Kris' Blog #16

We had a good day of testing at ERX Motorsports Park in Elk River. The new shocks evoke some confidence in Shawn which is always a good thing. And it didn't take me long to get the settings I was after. When you know how to set-up Fox Floats, tuning them in is quite a simple process.

The facility at ERX is pretty nice, the whole track and operations are run smoothly and we will definitely be coming back for more practice days.
From Elk River we hit the highway south towards Shakopee. We also stop at the first Menard's we see. It's becoming a bit of a ritual to stop at Menard's, usually because we need something, but more often because every store is EXACTLY the same. It's like I've been to everyone of them!

We stroll into Shakopee and decide to find some grub, after driving the length of town we finally come across an Applebee's. Even better is the trucks of Levi Lavallee and Team Schuering also in the parking lot.
3hrs later, one failed pick-up attempt and a few Jameson Gingers later and I'm ready for bed. We were going to rough it and spend the night in the trailer but we found a sweet deal at a Super 8 so we decide not to freeze our asses off and sleep in beds for the weekend. Late night, early morning....smells like SNOCROSS to me!!!

Kris' Blog #15

This entry begins with New Years. Bare with me, but it's how this will start.

New Year's Eve I decided to take two special ladies out on the town. Of course waiting is the name of the game with women. So first it was Sarah I was waiting for, then after a good few hours it was off to Nicole's and wait some more. 
Quick beverage at Nicole's moms house and off we go downtown. We meet up with Dan and Jessica, apparently seeing them out is rarer than the next apocalypse. Had a quick drink and headed to our final destination for 2012. 

Dancing, drinking, and of course, being responsible with a quick phone call to RedNose brought 2013 in with style! We finally said our goodbyes and headed home. Finally getting to sleep around 4am I knew I had to drive to Vancouver the next day. Hoping it wouldn't be too bad of a day I settled in for some sleep. Maybe Nicole would make me breakfast in the morning?

Well so much for morning. Woke up at the crack of noon and moved slowly for my first hour of conscienceness.
Finally we decide to get the day on the road and grab my nephews from their grammas house. Then off to Denny's for a big ole American sized breakfast. Thank god for all day breakfasts!
After waiting an abnormally long time we ate and headed back for home. Once there I said my goodbyes and set out to my house for a shower and to pack for the trip to Shakopee.

By the time I swapped trucks(borrowed my dads truck to make the trip over the Coquihalla) and packed what I could remember to, I hit the road around 7pm. Not usually a big deal, but wintertime brings snow, ice, and lots of fog thru the winter pass.
It was slow going as I try my hardest to make sure I arrive safely and after a quick stop in Merritt to diagnose a power steering issue I was back on track.

Coming down the SnowShed Hill I encounter a plethora of police vehicles. 2-car accident at the top of the hill has littered it's way down to about the midway point to the SnowShed. With 2 vehicles behind me I keep a look out in my rear view mirror as I try to slow down as quickly as I can. Sliding and slipping down the hill I finally reach the accident at a controlled speed. All three of us pass the accident scene and continue towards the lower mainland. 

By 11:30 I finally pull into the Penthouse Quayside. Residence of my lovely mother and step-dad. Once inside I find fresh sushi and a cold drink awaiting. Mom and I make small talk for an hour and we finally decide that a 4am wake up would suffice for my 7am flight out of YVR.
By 1am I settle into bed and start sawing logs. But as they say, "You can't sleep your life away!" I woke up before my alarm was to go off. I must be excited to get back East again and test our metal against the fastest guys around.

One quick stop at Tim Hortons and YVR it is. Smooth check in and an hour wait at the terminal sees me trying to get back into my Bob Dylan biography after finishing an Emilia Earhart biography.
Finally we board and hit the airwaves to Pearson International. Toronto here I come!

So I had fully anticipated reading the entire time on the plane but my body had other thoughts. As soon as I was strapped into my seat I passed out. I didn't even stay awake to witness the take-off which is my favorite part about flying! I slept straight thru to Toronto and was quite weary-eyed as we left the plane and headed to US Customs.
Again after having to explain what snowmobile racing is, and why I'd fly across the country to partake in it, the customs agents let me thru. Now to find my Terminal for the connecting flight to the Twin Cities.

Now these particular Air Canada terminals aren't even on the airport maps, infact they are more like storage containers connected together. Down flights of stairs, thru small corridors, and segregated by glass walls from the other airport patrons I finally see the Bird that's gonna take me to Minneapolis. 

Just as we start boarding the plane Shawn shows up out of breathe. He ran from his connecting flight, got pushed thru security and customs to barely make this flight. This one is a small CRJ200 Bombardier jet that will take us the remaining 2hrs to our destination.

Speaking of which, our truck is unavailable for pickup tnite. Which was my plan. I was hoping to get Shawn a solid day of practice but we may have to settle for half of one. I want to dial in our new Fox Racing Shox for the race sled.

Tnite we find a hotel and make our way to Lino Lakes in the morning to pick up the rig. I'll update you again tnite if there's something newsworthy! Happy New Years friends!!!

Kris' Blog #14

It's time to go get Shawn and make our way to HillCity! Finally the race weekend is here and we are looking for a much better result. However optimistic, Shawn still has a back injury so expectations are somewhat leveled.
Shawn makes a good call to take the Airport Shuttle to Duluth so I don't have to drive an extra 2hrs south only to return north again.

MAJOR LIFE MOMENT FOR ME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: I travel, for the first time ever, over the Mississippi River! Yup, pretty proud of that little feat.

We hit up HillCity and set up beside our new friend Bjorn and his young-gun Nico who races in various 120 classes. I must say, the 120 classes are the most hotly contested every weekend. Multi-million dollar efforts are common in the pits, and the racing is awesome too!!

A cold night in the trailer is welcomed by an early morning to get Shawn registered and tech'd for the days events. For the first time in what seems like a month I actually sleep in past Shawn...shocking!

First race out Shawn lays down the Holeshot but has so much speed coming back down the hill he blows a corner and has to re-enter the race in last. Shawn finishes with a dismal 8th. The track mind you, is the roughest I've seen since I raced Sno-X 10 years ago. I would definitely not want to be on this track. It's all you buddy!

I also gotta mention Shawn is still pretty tender from last week in Duluth. I can see it in his riding even tho he is trying to fight thru it. The Holeshot made me feel good tho.

Second race of the day and Shawn lines up towards the outside of the line, it's soft and fluffy and I have reservations...and they come true, although Shawn is still on the gas, he enters the corner in 3rd but gets pushed wide and a bunch of guys pass him in the first corner. he does his best to stay in the fight, but the top guys are too far gone by now. We didn't make the Night Final, so back to the trailer we go to regroup for tomorrow.
We decided to go into town and get some food and found ourselves in Harry's Bar. We had an epic night of talking about everything under the Sun with the locals and before they could buy us too many rounds...we called it a night and headed back to the track.

Sunday morning starts fairly normally. Shawn puts in some practice laps and I forget to swap belts after giving them some TLC the night before. So I roll the dice and send Shawn out with a...what I'll call a brand new belt.
A 3rd place start again puts Shawn in the hunt but again, he's timid and races to a 7th place finish. As long as we progress, I'm ok with that, especially after seeing him fight thru his injury like a champ.
I send Shawn to the track to watch the Pro's race while I get his sled ready. A few clicker adjustments, a scrub down of the belt and clutches, and a splash of fuel is all it takes to get the sled ready again. Shawn is loosened up and feeling much better about the outcome of this race. We need to finish 1st or 2nd to get spot in the Final.
BOOM! Another Holeshot and the LEAD! Shawn beats everyone to the first corner by at least 2 sled lengths and jets down the hill. By the rhythm section he has one guy hounding him. At the end of the race Shawn has finished a hard earned 4th place. Not quite what we needed to make the Final but most definitely an improvement and a step forward. We watch the rest of the races and make some new friends too. Ready to hit the air in these tincans we call airplanes, I can't wait to make it home. Feels like a month!

I don't even remember the flights home, except for the fact I almost got stranded as my Shuttle left before my plane landed. unfortunately. But thanks to my quick thinking mom, I was on a plane to Vancouver that evening. Enjoy the pics!

Kris' Blog #13

So the week has gone by and I failed at my goals of hitting up the Hockey Hall of Fame and visiting the Fast Enterprises factory. I did however get a wicked 24hr cold/flu bug and got to watch Sons of Anarchy without having to stream it off the internet this week!
Other than that...I've walked the town of Virginia a few times, finding new places to explore each time. Nice little town with some cool features. Here's a few pictures as I don;t have much else to write about since the motel just wasn't that interesting. Haha