Words and Photos by Dusty Wise
So it was a Wednesday afternoon, and I’m sitting in my work truck, thawing out from a morning of working outside in the cold southwest Ontario winter. I found myself looking at flights to L.A. (I do this every SX season). But this time was different. I searched hotels near the stadium, rental cars, and Covid test centres. The text to my wife went something like this:
“Babe, should I pull the trigger on L.A. Supercross”?
“Up to you hun, kinda cutting it close aren’t you?”
“I always say I’ll do sh*t like this, but don’t”
“Why Don’t we wait and plan it and do A1 next season.”
So, I got my flight confirmation. I was to fly out of DTW Thursday. I told work that I’d be leaving a bit early Thursday afternoon and taking Monday off. I spent Wednesday evening packing a backpack with just necessities. Thankfully Thursday morning flew by as I was so excited to get moving. Nerves were settling in a bit as I was about to fly 3000kms alone. I had arranged to do a drive-thru PCR test just outside Detroit airport. This was my first screw-up of the trip. I pulled in and they could not find me in their system. I had ended up wrongly booking for Friday. So a phone call to the helpline and another test centre was found 20 minutes away. I was starting to feel like a responsible grown-up in that I had left with enough time to allow hiccups for things like this. Finally, after another hour of traffic, racing, and shuttles I was covid tested, parked, and through the gate at DTW.
My next screw-up of the trip was not realizing the second leg of the flight (I booked what I could when I could and it laid me over in Houston) was just as long as a Detroit-Los Angeles. So at 9 pm PST I landed in LA. I had pointed and clicked a rental car, a hotel, and even found some local watering holes nearby on my trusty iPhone. My third and final screw-up wasn’t entirely my fault. As I’m checking in for my Rental car the guy asks me if I have a driver’s license that isn’t expired. It took me 30 mins to prove my license was legit, and off I went along the I5 expressway. Seeing the exit signs to places like Long Beach and Santa Monica got me fired up. I was in Cali!!!
With no itinerary for Friday, I was an open book. The time change had my body up at 6 am and before the sun. I was pumped to start my day. I have been attempting to repair my back for the last year or so with chiro and more recently Yoga. So I popped up a YouTube yoga video on the hotel smart TV and did a quick session. Now I’m only a part-time coffee guy, but since I was up so early and in L.A., I hit Starbucks for a pistachio latte. It did not disappoint. My day was unreal. I toured up the PCH through Newport, Long Beach, Venice, Santa Monica, etc… And wound up touring through the hills of Hollywood and Beverley Hills. I peered down on the San Fernando Valley and Universal Studios Hollywood. I also drove by some celebrity mansions in the hills and I had a drink on Sunset Blvd. My energy level was a ten. Since I was alone I was sharing my adventures with vid clips, texts, and Snapchat to some friends and people back home. I even ate healthy all day until after a few beers and virtual partying via Facetime, I walked across to a DelTaco and got some late dinner (Okay perhaps my 4th mistake).
Saturday morning I again up before the sun. Part of me rising early was due to my body being on Sarnia time, but also, the sun coming up over the mountains to the East from my room window was unreal. I’d have to say of all the sites and general amazing vibe of L.A. – the mountains were the biggest awe/underplayed feature of my trip. I knew it was hills and valleys, but TV doesn’t do it justice. Snow-capped mountains in the background and palm tree beaches in the foreground. You can’t not be in a good mood in Southern California. It’s impossible to be grumpy or ornery (I am definitely bringing my wife here). Now Saturday was a bit more predictable as I planned on being at the stadium for most of the day with a break between the day qualifying and the night show. Having raced some Supercross myself, I had been to many events in the past. Motocross had taken me all over the continent. Just never California. So arriving at the stadium my excitement level was high. I got there around 11 and got my credentials and clearance from Supercross (I had reached out to as many connections as I had, with one coming through.) I took a stroll through the pits, and into the stadium. The vibe was awesome and I was pumped. Covid had changed a lot of things and we hadn’t been racing as much the last year, but my itch was stronger than ever for Moto!
I met up with Kevin Tyler of MX101 as he was also at A2 checking things out. Finally, I went and had a chat with Cole Thompson and his lovely wife/mechanic Chloe. I had watched Cole grow up, so it was great to chat in just a chill environment. Cole seems to have that new zest for it that many athletes get in their “back nine” of the sport. A visit to fellow Sarnia native Marshall Plumb over at Dunlop, and Julien from the PRMX team, and I had made my rounds.
After some more charm and slick talk, I convinced the head of parking that I deserved to be allowed re-entry if I left the stadium for a couple of hours and headed back to my hotel for a rest and some food prior to the night show. When I returned to the stadium, it was on! The tailgate parties in the pits, the energy…It was Bangin! I went live for opening ceremonies so my folks and friends at home could check it out. I ended up moving around different parts of the stadium and met a couple of local Cali friends that just thought it was amazing that I did this weekend all by myself. We had a few expensive beers and ended up sitting out in right field beside the famous rock/waterfall of the stadium. The action didn’t disappoint, with the Anderson/Roczen incident, Christian Craig killing it again and Cole having a solid ride (bummer that he lost a spot in the final corner). It was awesome. I didn’t want it to end.
Sunday morning I was up once again with the sun. I toured down to Huntington Beach and did some self-reflecting, drove south through Newport and Laguna Beach and back around Irvine. Next time I will definitely do a hike in those hills and maybe go see some famed riding spots. A trip with a bike isn’t out of the question either. A quick direct flight back to Detroit, and a 1hr drive to home, and I was in bed by 3 am. What an unforgettable weekend and when I arrived back at work on Tuesday morning I already looking up flights for Anaheim 3. Stay tuned!