motor home from Allen Anolin, actually it was a trade. Allen is the cousin of Sogi Achumoto, anyway he and his family borrowed our WaveRuners the month before. In the words of Wind in his hair "Good trade". Well on the way home from Lake Havasu we decided to stop in and look at some motor homes. I was tired of pitting out of my F250 and sleeping in hotels at the races and besides motor homing was a lot of fun. I can't even tell you how many hotels I have stayed in this year. Oh and the Beverly Hillbillies trips to the races with my truck piled up with so much crap that I could barley get my bike in there about killed me. I was temped to tie a rocking chair on top so Granny could make the trip with me..........Well we finally bought a motor home. We get to pick it up next week sometime. I'm pumped.......If you ever wanted to buy a motor home now is the time. With gas prices up the dealers are desperate to sell. One day Sue and I were kicking back at home and one of the dealers that we visited actually drove a motor home to our house to try to persuade us into buying there's instead of the one we bought. It might have been a good move except the motor home they brought over had a few problems. First off the linoleum floor was peeling up and the floor was all scuffed with black marks. Oh and the roof AC didn't work, either did the dash AC. They told us that this was normal and that all motor homes have problems........Uh, dude it's NEW! At least let it break after we drive off the lot..........I'm going to try to sneak out in the morning and get a few laps in. Maybe I'll go to Elsinore, it's the closest to home and I haven't been there for a while. I haven't ridden since the Competitive Edge rental. Well I have to get fast in the next week so I can make a good showing in Ohio and Quebec. Yeah right, I'm just hoping to get a top 100 number for next year................e 

6-5-05    Air head Ed is what I'm going by now. Yes it seems that the more I put on my plate the more scatter brained I get. I just got a phone call from Massachusetts, Greg the truck driver of the bikesellerz.com rig found my camera bag in the riders lounge. I pulled a Steve Marquez, it wasn't stolen, I just misplaced it. I have a big "L" on my forehead right now. Just today I was looking in the Sunday ads to see what it was going to cost to replace my second favorite toy. Wow I feel really good right now but Sue is starting to wonder if Alzheimer's is setting in........I just lost my train of thought, what were we talking about? Something to do with Steve Marquez being in Massachusetts or something????? I don't know..........e

6-2-05    Back in 1992 I was an up and coming 30+ Intermediate, I was riding a '92 Pro Circuit CR250 that was built for Jeremy McGrath, it was way faster than a stock CR250 and the suspension was outstanding. Winning was everything and my goals were high. I wanted to be the fastest Fireman or Cop alive. There was one guy in the Intermediate class that was faster than me, he was a Huntington Beach fireman, his name was Aron Briggs. That year Aron would win and I would come in second. I never beat Aron. I led him once in a 10 lap race at Perris for 9 laps, that was the closest I ever came to beating him. Aron and I were friends, he turned Expert that next season, I was to follow in '94. We rode together during the week and pushed each other. In early '93 Aron asked me if I wanted to race the San Diego Amateur Supercross with him. I had raced this event in 1990 and swore never to do that again. So I told Aron that I wasn't comfortable racing that event. Aron decided to participate anyway. That Sunday evening I got a phone call from a friend, Aron had come up short on a double and was paralyzed, he was a quadriplegic. Mike Dunn and I visited Aron in the Hospital that week, his spirits were high. Aron is just one of those guys who always sees the bright side. He asked me that day if I thought I could finally beat him. A few months later Aron started getting feeling in his extremities..........I'm wired a little different, Sue thinks I have no compassion for people but I do. I just don't show it the way she thinks is normal. Yes we sat through the movie "My Life", the one where Michael Keaton was dying of cancer and he filmed his last days for his unborn child. Well let me tell you I was the only dry eyed person in the entire theater. Everybody was sobbing out loud and I was looking at my watch thinking "when is this thing going to get over?". A week later Sue and I saw "Rudy" in the theater.......She sat there dry eyed while I was using my socks to blow my nose. I was a basket case...........Sports movies just kill me. It's human triumph, beating the odds, winning when you shouldn't. It's a lot of human emotion and I suck at those movies but they are my favorite ones. Remember the Titans, Hoosiers....heck The Mighty Ducks, whatever...I'm a geek........Last month at Glen Helen there was a guy in the beginner class on a 1992 CR 250, # 151. I don't know if you saw him, he was the slowest guy on the track. He couldn't start his own bike, heck he couldn't even climb on it. We had to hold him up off the side of the track before each of his motos until the gate dropped then he would fall in behind the class and make his way around the track. When the race was over we would have to catch him and help him off his bike. It was my friend Aron Briggs! Aron works at the water department in Huntington Beach now, he walks with a cane. He is considered a quadriplegic and always will be. Aron told me that racing again was a highlight. His days are all the same, wake up, work out, work , drive home, sleep, wake up, work out, work , drive home, sleep......As I stood on the edge of the Glen Helen track watching the 151 HONDA negotiate the course I started to cry. My buddy Aron Briggs beat the odds, he was racing motocross again. Most would have felt pity for themselves, not Aron. He told me that he was the fastest guy in the "Two wheeled Quad class"...............Ed

5-29-05    Wow it's been 11 days since I typed a bunch of letters here somehow trying to make them make a little since and not make me look like too much of a fool. Well I drove to Hangtown again this year to witness one of the best 125 Nationals I have ever seen. I also had the pleasure of getting my Canon Digital Rebel ripped off. Yes the fact that I have grown very close to this camera hurt and the fact that I will need to spend $1500 to get everything back isn't that pleasant either but the thing that really bugs me is that I had all my Havasu vacation pics and a ton of other pics in there that never made it onto my laptop. Besides all that the race was fun. On the way home I had the opportunity to ride with a bunch of Correction Officers at Tulare Cycle Park. It was a fun track, very safe but had enough to keep it interesting. It would be a good place to race. Later in the week I made it out to the Competitive Edge track to ride with a bunch of FPMXers. This too would be a fun place to race. It has lots of horsepower robbing sand and a nice layout. It's Memorial weekend and I chose to park the RM 250 and the WaveRunners and work for my fire buddies who want to brave the great outdoors with all the crazies. I've been there, I didn't like it, I'm done with it. I prefer to vacation during the week when everyone else is working their 9 to 5..........After doing the Glen Helen National last month out of the back of my F250 and an EZup the Mrs. and I decided to step it up and get a motor home. The Official name of this beast will be "FPMX 1" ( kind of like Air Force 1) but the nick name is still up in the air. Last time I had a name my trailer free for all I got a lot of great ideas. But Mike (HAZ) Frieling came through with the winner...."The Ala Mode Abode". I will wait patiently for the nick name of FPMX 1...........The I-5 race is coming up soon so please start sending in your Pre-Entries so the FPMX staff won't be hammered at the end. This will also help us get a race schedule before the morning of round 5 during practice......RC is an amazing animal, I haven't checked the results from today yet but from what I saw last week he is well on his way to another championship. Whether on a KX, CRF or RMZ he seems to have the field covered......Amazing......It's almost time for a new bike, the '06's are getting ready to hit the showroom floors soon and so the question arises...What do I get? It would take a minor miracle to get me off the two stroke and back on one of those other bikes so the field is narrow but I am leaning towards the YAMAHA YZ 250 so I can be like  Erine "yzernie" Kopasz. Maybe I could be "yzeddie".....Until next time, and I hope it will be sooner than 11 days..................Opps before I sign off.....I took a hot lap through Garvey park and said so long to all my friends as I returned to the BBall court. Yes it's one armed Basketball but it's better than the park.................e  

5-18-05    We are already putting the '06 FPMX schedule together. Rounds 1 & 2 will follow the Phoenix Supercross and be held at ACP again on January 16th & 17th. Rounds 3 & 4 are up in the air, we are checking several tracks now and should settle on one soon. That event will be held in March. I thought it was too long of a break waiting from January until May this year. Rounds 5 & 6 will probably be held at Glen Helen in May again. Rounds 7 & 8 will most likely be at I-5 in July then it will be road trip time for rounds 9 & 10. That will be the 9-1-1 Memorial race in New York. The track is yet to be determined, I will be back there this summer to check out some of the tracks. The Series then will come back West for Rounds 11 & 12 to be held in October right after the US OPEN, we are leaning towards Mesquite again with the year end banquet held right after round 12. We will then have the annual Christmas GP/Toy drive at Glen Helen in the first part of December. The plans are to give-a-way an '07 motocrosser at the Christmas GP to someone who races in 10 of the 12 National rounds. For every class you enter you will get one ticket for the raffle. The raffle will be held after the GP and you must be present to win. It sounds like a lot of racing and a lot of fun, those who win National Championships will have earned them. We have a lot of work to do but I will keep you posted so you can arrange time off work to attend the races.  

5-16-05     Ok all I can think about is NEW YORK in '06. At fist the NY idea (have an FPMX race there) was scary for me. I felt like it was something I wanted to try but I knew that only a handful of regulars would be there. The race would only be successful if we got a whole new crop of FPMXers fron the East Coast. Then Erv Braun and I got to talking and the idea to have a 9-1-1 Memorial race came up. WOW!. a race in New York on September 11 & 12, 2006. A tribute to the fallen heroes of the 9-1-1 tragedy. It's in the works now but it's happening so plan to take a NY vacation in September of 2006. Bikesellerz.com is working on shipping the bikes at a reasonable price. The track isn't picked yet but we have several options. Erv is from NY and has a good knowledge of the motocross in that area. I trust that we will have an awesome venue. After the races I think it would be great to take an FPMX trip Ground Zero and pay tribute. Yeah I'm pumped about this. We are trying to get things finalized before the end of June 2005 so we can get the word out while traveling to the Ohio Fire & Police race and the World Games in Quebec City, Canada.........Ok here's my reply to Davenports article. If Bubba stays on two wheels he will win the Outdoors. Remember when he played with Reed while riding a 125 against Reed's 250 f? Yes Bubba is the fastest man on the planet. But I would never bet against Ricky. So my final pick is RC, Reed, K-Dub and then Bubba (he'll miss some races)............Yesterday at work I was ready to walk in the park but I noticed two guys boxing with gloves on, it was just too much of a change from my routine to have a new group in our little haven (Garvey Park) so I decided to try to play B-Ball with the boys........It hurt like heck but I hit a few jumpers. I'm on the road to recovery....Look out 16 and 173..................e

5-15-05    Sorry, I was busy and couldn't write. First off if I'm not mistaken we had a National. Yes Rounds 3 & 4 went off at the Glen two weeks ago. We had over 300 entries each day making this the biggest FPMX National of all time. It was pretty awesome. I learned a lot from this event. The things I learned should help to make the future FPMX's run better. The bigger we get the more issues come up.....Aright after the Nationals I was off to Lake Havasu for the annual Wilson family vacation. In the middle of that I had to split for the Las Vegas Supercross then back to Havasu for a week. No cells and no laptops! It was nice......I'm a bit busy now and will write tomorrow.................e

4-28-05    The cell rang at 6am this morning, it was my buddy/nemesis, yzernie. "Did I wake you up?" "No the phone did". I have my cell ringer set on the Munsters theme song. "Don't bother coming out today, the track is flooded, it's been raining all morning" "Thanks man, I guess I'll see you Sunday evening".........It was raining hard at my house so I believed him but wouldn't that be just like a cop to tell a fireman that the track was closed when it was really open. I mean just before the race. It would have been a good one. I laid back in bed and my mind started racing. Man I needed track time before the Glen. Then I remembered that Brad Hannig and Chris Rieffer were driving down from Las Vegas for a little practice so I called Brad's cell ( I think he has his ringer set on some Ricky Martin song). They were already in Barstow so they continued the drive. 12 hours later Brad called me from Logandale, Nevada, He just drove up into his driveway. The new CRF 450 was never fired up.........The last chance to ride the Glen will be Saturday morning. I plan to be there dodging quads but I need the practice. I rode Perris yesterday with Ed Niemela and Joe Benson. The track was full of Pros and I never got comfortable there. It's been two years since I rode Perris. The dirt there is so nice but the track design isn't FPMX friendly. It's a little too jumpy but with a few days practice it would be really fun. Anyway I wasn't about to try anything stupid right before the Nationals, I just wanted to ride the bike a little........Wow, we have a new Pre-Entry record! Tonight we just got # 160. The previous record was 122 back in 1989. This event should be a lot of fun, big classes...................eddie Munster

4-23-05    The thing I like best about racing is the friends I have made over the years. I have friends all over the United States, a few in Canada, Scotland and New Zealand too..........WOW! Who would have thought. As I look at the gas prices I realize just how expensive it is going to be to drive to Ohio and then Quebec City, Canada this summer. But you know what........It's worth it. I figure it's a recruiting trip. Over the years several riders that I have met on my travels to these events have made there way to the FPMX. Some of my best times racing occurred..........well not even when racing. The road trips are amazing. Some of my best times and best friends came from FPMX road trips. You know it's really a small world. We get a Bomb scare at work today, we are standing by for several hours as all the bomb guys, sheriffs and ATF guys are doing their thing when all of the sudden I see Joe Benson! Joe is one of my buddies from Alabama who I me at the World Games in 1993 in Colorado. We hung for a while but he was busy on some top secret homeland security stuff. Anyway he is going to try to make the Nationals at the Glen but isn't sure. He's some major ATF guru now. I wish you guys could see him ride. Oh well, busy...................e out!

4-22-05     So I'm dealing with two bad shoulders. The new injury on the right shoulder is healing fast but the injury from ACP in January is taking it's time. I can ride with it but there are a few positions that just don't work. Like shooting a basketball. My left hand isn't able to go up far enough, fast enough to balance the ball so I can shoot it with my right hand..........So when the guys go to play ball in the morning at work, I walk around the park. This has been going on for a few months now. It's a 4:45 second lap around the gym, pool and a lot of grassy areas. If I push it I can do a 4:42. My laps are like NASCAR, I only turn to the left. Everyday I see the same people. There is a group of line dancing Asians dressed in black pants and turquoise sweaters. The group started off small with 6 or 7 dancers but now they are up to about 40. I go up and make my first left, now I have reached the highest elevation of the park. Here there is an old Asian man who walks back and forth like a robot, flapping his arms like a bird. About fifty feet further there is an Asian woman who holds onto a railing and swings one leg back and forth, switching legs every 10 minutes or so. Next I pass a set of stairs with 20 steps, there is an Asian guy in his late 20's going up and down the stairs over and over, raising his arms like someone just scored a touchdown. Just before I hit turn 2 and start my decent there are 2 Asian people who hold onto the chain link, reaching as high as they can and shaking one leg at a time. Just before I get to the edge of the pool there are 4 Asian ladies in a circle (maybe a square since there are four) leaning in and flapping there arms, speaking mandarin and laughing the whole hour that I walk. Then there is a large group of Asians dressed in white pants and red shirts doing some tai chi. During my several laps I pass Asian walkers going in a clockwise direction around the park. Lap after lap I see these people, everyday, over and over and over...........Last week I realized that I had become part of the park, I was just one of the many regulars.......I realized that I was the CaucAsian guy in blue shorts and a blue t-shirt walking the wrong way around the park. Tomorrow I go clockwise and confuse everyone! Man I can't wait until I can play ball again...............e

4-15-05    I woke up today with one thing in mind, I needed a new tool box! For several years Steve Marquez has made fun of my tool boxes, his kids make fun of my tool boxes too. I finally had enough last night. I don't know why it was last night, I haven't seen Steve or the kids in a while but for some reason I decided it was time to make a move. I was looking for something almost too big to lift into the bed of my truck with drawers in it. Now I have a box with a tray on top and everything gets piled below. It's a mess! Plus I have acquired too much stuff. Sue and I went to Subway for lunch, I want to be the new Jared. After lunch we went to Home Depot. The boxes there were either too big or too small. Then we went to Sears, after a few minutes I found her, she was black with a nice texture on the outside, four drawers and a nice tray up top. She was only $79. I searched the shelves but couldn't find her. I asked the tool guy working the area if he had any in the back. "In the back of what? Everything we have is out here" "I already looked out here and I couldn't find one" "Well then we are out, you can order one" "How about I just buy the floor model?" "No, order one" "No!" I really wanted it now, I hate shopping & I don't want to come back. Besides the guy was a jerk. So Sears won't sell the floor model and they don't have any in stock. I'm just a fireman but I think you should make the sale and keep the customer happy. Then order a bunch and stick one of them on the shelf as a floor model  But here's what really irks me......After hitting a few more hot spots I still never found a tool box that I liked, I want the Sears one! But I don't want to order it from that rude jerk plus I don't like shopping, if I never shopped again I would be a happy man. I was so organized when I hade the Ala Mode Abode but since selling it my tools have been living out of a cardboard box. Half of them are missing in action. If I need a phillips I can only find slotted, if I need a 12mm, I can only find a 1/2........Things are sad in the #15 pits right now.............e

4-12-05    I made my track comeback last week. I went to I-5 with a bunch of FPMXers. Bruce Hale rented the track, it was my first time there. I liked the track and was having a great time right up until my head and right shoulder impacted the ground. My M2R saved me but like an idiot I took the shoulder/arm pads off my AXO chest protector. So now I have matching shoulders. Actually the new injury isn't too bad and should heal in a few weeks. I believe I separated my shoulder a bit. I didn't go to the doctor but this happened to my kid in football and it just took a few weeks to heal. I will be off the bike for another few weeks though, losing much needed seat time.........If things keep going like they are this season I'll be running my new 3 digit number (519) in '06.......I was planning to go to the Supercross this weekend but with the two injuries going on I didn't want to be Shoulderless in Seattle so I'll stay home. Not too much is going on right now so I'll be signing off................e out

4-7-05    So I found out yesterday that Tri Tip comes from cows in Santa Maria, CA. The cows in the rest of the world don't have tips on their tri's (as per Frank and Danny Lowers). I learned a valuable lesson last weekend. Here it is: Show up at the airport way early, like four hours or more. I was scheduled to be the Permanent Middle Seat guy again. But I was the first to check in and the lady behind the counter asked if I wanted a window seat. It's only been two weeks since my last flight so I guess I was off the cycle. "YES please!" So I get a window seat and not over the wing......Awesome! On my flight home I was again the first to check in at the ticket counter, I was four hours early......"Mr. Wilson what time is your flight?" "I think it leaves at 9:07 pm" "(Laughs) Not any more" Oh crap I thought my plane was cancelled or had a major delay..."How would you like to leave in a half hour?" "YES!" Man I was ready to go somewhere where they have regular cows with tips on their tri's. "Hurry, they are getting ready to board, how about an isle seat? "YES!"............I was a bit worried about getting my O'gio bag since last time I went through this type of thing it took a few days to get it back. Everything worked out great. I was in the back row next to the bathroom in seat "D" on the right side isle. I was wearing my 2003 black Team FirePoliceMX.com Racing t-shirt. There was a lady sitting next to me in the middle seat with her infant boy in a child's car seat against the window in seat "F" The mother was reading my shirt as I was getting ready to sit down. I could read her lips saying FirePoliceMX.com. As soon as I sat down she asked me "are you .........e" I was blown away, some lady on an airplane in Dallas knows who I am? And she calls me .........e? WOW! So I say "yes I am". "Well I'm sorry but they said I could sit here". In a split second I realized that she was asking me if I was assigned seat "E" (are you "E"? Not "are you .......e") Boy didn't I feel like the idiot..........The rear row isle seat is an experience. What ever happened to the dehydration approach to flying? I saw the same people over and over going to the bathroom. I was bumped into, sat on and my bad shoulder was used to steady several turbulence wobbled, full bladdered, patrons of American Airlines. At times there was a line 10 people deep blocking my view of the in-flight movie. Some day I'll be up front in the leather seats, I doubt it.................Seat "E"

4-3-05    I'm sitting in a hotel room in Dallas, TX right now reflecting on the weekend. I kind of know the area now after getting lost a few times driving around here in '03 and '04. So this year I just got lost in new places........So on my travels Saturday morning, trying to find a place to buy Tri Tip for the team BBQ for Saturday evening I got lost. I finally saw a Kroger Supermarket and stopped in. I mean this is TEXAS, they have beef here! "Hello butcher lady in the white coat do you have some Tri Tip back there?" I couldn't see any on display. "What?" "Tri Tip, do you have any?" "What exactly do you mean?".....You're kidding me right? the Texas butcher lady never heard of Tri Tip.......Down the road I run into a Super Wal*Mart, Hey there's the butcher guy. "Hey mister Butcher guy in the white coat do you have any Tri Tip?" "What?"......Are you seriously kidding me? I'm in Steer Country, home of the Long Horns and the butchers don't know what Tri Tip is....Yes it was the day after April fools but is the whole city in on it? Anyway that April fools stuff was over yesterday. So the butcher says to me "Sir what exactly is a Tri Tip?" "Well I think it's the tip of the tri" - I DON'T KNOW, do I look like a butcher? It's cow!" Both butcher people in the white coats tried to sell me Brisket, I could buy 20lbs of Brisket for $10. so I decided not to go with the Brisket. There's no way it could be any good at that price.........Anyway I found some London Broil so we did that..........Bubba was like, faster than everybody else (that's my race coverage). After the race Rich Eggett (bikesellerz.com guru) and David Whitcraft (Ted Campbell's Mechanic) and I went to Waffle House. "Hi would you guys like smoking or non-smoking?" (the place is the size of a two car garage so what does it matter?). "Non smoking please" At this point we get the dirtiest look ever in the history of waitressing with a major sigh and a gosh thrown in. I started laughing. I was amazed that the Waffle House didn't have it's top notch crew working the 2am shift.........Food was good (that was my eating report). Rich Eggett pays everyone with TWO DOLLAR BILLS, seriously. It's like his trademark. So anyway the waitress ended up with a bunch of $2 bills. She didn't believe that they were legal tender. We had to have another waitress vouch for us so we could get out of the place..........I really dig going to different cities. You learn how screwed up everyone else is but you. Like the guys who designed the freeway system in Dallas. Screwed up individuals! For instance in California if you see an In-N-Out Burger you get off the freeway and eat. But in Dallas if you see a Whataburger you are too late, you should have got off two off ramps earlier and got on the "one way" frontage road. There is no possible way to get back there before driving by a MacDonalds and a Jack In the Box, going under the freeway, back tracking and driving the wrong way on one way roads. See this way everybody steals everyone else's business......It's just crazy here. I'm looking forward to getting home so I can drive the simple So. Cal. freeway system. Explain this, if the only things that live in Texas are steers and _____why couldn't I get Tri Tip?............e

3-29-05    Sometimes I have nothing to say, well most of the time. So I'm just going to ramble until I figure out what to talk about tonight. We could cover the two stroke vs four stroke thing again but.........Well you know when you are talking to somebody and you know that every thing you say is going in one ear and out the other. Well that's what's going on with that subject. I think that the AMA should give Kevin Windham the four stroke Supercross Championship. Man if only K-Dub was on a CR 250. Many say that he's the most talented rider out there so why did he handicap himself on a tractor. Even YZ Ernie figured that one out..........Ok here's the situation. You go into a public rest room (Note: Does not pertain to Pixie or Laura), Ok there are five urinals against a wall (A B C D & E). There is a guy in "B", where do you go?.......Easy, you go to "E". That's a no brainer right? So what if there's a guy in "A" and "D"? Now this takes some thought but the correct answer is "E". Why? Because with "B", "C" & "E" you need to stand next to someone but with option "E" you have no chance of being flanked on each side. Ok now you enter the rest room and all five stalls are open, where do you go? The correct answer is "A" or "E" depending on which one is furthest from the door.........So how come last week some guy at the airport decides to occupy "D" while I'm the lone gunman in "E"? And what's with the "No little divider walls?" There's correct bathroom etiquette and I've about had it with guys who don't use it..........Like I said, I really don't have much to talk about today. Well we have the Dallas Supercross this weekend, who do you think will win it? I say Bubba, RC and Reed will fight it out in the two stoke class and K-Dub will win the four stroke class........Duh, that's a no brainer just like option..............."E" 

3-23-05     I got my FLEXX bars today from FASST Co. I'm looking forward to doing some riding tomorrow. I had those bars on my CRF and I loved them. So with a bad shoulder I decided to go with the FLEXXers  again. I will do a product review again on these contraptions from the boys in Long Beach soon. I also picked up one of the FASST Co. spoke wrenches. All I can say is BUY ONE! I tightened all my spokes tonight, DUDE this thing is awesome, it can make anyone an (FSTG) Factory Spoke Tightener Guy..........Just when you think everything has been thought of you get guys like FASST Co. and ASV come up with some awesome products..........It seemed like I was on the plane all day yesterday. And the worst part of it was that I have become a (PMS guy) Permanent Middle Seat guy. I hate the middle seat! There is no arm room. I was on four different planes this weekend and all four times I was (PMS). PMS sucks because you can't see out the window and you can't go to the head w/o waking some old guy up. No prob there, I dehydrate myself for the flight.......Then there is the in flight movie.........on the "is it better than Iron Eagle 3" scale. Yesterday's flicks failed the test. First off I saw 10 minutes of Bridget Jones Diarrhea. Man that was a waste of 10 minutes. I'm ashamed I even started watching, forgive me. The other movie was some movie about a series of unfortunate events, yeah it sucked too but I watched most of it. I fell asleep for a while with my head on the trey in front of me. Being the PMS guy is an unfortunate event. At least I only get it when I fly. It seems like I fly once a month now.................e

3-19-05    I spent more money today on toll roads than I did on our hotel room. It’s crazy around here in Orlando. Every time you get on a freeway it costs .75, when you want off another .75. When you are just cruising it’s another .75. So you give the lady a buck and she gives you back a quarter. After a few tolls you have enough quarters to go in the  shorter “Exact Change Lane“. That’s great until some motocross gimp with a bad left arm tries to toss the quarters in the bucket and misses on the third coin. Now you are out of change, you can’t back up to switch lanes and there’s a sign saying “Stay in your vehicle”. Even if you wanted out you couldn’t open your door because you are too close to the change bucket. You have no more quarters and there is no attendant because you are in the “Exact Change Lane” So you decide to just go, they can pick up the quarter later and throw it in the bucket. That all sounds good until you hit the gas and hear an alarm. I wonder if they will take the time to find out who was driving the rental Towncar? We will know soon enough……….Practice was cancelled today due to yesterday’s rain so I just hang in the pits with Greg, the bikesellerz.com truck driver. If you guys had a chance to visit with Greg at the Arizona rounds of the FPMX you will know what I m talking about. Greg is a truly nice guy. You can’t take the farm out of the boy with this one. It was so cool to see a guy who didn’t know a soul at round 1 in Anaheim to someone who now knows everyone as he cruises the pit’s a few months later. Well I’m looking forward to a great race. Bubba is back in the mix but Travis said he is going to wait another week. Should be a lot of fun……………e out

3-18-05    I love traveling, there is so much going on away from your own backyard. Sue and I are in Orlando, Florida for the Supercross this weekend. So yesterday we have an hour layover in Houston, Texas. It’s diner time and we decide to get a bite. So many choices, choices……….Yes let’s talk choices today. Ok we are both trying to eat better (no ice cream for me in two weeks - RECORD). There’s a ton of choices in the food court, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Pizza Hut etc. Ok I’ll be a good boy and get a Subway foot long roasted chicken breast on wheat………”What kind of bread sir?” “Uh, wheat” “We only have white” “Ok white” “What would you like?” “A foot long roasted chicken breast” “Were all out of chicken” “Uh…..how about a cheese steak?” “Ok, what kind of cheese would you like?” “Provolone” “We only have American” “I’ll have American” “Anything else sir?” “Just a large drink” “What kind of chips?” (did I order chips………hum?) “Those ones will do” (not really paying attention because I don’t really want chips). We sit down and eat at light speed, we’re in a hurry so we don’t miss the flight to Daytona . Then Sue says “Ed good choice on the chips (they were some type of low calorie diet chip), I’m proud of you”………….A few hours later in Orlando (1:30am), I find myself at the Dollar rent-a-car counter……..“Sir you have a two door mid size, would you like to upgrade to a Lincoln Towncar?” “Does that cost more money?” “$36 a day”. "No thank you” “Would you like to upgrade to a Jeep (I can’t remember the model)?” “How much more is that?” “$12 a day” “Hummm, Naww I’ll just stick with the mid size two door” “We don’t have any of those left, I’m going to put you in the Lincoln Towncar”………..Welcome to the Twilight Zone. ………e
 

3-16-05    I have to agree with Mark Davenport on the coverage of the Daytona supercross. It was outstanding! That was the first race this year that I was able to watch without knowing the outcome. It was also great to hear David Bailey and Rick Johnson commentating on the race also with them not knowing the outcome. It was fantastic, I'm glad I go it on my DVR. Now I just have to figure out how to record it on DVD.........Today Sue and I went to lunch at Chipotle', our out the door price on lunch was $14.22. Instantly I got this weird feeling, was it Windham's week with Reed close behind? Is it in the stars for K-Dub? Wouldn't it be sweet to see K-Dub followed by Reed followed by Bubba followed by RC? It would sure make the season more interesting.......The Rounds 3&4 entry forms will be coming out in about a week. I am sending all the info to my secretary/assistant (Jessica Snyder) in Illinois tomorrow morning. Jess is laid up from back surgery and is out of work for a while. She will be stuffing envelopes for a few days. You can't believe how long it takes to fold, stuff, label, seal and stamp 800 envelopes. Everyone who has taken on this job thinks it will take them half a day but it's more like 2-3 days and boring as heck. So I thank Jessica for taking on the job for the second time in a row.......A few weeks ago Donnie Rivas and I drove to Ocotillo Wells for a day of Desert riding. It was my first time on a bike since my crash in Arizona and Donnie's first time since blowing his knee out at the old Comp Park three years ago. The Chads, Mother, Ryno and Mike Freeman met us there for a fun day of DEZ. On the way there Donnie needed to stop to take a........uh let's say.....go # 2. "Donnie there's no bathrooms out here" "Just find a gas station" "There's nothing here" "There's got to be".....We found a gas station in Borrego Springs but the bathroom was closed........"Hey Ed there's an outhouse....STOP!" 5 minutes later "Dude that was the best outhouse I have ever been in, it had soap, water and hand towels and the water was fresh BLUE"........ "Yeah whatever, next time take care of business at home". So a week and a half later I'm cruising down the same road........First off it's not my fault, this new diet thing has me all messed up. Well I'm glad Donnie wasn't there to rip me but I had to make an emergency stop at the same, let's say "rest stop".....Dude you can't believe how nice this place was. If it wasn't for the 80* temperature I might have stayed. I felt like I was at home in this blue port-abode. But with the poor ventilation the place was heating up. I had to cut my vacation short and go riding with Mike Leckliter (his first ride back since a fractured clavicle). After two trips to the desert I felt I was ready to hit STARWEST for my first day of moto. I did a few laps to check the track out and stopped on the top of the triple. I was on the far left side just watching the speed that it took to make it when all of the sudden this guy on a YAMAHA pulls right in front of me and drops his clutch.......It was my welcome back to the track from YZ Ernie Kopasz.......There goes my fresh goggles.......By the way I'm not ready for the track just yet, at least not even close to race pace. I have a long way to go to battle up front with those old guys again......Heading to O Town for the race.................e

3-09-05    I'm not a carpool lane guy, 96.4% of the time I drive alone. So I never even think about the carpool lane even if I am driving with someone. Sue quit telling me to go in the carpool lane years ago. I can't stand the thing. My whole goal in life while on the Southern California freeway system is to be in the fast lane with all the singles drivers passing the carpoolers. It's kind of like holeshoting an intersection while driving the fire engine. It just feels good! It never fails, when I do break down and get in the carpool lane I get behind some slowpoke and get passed by the guys in the fast lane and that ticks me off because I know better. Once you are in the carpool lane you are stuck, sometimes for miles. And when there is a broken line to get out of the carpool lane some guy in the fast lane slows down and won't let you back in the regular lanes. I know this because that's my game too. Why? It just feels good! Kind of like pulling a surprise block pass on a cop who is on a CRF 450. That feels great and lasts forever. Carpoolers deserve to get behind the stake side truck filled with day laborers doing 50 MPH. Today I became a Non Self Checkerouter at the grocery store. Sue and I went to lunch and she needed to stop off at Albertsons and get some groceries on the way home. The checkout lines were about two deep. Sue decided to go to the Self Check Out isle. She said that it's fun. Sure, whatever, let's just get it done and get out of here. I had to get home to my garage. The Self Checkout lane is worse than the carpool lane! I did my best to find the stupid barcodes for Sue before I handed her the packages of Diet food. (this diet is killing me but it's working) Anyway there was this cashier there to help all the Self Checkerouters, she had to help us three times because the barcode machine would freeze up. I watched grocery cart after grocery cart pass thru the "FAST LANES" as we struggled to Self Checkout. And the whole time I really needed to get home, I drank a lot of Diet Coke at lunch. I know Diet Coke isn't on my diet plan but I decided to only have it for lunch. Why? It just tastes good! I drink water the rest of the day. Anyway it was time to pass the Diet Coke yet I was self checking out. Imagine pulling a holeshot and then just going backwards (I want to pick on someone here like Ernie Kopasz or Steve Marquez but I won't because going backwards was my MO at Glen Helen last October) Well that's how it felt watching these old lady, coupon shopping, 02 bottle carrying, grocery shoppers pass us. Yes most of them were probably home by the time we scanned the last barcode. What a fiasco..........I need to go riding.........e

3-07-05     Day seven of the plan: I have switched from TWIX, Hershey's w/ almonds or Rollos with a 44oz Diet Coke as my half way home from work gas up food stop meal to some type of chalky tasting protein bar and water. I have cut out second helpings and added small meals in between and after Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and drink way more water.  I've have one cheat day a week and I had an Oggi's Cheeseburger, fries, and lot's of Diet Coke......It was great! So far I'm down 7 lbs. and counting......The bad news is that there is no more sleeping thru the night. It makes me nervous, I don't want to break anymore bones. I yawned and knocked a picture off the wall a few years ago while draining my main vein in the middle of the night, the corner of the picture frame hit directly on my right, next to baby toe and broke it. Blood everywhere. Sue never woke up. My toe throbbed all night......I'm starting to get use to the new "Life style" but I do miss eating real food. This chalk bar thing is the worst. Those protein bars are horrible! With every bite I try to picture Ernie Kopasz in front of me on the track, it's hard to do because I can't remember ever seeing that but it still gives me motivation just imagining it. And somehow it helps me continue to chew the chalk bar......Well I'm itching to race, I think I made a mistake this year not scheduling an event in March. I think next season we will have 10 rounds. January, March, May, July and October with a Christmas GP chaser. Yeah I think so. Well we have another Ocotillo wells trip on Thursday. I know most of you will be at the "G" practicing for Rounds 3 & 4. Have fun, My shoulder isn't quite ready for the "G" yet but will be in in a few weeks it will be..............e on the mend.

3-02-05    Well I decided to give riding a try, my arm strength down low is good but I still have a way to go to be back to normal. I was nervous, riding down the street was no big deal but what would happen when we hit a mile long section of desert whoops? I figured it would be good to just get out there with some of the boys and worst case I could putt around camp while they went for a nice desert ride. To my surprise the arm/shoulder felt pretty good. There were seven of us that showed up for the Walking Wounded Ride (WW1), Jeff "Mother" Welsh, the Chads-Jensen and Jones, Donnie Rivas, Alex "RYNO" Martinez, Mike Freeman and myself. Four Thumpers and three Smokers set off across the Anza Borrego desert for a nice lunch ride. We hit some of the hot spots on the way like Shell Reef, that's where you see a lot of the crazy jumps in some of the Crusty films and such. We decided to tone it down, NO Back Flips and NO Supermans for the day. Lunch was at the Desert Rose Cafe. It was my last day of freedom as I was about to embark on a two month crusade to get in shape for Glen Helen in May. The Double Bacon Cheeseburger was HUGE but doable as was the plate of fries and the two Diet Cokes to balance out the meal. I'm not sure but it's possible that my new AXO Phoenix pants shrunk during lunch. On the way back I was leading the pack and lost my way and ended up in a wash. I basically knew where we were and stayed in the wash for a few miles until we came to the familiar Poleline road. Anza Borrego/Ocotillo Wells is my favorite riding area. In all my years I have never seen better conditions. All the rain over the last few months has made the desert soil perfect and the sand washes are damp with great traction and carvability (new word).............I am on day two of my new plan to recapture the 40+ Intermediate crown (2001 Champ). A