Tuesday, 1/25/08 we pulled into the reservation that we were aiming for the night before. It was 3/4 full of other campers and most of them are retired returners from previous years. All of them are really nice people. This is their home for the winter and although it is sort of our temporary home for a few days for the winter we are really the anomaly in the crowd. We are certainly as accepted in as we want to be but most just want to know what we are up to. Jasper was completely ready for this place. You see the natives have a motocross park here and they are in the process of expanding and building the tracks and I do mean tracks, like multiples of them in to the most expansive and best in the US. Jazz has bugged us every day to ride his dirt bike. We have had some issues like finding legal places for him to ride and then it just kept not running right. Well we found the place for him to ride and aside from wanting to experience life on this reservation we wanted to bring him here so that he could ride. It took him less than 10 minutes to get all hooked up for riding.
He got on his pedal bike within minutes of unloading it. He headed off while we were setting up the mobile house. Within 10 minutes he was back at the site telling us he had met someone who was going to drive him and his bike to the track so he could ride. What!!! Who is it, where is he from, what does he look like???????
Jazz tried as best as he could to muster answers to our many questions while he was jumping around with sheer excitement and trying to get his riding gear on all in the same motion. "He said he would be here in 10 minutes," he told us. "You can ask him then." So I went about getting his bike off the rack while he got dressed and within 10 minutes Jasper's friendly manifestation appeared. In the form of a 30 something motocross rider from Hartford who has been here for the past 5 weeks riding 4 days a week. He was more than happy to transport Jasper's bike in his trailer the three miles to the track. We hurriedly put Jasper in the car and headed over to the track and paid his entry fee.
Within one hour of our arrival Jazz was on his bike and ready to ride the beginning riders motocross track. (much to his mothers hesitation and she stands and watches dirt bikes and their riders flying 40 - 50' in the air right next to where we were parked) Now a problem arises from the dust. The damn bike is still not running right.
We had just had it repaired again in Port St. Lucy and it was running fine when we left there, but, now it isn't. Jasper's new friend comes over and starts messing with it to try to solve it but I insist that he go and ride and not spend his time working on this bike. To say the least, Jazz is disappointed. As much as I do not like working on carburetors I asked his friend if I could use his tools and in I went. I was dreading it but there I was. The gods were watching over me/us that day because as soon as I figured out how the hell to get it off the bike and take to the bowl off of the bottom of it I saw what I hope was the problem. There was a small brass bolt lying in the bottom of the bowl. Even I know that it wasn't the right place for it so I looked for the obvious and found were it belonged and screwed it back in. I did not know how tight it was supposed to go on so I just cranked it in. I put all the pieces back together and installed it back on the bike and low and friggin behold in ran like it was brand new. I was psyched (and covered with gas) but Jazz was enthralled.
He stayed and rode for the next four hours. Came home and convinced us to stay until Thursday, which was the next day they would be open, so that he could ride again. We agreed and on Thursday, his/our new friend picked him and his bike up and Jazz stayed from 1 till 6 at the track. We went over once to check on him and the friend delivered him home as the place closed. Good for Japser and good for us as this was the first day we have had any individual time since we left home one month ago. It was refreshing!
Take a look at the photos below and you will see a kid living a dream! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment