Well, if we didn’t like the weather the first two days, Sunday provided us with something different. The day was actually warm and sunny. No need for 5 layers of clothes this day. We left for the track around 8AM and did okay till we got close to the track. Then we got stuck in traffic for a bit. Ironically we parked at the at the intersection of Burton Boulevard and Victory Circle. Little did we know then how prophetic that would be.
After everyone gathered their gear for the race we made the trek into the track and headed for the pit area, specifically the drivers motorcoach area. Things turned out even better than expected – many thanks to Brett for making it happen for us.
After our trip to the motorcoach area we headed for the pits. First we stopped at Elliott’s pit area and talked to some of the crew members. We met Judy and Dean and talked to them for a while. It sure was nice to see them again. When we got to the other end of the pit area we decided it was time for shopping at the souvenir haulers. Everyone seemed to be on a quest for specific items. For me it was new Elliott/#19 merchandise, a Scott Riggs shirt, a new M&Ms/David Gilliland shirt and something from from Greg Biffle’s souvenir hauler for my friend’s son. By the time we finished shopping it was time to head inside to get settled into our seats for the start of the race.
As with the Busch race, Mel and I would be sharing my new scanner with intercom. It’s a lot more fun talking to each other when you don’t have to keep taking off the headset to shout at each other. The race wasn’t even through one lap before we had our first caution – J. J. Yeley’s car was “keelt” and he was done for the day. Several other car were involved, among them David Ragan and Ricky Rudd. Elliott started the race in 15th place, but like every other race this year, he had to deal with an ill-handling car and finished 17th. There were several long green-flag runs that made the race almost as boring as a race at California Speedway and I found myself wanting to nod off several times. One event really got things “buzzing” as we were suddenly surrounded by a swarm of bees that seemed to come out of nowhere. We saw even more evidence as we were walking out after the race – piles of dead bees along the walkway. Jeff Burton was the race winner, taking the lead from Matt Kenseth on the last lap. How appropriate it would be to walk back to the vehicle that had been left near the intersection of Burton Blvd and Victory Circle.
After the race was over we hung around our seats for a while to let the crowd thin out. Then we took a leisurely walk along the lower walkway. We stopped to check out the safer barriers and noticed that no advertising opportunity is missed – advertising even on the safer barriers! When we arrived at the vehicle we decided that we would wait for the traffic to thin out a bit before making the trek back to the hotel. I had managed to come down with a sinus/ear infection over the weekend and was really tired so I decided that this was an opportunity to take a nap. I’m not sure what, if anything, I missed while I was snoozing. When we got back to the hotel it was definitely time for me to crash.
Monday April 16, 2007
This was a day to actually sleep in a bit. Then we had to start the sad chore of packing up to leave. We had all traded “goodies” so I’m not sure anyone went home with lighter suitcases – except maybe mine because I no longer had to deal with 10 lbs. of sponge candy!! Dave packed the vehicle with Merri and Alnee’s luggage for the trip to the airport. It was so sad to be saying good-bye to them so soon. With limited room in the vehicle Mel and I stayed behind while Susan and Dave shuttled Merri and Alnee to the airport. When they returned it was time to load all of the remaining stuff into the vehicle while trying to actually leave room for four people. I don’t know how Dave did it, but he managed to get almost everything in the back of the vehicle, with just a few things up front on the floor and on the seat between me and Mel. When the packing was complete it was off to get lunch before embarking on our journey to Austin.
Since I hadn’t really slept much the past three nights I tried to nap during the drive to Austin. Knowing that I’m a Star Trek fan Susan mandated a stop at the “Starship Pegasus” for a photo op. It was also a good time to stretch our legs and get a closeup look at the bluebonnets.
When we finally arrived in Austin we were eagerly welcomed by the “Helping Doggie” (AKA Dixie). She was so excited to have her “peeps” home that she didn’t know who to go to first.
With everyone helping we managed to get the vehicle unloaded fairly quickly, then it was time to “chill” for a bit. Susan decided to pick up Will at work so we left a bit early to take in some of the sights in Austin. The capital building is really pretty lit up at night. We also went to see the UT Tower. also illuminated. It’s sad to note that we were visiting the UT Tower, scene of a horrible tragedy just over 40 years earlier, on the same day as the shootings at Virginia Tech. At the time we didn’t know the full extent of the tragedy at VT. After visiting a few more sights, we picked up Will and headed home. While Susan and Dave decided to crash for the night, Mel and I stayed up long enough to watch the rest of the Sharks-Predators hockey. Happy that my Sharks won the game, we turned off the TV and crashed too.
Tuesday April 17, 2007
Today was the sad day for me and Mel to return to our respective homes. Neither one of us was anxious to leave, but we gathered our stuff and started to pack for the trip home. Susan and Dave had already left as Susan had to drive Dave to pick up his work van. Susan was at work trying to get things back in order after all heck broke loose over the weekend. She had planned to come home to take us to the airport, but we ended up taking a taxi to her office to pick up the rest of Mel’s luggage and to say good-bye. As always, I did NOT want to leave. After saying good-bye we got back in the taxi for the trip to the airport. After checking in we got some pastries for breakfast and sandwiches to take on the planes for later. Mel kept me company until it was time to board. Unfortunately, that time came too soon – we hugged and I was getting on the plane for the first flight home. During my first flight I knew there was no way I could get home and be rested enough to go to work the next day. During my layover in Cleveland I called work and my boss allowed me to take the next day off too. By 10PM I was home safely after a wonderful trip to Texas. Many thanks to our hosts Susan and “Saint” Dave (he must be a saint to have put up with 5 loonie women for 5 days), who treated us like royalty – no hurt knees or burnt lunch. And we were never abandoned for even a minute!!! I’m already looking forward to the next trip!!!
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