FATBMX Your Online BMX News Resource Since 1998

I could have easily made a trip around the world that way. It was more comfortable than watching TV from your lazy chair at home. 10 buttons to adjust the chair into the most comfortable position! A button to call the attendant for a drink, a personal TV monitor with plenty of movies to choose from, good music, video games to play, etc. The 9 hour flight to Minneapolis was over before I wanted it to be over. Too good.

But when things good too well something is about to happen and I was afraid of that. Customs can be a bitch and while I was waiting in line Mr. Officer picked me out of it and took me on the side. Why are you going to the USA? What do you do for work? When is the last time you used drugs? Have you ever been picked up by the police? Now sometimes you get a good guy but this man did not have his day. He reminded me that lying to an officer was a crime plenty of times and of course I had to choose my answers wisely. He wrote something on my immigration card and 5 minutes later I was back in line to be questioned by the next officer. He was a lot kinder but directed me to the Custom's Office where I got questioned by person number three. I was already seeing myself back on the plane to Holland, and not in business class this time! The third officer had just finished with a Chinese lady who I did not see enter the country. She took my answer of going to the X-Games doing a report for the FATBMX website and let me into the United States of America. Phew!

I had a 4 hour layover in Minneapolis before flying to Orang Country airport where I picked up the rental car, put some FAT-JAM stickers on it, and drove straight to Michael de Wit for a cold Bavaria beer.

In the 12 days I'm here there are three events on the schedule. The SoulBowl, with the legend jam that starts in an hour, the ASA BIG-AIR Triples and the X-Games. Expect updates from those events here on FATBMX this week.

Mike de Wit showed me around the new VANS offices and I was well impressed. Factory tour photos online here soon as well. You see, things are a bit rough right now as I had a hard night. Not that the jetlag kicked in but I went to the Irish bar on main street where Paul Roberts works at. He welcomed the Lord (Voelker), Wilkerson and Javier inside (passed the line) while Dominguez went looking for some food. Things got good real quick with Paul mixing up special drinks for the BMX legends that showed up. Good night for sure.

Oh yeah, other BMX news. I'll actually add that later as I've got to move here.

Later!

BdJ