As I finish up my meal, and say my goodbyes, I walk out to my car and my window is smashed in, but everything seems to be in order, until I go to get my passport. My carry on is missing and my passport is gone. Well, change of plans.
Since I had some pretty crazy plans, I thought maybe this is a sign to chill out and quit trying to live 10 lives in one. So, I drive home. Then I get a message on Facebook from someone who found my bag under their car. They went through it and found some prototype drawings of Hoffman Bikes I had in there. They looked Hoffman Bikes up, got my name and messaged me. Now she is on her way to my house to deliver my bag. Maybe it’s not over?
When she arrives, I look through my bag and notice my GoPro is missing. They were taken out of their cases and the cases put back in my bag, weird. My new computer, I just got, is gone, but then I see my passport. Okay, plan back on.
I jump in my windowless car and drive to the airport. I get there but miss my flight. I barter with the airline personnel. Of course, I got the most discounted ticket, and nothing can be done, until in the eleventh hour, someone comes through and I’m on a plane headed to the UK.
I arrive. Whew. I rent a car and drive to Hastings. So many life-long memories were created in this small seaside town in England, and I’ve had the pleasure to experience a lot of them over the last 30 years. But this time Morgan Wade was invited. Nothing will be the same again.☺
I get there, put my bike together and head over to Seventies to check in with the OG that put Hastings on the BMX map, Stuart Dawkins. I get there and catch up on good times. Then Sebastian Keep, walks in and says, “do you want to go to the trails”. I respond, “YEP”, and were off. We arrive and I see Fids, then Darryl Nau, then Chris Doyle, Trey Jones, then… holy moly. We ride.
The next day I wake up and the winds look nice. About 10 or so years ago, when I was in Hastings for something else, I brought my para glider and flew Beachy Head. As I was flying, I thought, I bet I could BASE jump the cliffs. This visit I had become friends with a master jumper and rider, Lewis Jones. So, we meet and drive to Beachy Head for a look. The next thing I know, before a cup of coffee, I’m running off the cliffs of Dover following Lewis, and made this radical dream come true, not thinking that was just the start of one of the craziest days in Hastings.