It Just Keeps Coming

I continue to be amazed at the opportunities that are before me. I'm so thankful for where I'm and what I (typically) spend my days doing. As I sought to move out from where I had previously been living, God opened up a door through a bible study I was attending and it's been the most radical living situation I could have asked for. My roommates are awesome Christian guys, two of which attended the local Bible college so they're sharpening me as I continue to ask questions and seek to deepen my own faith.

This past weekend I got to attend the X Games in Los Angeles and what an experience that was! I've only ever seen it on TV and I usually miss most of it because living in good old Dufur, basic cable doesn't include ESPN!!! I attended the freestyle event and watched as Travis Pastrana took a "fun run" after already securing the Gold medal. That guy is an outstanding human being for many reasons, one of which because he pulled a double backflip, solely for the delight of the crowd. He'd already wrapped up the medal before he took to the dirt. On the podium after when they were asking how he felt about another Gold medal, he wished his mom happy 50th birthday twice, praised Robbie Madison for his exceptional freestyle run as well as Ashley Fiolek for winning the women's supercross race and gave mad props to Cameron Sinclair for coming back to X Games to attempt the same trick that almost took his life a year before. He didn't really say anything about himself or his run.

I was able to secure an industry guest pass for the weekend so the following day I was pretty excited to cruise right into the athlete section at the Staples Center and find a seat 5 rows up from the dirt. An added bonus was my friend, bandmate and X Games competitor Ronnie Faisst was sitting a few seats to my left. (It took me I while to figure out who was shouting my name because I still can't really hear out my left ear haha) To those that are unfamiliar with the industry, Ronnie is without a doubt one of the pioneers of the sport of freestyle motocross and is recognized worldwide for his skill on a dirtbike. Whats more, several years ago he came to know the Lord and is now on fire for Christ.

So here I sit, nearly ground level at X Games, next to a guy that up until recently I'd only ever seen on television and in magazine's. The event was awesome and I came away with a few ideas for articles so be on the lookout for those.

Another funny story, Ronnie called me a few days after I'd returned home and I congratulated him on winning a Bronze medal in his speed and style event. He asked if I knew the whole story on how he was even able to compete and I said I had no clue. He told me the story and I was completely in awe as it was a God thing from the word go. I'm working with him and film maker Joseph Ray on putting together a video of the whole story. It's a crazy story about God moving in Ronnie, taking an obedient step of faith and God rewarding him in an awesome way. When we finish it up I'll post the video on here.

If you're reading this I hope you can hear the excitement in my voice. I was excited about all this before I had this traumatic injury, now I'm just beside myself as I continue to get opportunity after opportunity to do things I never dreamed I would. Again I can't thank you enough for all the prayers, calls, texts, emails, facebook messages and well wishes. It's so humbling to see that so many people care. Side note, one of my buddies shared with me that he got a voice mail from some dude ranting and raving and not making a great deal of sense and at the end of the message I identified myself and told him I'd see him soon. SO if you happened to get a response from me via text, phone call or facebook any time during that ten day stint and it didn't make sense, please forgive me....I wasn't firing on all cylinders :)

Words can't describe

So...I was invited on a group riding trip to one of Southern California's most famous riding areas, Ocotillo Wells. I was pumped for the opportunity as I've heard good things and seen amazing photos from this freerider's paradise. It was to be a short trip as we were leaving Thursday night and coming back Saturday morning but I was excited none the less.

We rolled into camp around 10:30pm and my counterpart, BC, informed me we would be riding into the wee hours of the morning. Somewhere around midnight we geared up and caravan'd into the abyss. I blindly followed BC through the switch backs and cork screws that are Ocotillo, desperately trying to keep up which proved to be quite the task.

The evening culminated around 2:30 AM when one of our UTV patrons zigged when he should have zagged and careened down an embankment. Three cartwheels resulted in a blown rear tire, cracked fuel tank and a bent bumper which inhibited a front tire from rotating freely. After a few failed attempts at bending the bumper back someone took off for camp to find some tools and a spare tire. At least an hour later, after much debate and a failed attempt at removing the bumper, we finally returned to camp around 3:45am. I nestled myself into BC's luxurious travel trailer pondering the last time I had been awake at that hour and decided it must have been a lock in I attended sometime while in JR High. I've certainly been awake at that hour before, but it was beggining my day...not ending it.

The next day's events began around 10:30 (thank you Lord) with the master minds of camp working to patch the cracked fuel tank from the previous nights excitement. I am truly amazed at the resourcefulness of these guys. Not that they gave me any reason to doubt them, they were simply bound and determined to fix that tank with the supplies on hand. Using a soldering iron and plastic shavings from the fuel tank they were able to "weld" the cracked fuel tank and restore it to like new condition. Note: Previous attempts revealed that zip ties and shavings from the stock Rhino skid plate would not correctly adhere to the surface, resulting in a brittle and nonfunctional bead.

After finishing up the Rhino we geared up for another ride out into the wide open desert. Ocotillo Wells is some of the craziest and most scenic terrain I've ever ridden. If you're an offroader you must make it here sometime in your life.

If you've read this far considering there are no pictures to go along with my story, you have my thanks. The reason being I took a little spill while trailing BC through the sand and suffice to say my camera broke my fall. Though the debacle ended with me resting uncomfortably beneath my quad, I emerged mostly unscathed and thankfully my quad was still in tact. We pressed on and I survived the rest of the trip.

Upon arriving back at my truck this morning I discovered that someone had lovingly smashed my windshield and two other windows. Come to find out a worker at the restaurant where I had left it attempted to scare them off and had a wrench thrown at him in the process. Suffice to say Duke, the restaurant owner, is ready to form a posse to track down the culprits.

While this unfortunate event has thrown yet another hiccup into my adventure, it has allowed me a great blessing and an opportunity to get more acquainted with another couple from my church. I informed Alex (youth pastor at Life Church) of my predicament and asked for his assistance in some form that would enable me to make it to church this weekend. He and his wife Leslie graciously offered to lend me a car until my truck is fixed and what's more, I had the opportunity to spend the evening with them and their family. I am truly amazed at God's provision and guidance on this voyage and had a wonderful time chatting with them and hanging with their kids as they prepared for an evening of trick or treating. So Alex and Leslie, words cannot describe my thanks for the car and home cooked meal. The salmon was off the hook! (no pun intended) :)

That's all for now. I'm off to hang with my buddy Adrian and his girlfriend. Thanks to all for your prayers and support. This has been and continues to be the craziest and most incredible experience of my life. I'm not entirely sure where it's going but I could say I'm learning to embrace Proverbs 16:9 "In his heart a man charts his course, but the Lord determines his steps."