***Warning***
Seriously heavy picture post.
A few weeks back Jeremy came home and nonchalantly mentioned that a friend had called and was headed down to Washougal, Washington the next weekend to watch his son race at the Professional AMA Motorcross races. We have known this friend for years and watched him and his wife support, train and follow Ben and his dream of becoming a Pro Rider for the past 19 years. After racing as a privateer for a couple years, Ben recently was asked to ride for the MotoConcepts team! YaY! Go Ben! After mentioning that Gene was headed down Jeremy also added, "We should go and take Landin!" Me, being the first to jump on travel eagerly said "I'll book it!" And it was so...
It was a whirlwind of a trip. We left on Wednesday night and arrived in Seattle at 2:00am. I figured it would be easiest to just grab a cheap hotel across the street, beings that we would only be there for a few hours until we could rent the car and begin the three hour drive down to Washougal. WRONG! BAD CHOICE!Note to self, It is always worth the extra $30 when talking cheap hotels. Let's just say that Jeremy did not undress and did not sleep under the covers that night...EWWWW! We quickly showered,took the shuttle to the car rental place, grabbed a starbucks and headed out. I love road trips, there is just something about the road, snacks, long conversations, tunes from the radio, and the anticipation of your destination! We made it to Washougal and much to our dismay it was POURING rain. I had been checking the weather all week and my little iphone weather forecast said SUN, SUN, and more SUN! I of course am gullible and believed every bit of it which resulted in the decision to only pack shorts and t-shirts. No coats or even sweatshirts! I never claimed to be the smartest gal! We stopped to say our Hello's to Ben and Gene and then promptly found the nearest REI for an emergency shopping trip. We found our way into Portand but only Thanks to my mother in law and the GPS system she loaned us. Holy Navigation!! That little thing saved our bacon more times than I could count! I vow never to travel without one again!
After getting properly dressed we went out to Portland International Raceway for a small local race that Ben was racing in. It was so much fun. The last moto's were raced under the lights! Yummy corn dogs and snuggles from my two best boys in the stands made for a beautiful night! I didn't take many pics due to my camera battery being dead but here is a
link to a site that posted lots of photos of the night. We left high and giddy on excitement, adrenaline, and the sweet aroma of two strokes.
The next day we slept in a bit, and then made our way to the race track. When we got there the amateur races were going on and we were able to walk the track with Ben and Gene. The tack and grounds were beautiful. The trees were massive and to actually see a large outdoor MX track was super fun! Landin was in awe....as was his Dad...and Mom!
The sun that I was anticipating finally did come out and it was HOT! We spent the day at the track and checking out all of the giant Team Semi trucks. Later that night we went to an autograph signing session in Portland. The venue for it was HUGE, I've never seen a dealership that big! They had gotten a large number of the teams together including Villapoto and Dunge! Landin had a blast and is now the proud owner of a very autographed hat.
The next morning we woke up bright and early, (grabbed a Starbucks...of course, DUH!) and headed to the track only to be met with INSANE traffic. We arrived just as Ben was lining up for his first practice moto.
We were also fortunate enough to be able to meet up with the Carlson' crew! It was so nice to be able to see them all. Jeremy's sister and her family moved away about a year ago so it was an added bonus to the trip! There were SOOOO many people there and it was an
insanely hot beautiful day out. Tami and Jason have 5 kiddos and we had Landin so it made for careful navigation through the crowds but they were all so awesome, we had no problems.
We wandered around, ate corn dogs and cotton candy, got completely filthy, cheered Ben on, and Had a blast! We have decided that this need to be an annual event. I'm thinking a super cross is in order for next year...Las Vegas or Anaheim...Hmmmmm.
Landin almost melted by the end of the day but he bounced back quickly, it was nothing that an ice cold drink, food, (remember the cotton candy earlier) and some baby wipes couldn't take care of. This pic cracks me up!
After the races we wandered back into the pit area and was able to take some pictures with (most importantly according to Landin) Ben, and Chad Reed.
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| Landin with Ben's bike! #526 |
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| Chad Reed |
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| Landin and Ben LaMay #526 |
Ben and Gene, Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality! We had a BLAST!
Ben,kick butt and take names the rest of the season!
Thanks Jeremy for taking us on a quick trip! Love ya! MUAH! You are the BESTEST!
Landin, Mom and Dad had such a great time with just our "pal"! Thank You!
Tami, Jason and kiddos, it was so great to see you all! Hugs and Misses.
